The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1912-03-02

Whatever may be the origin OF
the Boy Scout movement it can
not be denied that it has, for the
time being at least, caught the
fancy of the boys as evidenced by
it's widespread growth. An APP
peal has been made to all boys to
join it's ranks. Up to the present
time, however, Catholics have not
taken very kindly to it owing to
the fact that it is pretty generally
believed that membership in it is
the first step towards affiliation
with the Y. NJ. G. A. In the minds
of many the Boy Scout movement
is nothing more than a feeder for
this non-Catholic organization.
And, indeed, it would seem as if
there was considerable foundation
for this belief. The leaders of the
Y. M. G. A. have been very active
in promoting the movement. Many
Of the Scout Masters, as they are
called, belong to this association,
and meetings have been held in
connection with it if not directly
under it's auspices. It is true that
an effort has been made to show
that the Boy Scout movement is
not being utilized for the purpose
Of furthering the aims Of the Y.
M. G. A; but the evidence on this
point is not very conclusive.
Apart from this feature, how
ever, it may be said that an organ
ization which advocates the prin-
ciples enunciated in the Official
Handbook of the Boy Scouts of
America is not one to which Ca
tholic boys should belong. In the
introduction to this manual a graf
uitous fling is taken at religion in
the statement that ''partly
through : the sterotyped forms Of
religion losing their hold, we see
a very different type of youth in
the country today from those of
a hundred years ago. It is furth-
err asserted that g it is very, very
rare exception when we see a boy
whose life is absolutely governed
by the safe old moral standard. "
This would seem at least to imply
that some new kind of religious
teaching is to take the place of
that which was inculcated by our
Lord Himself and that through
this new dispensation the boys of
today are to be made moral. If
by the safe old moral standards. -
are not to be the guides in this
development what principles are
to govern their moral growth? It
can't be those of religion, for reli-
gion, we are told, is to be treated
"more as a matter of every
day life and quite unsectarian'
in order that it may not lose its
dignity while gaining a hold on
the boy. The definition of religi.
GUS observance is purposely left
vague. according to the Hand,
book, in order to give free hand
to organizations and units max.
ing use of it, so that they can give
their own instructions in the mat,
ter In order that religion may
be made acceptable it is to be in.
troduced by "sips" here and there
among other instruction. The
Handbook comedies that "relig
ion can and ought to be taught tc
the boy but not in "a milk-and
watery way, or in a mysterious
and lugubrious manner. It is tx
be introduced Through the study
Of nature;' and for this reason
the scouting" suggested fol
Sundays in a Christian country il
to attend church Or church par
ade and then devote the rest O:
the day to nature study. We ar
| told that a number Of Sunday
schools have now taken up 'tscout
ing" in this way as part Of thei
training and with best results.
1t is rather difficult to see hov
this kind Of religion is not 'milk
and-watery.' It leaves no room
for definite, dogmatic teaching o
any kind and would make the oh
servance of the Sunday a mer
incident in the life Of the boy
instead of intoxicating it as a mos
} essential part Of his duty toward
God.
The reason for this is readil,
seen when we advert to tn
teaching given to the Boy Scout
: in regard to the origin Of the hu
man race. The immediate and di
; rect creation of man by God is Sc
aside, and evolution is postulate,
in no uncertain terms &C an al