Evening star., 1925-03-29

| among Washington Scouts last week,
| when it was discovered that the thirty
! first edition of the Boy Scout Handbook
| announced a radical change in the
method and order of awarding Life and
Star rank. Both designations apply to
| first class Scouts who have obtained a
| certain number of Merit Badges. Here
! tofore Star" has been the higher rank,
rat ting next TO Eagle Scout; and con-
ditions of award have been such that
practically all Scouts became Life"
and star" at the same time. Under
| the new arrangement, Scout becomes
! Star when he has won any merit
| badges, and Life" when he has won
10, including that are specified, The
change has automatically given 1873 ad-
| ditional Scouts the previously greatly
coveted rating of star" Hence the
| sensation Life Scout" will now be
the higher designation, ranking next to
| 'tEagle''
| For the first time in Washington the
number of Merit Badge Scouts has gone
over 400. There are at present 402 on
the rolls, including about 80 Eagles
| 81 Life Scouts and some l5I Star
| Scouts
! Recent merging of the Lone Scout
movement with the Boy Scouts of
! America has opened up IA new outlet
| of and below the age when they may
! become Boy Scouts. Little is known by
| most of our Boy Scouts concerning the
! opportunities lone" scouting affords.
J. Hugh Taylor, Lone Scout No
! c 20,939'' seeks permission through this
! column to tell the Scouts OF Washing
! ton and other boys something about
these opportunities in space to be
| allotted to him every other week.
| fnr ha a hOyS
| who are not Lone Scouts yet, the
! column will give an explanation of the
! Lone Scouts of America. The Lone
I Scouts of America is an organization Tor
| boys everywhere. 1t was originated by
| ". ID. Boyce who started the Boy Scout
| movement in the United States, because
! he was interested in all boys and
| wanted to offer them whether living in
cities small towns, villages or on the
| farm, the advantage of belonging to an
| organization without expense and so
| that they could operate with each other,
| or alone. Hence the name Lone Scout.
In 1915 the Lone Scouts of America
was Incorporated IN this city. w. Il,
Boyce was elected chief totem at the
first meeting of the incorporators and
| continued as such until last year.
The Lone Scouts are taught about
their body and how to care for it, the
principles of honor and truth and hon
esty; how to make things; all the prac-
| tical lore of the big outdoors-in fact
the things upon which is laid a foun-
dation for clean living and good citi
| zenship. 1T is not a military organiZa-
| tion.
In the scouting work you can do as
| little or as much as you wish. II is
| voluntary. but you will get out of it
| just as much as you put into it. There
are first-the passing of the degree tests
! (seven of them), through which you
| learn the lore of the out-of- doors. the
| mysteries of nature, the ways of all
| anlmas, the trail, the camp, first aid,
| emergency helps, and everyday self
| knowledge. The Lone Scout will learn
| to take care of himself wherever he
| may be. There are next the many con-
| tributing and other medals and badges.
| In the early part of last Winter
| 1924-the Lone Scouts of America was
| merged with the Boy Scouts of America.
| This was accomplished by the electing
| OF the Boy Scout officers as officers of
| the Lone Scouts. This merely increased
| and bettered the organization. Boy
Scouts are eligible for membership and
many are members of both organiza-
| tions. Armstrong Perry, of whom all
boys have heard, is in charge at the
Long House-James e. West is chief
totem.
Any boy may join the Lone Scouts
| of America If he is old enough to un-
derstand the Lone Scout pledge The
membership fee is 15 cents. For this
the boy receives a certificate of mem
bership and a Lone Scout handbook,
| which tells all about the organiza-
| tion, its requirements and privile eges
and the many medals, badges and
! honors which may be won. For 10
l. la
some membership badge. There are
no dues or assessments to pay there
after Application blanks may be OBJ
| tanned from the Long House headquar-
tars, Lone Scouts of America, 500
North Dearborn street, Chicago, III.
| Mention l. A.-C-20939.
A session of the Fourth Division
Forum was held at 1923 Fourteenth
street northwest Monday evening,
March 16, Deputy Commissioner Z. l.
Mattice presiding. and 90 scoutmas-
| ters and members present. Details
concerning the standard troop con-
test in the division were discussed
and a plan of procedure to govern
next years contest adopted.
A report on the divisional field
! meet, to be held April IS, was made
by Assistant Deputy Commissioner f.
A Boserge. He stated that the COM
mlttee on outdoor activities was plan =
ming a morning program of athletic
events, to be Flowed by the Scout
events in the afternoon. Suitable
| troop and individual prizes for win
ners are to be provided. The awards
will be made on the basis of both
morning and afternoon events, but
with the afternoon events counting
more heavily.
DR.. Paul Bartsch, deputy commits
sioner at large, announced that a
pennant, donated by a friend of the
Boy Scout movement, would be
awarded to the troop winning first
place in the days events. Scoutmas-
| ter Lester q. Wilson offered a suit
! able streamer for second place.
Scoutmaster John o. Evans announced
| he would donate a silver cup 10 the
/ winner of a 220-yard dash for Eagle
Scouts. Gold, silver and bronze
medals to be presented by the divi-
sion were announced as individual
prizes for first, second and third
places. Troops of the division will
assemble at some convenient point on
the morning of the field meet and
march to the new athletic grounds,
near the Tidal Basin, which have been
offered for the meet by Col. Sheriff..
During the past Winter Scouts of
the fourth division have been CO.
operating with the educational de-
partment of the Crandall theaters by