The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-01-10
Suggestion That Theodore
Roosevelt Lead Amer
lean Branch.


scouts to their work. But the world
scout soon finds out that If he wants
to be efficient In the game of chivalry
he must train for 1t. hard body. a
quick and active mind and a tender
heart-he can't do business without
them. They learn how to look after
themselves In the open-how to build
n brush tent, cook. sew. how to know
birds, herbs, trees, In a practical way
They spend as much time as possible
outdoors and in camp. They are not
trained in the use Of weapons because
they never expect to need them.
Scouts know tho time of trains In
their towns, the route Of street cars.
the layout Of streets and how the NUN.
bers run. the best way to stop a run
away borse. the elements of first aid.
how to swim and run properly and
what to do with an inclpient fire.
Sir Francis Vane.
$50 much for what the scouts are.
Now a word about their history, most
of which turns on the personality Of
one man. This is Sir Francis Vane.
sixth in line from the Sir Harry Vanp
of Cromwell's time who had a foot IN
both worlds, having held office In Eng
land and afterward In New England
as governor Of Massachusetts. Sir
Francis Vane is an aristocrat of the
purest type by birth, appearance. man
ner. intelligence, and at the same time
one Of the best democrats living
HE is tall, soldlerly, fine looking
He volunteered for service in the South
African war, went through 1t with
credit-two medals and five crosses
and, having done his duty by his coun
try. went home and wrote his book,
Pax Britannica In South Africa in
which he takes the skin off his cOun.
try's war policy in fifty places at once
'Sir Francis gave me the history o.
the world scout movement. He was
the principal organizer of the original
scouts in 1908 with General Baden
Powell. But, seeing the movement
captured by the military cabal and
fast degenerating into mere lilliputian
militarism. he branched off and or
ganized the new body.
Not as an inimical organization.
however, nor even as rivals in a secu-
lar sense, because, as he says, there
must be brotherhood between scouts
of all orders as long as they keep the
scout law. In fact. the relations be-
tween the boy scouts and the world
scouts are curiously close and cordial.
Sir Francis Vane has simply put up
the world ideal of brotherhood and
universal service alongside the ideal of
insularity and militarism and let the
two speak for themselves.
at has been a wonderful success.
In the few months Of its existence
the muster roll has gone up to 10000
and is growing daily by shoals. There
are world scouts Of England, Austria
lia, France, Germany, even Russia It
ally has scout corps In thirty-fve cities
and villages.
There are scout corps in South AT
rica carrying as many as six national
tiles in the same company-Boers, Eng
lish, 'DOppers,' KafIirs. Zulus and Por-
tuguese. In England there are several
Quaker companies.
The ideal of patriotism to be set be-
fore boys is the ideal of the world
scouts Let the boys understand that
the country has so many real enemies
that it is pity to waste time and
strength against imaginary ones. Let
tile boys keep the natural world out
look that they were born with. Let
them go on believing that Italian and
Russian boys are not enemies. but
friends; not foreigners, but folks. Let
the boys cultivate chivalry tina;
knows its real dragons and fights them
Let them find the rich mine of adyen-
ture that lies in relieving the opprcss
ed, defending the suffering, prOtertiuG
the weak. Let them seek adventure H.
saving life rather than destroying II