Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1918-01-25
BOY SCOUTS WILL BE
OFFICIAL MESSENGERS
Will Undertake Their First Dispatch
Bearing Service for the
President


tire country, will soon undertake an
important task for President Will
son. They will distribute copies of
the Presidents Flag Day address.
published by the Committee on Pub
lie Information in pamphlet form on
September Is, and regarded as the
most comprehensive stateemnt that
has been issued by the Government
in regard to the fundamental issues
of the war. This will be their first
dispatch bearing service for the coun-
try.
President Wilson places great con-
idence in the Boy Scouts of America
as is shown by the following message
which he sent to Mr.. Colin HI. Living
stone, President of the National
Council of Boy Scouts. He said: "My
dear Mr.. Livingston: desire to en-
trust the Boy Scouts of America with
new and important commission, to
make them the Government dispatch
bearers in carrying to the homes Of
their community the pamphlets on
the war, prepared by the Committee
on Public Information. The excel
lent services performed by the Boy
Scouts in the past encourages me to
believe that this new task will be
cheerfuly and faithfully discharged.
1t 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 COM
mand of the President, will place the
document in the hands of five million
citizens of every city, town and ham
let of the country, with specific in
structions that it's contents be care
fully considered and that the greater
then make it his personal response
bility to see that at least one other
citizen of the community also reads
the copy. By these means a mini
mum of ten millions of thoughtful
citizens will have had this important
or will have been refreshed in mem
ory as to the principles of the war
as expressed by the President on
September Is.
The pamphlets will be sent
through the mails to the individual
scouts and in each package there will
be manual for the guidance of these
young Government messengers. Act
ing under the local instructions of
the Scoutmasters the despatch bear
ers will deliver such printed matter
as may be issued from time to time
by the Committee on Public Informa-
ton to citizens, carefully avoiding
duplication. They will accept signed
receipts from the persons visited and
also their personal assurances that
they will comply with the requests
made, particularly to aid distribu-
tion by passing the documents to 9TH
ers.
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 a despatch
bearer for the Government during
the period covered by his registra-
ton, under the direction of the Ma
tional Council, Boy Scouts of Amer
lea. President Wilson's letter re-
questing the service is reproduced in
facsimile on the reverse side of the
identification card.
Each Scout despatch bearer will
have access to franked postal cards,
returnable to the Committee on Puo-
lie Information, by means of which
any citizen may order mailed to him
any of the various war pamphlets
which the Committee on Public In
formation has published during the
war.
Miss Ed Byre Of Beardsley, came
Tuesday for a few days visit with
Mrs. G.. w. Geenty.