The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1914-10-09

the latter nation they have been de.
tailed to guard bridges and. on occa.
slons. aid the police in preserving or
der.
everything in the Boy Scouts train
ing appears to have fitted him for
war. He car march, find his way
thrOugn dense woods, signal to his
comrades either by the telegraph or
the signal flag, pitch a camp and gen
orally rely upon himself. He can
swim, Q n run probably with
more swlftness than a heavier and old
er soldier.
NO less an authority than Ludwig
S. Dale of New York city, n of the
national authorities on the movement
n a close friend of Baden-Powell
has declared hat in time of war the
Boy Scouts drill work and training
III signaling would fit them for mill
tary service.
Or the Boy Scouts in Europe, Eng
land has more than any of her sis
ter nations. Her organization is 200 :
600 strong. Germany comes next with
an organization of 90, 1000, drilled in
the same way, although they go by
the name of "Pathfinders.' Austria
Hungary has 5000 scouts, and her
enemy, France. has 5000. Russian
Poland alone has 5000 scouts, the
total number in the empire no being
known. Servia has 1000 scouts.
Scandinavia, which, of course, Is not
in the war, has 10000 Boy Scouts.
The remainder of the European ma
tons have about $4,000 scouts.
About six years ago Sir Robert Ba-
den-Powell, the English militarist,
upon learning that out OF E%ngland's
100000 boys few more than q quar-
ter OF a million were enabled to have
proper care n training. began to
think seriously OF trying to be of aid.
Mere money had been tried before
in various "uplift" %endeavors. There
must be something new. Thompson
Seton, the writer CT animals haunts
n habits. had seen the necessity for
the same thing in America and he
a been experimenting. He had
called the groups OF lads he had gath
cred together and trained in woods
lore The Woodcraft Indians Dan
Beard. then al editor. evolved an
other society called The Sons Of
Daniel Boone afterward THE Boy
Pioneers of America"
1t Is really difficult to pin the badge
OF honor for first thinking OF the
schem upon any one man, but it was
General Baden-Powell who, with fine
experience as a constructionist, set
about the practical plans OF the Boy
Scout movement.
he had shortly before the organiza-
ton was conceived, published a text
book on the subject of scouting for
soldiers. This book was utilized by
various boys clubs and private schools
with q surprising degree of interest.
SO its author was encouraged to de-
wise some w~ide-reaching plan for all
boys, whether belonging to clubs. go
ing to private schools or living in
the top OF a tenement or on some lone
~ farm. The general. a colonel OF
the Boer war. under Lord Edward Ce-
Gil, then got together some English
Boys in Surrey. He told them some
thing Of what the boys In Mafeking.
Africa, had done during the struggle
IN the Transvaal. how Lord Cecil had
talked to them Of scout tactics, drilled
them, and. giving them uniforms, made
them, the proud messengers Of the
handful Of weary men on the long ad-
n line Of Mafekfng.
The general needn't have told his
young audience how eager for duty
these reliefs of their fathers and ED
er brothers the British boys on the
veldt were, as they rode on bicycles
from fort to fort with messages. acted
az orderlfes. and ne, er once shirked
the dangers OF . real airing line in !
real - The boys. q they listened
to the story Of - and the African