The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1920-12-05

Thca period of testing is over with
1og scouting. The warming-up pro-
cess is finished. How the scout
movement will run on a rough road,
how climb the steepest grades, what
will happen when the emergency brake
must be put on hard, what load can
bo carried, what can be gotten out
0f Just so much fuel-all these things
have been settled and they have been
settled satisfactorily.
'The Boy Scout movement has won
out! 1t is the right thing for boys!
From now on the signal is set-"F'ull
Speed Ahead"
.A "The Jamboree in London was the
final try-out. Before the critical eyes
OF the world, literally, the policies
d and methods Of scouting in the Unit
ed states made good. Under the
steady scrutiny Of thousands of scouts
and their leaders from 81 countries,
the Boy Scouts from the United
States demonstrated that the active
leadership of high-grade volunteer
scoutmasters produces the twin flow
ers Of scouting-good character and
good citizenship.
Not only did the 301 scouts, from
1903 communities and 81 states Of
America take the highest honor in
scoutcraft activities, but the fore
most scoutman of the world the
founder of the movement. Sir Robert
: $. Baden-Powell, gave this supreme
commentator; namely: That the Boy
1a1a ha
States had made an inestimable con-
tribution to scouting throughout the
world by their morale, personal char
actcr. irreproachable conduct and un-
failing response as scouts to every
call of duty.
In the winning of these high tro-
phies, every scoutmaster has had "A
share; every member OF every local
council has fmade his contribution;
each troop committeeman, each scout
commissioner, every scout official,
has contributed to the success of the
Roy Scout movement as followed in
the United States and to the prepar-
alton for it's supreme testing in the
arena at Olympia. Scouting Maga-
zine.
Scouting has gone through panics
and scouting has gone through wars,
and scouting has emerged-the same
scouting that i was from the start.
Hints there had been, from time
to time. that the Boy Scout movement
was for the purpose of training our
young boys to be soldiers--that when
war came our scouts would be called
on TO shoulder rifles and kill human
beings. The world war settled that
4 question for good and all--not man,
a and not boy, was called on To en-
ter the army because he had had scout
training. The scout slogan. BE Pre-
pared means far more than to be
prepared To kill and to maim-it means
To be- prepared to meet Hfo, to meet
ones fellows. to meet problems OF
hone. community. city, county. state
and nation, In such way that the
tuse of violence need not be resorted
TO the rights OF others will be thor
oughly respected,
There are two incidents in the
scouting program which might be
said to indicate that there is mill
ing. The Scout uniform resembles in
Acolor and style the field uniform OF
tho United States army. The scouts
are taught to march in formations
so that large groups of them can be
handled easily. The tan or olive drab
uniform of the Boy Scouts is pecu-
6liarly suited to their outdoor activities;
lust as the uniform of the baseball
PLAYER Is suited to his activities, or
the uniform of the foo ball player, or
the basketball player, or the surgeon
in the operating room, or the nurse
In the hospital, or the Salvation Army
lassie in her work among the unfor-
tunate.
Scouts are taught to march, to keep
sep, to change the direction Of theiF
march In an orderly manner. School
children are taught to march. frater-
nal organizations include marching in
their activities--we have the wedding
march and the funeral march-cach
march is performed at u certain fixed
cadence. and each is generally accom-
plished by some form Of music oil
some contrivance tn Indicate the prop
cr cadence to enable the marchers
10 move in unison and avoid confusion
The activities covered In the scouting
program are the means to an end;
they are the things which appeal TO
any wide awake boy and hold his
interest while ne Is acquiring habits
that help TO build upright moral char
acters and train him 10 be good
citizen. What grown man now would
not have welcomed when he was @
boy, an opportunity to know more
Of outdoor life--to camp safely In the
mysterious woods, far from habita-
ton: to be able to communicate. n
some manner not understood by by
ISLANDERS, with comrade at a distance;
n ~