Arizona republican., 1922-01-29
How Boy Scout Work Can Be Of
Material Aid In Sunday School

Have you ever been the teacher or
a Sunday school class OF boys Who
were IL, 13 or IA years Of age? Per-
haps that is exactly what you are
doing today. 1t is some task. Such
a class represents consomme OF
problems unique unto itself. out OIL
the lips Of such a teacher often comes
the agonized cry Help! Help!
Help!"
There Is a help at hand. Not only
the help which comes through de-
nominational papers and leaflets not
only the help which comes from the
material issued by the various ma
tional or international Sunday school
organizations, but help from a source
which may be looked upon with some
misgivings at first mention, but
which on closer acquaintance ana
very definite use will abundantly
demonstrate itself as 'life saver
to such teacher.
The teacher OF class OF boys in
their teens should give himself or
herself no rest until one or more
troops of Boy Scouts are organized
in connection with the church unless
this has already been done. Scout
ing for Boys" is certainly of great
help in vitalizing the work OF boy
classes in Sunday school.
A church whose boys are getting
the advantages of Scouting is more
popular and attractive to boys than
the church which is not using the
scout idea Many churches make
membership in the Scout troop a
special privilege of those who are
members of its Sunday school. This
is as Legitimate ''pulp' as 1t is to
make picnics sociable, entertain
ments available to its Sunday school
members, to say nothing of Thanks
giving dinner and Christmas gifts
One thing is sure If the church is
to see all It's boys in Sunday school
classes; it must make them attract
I've.
1t is fine to organize a given class
into a troop by itself. say a bunch
of a dozen boys as a starter. II
real Scouting is worked out it don't
take long to recruit that class UP to
the thirty-tw two boys who make q
regulation troop or Scouts, if other
things are at all equal. OF course
Scouting cannot be expected to make
a wonder out of mo account" teach
er. Most teachers of boys classes
are fairly to very good, and the
to the end of better Sunday school
work with the class.
In the Interpretation OF the twelfth
point in the Scout law. IA Scout is
Reverent," it is affirmed that "He
is faithful in his religious duties :
Every Scout has promised to do his
best to 'obey the Scout Law" One
OF the religious duties to which he
has promised to be faithful is regular
attendance at and participation in
the sessions of the Sunday school
class of which he is a member,
Make no mistakel That promise of
the Scout is a vital promise. He
meant what he said when he sub
scribed to that law. He wants to
be a good Scout. Scouting there
fore helps him to understand his
obligation to his Sunday school class
in a new light. He repeats that
promise at every Scout meeting. The
Sunday school teacher has very
real appeal to the Scout member in
her class along this line, an appeal
whose power the boy admits. Many
teacher of such a class can testify
to the fact that Scouting gives big
practical help right at this point.
Scouting is built around the idea
of interest" stuff-the doing of
things that demand boys attention