The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1914-05-28
BOY SCOUTS ARE
/. EAGER TO FIGHT
Services Of 1900 Offered to
New York National Guard.
ALL THOROUGHLY TRAINED.

knowledge Of Field Army Regulations
Would Make Them Excellent Soldiers
Without Further DrilIino-Thousands
Too Young to Enlist IL Needed In
Mexico Are sorsIy Disappointed.
Twelve hundred members of the
United States boy scouts, thoroughly
trained for active service in the field,
are ready in the New York district
alone for enlistment with the United
States troops in the event Of war with
Mexico. Most of the 1900 are the off,
GERS Of the scouts, and the average age
Is eighteen years. All Of them, accord
ing to Major Willis ]. Physioc, adju-
tant general Of the organization, are in
splendid shape for real service, and 80
far as enthusiasm is concerned the
scouts are second to none.
1.-The military operations in Mexico
have had a marked effect on the boys,
said Major Physioc, who was an officer
In the rough riders In the Spanish
American war and attached to the
Third cavalry. U. s. A., before that.
In every troop there has been an In
crease In membership.
II can offer only 1900 young men as
volunteers, for the reason there are
only that number in the boy scouts
who have reached the necessary age
of eighteen years. But there are thir.
ty-six odd thousand boys between the
ages of ten and eighteen years who are
bitter that fate has blocked their am.
billions to prove their soldierly quail.
ties in crisis Of this kind"
Fired With the War Spirit.
In offering Colonel r. F. Walton, in
charge of national guard headquarters,
New York, the services Of this regi.
ment of boy scouts recruited to full
war strength Major Physioc said that
since the first shooting at Vera Cruz
the boys of the organization have been
fired with the war spirit. Those old
enough to be accepted by Uncle Sam
as volunteers particularly have been
active day and night
They would make the most desirable
kind of militiamen, it is said. because
of the military training they have re-
ceived under the direction of expe-
rienced army men, such as Major
Physioc and Major General Edwin A.
McAlpin. head Of the boy scouts and
formerly an adjutant general Of the
New York national guard.
It is the hope of the scout leaders
and militia officers that before long
there will be so many boys with the
scout training camp ready to join the
guard that it will be. possible to abolish,
or ut least greatly reduce. the rookie
squads. In the last year, it was said,
more than 200 scouts have become
guardsmen.
Army Rules Prevail.
The drilling and other military opera.
tons of the scouts are carried on with
strict observance for the United States
army regulations. The boys are school.
ed in first aid to the injured treat
ments, and the camping expeditions, OF
which there are many. afford an ex.
cellent opportunity for the officers to
instruct the youngsters in hygiene and
sanitation. .
instruction in craftsmanship Is one
of the essentials Of the scout work, and
for this part Of their training the boys
use a q caliber rifle, modelled after
the regulation piece. All the boy scouts
Of the New York district are not equip.
ped with the rifles as yet but will be
as soon az possible. The scouts are
permitted to use the armory drill halls
at regular intervals and likewise the
target ranges.
The New York district also has a
naval detachment, 1900 strong, under
Lieutenant Colonel Louis M. Joseph.
thai. which has been organized for
about year. The instruction for this
division is along the lines provided for
the naval militia. In this way the
country's naval reserve is further in
creased.
fYpFcT IN nm At c0NcRESS