Milford chronicle., 1915-08-27

A recent editorial in scouting directed
to Scoutulasters is worth reprinting. 1t
is headed
DANGER ~ CAMPS.
Gerus are killing more people than
the Germans. 1t is safer to be where
the bullets hy than where the flies fly
The night attack of the Zeppelin fleet is
less frequent and less fearsome than that
of the mosquito feet.
The campmaster who complacently
folds up paper and uses it as a weapon
against those insects which happen to be
within reach will accomplish about as
snuch in the safety first compaign as the
captain of the Lusitauia would if he set
out on a life raft to catch the German
submarine which destroyed his ship.
great many American soldiers died
IN 1898 without ever hearing the hum
of a Spanish rifle ball. Every one of
them did hear the hum of the American
house fly, and to many it proved to be a
death knell. Later on the Japanese
passed through a desperate struggle,
which took every available man into the
held, with the lowest death rate from
disease on record. Why the difference? ?
Every Jap was taught the simple rules of
camp sanitation and had the loyalty and !
~0AAAAhAA SNnoE " kDn lnll5LN IdLlEI LAldA |
10 drink polluted water.
a man who invites boys to go to camp |
with him is assuming greater response |
bility than the colonel of a regiment. |
The parents of those boys place in his
hands their most sacred possessions.
They trust him implicitly to do what is
right. Ifhe pitches his tents i'll swampy
places; if he permits insects to carry the
germs of fatal diseases from open cess
pools and garbage dumps to the food and
persons OF those who are ignorant of
thesr peril, he is a traitor to his trust.
I didn't know is no alibi-it is his
business to know.
Firearms have been eliminated from
most boys camps by common consent,
but every year new generation of camp
ers needs to be taught the reason. 9th
erwise, haversack or bag may easily con-
Ceal the adventurous weapon which will !
take the life of some mothers boy and I
destroy the good name of camp estab- /
lished by generous men for the promo {
ton of the gospel of health. !
Every year the water claims its scores {
of victims. Among them always are ex-
pert swimmers too confident to use pre-
caution against accidents. The printed c
rules give the parents the assurance that L
no boy will be permitted to enter the Il
water except at stated times when life II
guards are on duty" but where do those v
fellows 80 who start down the trail to- S
ward the valley while the director is il
-aking his after-dinner nap? Do they
always return? No, not all. And the 81
statement that they "disobeyed instruc- %
ions never healed a mothers broken
leart.
Safety never comes spontaneously. It
s the result of study, careful planning, D.
ternal vigilance. Every campmaster
hould face the problem and ask himself, | "
Am I willing to pay the price? Am at
Wiling to make it certain, bv personal GO
Inspection if necessary, that every parti- w
lie of food is free from contamination, .,
hat every drop of drinking water is pure, u tn
nat every abrasion of the skin is pro- Ia
7cted, that the boys who are entrusted Ie
my care are shielded even against the
Of willful carelessness ?" co
Pay the price of safety, or leave the 81, sl'
1ys with ther parents. III
The preceding editorial is sufficient lea
'idence of the necessity for strict camp te'
scipline If the Scoutmaster is respon- loI
bic for the well being of the Scouts in as
S charge the Scouts should be equally
sponsible for a prompt and willing las
'edieuce to his orders. The one is
rallary to the other and the Scouts io ior
enselves should realize that the regu- u
ion of bathing hours, the use only of rea
ited water, abstinence from green ap- rUl
rs and other indigestible articles of l
IT, the use of a regular system of ex- Sat
use, and in general lhe daily routine 5.
camp life, is planned solely for their A
II safety and benefit. SEQ
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