The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1914-09-02
BOY SCOUTS NOT NEW.
Organization Like Them Existed 2,5OC
Years AGO.

FNSOs
That the Boy Scout movement Is as
old as the Modes and the Persians will
be surprise TO many. Yet, according
tn Xenophon, il was an established in
stitution in the time of Cyrus, who
lived in the sixth century before Christ,
and IT, as it has been suspected, the
historian philosopher of Athens some
times took a little liberty with dates
and places it may be inferred that boy
scouts existed in the Greece of his own
time. the fourth century before the
Christian era.
In his "Cyropaedia," which is the
life of the great Persian conqueror,
Cyrus, Xenophon describes the pro-
gramme which the Persians laid down
for their youths, and the virtues for
which these boys were striving twen-
ty-five centuries ago and the manner
bears resemblance to the resolutions
adopted by the boy scouts OF the pres
ent day.
Xenophon writes
The boys go to school and spend
their time in learning justice; and they
say that they go there for this purpose,
just as i'm our country they say that
they go To learn to read and write
And their officers spend the greater
part of the day deciding cases for
them. For, as matter of course, boys
also prefer charges against one anoth-
cr, just IA men do, Of theft, robbery
assault cheating, SANDER and other
things that naturally come up; ana
when they discover any one commit
ting any OF these crimes, they punish
him.
And they punish also any one whom
they find accusing another falsely. Ana
they bring one another to trial, also
charged with an offense for when
people hate one another most but go
to law least, namely. that of ingratl-
tude: and if they know that any one
is able to return favor and la!ls 10
do so, they punish him also severely
For they think that the ungratctul are
likely to be the most. neglectful OF their
duty toward their gods, their parents
their country, and their friends, TOT
seems that shamelessness goes mana III
hand with ingratitude; and II Is tha''
we know, which leads the way to every
moral wrong.
Also, remarks Xenophon, the PER
slams teach their boys self-control anu
obedience to their officers among theh
and self-restraint in eating and drl''N
ing. Besides this they learn to shoo'
and throw the spear"
And, according to Xenophon' Cyru''
when he was but "A boy became a"
important officer among ms Wv"
group of boy scouts and was aIlo"o'
to be a sort of judge.
why do you think that you uhue'
stand justice?" his mother asheu
him.
Because" said he, my teacher aP
pointed me, on the ground that ! "a'
thoroughly versed In justice, to de''uo
cases for the others also. And SO III o"e
case" said he, II once got hose"e
for not deciding correctly.
"The case was like this a Dig ~,
with little tunic. finding htt'e W
with a, big tunic on, took 1t OF MN -"
put his own tunic on him, Wn"'
himself put on the others 30 VIZ ',s
tried their case. decided that We" w.,
better for them both that each s"O
keep the tunic that fitted him
And thereupon the master noss
me. saying that when ! was a 'uus not
good 1T, should do as had done'
when il was my duty to decide VIZ SO
tunic II was, had this duesuo"' no
said to consider, Whose title was sa,
rightful one; whether II was r'en, Ia
he who took it away by force So" o.,
keep II, or that he who had II maui Ia
himself, or had brought IT,
own it?"-New York Times.