New-York tribune., 1918-05-12

They have been fertile In resource.
They have put their hands to whatever
might be of use. There was a paper
shortage. Scouts set themselves to
collect waste paper at the houses and
deliver it to the paper makers. There
was shortage of bottles. Scouts went
bottle hunting, sold the bottles and
gave the money to hospitals. They
work in munition factories, in sur
velllance of visitors. They work in
allotments, and in the gardens of hos
pitals. They collect eggs for the
wounded. They have formed camps
to work on the land.
At the beginning of the war they
presented a motor ambulance to the
army. When it was worn out they
were asked to do days work each to
buy another. In that way they have
raised close on $4,000, which has pro-
vided six ambulances, and established
several recreation huts for the army
in France. So as each war need has
come they have found something to do
| to meet it.
Already in the third month of the
war, besides all the other work they
are doing, they set themselves to form
Scouts Defence Corps, where Scouts
over sixteen might learn drill and
Workmanship, and be ready equipped
for war, should the state lower the age
Of military service. By the end of 1916
there were 1000 enrolled There is nc
full record of the Scouts and old Scouts
serving in the army and navy, but there
were 10000 enlisted before the end of
1914, and the number now must be
three times as large.
For the other work that they have
done, over $4,000 Scouts now wear the
badge that is given for twenty-eight
days voluntary service for the state;
nearly 5000 the badge for service OF
100 days, and nearly 5000 the badge
for "a days work watching the coast
Such are the figures of their war
record, and of the honors that the wal
has brought them not the least is that
| before America declared war she tele-
graphed to Great Britain for full par.
ticulars of the work that her Scouts
had DONE
On the coasts of Great Britain there
are Boy Scouts sharing in the cease
less vigil over the sea. They have
shared in it from the first day of the
war, replacing the men who were called
| to the fleet. There are 1900 of them
on duty, but in all nearly 1900 now
wear the badge which is given to those
who have done eighty-four days of this
service.
The full tale of all that they have
seen and done will not be told until
after the war; it is in the secret rec
ords Of the Admiralty; but they have
seen and done all that there has been
to- see and to do on the coasts during
ships wrecked and ships torpedoed; ar
rested spies, reported the coming of
aircraft, caught drifting mines, and
detected submarines.
1t was the Scouts on duty who first
sighted the German cruisers off Scar
borough, and Scouts who first put off
from Deal to rescue the crew of H.
M. S. Niger when she was torpedoed
in the Channel. "Every station has it's
own tale" wrote one Scoutmaster from
the south coast, "of the numbers of
lives saved, boats that have been res
| cued, lifeboats manned, and the appar-
entity drowned that have been re-
stored"
All along the coast these 1900 boys
o. the Scouts keep their watch by day
and night, "on whatever moves on
land or water or in the air. They
Keep watch, indeed, on moro than the