Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-08-23

Only Boy Scouts were eligible to the
honor and adventure of accompanying
Comdr. Byrd to the South Pole. There
were nearly one hundred candidates
within the chosen class of Boy Scouts
Notwithstanding the knowledge Of the
desperateness of the venture. Out OF
the original number, six were selected
to appear before Cordr. Byrd in an
elimination test, and one was chosen
The sele ted Scout, Paul A. Sipie OF
Erie. Pa, modestly attributes his choice
to his good luck" but such distinctions
seldom come through luck" All the
other five showed rare qualifications Tor
the service. including, most assurediy.
our own Eagle Scout Smell, and. whether
In frozen seas or before other hurdles
Of life. the qualifications which dis
tinguished tfase boys above the average
cannot fail to make them distinguished
men, suited to marked achievements IN
their further maturity. Hurrah, then,
for Eagle Snell Hurrah for every bow
who faces life seriously and knows that
to play the game" he must take the
training of discipline and preparedness
Life is great adventure. II faced
with the courage of an eagle 1t affords
a glorious victory over storms and dis
couragements. Soft winds do not
strengthen the oak; coddling does not
develop an Eagle Scout.
-
What a difference there Is between
the atmosphere surrounding a boy OF
the last generation. and that OF Scout
training! Who remembers the ''don'ts"
Of 80, 40. so years ago? Who forgets
the foolish ventures of the boy hero who
dared secrete the 'dime novel" In the
hay and read 1t stealthily behind the
barn. become inspired with the bravery
Of the highwayman who held up 10
armed travellers and robbed them OF
their diamonds, so that he could aid a
sick mother or finance daring elope-
ment? How grand TO don a mask and
sneak dads revolver and hunting knife
and run down alleys seeking Iniun chiefs
to kilt
To read "mere fiction" was taboo
unless 1t could be sworn that 1t was
founded on fact" or unless 1t came
from q SUNDAY school library with its
drearv moral" at the end. Paper
bound dime novels were the lures OF
the devil to trap little bows into wick
edness No such vile reading was ever
found I'm n SUNDAY school library. al
though If their spirit were highly moral,
like the preachers Alb about George
Washington's inability TO tell lie, the
good lesson overcame the wtckedneSs OF
fiction. Pilgrims Progress" and ROD
inson Crusoe" must have been founded
on fact for they were exempt, though
fiction.
But Old Fogv. have YOU ever had
the thrill of finding on the shelves OF
today's library Frank Before VlckS-
burg" by Harry Castlemon, and recalled
the ecstasy of reading 1t IN ones early
teens and sweating drops or excite
ment under Frank on the Lower
Mississippi" and Frank on the
Prairies," and Frank In the WoodS
and Frank. the Young Naturalist
was 1t not inspiring TO feel In ones
deepest soul that Frank" was just an
other name for ones self? Frank was
always brave and most discerning. II
his commanding officer did resent
Franks criticism of his plumbers. didn't
the battle always turn on what Frank
had foreseen or what Frank dared
to dos
The stories of bravery, foresight, ac~
tior and success were fiction. not al
WAYS wholesome. too often morhtdly
moral I'm their preachments, The
training of BOY Scouts today II not
with fiction, but with reality, That's
the main difference. but 1t Is rs wide
a difference as the distance between
the Poles.
There Is q book which was published
In the last century entitled sermon
STORIES for Boys and Girls" Here N
one of the old sermon stories which Is
tvpical. 1t tells Of rich Spectator,
.'Fpr 20 years he was engaged III the
heaviest financial battles Of modern
times But this smart, strong man met
his fate when ne drifted into The habit
of cigarette smoking AZ the last, FOR
several years, he smoked so cigarettes
A dav. He knew his danger, for head,
heart, stomach and nerves protested
against the deadly little cigarette. But
Woerishoffer smiled and said he would
give 1t up when he liked. and not before,
Soon his heart became like big
sponge. saturated with nicotine, and
he was really alarmed when he found
that he could not give mp the cigarette
He went To famous doctor, and said
YOU shall have s5o,nn0 II YOU will
save ME from the cigarette, The
phvsloian worked hard but IL was of
no use. The big MAN who tossed money
kinga about like babies lay crushed
beneath a little fice~paner nlgnly"
The hoy Scouts are taught the evils
oi smoking, hit they are not scared, by
eAtAeiaae eAaA es ot he SSkaAslles kasy