The Washington herald., 1921-10-09
JUNIOR REDCROSS
ORGANIZES SCOUT
TROOP NALBANIA
Boys Want Their Brother
Scouts in America to
Write Letters.
By w. $, GARD.

4, By w. $, GARD.
(written especially for the Boys
Heraldl.
zotni PashnYk Ndokiilia wants
his brother Scouts in America TO
write to. him. He Is scribe for
Troop / in Tirana, Albania.
Say. fellers. there's a new men,
Der of the Boy Scout family!
Scouting has - been extended
throughout the world and the last
country to get into line is faraway
Albania, a quaint little country on
the Adriatic Sea directly across
from the heel" Iof the italian
boot"
There was SO much to be done
for the boys Of Albania when the
world war came to an end that the
Junior American Red Cross has
tened there with words Of cheer
from the children of America and
provided food and clothing for the
hungry and ragged. But that was
not enough. With visions Of the
happy school children of America
In their minds. the Junior Red
Cross officials determined to open
schools for the boys and girls of
Albania, for the Turks had kept
education out of that country. In
the few dreary schools open to
them they were compelled to sit
in a circle on the floor in a dark
room, a partition separating the
girls from the boys, and repeat the
Koran in a singsong chant. This
memory training constituted their
education.
Before the Americans arrived. the
average Albanian boy in the towns
of Durazzo, Tirana and Elbassan--
spent his holidays sitting cross-leg-
ged over a brazier in a vile-smell-
ing little shop. inhaling charcoal
fumes. slipping Turkish coffee,
smoking cigarette after cigarette.
and talking to men and boys en-
gagged in the same occupation.
| The Red Cross workers soon dis
covered that the Albanian boys were
quick and intelligent but they had
no one to plan games for them. to
find something for their idle hands
to do, TO tell them that the daily
good turn is the only worth while
thing. With money which the school
children of America had contributed
to the Junior Red CROSS. schools
were set up in four Albanian towns
| and then came the day when the
first troop of Boy Scouts was or
ganized among the boys attending
the Red Cross school at Tirana.
These boys were delighted with the
chance to know and love nature. to
breathe fresh air, to develop them-
selves physically, to play games and
to do things that will help make
useful citizens.
In a letter to Red Cross head
quarters at Washington, the story
Of the Albanian Boy Scout troop
is told in these words by the Ameri-
can teacher in the Tirana school:
IT got a few of the boys together
and told them about the Boy Scouts
In America. We went for walks
played games. learned a few scout
songs, and all agreed to perform
one good turn every day. They be-
came really interested. We got
| thirty-five new scout uniforms with
which they were delighted: but since
most of the boys are Mussulmen-
who are forbidden to keep Allah
from seeing their faces-we could
not use the regulation scout hat
AS a substitutes, they have adopted
cap of black felt shaped like the
overseas cap our soldiers wore in
the world war, with a tartan band
OF black and red (the national
colors) around the edge and hang
| ing down the back.
| I'VE have two drums and two bugles
which the boys have learned to play
quite well. We marched the scouts
out when the French. commission ar
rived last week. and the Albanians,
for the first time in the lives OF most
| of them. saw as a part of the guard
of honor the brightest boys in the
village. The people were enthusiast
tically pleased.
The following day we called a meet
ing Of everybody who might be in
| terested in making the Boy Scouts a
permanent part Of the Albanian edu-
cation. The new parliament was just
taking its seat, and a number Of dele
gates from all sections of the country
attended our meeting, as did several
of the ministers and all Of the regents.
explained the Boy Scout movement
to them, and asked them what they
would do to encourage 1t throughout
the country. They replied by nomi-
mating the four regents as patrons
and making the minister Of war
honorary colonel of the organiza-
tion. A committee was formed who
took a local subscription and COL
lected 1000 lire. A few days later
the government officially took over
the Boy Scouts, provided the Tirana
Troop with clubroom accommoda-
tions and voted a monthly allow
ance from the government treasury
to meet all expenses"
Three Albanians who formerly
lived in America and were Scout
masters over here volunteered their
services to the new troop and began
training other suitable men to serve
as -Scoutmasters of additional troops
to be-organized.