The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-09-11
Big Boy Scaut Jamboree
 Sweeps London off Feet
Had Never Witnessed Anything Like Exhibitions Given
 by 3O1 American Boys-Thirty-th three Nations Represented in Great Pageants

London, August 10.-In one of the largest auditorums in the world, Lon don's Olympia, under a brilliant display of lights and world flags and facing an audience of thousands. is tan bark arena measuring 800 feet by 1o2 feet It is empty; then a long note of bugle sounds, large band and a huge chorus or young voices break into song. The lcapacity audience sees a 300-foot green curtain. the largest in the world. slow 1y rise. To the right is Virginia jungle with a primitive house built up ion props. In the center is huge mountain with a steep road leading up it. To the left is a rigged ship of the 17th century. Back of jungle, noun tain road and ship is a great panora- mic painting.
 Another tap of the bugle and from the seashore near the old ship process sion begins. In the lead is a dashing turnout of four Shetland ponies with a tiy boy cracking his whip-symbolic Of youth at the rens. Two dignitied old men in uniform. the Duke of Con 'naught and Lieut. Gen. Sir Robert Ba- den Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts of the world, follow, and soon there Is ,behind them glorious flutter of flags ;sS nations with some 5000 representa- ltives of these nations, none of the re- Ipresentavies over IS years of age, each wearing the standard Boy Scout outfit. even to the knife chained to the belt excepting those in picturesque native costumes.
 The procession makes a circuit of the great arena, takes the salute at the rcvaI box, and then disappears up the lahorious mountain road. This is the opening of the Boy Scout Jamboree, the first international meeting Of boys ever held in the history of the world. It is an alpha betical procession Bel g1uIn comes first with fifty sturdy dele gates Then Chilli China, Czecho- Solvakia Denmark, Esthonia, France, Greece, Holland, Italy. Japan, Louxem- |, rg Norway. Portugal, Rumania, Serbia, Siam, Spain, Sweden. Switzer- land United States, England, Scotland, Vale, Ireland. Australia, South America New Zealand, Canada, India, Malta Malay, Gibraltar--that seems to be all. So many strange flags that one could not recognize half of them. So many fine-headed and fine-legged happy boys-white yellow, brown and black of skin-that one could not help marvel ing at the potential power TOT goou of this alert aggregation if they main. tain through life their watchword or -comradeshir," and their beautiful cooe of courtesy.
 Daily after this procession of nations there is an exhibition of games, scout ex- ereises, clowning and pageants better than any circus~ Blase Grown-ups are reused to cheers each day. Nothlns like such a popular event has been known in London for yeaSS The seat has been enormous, the proceeds goiiis to the Boy Scouts Endowment Fund.
 ONLY TWO COMPLAINTS
 Two complaints have been made against the Jamboree-one that too much is going on at once tby the JuVe- niles) and the other that it is down right shame that Sir Robert baoeh- Powell or somebody else did not invent ihe Boy Scout movement about filty years ago" (by envious grown-ups). There is more going on in the Jamboree than can be seen Hidden from the main audience are the world scou. box ing cham mpionships in two classes chicken weight and elephant welght' also wrestling and climbing contests Ins the Olympia Annex is continuous prize exhi bition of engines, airpianes .iid water mills made by scouts, of na- - tionai postage stamp collections, Of pest illustrated boy scouts diaries and scrap books of arts and crafts manufacturers
 And the programme in the arena IS never the same. though it always opens with the parade of nations. in which every national group takes the salute in a different way, the Americans dlp- ping the Stars and Stripes ana tnelr Indian braves holding up their right hands. The contests in the arena pro- gress daily toward the finals, these in cluding the tug of war, obstacle race lin which teams of three jump hedges souirm through stiles, climb over D. foot walls. jump over carts and logs bloeking lanes, and then leap or wade an eight-foot pond): obstacle creR-cart race. marathon long distance ride or 100 miles, relay dispatch carrying; ex- hibition competitions in metal workins, ishoemaking,e carpentry, wail-paperihs' cooking and gardening; and buglng and band competitions. in whlch the bands may be of brass, strings pugles' nipes. or whistlers and drums After each contest the winners cheer the losers and there is fine show or good
 NOTHING ABOUT RESULTS
 Nothing now of the results of-these .omnetitions. The Americans say they ldid not come over to win contests but to restore the spirit of scoutcraft, ac- tcordine to James E. West. chief Amerl- can scout executive. But for the famous .ore good deed day. injunction or Raden-Powell, the European Boy Scouts Iare a juvenile military organization. And he believes that the Scandinavians ; and>others put too much emphasis on gymnastics.
 One afternoon the Tanks suggested the proper way to take athletic excr- cises by emerging, 200 strong. in pala- mas from the Virginia woods. They sretched and yawned and finally got in