Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1912-08-06

or camp craft IN athletics, in swimming and water
games While these may be pleasant in themselves
the men not following them with that intent
Iheir reai aim is to train themselves in all the
arts Wllch boys most love. be qualified for
tine tine qI d Of scout master in of
SO rapidly over the country.
In almost every little village and town there now
may be found an organization of wearing quaint
symbols upon their sleeves seem possessed with
the desire to spend every possible minute out Of
DOORS Of strengthening bodies by all sorts Of
athletic exercises, whose highest pleasure seems 10
800 IN some camp IN the woods and who find
une 70 perform noticeable number helpful deeds
Tor other people. 1t will be found generally that
s tess poys psIohg 20 the order Of Boy Scouts Of
America which now numbers considerably over half
Week With such army of boys actually ca
rolled, and with at least thousand responsibe
inent me5 scti,S % % WIN eno9sahos OF prom
the order, 1t can be readily the boy scout
movement has long passed the experimental stage
forces in the upbuildng of the nation While sons
few OF these companies of boys never enjoy real
camp life of their 1t is the spirit of the camp
as represented in the various Indian legends upon
keenly to the romance-ovihg nature of the average
boy.
The Boy Scouts of America is an organization gov
erned by a national council which holds meetings
annually a which it elects chief scout for the
executive work and a deputy scouts each Of
which is chairman Of a committee for some special
line of work The national headouarters of
this the greatest boys organization the world ia
at 200 Fifth avenue. York where six large rooms
in the Fifth building required to accomino
da@e the sta of clerks. bookkeepers stenographers
and scouts to carry the The honorary presf-
dent OF the organization is President Taft
mel Roosevelt is honorary vice president Colin
H Livingstone, Washington banker, is the presi-
oent ana ernest Thompson-Seton, who is known 20
most boys, by his woodcraft books the office
OF chief scout and is also the author of the official
most prominent the natfen, representing All
of the leading professions
"A map recently has been prepared to show
the tremendous growth of the Boy of Americal
The map is long on it are placed green
pins to mark every village. city which has
a troop Of boy Red pins are scattered over
the to show the location scout commissioners
and blue pins to indicate the local councils which,
supervise the scout activities This map every
Some Of the states seem almost solid green In
Pennsylvania there are 400 troops. There ara
more than 100 in Manhattann addition so in Brook
Ign. There nearly 100 troops in Texas and the
plumber in other western states increasing each
week In Florida and the other Gulf states the or-l
ganiza tons especially active
1t is not confined to continental America eitheri
Like the public school the boy follows the Amer
lean flag and in Hawaii the Philippines Alaska and
the canal well in Cuba and Porto Rico3
there are boy scout troops belonging to the
ganization with headquarters in New York An edi-l
ton of the Scouts Manual lately printed mi
Spanish for the benefit of the American boys whsl
speak that tongue
The aim of the organization is to give the boys
the benefit of all of influences go make
of the has its strong against
snobbery and of all kinds Of class distinction While
of the troops contain boys with plenty of means
the majority are dependent their earnings
net absolute eqqay Is observed IN all the orgsn
is that Of attainment and each boy has equal
chance at winning every honor
The motto the Boy Scouts. is "Be Prepared"
which means that scout mind and body in readi-
every duty The prepared by tho
alertness obedience required by the scout OATH
The body will be kept strong healthy by the
the training required for promotion from onel
grade to another There is of discipline that
will find nrifa
which boy voluntarily assumes in joining troop
Of scouts In the manual there II points
When a boy takes the he promises
be trustworthy loyal helpful friendly. courteous,i
kind obedent cheerful thrifty brave clean and rev.
law.
The oath is this: "On my I viii
my best ID To do my duty to God and my coun-l
try 90 To obey the scout law CD To keep my
self physically strong. mentally awake and morally
upright" When taking this oath the will stand
resting on of little finger other three fin
gers upright t together This Is the scout sign. The
Uses scout oath. The bully, the braggart and
the rowdy thus reclaimed of their voliticn
1t is not sissy Tor boy TO help an old lady over
a bad crossing when his beloved order gives honors
kind of chivalry, raise his hat give
up his seat 10 laoy When ms scout law comrnanos
be courteous He cannot disobey his parentsi
or break the rules of school without being false
to pledges to which he has loyalty
While of the organization expect
to turn members into troops Of premature young
angels few who observe the work viii deny that ID
greater influence for the general improve
Of the boys than that has yet into the
lives of the
troop of boy scouts is named after the place.
which it belongs and is made up patrols.
Each patrol in a troop named after ANIMAL
bird, the Wolf patrol, the Hawk or the
Rattlesnake patrol When boy becomes First Class
Scout he qualify for merit badges which to
awarded BY the court Of honor Of the local coun
ellis These honOrs awarded for skill in various
industries crafts, athletics scholarship, Hfe-savtng
and other achievements The Archibald Butt troop Of
washington, which is newly organized, has devised
special merit badge OF silver mounted upon blue rib
bon, the highest honor upon their list This badge
portrait Of Major Butt and is in demand
the boys in the troop bearing his In
addition these the honor medals which are
awarded by the national council Five merit badges
entitle life scout badge. ten entite him
a star scout badge and q entitle him to eagle
scout badge, which has far only been awarded tOl
boy Arthur T. Elrod, Of Long Island The first
life-saving badge recently awarded Vincent
Devinney, member Of patrol Olivet
No s, Of the Boy Scouts Of america, in St Paul
Devinney saved a boy from drowning after much diff
ficulty and restored him 10 consciousness by the