Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-03
FOUNDER OF ORGANIZATION
Formal Welcome by A. C. Moses and
Commissioner Rudolph.
MAKES CALL AT WHITE HOUSE
In Company With President Taft
and Ambassador Bryce, Reviews
District Boys.


| Powell. X. C. B., K. C. V. o., hero of
| the Mafeking siege of the Boer war, and
| founder of the British Boy Scouts, is the
| guest here today of more than 100 boy
scouts of the District, Maryland and vir-
| ginia. He arrived at the Union station
| from New England at 7:12 o'clock. He
was not accompanied by James E. West,
| national scout executive of the Boy
Scouts of America, as was expected. A
report that Mr.. West did not accompany
Gen. Baden-Powell because of differ
| ences that had arisen between them over
| the program made for the leader, was
! denied at the local Office of the organiza-
| ton today. 1t was said Mr. West had
| been detained in New York because of
press of work in arranging for q demon
stration there. The report had it that
Gen. Baden-Powell had been tired out
with being hustled from interviews to
banquets, and from banquets to speech
making, and that he had objected to the
program as arranged by Mr.. West
Until late hour tonight his time will
| be fully occupied with a variety Of func-
| tons, including a luncheon, dinner, re-
view and demonstration. lecture and re-
| ception
| Greetings Extended.
| On his arrival this morning the general
| was met at the station by Colin ii. Ly-
| ingstone, vice president of the District
Council of the scouts, and J. Howard Eel
| lows, the f1fteen-year-old scout selected
| to act as his guide while he is in the
National Capital The young guide
greeted the founder of the International
organization with letters of welcome from
Arthur c.. Moses, president of the District
iSefo Cv,nA
IL Rudolph, vice president of the local
council.
In his greeting Mr.. Moses said:
"A hearty greeting to the international
Boy Scouts of America. 1t is my special
pleasure to extend this scout message to
you on behalf of all of the Boy Scouts of
the District of Columbia.
/, I'VE are particularly happy in having
your cooperation because we believe that
this will hasten the development Of the
ideal citizen in the next generation for
every country in the world partAking in
| the Boy Scout movement"
Speaks for District Government.
Commissioner Rudoiph's letter Of vel
come read:
"On behalf of the board of Commits
sioners of the District of Columbia, who
are the executives Of the government Of
Tic ANdlAOndi SdPdIdAs dnu the peOp1S, us
citizens. / have the honor to extend to
you hearty welcome.
Il wish to express to you our interest
in your visit and in the cause you rep
resent / am sure you are already in
good hands but hope that you will feel
! free to call upon us for whatever may
contribute to your satisfaction and en-
| jOyment during your stay
The general was taken at once to the
New Willard, where he breakfasted,
| later receiving the newspaper men in the
| red room He was greeted by Mrs. Ell
| len Spencer Mussey of the d. A. R., and
| by Mrs. Phillip Moore of the National
Federation of Womens Clubs, VINO. on
behalf of the more than $4,000 women
| they represent, extended him a cordial
welcome to the United States
The leader of the Boy Scout movement
| was exceedingly affable and discussed
| the aims and purposes of the organiza-
tion at length. Questioned as to the pur-
| pose, he replied, tersely, Ito make good
| citizens"
Refers to Misapprehension.
| The general said there seemed to be
considerable Misrepresentation in America
as to the purpose Of the organization.
| 1.-The general idea here he said Seems
to be that We are training the boys to be-
| come soldiers. That Is not true. I OBJ
ject to the soldier idea. as that training
| tends to make its members part OF
machine and does not develop individ-
uality. Our general aim is to develop
good citizens by three principal methods
| to develop individual character, to make
| the boy handy craftsman and to instill
into him the duty of performing public
| service"
| The movement in England, he said,
was progressing rapidly, almost too
| much SO for the best interests of the
order, as all details of organization have
not been perfected. The aim there is to
get the older boys and the right Kind of
| men interested. He said he used to train
his soldiers along the same methods
that of giving them object lessons, then
! letting them work out the details for
| themselves.
/ Asked where the idea for the British
| organization originated, he replied:
with the Knights of the Red Branch,
| a boys order in Ireland, about LOO
years ago. In the order the boys did
engage in fights or carry weapons. In
place of these each boy carried a staye."
| The scouts have 10000 members in the
United States. 100000 in England and
Germany, France, Holland, Denmark,
Norway, Sweden and Russia.
Motives Misunderstood.
The opposition to the movement in this
| country by union labor, he said, is based
entirely upon a misunderstanding of its
motives, the impression prevailing that
a large body of future strikebreakers
| was being trained.
There was much the same opposition
| in England at one tin1e," he said, "but
| since the true object Of the organisation
has become appreciated labor bodies
have been in the forefront among our
| supporters"
The general said material for his book
setting forth the tenets of the organiza-
ton had been CLEANED from a study Of
the training Of youths he had found in
operation in various countries and that
in developing manliness and ENCOURAGING
initiative the boy scout idea has proved
eminently successful. In reply to a
i query he said he believed the movement
would go a long way toward solving the
problem Of the unemployed in England
and other countries, for, as he put It. 1t
is hard to conceive boy scout growing
up to be q shiftless man."
| Shortly hofOro uO0Yr the 0onoyol