The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-06-23
SCOUTS LEARN A
sign LANGUAGE
WITH HELP OF ERNEST THoMP-
SON SETON, CHIEF SCOUT,
BOYS ARE LEARNING MEANS
OF COMMUNICATING WITH THE
BOYS OF ALL NATIONS.

The Boy Scouts of America are
learning a universal sign language
and therefore, are developing the real
Esperanto. Under the guidance Of
Ernest Thompson Seton. chief scout,
the boys are learning the signs Of
communication not only between the
boys of this country hut also between
the boys of every other nation. The
plan now being developed means that
eventually the boys of all nations will
have a common language and that
they will be drawn more closely to-
gether. Such binding of the boys of
the different nations together, it is as
serted by the leaders of the boy scout
movement will tend greatly toward
the promotion of universal peace.
The sign language is simple 1t is
common to all nations. 1t perhaps
was developed long before the art OF
speaking. 1t Is natural TO use ees-
lures and signs to emphasize ones
ideas in speaking. These gestures
may express entire sentences. For in
stance, the traffic patrolman in
crowded thoroughfares in New York
use the sign language. They are on
duty all day directing the traffic of
thousands Of vehicles and perhaps
never speak one word.
Baseball players have sign Ian
guage. Every sport has given rise to
certain gestures or signs that are ner-
feetly natural and are understood cas-
lily by persons not versed in that spe-
cial activity. Children and grown-nns
use gestures, and, therefore signs in
stinctively. More than 100 signs are
used by the Children in the nnhlic
schools. There are 5000 signs that
students of the language have picked
up. A person can communicate his
thoughts intelligently with 500 Of
them. The ordinary person uses :.
vocabulary of not more than 00O
words. The signs have been deval-
oped in the deaf and thumb schools 90
that the deaf and dumb alphabat Il
discarded, except for the spelling of
proper names and unusual words.
1T is fact" says Chief Scout Seton
that at many deaf and dumb schools
whole lectures are delivered and ser
mons preached by the use of a higblv
developed sign language. A singla
sign may convey an entire sentence
| The savages out west have ! sta.,
language. A person who understands
the sign language can talk to an In
dian. He can convey his meapin..
adequately to persons Of different na !.
tons such at Russia, China ans Tndio
without speaking q word
Chief Scout Seton points ont ,hs+
the use of the sign language makes :
person more observant, and that ~
serving persons use 1t. The sipn ~
guage may be used In signallinr r.
may be employed In places suc,, az
hospitals. where persons NAV not ~
permitted to speak 1t Is used -
places where the noise is SO great thai
the voice cannot be heard, or nerhans
| In speaking to one another across !
room. Its use is so greatly recog-
nized that it is being developed in The
army and many other places
/ Chief Scout Seton has prenares .
dictionary of signs, with illustrations
which will soon be ready not only for
| the use of the scouts, but for all per-
sons who are interested in learninp
the sign language Every person uses
signs" says Chief Scout Seton. shut
/ the boy scouts in developing it are
I spreading Ii throughout the entire