Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-05-12
BOY SCOUTS TO
BUILD BONFRES
Youths Plan Big Celebration
When Peace Is
Declared

A huge Victory bonfire celebration
to be staged in the Capitol Park
extension near Fourth and State
streets will be held here on the
evening OF the day the glorious
news that peace has been signed
reaches Harrisburg. The bonfire, 1t
is planned, will be the greatest in
the history of the city: a parade
and victory celebration will be In
cluded in the festivities which are
being arranged by the Harrisburg
Council, Boy Scouts of America.
The celebration Is in line with a
movement which provides that
scouts throughout the world will
celebrate the signing Of peace with
appropriate eeremonials and the
burning of enormous fires to cele-
brate the cleansings of the nations
from war and the light of the new
hope which shines from land to land
and sea to sea to-day because of
the great victory which has been
won in the name OF Liberty and
Democracy:
Arrangements for Harrisburg's
participation in this movement have
been practically completed by Scout
Commissioner w. H. German and /
Scout Executive J. Fredrik Virgin.
tension, near Fourth and State
streets, where all persons may see
the ceremonies:
For many weeks the Scouts have
been busy accommodating large guam
titles of dead wood, old boxes, bar
rels and waste material for what
promises to be the largest bonfire in
the history of the city. 1t is even
planned to surpass the big fires with
which Harrisburg celebrated the
surrender of Lee, landmark in the
memory of the older residents.
Prominent speakers will be on the
program for the big celebration in
connection with the fire. c. Linn
Scott, of the Harrisburg Rotary
Club. will lead community singing.
Just as soon as word reaches
Harrisburg that peace has been
signed. the word will be spread
throughout the city with the shrek
ing of whistles and so much of a
clamor that the celebration at the
| time the armistice was signed will
fade into insignificance.
If the word reaches Harrisburg
not later than 5 o'clock in the even
ing the parade and exercises will
take place that evening. Should
word be received after that hour the
exercises will take place on the fol-
lowing evening.
All the bands necessary to make
the celebration a complete success
have been rendered by the Harris
burg Musical Association.
Plans for the parade as an
nounced by Scout Commissioners
German and Scout Executive Virgin
provide that 1t shall be headed by
the members of the executive COM
mittee, the Scout Council and the
| Court of Honor of the Boy Scouts.
| These committees compose the gov
erning bodies of the Harrisburg
Council, and are made up of the
representative business and profess
sional men of the city who are in
terested and working to bring
to the hundreds of boys throughout
the city. This will be the first op-
portunity for Harrisburgers to see
Boy Scout parade led by those who
are backing the movement.
The band members will assemble
at their respective headquarters in
ample time that the parade may be
started promptly at 7.3 o'clock.
The Boy Scout movement has
been growing very rapidly in Har-
risburg. Great interest is being
taken by the boys in the many
troop activities and new scouts are
being received and new troops are
constantly being formed.
IN HARRISBURG there are thirty
four troops of scouts and four Wolf
Cub Packs. comprising a total of
nine hundred and twelve scouts. In
the parade every troop will march
as a unit headed by the troop Off
GERS and the members of the troop
committee.
Upon arrival at the scene of the
ceremony, the troops will form a
huge arch with the fire at the CEN
ter of the bow. In order to COM
plete the symbolism of the purifying
of the world from war the fire will
be lit not with the ordinary match
but by the primitive method of the
friction drill and bow, used by the
old American Indians. Four scouts
have been detailed to make fire by
friction, and the flames thus secured
will be used to ignite the torch
which will start the bonfire.