The Coconino sun., 1922-08-11
THE BOY SCOUT CAMP
AUGUST 20 TO SEPTEMBER 8

All aboard for Camp Koch! Get vour applications in at once. Camp | fife means to live under canvas, away
 from the piles of brick and stone that we generally call our cities. It means
 to be in the open air, to breathe pure oxygen, to sleep upon "a bed of
 boughs beside the trail," to hear the whisper of the trees from amidst the fragrance of the "couch of boughs,"
 to look at the campfire and the stars
 when the sun has set, to ply the oar
 or wield the paddle in the moonlight, to dive in the cool waters of the lake or river at the dawn, to eat the plain,
 substantial food of the forests and the wilds, with the delicacy of the fish and fruit which they afford, and to come heart to heart with nature in
 constant communion with the woods, the mountains, and streams-al of
 this is camping, and all of this is good.
 But the camp affords better op- portunity than this. It offers the fin- est method for boys education. Be- tween the ages of twelve and eight cen years the interests of a boy are wide and reach all the way from the catching of minnows and tadpoles to finding God in the stars. Each day brings him new discoveries, and each night sends him back to his camp bed, to sleep among the branches of the balsam or fir, with an unspeakab.e
 joy tugging at his heart. A time spent like this puts red blood in the boys veins, glow of health to his cheek, the hardness of steel to his muscles and sinews, and fits him for the struggle of the school or the shop that is going to test his endurance during the long winter months.
 The life of camp is profitable be- cause of it's varied activities. A boy learns to build his own bed out of fal- len timber, to make his own mattress out of fir or balsam tips or by weav- ing it out of grass; to cook his own meals; to make his own fishing equip ment; to catch his own fish; to build his own fire; to keep his camp clean, and in short to rely upon himself and to take care of himself.
 He learns self-resourcefulness in this outdoor life faster than he would anywhere else, and somehow or other, every lake, and tree, and star, and pool of water come to be his personal friends, so that no matter where he is, he is never alone, and whether in sol- itude or with companions, is cheerful and sunny, and always ready to help others.
 The Scout program of advancement from tenderfoot to first-class requires twenty-five specific tests. Eighteen of these subjects can best be taught in the out of doors. They have to do with camping and outdoor craft. Of the sixty merit badge subjects offered in the Boy Scout Handbooks, thirty seven require training in the out of doors or knowledge of actual camping and woodcraft for their accomplish ment. It is therefore highly impor- tant that each Scout or prospective Scout have at least one week in camp.
 It has been found necessary to limit the number of boys who can attend Camp Koch and it is therefore advis- able that all application blanks be re- turned as soon as possible. A com- plete announcement was made in The Sun last week regarding the camp and blanks may be secured from Scout Executive Warner at the county court house. Parents, let us give our boys this bit of outdoor life and Scout training if possible.