Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-04-11
GEORGE j. FISHER, NJ. D.
Deputy Chief Scout Executive Boy
Scouts of America

Scouts Of America
believe in scouting first be-
cause 1t Is a program, romantic,
Virile n manly, a program which
emphasizes the great out of doors
which emulates the great nation II
characters, which gives to the boy
great yet attainable ideals, and
which stimulates him to honor God
nd do a daily good turn to his fell
bws. | believe in scouting because
Its program Is adaptable to any x
isting agency which can provide
wise n wholesome adult leader
snip. This program can be used by
\ any boys club, any school. n group
hand any church-Protestant, Cath
oiic or Jewish. 1t does not com.
! pete with the church, It energies
the church. 1t strengthens existing
agencies. 1t is a program available
for n group of boys anywhere at
any time. In fact, any single by
no matter how lonely or remote SO
long as the mails can get to him
may become a scout and undertake
its program as a Pioneer program.
l believe in scouting because 1t is
= service to boys-to the boys Of
America her most precious national
asset. Who wouldn't give his SER
vice to boys in their teens and
what great things these boys have
been able to accomplish through the
Boy Scouts OF America. Hundreds
of boys each year are awarded med
ais for heroic service. The story Of
these deeds reads like a romance.
Here are two boys for illustration
who hear the cry Of q woman strug-
Cling in the water. they bring her to
the shore almost exhausted only
to be told that a man who had n
deavored to help the woman is In
distress and is crying. Tired as they
were these boys dashed into the wa
ter and with great effort brought
h mar ashore. Or take the case of
! the little boy who seeing two eld-
Psrly ladies lose heir heads as they
were driving toward a railroad
crossing jumped between the on
rushing engine and the buggy,
swung the horse about, and saved
the women from q terrible calamity.
Or witness to the quick action of
scout, who saw a little fellow tod
die In front of an approaching u
tomobile without time to reach him.
literally dove at him and butted
him out of the way receiving the
impact of the auto himself. These
Incidents show what boys are capa-
BILE of in time of stress or danger.
So important is the service which
the Boy Scouts have been able, to
do also collectively that the govern
Hnent has called on them for service
Ind the story of the several Liberty
loans and the part of the scouts in
them is a matter of proud record.
The way the scouts have served
their communities in times of ca
lamity or emergency is without par
allel. This leads me to say without
qualification or hesitation that it
still remains to be demonstrated
what it is possible for a group of
boys to do for a community under
wise adult leadership
And this leads me to say in the
next place that + believe in scout
ing because it is a movement largely
by volunteers. by men who serve
for service sake, men in the main
who are impelled by high unselisn
ideals and by supreme belief in the
5oyhood of America. Many of these
men, in fact most of them, are men
of such ability that the movement
! would be unable to pay for their
service if it should attempt to do so.
men who would not serve in fact If
they we're paid. One hundred thous-
and laymen giving themselves free
ly and unselfiShly to a movement
represents a great national force for
good in the nation.
I believe further in Scouting be-
cause it is in my judgment the
greatest practical educational Amer
icanization movement in America.
BY practical / mean that the Boy
Scout movement teaches loyalty and
patriotism. not alone from the point
az view of theory, but more impor.
,ant still it teaches the boy to do