Evening star., 1926-05-01
v. v. HEAD CHOSEN
SCOUT PRESIDENT.
Coolidge Renamed Honorary
Executive-Delegates
Visit White House.

Walter W. Head of Omaha. Nebr
was elected president of the Bo!
Scouts of America. to succeed Miltol
A. McRae, Detroit publisher, at thu
annual convention of the Nationa
Scout Council this afternoon in th'
Willard Hotel. Mr.. Head formerl,
was one of the vice presidents.
President Coolidge was reelected
honorary president and four honorary
vice presidents were reelected, viz.
Chief Justice Taft, William G.. Nc
Adoo, Colin II. Livingstone and DAME
Carter Beard.
The following regular vice presi
dents were named for the ensuing
year: Mortimer l.. Schiff of Oyster
Bay. y. y: Milton a. McRae. the re
tiring president; Charles C. Moore
San Francisco. Calf. Bolton Smith
Memphis. Tenn, and John Sherman
Hoyt, New York, y. Y.
Commissioners Named.
Dan Beard was reelected national
Scout commissioner and Mr.. SChiff
was re-eleC ed international commits
sioner. George ID. Pratt will continue
as treasurer.
Tha following were elected members
of the executive board TO take the
place of those whose terms expired to-
day: Newcomb Carlton. Barron q. Col
lier. Theodore Roosevelt. Clarence H.
Howard. Colin II. Livingstone. John
NJ Phillips and Victor F. Ridder.
John ?. Wallace was elected to the
executive committee to succeed Myron
T. Herrick. resigned; Daniel a. Tobin
was named to succeed Charles =.
Ntill. resigned, and Charles L. Cottinc
was elected to succeed the late James
J. Storrow.
Closer Cooperation Urged.
Closer cooperation between the Boy
Scouts and the churches and schools
of the Nation was urged in resolu
tions adopted at the convention
The council pledged itself Ito en-
courage reverence and faithfulness to
religious obligations and respect for
the convictions of others in matters
of custom and religion" and reaffirmed
its policy of not allowing the Scout
program TO interfere either with
church or school attendance. Appre
citation of the cooperation extended BY
the churches of every denomination
and by public and private schools was
expressed.
Other resolutions put the council
on record in favor of wider develop
ment of the Scout camping program
promotion of the Scout reading pro.
gram, encoura cement of vocational
training through the merit badge Sys
tenn, support of the forest protection
and tree planting campaign of the
United States Bureau of Forestry and
q finn with aornnorifino1 Snnio.
ties in interesting young men in avia,
ton.
The council formally extended the
thanks of the Boy Scouts of America
to President Coolidge, Sir Robert
Baden Powell. various organiZa tions
and the press for assistance in the
Scout movement. Resolutions of con
dolence on the death of James ]. Stor-
row, late president of the Scout asso-
citation, also were adopted. After the
council meeting the Scouts went to
the White House.
At the White House the more than
1000 Scout officials and visitors were
photographed with President Cool
idge on the south lawn of the White
House grounds. Mr. Coolidge is hon
orary president of the Boy Scouts of
America, and il is in that capacity
btldI llt W All tlI0 "
night III Memorial Continental Hall.
Demonstration at 3 PM.
Immediately following the presi-
dental reception the delegates were
to adjourn to the Ellipse to witness the
monster Scout field day demonstration
in honor OF Sir Robert S. S. Baden
Powell, ''chief Scout of the world. ;"
TNaf % Iii iny, x1-hin11 c
scheduled to start at pm, will be
found in another column.
The second session of the meeting
opened this morning at the Willard
with a discussion of camping in all its
phases, under the craftsmanship of
George D. Pratt of the camping de-
partment. In the departmental an
nual report, read by L. L. Mcdonald,
director of the department, attention
was called to the amazing growth of
the camping idea in America" This
was declared to be ''one of the fea-
lures of the century that has given us
the automobile the airplane and the
radio"
The extraordinary feature of this
amazing growth" the report said, lis
the comparatively short time 1t has
taken to accomplish it. Sixteen years
of the Boy Scouts of America. the
outdoor movement was confined chief
y to tennis courts. playground ath-
letics or fishing parties, and anything
like a concerted effort to give the
young people of the country an oppor-
tunity for life close to nature in the
open country was all but unknown.
To the camping program of the Boy
Scouts. to the leadership and the fore
sight and the enthusiasm of the splen.
did men who have promoted it. are due
in a large measure the growth of the
camping idea"
Objectives Outlined.
The report recommended the follow
ing objectives as a further protection
to the young campers:
L. paid waterfront leader holding
a Red Cross Institute or college
certificate for every camp.
>. A Scout lifeguard crew at every
camp to supplement the work of the
waterfront leader. There should be
two Scout life guards in every troop
and if possible. one Scout life guard
in every patrol. to assist the scout
master during hikes or overnight
camps. Some system should be worked
out in the Scoutma sters' training
courses whereby ii Iiuoe
be a proficient swimmer before being
eligible for the highest grade cCrtii-
cate.
3. No scoutmaster TO be permit
ted to take Scouts on trips where they
will swim unless he is n capable life
saver.
4. The buddy plan to be used
At troop hike swims and week end
camp swims as well as at regular
5. All camps to be provided with
graphing irons or other dragging de-
vices which, if used Immediately for
accidents which occur. frequently re-
cover the victim in time for applica-
tion of artificial respiration.
6. More extensive use of canoes un-
der careful leadership and approved
conditions.
{. Every Scout camp situated on
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