Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1911-09-06
BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
AIM TO ORGANIZE SUCH BODY
IN VIROOUA
Lecture and Demonstration, Friday
Evening What the Organ
ization is.

Mr.. F. A. Crosby, of Chicago, will
deliver an illustrated lecture on Boy
Scouts of America, in high school audi
forum, Friday night. Mr.. Crosby is
well known in this movement. having
organized the scouts in manv of the
cities of the United States. He is in
the employ of the Y. NJ. C.. A, being
an international secretary, but he
makes these trips almost gratuitously,
to organize the scouts. Everyone is in
vited to attend the lecture to learn
about the movement. Remember the
time, Friday night at s o'clock, in the
high school auditorium. There will be
gr2tuitous silver offering received to
help defray expenses.
One who has close information and
familiarity with this organization hands
the CENSOR the following explanatory
article.
Sir Baden-Poweh of England said:
1.-The great causes which brought about
the fail of the great Roman Empire are
working today. The main cause of the
downfall of Rome ) similar to that
which resulted in tbs downfall of other
great empires, such as the Egyptian,
Greek, Spanish and Dutch, and that
cause may be summed up in each case
as the decline of good citizenship and
the want of energetic patriotism.
Altho these forces are working today,
yet / am neither pessimistic enough,
nor ready to admit that we are beyond
the point of rescue. The duty is incum-
bent on everyone of US who has any
patriotism, whatever in him, to put his
shoulder to the wheel and aid in push
ing the rising generation to the top of
good citizenship,
A few decades ago every American
boy lived either on the farm or in such
close touch with it that he received
much of the benefits. He had practi-
cal knowledge and had the opportunity
to be more resourceful than the boy
today. He could shoot, ride, swim,
run, skate; he was handy with tools;
he knew the haunts of various animals
of the woods; he was strong in body,
making great foundation for a strong
intellect; and besides all of this, he had
good moral training at home. He was
respectful to his superiors, obedient to
his parents and good material for a
strong patriotic citizen.
Conditions have changed; large cities
have grown up where once there was
farms, and factories have replaced the
little shops along the road. The boy
or man now, learns to do one thing
only and attempts to become adept in
his particular line of work, con sequent-
ly a very different type of young Am
erican is before US today. The person
al interest in athletics has been super
seeded by spectacular games which over.
work some and underworld others that
sit in the grandstand The crowds in
the grandstands are given the oppor.
tunity to exercise only their vocal cord:
and to display their lung capacity. The
| airship and the automobile afford very
little exercise that is beneficial; almost
any labor-saving machine spells degen-
erscy, for the machine does the work
! while the operator ats nearby to sec
that nothing goes wrong, but he gets
no exercise, and must get it elsewhere
Earnest Thompson Seton says: 'TC
combat the system that has turned
such a large proposition of our robust,
manly, self-reliant boyhood into lot OF
fat chested cigarette smokers, with
shaky nerves and doubtful vitality,
began the Woodcraft movement in Am
| erica,
The boy scout movement attempts t.
encounter the evil attendants on spec.
tacular games, overworking a few, by
substituting games, scouting, ETC., fol
the many that sit in the grand stand
this giving an opportunity for the de,
velopment of all boys. The scout
movement is not primarily militant.
/ The intention is not to make the bows
into soldiers. It is not opposed to ex-
sisting organizations. II is not sectar.
ian and does not depend on drills. 1t il
educational, stands for good citizen.
ship, engages in peace scouting activi.
ties, is character building through well
defined altruistic efforts, and it uses
every means for development such az
first aid to the injured, life saving,
manuel training, tracking, signaling,
nature study, woodcraft and military
tactics for the disciplinary value.