The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1912-10-21
MOUNTED BOY
SCOUTS URGED
BY AMBASSADOR
AMERICAN DIPLOMAT IN ST. PET
ERsBuRe INSPIRED BY HARDY
RIDING OF cossAcK BOYS
URGES UNITED STATES TO
FURNISH PONIES FOR BOY
SCOUTS.

Curtis Guild, Jr., American Ambas-
sador to st. Petersburg, wants to see
mounted boy scouts. He believes the
United States Government should fur
nish ponies for the boys, give them
instruction in horseback riding and
train them in skill in riding and de-
yelop their hardness
He outlines p enc in a letter
to the state G. lent, which has
been referred to James E. West, chief
scout executive of the Boy Scouts Of
America. West is enthusiastic over
the scheme. The scout leaders are
taking the matter up with Ambassador
Guild and the officials in Washington.
It is hoped that the scheme can be de-
veloped.
Ambassador Guild got his inspira
tion from seeing seventy Cossack boys
drill before the Car last spring. AT
recent events" he writes 'in the
presence of the Emperor at Krasnoe
Selo there was one thing of particular
Importance as it opened a new vista
of the possibilities Of the Boy Scouts
movement.
Early in May some Cossack boys.
ranging in age from IL to IA years, left
their stanitzas (Cossack villages), and,
about the end of the month, assembled
mounted at Lepsinsk under a cornet.
All the boys were mounted on small
and rough but hardy ponies, and they
left this town in the province of Sc
mirietchiye in Turkestan, marched
over 500 miles across country to Ka-
bul-Sai on the Tashkent r. R., where
they entrained for ST. Petersburg to-
ward the end of July.
Arriving in st. Petersburg this
small sotnia of about 20 boys rode
around the city seeing the sights for
several days, and they were then given
a place in the grand review of all the
troops in the circuit. The next day
they gave a special drill before the
Emperor. The drill consisted of a
little troop work in close order, of the
Cossack exercises in the saddle with
the pony at full speed, and ended with
all the boys standing in their saddles,
advancing in line and singing their
native songs.
TT was difficult to say who enjoyed
II the most, the few spectators or the
boys themselves. 1t made a very
pretty sight, yet behind the striking
picture was the touching side-those
little boys from that far off province
sode never to be forgotten by them
or their children's children.
THE thought at once occurred to
me why. if Russia can do this much
for it's boys, cannot America at least
do as we'll for it sons?
Would 1t not be possible out of
the vast annual expenditures to de-
vote very few dollars as a reward
to some small troop OF boy scouts
to equip them temporarily with the
few things needed by a troop of boys,
to give them trip to Washington
and let them see the president?
I'VE have the ponies, we have the
country and we have the boys; there
Is nothing an average boy would like
better than to have a pony and be
doing some really useful work with
him.
THE horse and all that pertains
thereto is fast being forgotten by the
people at large. Is it not worth while
to try and raise once again some boys,
such as their forefathers were. with
the love of the horse and the love of
riding instilled in them. While much
could not be accomplished at first, a
little start might be made even though
but here and there in the country
Starting with the boys themselves W.
build rolling stone that will gather
momentum by itself. and perhaps once
again we may see in America that
hard riding spirit so difficult to &C
o,fira after hoyhnad DAVIS are ovare