Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1911-08-03
ORGANIZING
'' BOY SCOUTS
REAL MEANING OF THE MOVE
MENT-NOT MILITARY
THE PRINCIPLES

Rev. Mcleod of Buchanan is i1H
the city organizing a company Of
Boys Scouts. The first squad of this.
kind to be organized in this state
was formed at Buchanan by Rev.
Mcleod and the boys take to the
new work which is part play, like
duck to water The movement is.
growing rapidly both in the numbers,
of boys becoming interested and in
the increase of Scout Masters The
latest bulletin on the subject states,
that the Boys Scouts of America have,
tripled in the last eight months.
There are now $500 Scout Masters
registered with the national organi-
Zation. On January /, there were.
only 14OO. These facts alone show
that there are three times as many
troops of scouts under the directions
of the leaders of the Boy Scouts Of
America as there were in the begin
ming of the year. While it is hard
to figure on the number of boys, yet
it is quite probable that the Boy
Scouts alone number three times as
many as at the beginning of the year.
This remarkable growth is due to-
many reasons. First, boys in every
village, town and city throughout
the country, have read of the prin-
ciples of the scout movement and
have appreciated how much more
fun they can have under good train
er or Stout Master who takes them
into the woods and teaches them var
ious usesful things for play and work.
Secondly, many young men. learning,
cr the principles of the scout move
ment have become enth"sis site work.
ers and have made efforts 20 organize
troops because they are fond of the
woods and fond of the activities out
lined in the scout manual. Thirdly.
the general interest in the scout Or
ganization has spread over the coun-
try gradually and persistently in the
last year and half, and there are.
more Boy Scouts in America today
than there are in any country in the
world.
Since the meeting of the National
Conucil at the White House early in
February, greater interest has been
aroused in the movement because
new badges have been turned out
for the boys, new manual has BEEN
issued and many things have been
done to appeal directly to the Ameri-
can boys.
Business and professional men also
have taken increased interest in tie
work and have formed local councils;
in various cities and towns to super
wise the scout activities in their To-
calities. The Scout organization has
become so strong in several cities
that secretaries have been employed
to handle the great amount of detail.
The leaders of the Boys Scouts re-
gard this growth not as temporal but
as due to the inherent strength and
appeal of the Scout principles. They
feel sure that the organization which
has been approved by the members Of
different religious and different or
ganizations dealing with boys work
is thoroughly permanent institution
in the life of the country.
D1- cno,,xc No. NGNsko-,,
The leaders of the Boy Scouts OF
America insist that the movement is
not military. Upon this point they
have issued the following statement:
"The primary object Of the Boy
Scouts of America is not military,
but peace scouting and educational
character building for good citizen
ship. The military virtue of obed-
fence, neatness, order, endurance and
erect alert nearing are, however,
scout virtues. It also appreciates
the fact that boyhood properly devel-
oped and cared for will produce eff
cient material for the defenses OF
our lduu IL tAAS euOuAO ueCOue ueCS5-
sary. It's aim therefore is to center
its interests on the peace scouting
activities that will I'LL up the recre-
ton period of boys life, and give
him the training which Is necessary
to the development of an all-around
man. Everything that tends to de-
velop boys in this manner is good
scoutcraft, and the Boy Scouts Of A.
merica insist on the knowledge Of
campcraft, woodcraft, chivalry, life
saving, personal hygiene and pat
riotism being put into the boys re-.
creation education in right propor-
tions. .s,