New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-06-11

What does the name Girl Pioneers sug-
gest TO your mind?' asked one committee
member of another as they were casting
about last Wednesday. at the conference
which amalgamated the Girl Scouts and
Girl Guides of the West with the Campfire
Girls OF the East. for a name for the ne"
association. which is to do for girls what
the Boy Scouts does for the boys OF Amer
ica.
Well" said the other. Girl Pioneers
makes me think Of Molie Pitcher ana
Betsy Ross and the Pilgrim mothers
those women who had courage and strength
ard ability TO he makers of history"
Yes" added another. and don't forget
the women who went West in the schooner
wagons and helped their husbands cut down
trees and build log cabins in the forests.
Abraham Lincoln's mother was that kind
of a pioneer"
That settled H. and Girl Pioneers
seemed to fill the bin exactly. II symbol
tzed lust what the aims Of the new society
include The other names suggested were
scorned Girl Scouts. for example What
did that signify? Nothing, unless one UNI
derstood all about the Boy Scouts. and
then II meant only a feeble imitation of
them Girl Guides sounded like conduct
tne sightseeing parties. and Girl Aides
,Eave no hint OF the outdoor activities.
Campfire Girls was a favorite title, but
fsfter all il did not have the heroic associa-
tions and the vital significance Of Pioneer
Girls So Pioneers they are. They are ex-
.pected 10 be competent in all the affairs of
- in n
heroic in spirit and patterns of all the
virtues heoueathed them from their ances-
tors But withal they are 70 be "funda-
mentally different" the organizers say.
rYrom the Boy Scouts
Just rs the Boy Scout movement aims
10 make boys more manly" the executive
secretary OF the new organization. Mrs
iCharlotte ! Farnsworth. Of the Horace
gNiann School. told the Tribune reporter so
tire order of Pioneer Girls aims TO make
girls more womanly. This does not mean
that the girl is not 10 enjoy all the splendid
iputdoor sports-swimming and boating, ath-
letics. fire building. camp cooking, the
knowledge of trees. flowers and birds-but
81 does mean that in addition she should
lbe encouraged in her love of beauty. in her
depreciation Of form rather than speed or
endurance in what she undertakes to do.
and in her ideals Of service and helpful
ness.
we are especially anxious, she contin-
Ued that this movement shall extend to
oil classes Of girls. We want II 70 embrace
not only the fortune favored girl who can
go away for a long summer at camp. but
the little factory girl who can have an
outing Of only one day once in a while, and
the city bound girl who can escape only
a week end now and then. Ever since men
tion was first made of ii in the papers we
have had inquiries asking how to begin.
One lonely little girl down in Tennessee
wrote 10 know what the uniform would be;
the manager Of a large business house
wrote 10 say that a group of his employees.
who go to a summer camp provided by the
concern, wanted to form camp. one let
ter came from a woman who said that she
was one Of a group of elderly women, most
" grandmothers who went out to the
woods once month. built their fire and
cooked their supper, because they loved to
do so. and they wanted to he Campfire
Girls"
The bulletin prepared for the Campfire
Girls of America was adopted by the new
organization and is to be tried out this
summer in various girls camps all over
the country II follows the Boy Scouts
manual. so far as the activities suggested
by the latter are suitable for boys and girls
alike. and includes also various domestic
activities outlined by Mrs. Mary Schenck
Woolman chairman OF the executive com