The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1921-03-10
WANTS TO FORM
OLDER BOYS CLUB
F. A. Swingle Sets Forth Reasons
for Organizing Second Scout
49,, Troop
Of. A. Swingle)

IF. A. Swingle)
For several months past, the young
men of my Sunday school class have
prevailed upon me to organize young
mems club of some nature whereby
they might be enabled to meet once a
week or oftener for the purpose of
engaging in such athletic sports, and
drills, etc., as would tend to afford
them both amusement and physical
benefit. After giving the matter of
this organization considerable thought,
and realizing that no rules or regula-
lions which might be framed by my
self and the members thereof, govern
ing an organization Of this kind, would
have the weight that the rules and
regulations of some nationwide Or
ganization would have, a few days
ago suggested to the boys that they
organize an older troop of Boy Scouts.
This suggestion met with the hearty
approval of all of the boys of the
class, as well as some other young
men not members of my class. Last
Tuesday evening after the meeting of
the present Boy Scouts, their Scout
Master, A. j. Copeland, was asked to
meet with us and talk over the advis-
ability of such an organization.
At that meeting, in some way or
other, the impression was left that
this new organization would tend to
disrupt the present organization, and
it is with a view to allaying the fears
of some of the parents of members of
Mr.. Copeland's troop, that this article
is written. .... i.
Now, we have no desire nor thought
of in any way interfering with Mr..
Copeland's organization, for no one
has a better realization than the writ
er of the good work performed by him
for the young boys of this commun-
ity, in the past three years. On the
contrary, we believe that we will quite
materially assist Mr.. Copeland in his
work, in that we will get the older
boys of the community interested in
boy scout work, and by so doing, will
create deeper interest on the part
of the younger boys.
Our idea is to organize an entirely
new troop of the young men Is years
of age, and older, composed of boys
who have belonged and dropped their
membership because they felt that
they were too old to take part in the
work as prescribed in the manual,
along with the younger boys but would
be glad to proceed with the work if
a troop could be made up of boys of
nearly the same age.
Believing that this community is
deeply interested in the welfare of the
boys of this age, and that they should
encourage and assist in the organiza-
ton, the writer would be pleased to
hear the views of each parent in the
community, having boys eligible to
membership in the troop, as to wheth-
er they approve or disapprove of the
organization at this time, and as the
boys are anxious to know at once
whether the organization will be
formed, would suggest that those in
terested express their views at once,
either by letter or by calling me by
telephone-or, better still, by request
ing meeting to be held in the very
near future, to enable us to thorough
ly discuss the advisability of such an
organization. The writer would glad
ly give the necessary time toward as
sisting in teaching and training these
young men, provided he could have
the moral support and cooperation of
the community, and especially of the
parents of those young men desiring
the organization.
The values of the Boy Scout move
mnet to young men are now proven
not merely history. The late war put
the movement and its method to the
highest possible test, by showing that
boys properly trained and prepared
can respond to sense Of responsibility
and duty in a time of crisis to an ex-
tent never before realized.
STANnARn- RPED pnJIT rDv