Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-04-17
TRAINING GIRLS
FOR CITIZENSHIP
Work of Girl Scouts in This and
Other Lines Shows Movement
of Great Value.

The activities of the Girl Scouts may be
grouped under five headings, correspond
ing to five phases of women's life today.
The home-maker, the producer, the con-
sumner, the citizen, the human being.
Womans most ancient way of service
is the home-maker, the nurse, and the
mother. The Girl Scouts program pro-
vides incentives for practicing woman 5
world-old arts by requiring an elementary
proficiency in cooking, housekeeping,
first aid, and the rules of healthful living
for any Girl Scout passing beyond the
Tenderfoot stage Of the fOrty-odd sub
jects for which proficiency badges are
given, more than one-fourth are IN sub
iects directly related to the services OF
woman in the home, rs mother, nurse or
home-makcr. Into this work, so often
distasteful because solitary, is brought
the sense of comradeshlp. This is elected
partly by having much OF the actual
training done in groups. Another, ele-
ment is the public recognition, and re-
warding of skill in this wOmans most
elementary service to the world, usually
taken for granted and ignored
The spirit of play infused into the
simplest and most repetitions OF house
hold tasks banishes drudgery. Give US,
oh give US, says Carlyle. "a man who
sings at his work. He will do more IN
the same time. he will do it better, he
Will perseverc longer. NondrouS Is the
strength of cheerful ness; altogether past
comprehension its power OF endurance
Woman Is of service rs producer.
IIandicraftS of many sorts enter INTO the
program of the Girl Scouts. In camping,
girls must know how to set up tents,
build lean-tos. and construct hre-placcs.
They must also know how 10 make knots
ni various sorts TO use for bandages, tying
parcels, hltching and so forth. Among
The productive occupations IN which
Proficiency Badges are awarded are bee
keeping, dalrying and general farming,
gardening. weaving and needlcwork-
Again, woman IS of service Ms a con-
sumner. One of the features in modem
economies which is only beginning to be
recognized IS the fact that women form
ihc consuming public There are very
few purchases, even for men 5 own use.
which women do not have hand in
selecting. Practically the entire burden
uf household buying in all departments
tails on the woman. In France, this has
long been recognized and the women Of
the middle classes arc the buying partners
and bookkecpers in their husband 5 busl-
mess. The Girl Scouts encourage thrifty
habits and learning economy of buying
il all of It's activities. One of the ten
scout Laws is that "a Girl Scout is
Thrifty"
No small part OF a woman service is
that Of citizenship The basic organiza-
tion Of the Girl Scouts INTO the self
governing unit of Patrol is in itself
m excellent means OF political training.
Patrols and Troops conduct their own
meetings and the Scouts learn the Gle
uents of parliamentary law. Working
together IN groups. they realize the neces-
ltv for democratic decisions. They also
'ome to have community interests Of nm
'mperSonal sort. This Is perhaps the
greatest single contribution Of the Scouts
toward the training of girls for citizen
~lIp BOYS from youth to manhood, from
the earliest baseball experience to the
casting of the first ba Hot, have been
held together by common interests OF an
lmperSonal character Girls have had. in
the past, no such common interests
Their games have been either military or
IN very small groups In activities largely
of "A personal character IL women are to
be effective in modern political society
they must have. from very earliest
Youth. interest and occupations which
will bring them together,
All of woman : activities depend upon
woman rs a human being. The activities
ot tho Girl Scouts have been selected fol
their success IN developing real human
beings Real work may he followed with
"a great deal of enjoyment provided il is
creative and awakens the instinct of
workmanship. But it is when at play that
a human being realizes his own nature
the most fully. So dancing sports of al
kinds. hiking camping, boating, athletics
and story telling are encouraged not only
aS means of recreation and for physica
development but are made a basic part
Of the Girl Scout program.