The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1914-11-28

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knot tying, the taking OF the scout
oath. however innocuous 1t may. ap-
pear to his elders, the scout salute,
the secret grip. the pledge of aliegi-
ance 70 the flag and the romantic
story OF the growth OF the nation
and the incidents connected with the
making OF the Stars and Stripes.
A typical opening" of an evening
meeting of Boy Scout troop is i'm
pressiyc. At the entrance OF the
scout master all the boys come to at
tention and salute; the right hand
raised to the forehead, three fingers
pointed upward. thumb and fcy::...s..
finger crossed. AS they assemble in
an inner room all stand and repeat
the OATH
ON my honor, will do my best:
to do my duty to God and and my
country and to obey the Scout law;
to help other people at all times; to
keep myself physically strong, mem
tally awake and morally straight.
: The younger boys are then placed
under the charge of the older or
more advanced scouts. taught sig
mailing by somaphora or w..s-Wslg sys-
TEN using the United States military
service code: instructed in knot
tying. after the style of the "old
SALT" shown how to use knife and
Ratchet; given practice in fire max
ing without matches, or in the open
with not more than two matches
from wood found on the premises;
coached in cooking. tracking, scout
ing. pathfinding, how to find ones.
way in the woods without compass
and how to do Indian scout pace.
To attain a high place in Scout
craft, the boy must learn to swim.
He may be reqired to swim 100
yards, to dive properly from the sur
face, demonstrate breast. crawl and
side strokes and swim on his back a
distance of fifty yards.
He serves his time us tender
foot" passes examinations and is
designated Second class" scout. Ap-
propriate badges and insignia are
presented in recognition OF his &C
complishments. Another period OF
service and study and he becomes a
first class scout. Finally he is urged
to exercise his initiative to accom-
plish certain things for which "mer-
1t badges" are given. He wears a
uniform; Khaki. like that of sol
der; exhibits his badges; lords 1t q
trifie over the second class boys
certainly over the '.tenderfoot" scout
displays his evidences of indiyid-
ual effort in his merit badges; takes
hikes; revels in the freedom OF the
woods. the opportunity to camp or
picnic in the wild and do his own
cooking. 81
The whole success of the Boy Scout
movement, then, seems to lie in the
utilization of primitive boy charac-
teristics to develop habits Of manli-
ness, thrift and Initiative. This is
the explanation of the curious hold
the movement has taken upon the
boys of all nations. A scene at a
rally of scouts in one. of our leading
cities last summer illustrates this.
In great park. but in the midst
OF the woods, the clearing surround
ed by trees, Is the encampment Dusk
has fallen. Camp fires CLEAN in tho
semi-darkness and lights fit here
and there as the boys prepare their
tents for the night. About the fires
are groups Of boys discussing in low
tones events of the day or listening
to recitals of travels of their SCOUT
masters. Some of their leaders are
reading stories from books. Some
times the boys themselves provide
the entertainment and tell stories or
sing songs.
Here is ali tine mystery of the SOL
dier's life. This is the romance
"Bobs" tells about in discussing how
he came to organize the movement.
At 0 o'clock the buglers Of different
troops gather to discuss who is most
competent to blow tattoo The
rivalry is friendly, although each boy
longs to be the one chosen for the
honor.
(. AT the sound of the. bugle the
group breaks up quietly. the boys
move away TO their tents, discuss
various events for a few minutes and
extinguish their lights. The visit of
the officer OF the guard, accompanied
by group Of scoutmasters, is scare
ly required 10 stop belated gayety.
The promulgators of the Boy Scout
movement have reached down into
the depths or boy nature and grasped
the fundamentals OF primitive boy
MS 10 ueNciOp al Iudl mas ueeu uS7
clared best by educators. of high
worth by sociologists, in order to ef-
feet training in citizenship that the
opposite experience of years in asso-
citation with the ways Of the world
will not undo.
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The Anti-Asiatic League, Of Cali
fornia, in conducting a systematic
campaign OF education against pat
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