Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1924-08-25

The cable news tells that again
the Boy Scouts OF America have car.
ried on most Of the prizes in the
world contest at Copenhagen, the
second international jamboree They
get the prize cup offered by Kine
Christian of Denmark. They lead
the world In canoeing, obstacle rae
ing, base ball. hiking. running and
first aid. winning 1S1 points ngains,
the British 172-their nearest com.
petitors Of the thirty nations repre-
scented.
When the news reached President
Coolidge, in the midst of his vacation
he telegraphed congratulations te
James e. West, chief scout master OF
America Kings and presidents honor
them!
Four years ago. at the first inter
national jamboree, which was held in
London. similar American victories
were flashed across the Atlantic. Nc
nation equals America in the quality
of training and achievement Of our
Boy Scouts of America.
What does this signify? Is it not
enough to confirm in every American
the national pride in cur coming
generation of boys? We have heard
SO much about the alleged perverse-
ness of the present generation OF
youth that 1t now upsets all preju-
dices to discover that in all the
world there are no boys so manly
and so efficient as those who are
and character which represents the
ideals Of the Boy Scouts of America
X X X \
Just after the first entry of Amer.
lean soldiers into actual battle, ir
Er0y 1T
had seen our men fight, exclaimed In
establishment and admiration:
"Oh. those Americans! They have
what you call cheek They go RICH,
ahead! They don't turn back
French, English, Belgians-they may
be driven back by strong force, but
the Americans! They have cheek!
They never-never stop! They go or
on! CONNIE Desmoulins! L'audace
faudace! Toujours raudace"
Perhaps 1t is that same spirit In
sees only the objective ahead, and
with absolute self-conidence never
dreams of anything but advance. Vic
tory Is always won first In the hear,
of the victor. Having already wor
the triumph in his own heart, it Is
comparatively easy to prove 1t upon
the battlefield Of friendly emulation
Audacity of courage and determi.
nation has nothing to do with self
conceit, which undertakes the diff
culties and overestimates personal
ability. 1t resembles the courage OF
the soldier who is fully conscious OF
the danger, yet pushes on. Gen. Tur-
enne. the great French general OF
centuries ago. who had never lost a
battle, discovered, at the verge of a
icf n &c L Oh % r. inn
and thus addressed himself:
Thou tremblest, carcass? But II
thou knewest whittier 1 shall carry
thee presently thou highest well
tremble."
Then he plunged ahead of his army
and achieved another victory, though
not a greater than the one over self
Such self-mastery is carrying the
Boy Scouts Of America away in ad-
vance of the general mass Of boys
and ahead Of all the world.
X X
Boy scouting! Never has there been
greater romance. 1t is too little
comprehended by the public. Compare
general interest of newspaper read
ers in the arrival of a. half savage
prizefighter with their attention to
the victory over all the world by
As American Boy Scouts, in contest
of alertness, efficiency, outstanding
character, poise and training.
Lieut.. Gen. Baden-Powell has
achieved high rank in the British
army, but he will not be remembered
for any of his battles half so long as
for his discovery of how to mobilize
boyhood and drill the boys of Eng
land. and then OF other nations, SO as
to make effective forces for good citi-
zenship out of what might have run
amuck between the goody-goody and
the rowdy-rowdy of undisciplined