Emmons County record. [volume] (Williamsport, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1884-current, 1918-01-31
BOY SCOUTS TO BE OFFICIAL
MESSENGERS OF THE COMMIT
TEE ON PUBLIC INFORMA-
TION.

President Wilson has sent the fol-
lowing letter to Mr.. Colin H. Liv-
ingstone. President, National Coun-
Gil, Boy Scouts of America:
my Dear Mr.. Livingstone:
II desire to entrust the Boy Scouts
of America with new and important
commission, to make them the Gov
eminent despatch bearers in carrying
to the homes Of the community the
pamphlets on the war, prepared by
the Committee on Public Informa-
ton. The excellent services nerform-
ed by the Boy Scouts in the mast
encourages me to believe that this
new task will be cheerfully and faith
fully di.charged.
"Yours sincerely.
WOODROW WILSON,"
The Boy Scouts Of America, num-
bering nearly 100000. have respond
ed to the request of the President
with hearty unanimity and will un-
dertake. as their first despatch-bear-
ing service, a distribution of copies
of the Presidents Flag Day address,
published by the Committee on Public
Information in pamphlet form on Sep
'tember 15. 1917, and regarded as the
most comprehensive statement that
has been issued by the Government in
regard to the fundamental issues of
the war.
It is the desire of the Administra-
tion that this pamphlet have careful
study by the people of the country
and the Boy Scouts, acting as des-
patch bearers directly under command
Of the President, will place the docu-
ment in the hands Of FIVE million cit
izens Of every CITY. town and hamlet
Of the country, with specific instruc-
tions that its contents be carefully
considered and that the reader then
make it his personal responsibility to
see that at least one other citizen Of
the community also reads the copv.
BY these means minimum Of ten
millions of thoughtful citizens will
have had this important messape i'm
pressed upon their minds or will have
been refreshed in memory as to the
principles of the war as expressed by
the President on September 18th.
The pamphlets will be sent through
the mails to the individual scouts and
in each package there will be n man
ual for the guidance Of these young
Government messengers. Acting un-
der the local instructions Of the
Scoutmasters the despatch bearers
will deliver such printed matter as
may be issued from time to time by
the Committee on Public Information
to citizens. carefully avoiding dupli-
cation. They will accept signed re-
ceipts from the persons visited and al
so their personal assurance that they
will comply with the requests made,
particularly to aid distribution by pass
ing the documents to others.
Each Boy Scout is provided with
an identification card, bearing his
name, troop number, city and state,
and declaring his appointment as an
aide to the Committee on Public In
formation to serve as despatch
bearer for the Government during the
period covered by his registration,
under the direction of the National
Council, Boy Scouts of America.
President Wilson's letter requesting
the service is reproduced in facsimile
on the reverse side of the identifca-
ton card.
Each Scout despatch bearer will
have access to franked postal cards,
returnable to the Committee on Pu &c
Information, by means Of which any
citizen may order mailed to him. any
Of the various war pamphlets which
the Committee on Public Information
has nnhlished during the war