Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-06-10
BOY SCOUTS TO
HELP CAMP AIGN
FOR $50 QUOTA
Program for Week is Arranged to
Stimulate Interest In Strength
ening Organization.

Lieutenant R. c. Mitchell, chair
man of the local demonstration
committee for the national boy
scout week, announces the follow
Ing program to stimulate the cam
paign for members here:
Tolay-Window demonstrations
in the various stores. Talk by one
Of the boy scouts at the Rotary
club meeting at noon.
Tomorrow-Scouts will put on a
"walkrite" campaign. This cam
paign will be put on in an attempt
TO help the city officials impress
upon the minds of jay walkers the
and narrow path across the
street
Thursday-Night window demon
STATIONS in down town stores.
Court of Honor will be held. This
will be at the court house starting
promptly at 1880 o'clock. At that
time a class of first class scouts
will get their examination. Badges
will be awarded. Scouts will be
awarded badges for work on the
government Liberty loan. This meet
ing is open to the public and par
ents and friends of scouts are
urged to come.
Friday-Scout field meet at Long
View park at 3 p. m. The following
contest will be held: LIST, antelope
race; End, coat and staff stretcher;
Ord, pony express; 4th, hundred
yard dash; 5th, fifty yard dash; 9Th,
running broad jump; 7th, running
high jump; Sth, relay race; 9th,
baseball throw.
Started in 1917.
The Rotary club was first inter
ested in the boy scout movement in
the fall of 1917, but the campaign
for funds for a three year program
was backed by every organization
in the city. The sum of So, 900 was
raised without the slightest trouble.
The scout council Immediately or
ganized with B. d. Connolly as first
president, R. C. Mitchell, first COM
missioner and L. G. Weaver first
executive.
Boys all over the city were eager
to get started. and troops were or
ganized as fast as scoutmasters
could be secured.
Mr.. Bacon succeeded Mr.. Weaver
as executive in November, 1917.
Scouts were invaluable in war
activities, having sold bonds as
follows:
First loan. SAC bonds-$41,7 700.
Second loan, CAB bonds-$73 900.
Third loan, (acted as gleaners),
521 bonds-$12,O00.
Ordered by the government to To-
cate walnut trees, they got right on
the Job and in a short time reported
252 trees, IL to II inches in diam
eter; 80 trees, IS to % inches in
diameter; 81 trees, IL to "a inches
in diameter.
They distributed and in most
cases, put up all government post
ers and placed their services at
disposal of all war committees and
did duty for them continually dur
ing the war, thus releasing men for
other work.
Considerable difficulty was met in
getting scoutmasters during the
period of the war, but the work
went on without a hitch. In some
cases older scouts took charge of
troops when scoutmasters were not
available and handled them exceed
ingly well.
NJ. E.. Streiter was elected presi-
dent of council in November, 1917
r. C. Mitchell resigned as scout
commissioner in June 1918, and P.
r. Preston was appointed to succeed
him.
Have Over 200.
Present organization consists of
Is troops and little over two hum
bred boys.
Four deputy commissioners were
recently appointed. Sam Ryerson.
W. J. Sweeney. W. P Ammercan
and ]. F. Witter. The city is now
divided into four sections with a
deputy commissioner in charge of
each section. He will inspect pres
ent -roops regularly, form new
troops and locate scoutmasters for
same.
They are planning to have 50
troops in the city by January l,
1920, and 500 boys enrolled. This
will be practically two-thirds of
the boys in the city.
Help this movement along by be-
coming an associate member next
week. One million associate mem
bers will be added to the organiza-
ton next week. You be one of them.
Rock Islands quota of membership
is 450