The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1911-08-03
BOY SCOUTS REQUIRE BIG BUSINESS SYSTEM
Details Of the Methods by which Hundreds Of Thousands Of Boys
Throughout the Country Kept interested in the Activities
that Make for Fun Health Mental and Character Development

=, tanning an appropriation from Con-
gress. Knowing the sorrow of child
rem who must be reared in an asylum
he took up a campaign to obtain
homes for such orphans and placed
three thousand babies in childless
homes throughout the country after
securing an investigation of each
home and making sure that every
child would be we'll cared for. His
work along these lines brought him
to the attention of the Boy Scout
movement and they selected him as
Executive Secretary.
Since taking that position on Jan
uary LIST, West has worked out ener-
getically the present business system
of the Boys Scout organization. Under
his direction new Boy Scout badges
have been devised, new activities
worked out, new Scout oath arrang-
ed, the Scout Law revised and ampli-
fed. A conference of the leaders
was held in Washington under the
auspices of President Taft, where
new policies of field supervision and
administration were worked out.
furthermore the Boy Scout manual
has been rewritten and thoroughly
Americanized under the direction of
an editorial board. The first manual
was adopted largely from the manual
of the British Boy Scouts with sever
al chapters by Ernest Thompson
Seton, but the tremendous growth
of the movement in the United States
necessitated it's revision. AS secre-
tary to the Editorial Board, West
took charge of getting the writer's
and interesting many men in the
hand book for the boys.
In the headquarters are many in
teresting persons. John l.. Alexan-
the organization and an expert in
working among boys is engaged in
writing a Scoutmasters' Manual. S.
A. Moffat is business secretary and
has at his finger tips the thousands
of details connected with such a bust
ness enterprise. Preston G. Orwig
is field secretary, spending part of his
time at headquarters and the re-
mainder travelling through the coun-
local councils and troops and meeting
the boys face to face.
While Secretary West is the Give
wire" of the movement he has behind
him hundreds of business and profess
sional men who believe in the Boy
Scout idea. Many Of them are ready
to give money and others their brains
to the development of the organiza-
ton throughout the country.
William H. Taft, President of the
United States, is Honorary President
of the organization. Colonel Theo-
dore Roosevelt, former President Of
the United States, is Honorary Vice
President. Men of all religions are
backing the organization. Colin H.
Livingstone, banker of Washington.
D. G. is chairman of the executive
board, and Ernest Thompson Seton
whose writings appeal to the boys is
Chief Scout. Daniel Carter Beard,
favorite of the boys and artist, is
National Scout Commissioner, as also
are William Verbeck, Adjutant Cen
eral of New York state, and Colonel
Peter S. Bonus, of New York City.
George D. Pratt, who is head Of the
Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, is treas
urer of the organization. Among
the vice presidents are B. l.. Dunlan-
ey, of Bristol, Tennessee, Professor
D. S. Jordan, of Stamford University
of California. William D. Murray is
an active worker on the Editorial
Board, and had charge of the Scout
manual. Mortimer l.. Schiff, OF
Kuhn, Loeb & Co., bankers; August
Belmont, banker; Henry Rogers
Winthrop, William Sloan, Charles
D. Stickney and many others who are
interested in the work. Many gov
ernors of the states have shown
their enthusiasm over the movement.
The interest of so many prominent
men is proof of their intense convic-
ton that no boys movement prev
iously devised had the great qualities
of good that the Boy Scout organiza-
ton has.
The rapid growth of the organiza-
ton is proof that the boys them
selves find opportunities for whole
some fun and physical development.
1t is the belief of the leaders of the
movement that under such super
vision as the boys have they will de-
velop into fine wholesome citizens.