Mohave County miner., 1916-11-11
ITALIAN BOY SCOUTS
 DOING GOOD SERVICE
 IN PRESENT CONFLICT

HEADQUARTERS OF THE TEAL IAN ARMY, Oct. 2O.-That the Boy Scouts of Italy are taken seriously was indicated by the recent order of the minister of war calling upon them to do service in the war zone or be- hind the lines in other military capa- cities according to their age.
 They were mobilized in the same manner as grown-up soldiers, the va rious sections moving by train from various points in Italy to a central headquarters at a concentration camp to the north of Bologna. Here they were reviewed by generals from the front and assigned to various divi- sions, some 800 being sent as far south as Brindisi on the Adriatic sea, where they were assigned to duty in sections, each section had it's own cook, it's own rations and it's own field equipment.
 While many of the boys have been serving individually in their capacity as scouts since the war began, many of the older ones even having succeed ed in being enlisted in the regular army with ths eOasOat Of their par ents, this was the first occasion the entire body had been officially mo- bilized. The reports on their useful ness and conduct received recently at their national headquarters in Rome indicate that they met their first trial efficiently. Three division generals wrote letters of commendation, stat ing that they had been struck particu- larly by the smiling manner in which the lads bore camp hardships.
 The Boy Scout movement in Italy differs from that in the United States in the respect that it is organized un- der the rules of and controlled by the war department. Its watchword is "Be Prepared" While it's object in peace times is primarily to make cheerful, truth-telling, manly lads out of adven- turous boys frequently labeled as ''bad," they are trained along military lines under regular army officers. One of the advantages of this Boy Scout | service is that for each year served one month is taken of the legal mili- tary service of the member.
 The Scouts, whose name in Italian is Esploratori (Explorers) have A code of honor to follow as high as that of any army. It is called ''The Deca- logue," the first law of which is this: The word of honor of scout is sacred. | Another law of this Decalogue is cour- tesy and gentleness to each other and to all strangers; yet another is inn plicit obedience to scout officers and to parents. The last law but one requires | the scout to be sober, temperate and saving with his money.
 Although the war has increased the popularity of the scouts, it was need ed to give impetus to the organization among boys. As in the United States, it has many physical attractions which | endear it to the boy heart. Aside from the social life, the weekly excursions, and other sporting features, common in the United States, the Italian scout, on entering, is assigned to a certain class, and according to this assign ment he becomes a scout wireless boy, scout mechanic, scout aeronaut, an interpreter, a guide, a musician, a cyclist, and so on through a host of military specialties. There are two great divisions of the scouts, land scout and a water scout, since in the seaport cities an effort is made to train the boys for seafaring life. Huge rooms in the armories and arsenals of the army and navy are placed at their disposal, such rooms being all their own.
 Only boys of 12 years or over are permitted to carry the title of scout, boys between the ages of g and 12 55e- ing entered as scout novices. In or der that the organization may not be limited to wealthy boys, the yearly dues are limited to 60 cents, with the government paying for the more eX- pensive equipment.
 The color of the uniform of the ltal- ian scout differs from that worn in the United States, England or France. The blouse is sand colored like that worn by Italian soldiers of the African army regiments, while the pants are of the gray-green shade worn by the Italian army proper now fighting in the Alps. The hat is of the typical American cowboy pattern.
 When on military duty, scouts wear on the left arm a cloth band striped with the national colors of green, ,,-b;%o o,J ,-oJ I;1ro oil eo1dio,.c ,or dr1t1y l