New Britain herald., 1928-01-11
LIVDbERGH IDEAL FOR AMERICAN BOY.
Scout Executive Makes Appeal for Interest in Growing Lads

bergh as his perfect ideal of Ameri
 can manhood" declared Oscar A
 Ericson. scout executive of New Brit
 ain. at the weekly meeting of tn
 Exchange club last evening. He wa
 introduced by Joseph Hance. Hi
 address was as follows:
 Tt will be impossible for me |,
 sell you men scouting as a boys
 spare time program in the shor
 time at my disposal. I would rathe
 so phrase my appeal to you as in
 dividuals, that you will leave tn,
 meeting with determination to f1ne
 out for yourself little bit abou
 what the scouting program has tt
 offer our boys, and not only scout,
 ing but what the other boys organ,
 izations have to offer.
 Such organizations are: The Boys
 club. the Junior Achievement, and
 the Y. M. c. A.. The memberships
 of these units is as follows: Boys
 club, 5a0; Junior Achievement, 200
 and 400; Y. M. c. A. Boys depart
 ment, 300; Boy Scouts with 52S re-
 gistered scouts and 100 candidates
 attending meetings.
 We men who have chosen boys
 work as a profession. are keenly in- terested in reaching more boys, or to use another phrase, occupying our field. We are reaching less than D. 900 boys out of total of approxi- mately 1000 between the age3 of IF and IS.
 Leaders Needed
 We can only reach more boys aa leaders are developed among our citizens of character. Each organ ization could double its membership if more men would volunteer for service in whatever line they are best fitted to make contact with boys groups. In scouting at present there are 25 troops organized. Each of these troops has a scoutmaster and most of them an assistant scoutmas- ter to help in giving the required high type of leadership. Each troop also has an. executive committee known as a troop committee of or more men who take an active inter- est and are responsible for the in- stitutional backing of the troop. In addition to this group of 75 or more men there are 80 men listed as ex- aminers in merit badge subjects, and 50 men members of the New Britain Council. Boy Scouts of America. These 50 men represent business and professional men of all creeds as scouting as non-sectarian. Members of the council have definite duties to perform as members of committees which are active. However. with such q fine organization. we find that scouting is not sold to our city. and there is much misunderstanding, | especially on the part of parents.
 Many parents still believe that l scouting is military or that it Is sec- 1 tarian. Many of our foreign born i parents especially have refused to sign the membership application for .a boy to join the scouts. Tlis Is q big disappointment to the boy and in many cases has caused him to be- come a member of corner gang which offers him chance of be- longing to something, and also offers an action program which while not ethical, still offers the boy that thrill which he is seeking.
 You men are community minded. You are seriously concerned when you read in the local press, of this or that outbreak of juvenile delin- quency. If you are Dads. you are more uneasy than others, and you wonder perhaps just what your duty as citizen is. and how you , can help in some specific way.
 How To Effect Contact
 "First may l suggest that your <. 10 not know something about the boys work program of the different in our city. l would urge you to visit the Boys club and while there talk with Mir. Skinner. he club superintendent. and with Mr. Squires of the Junior Achieve nent. and find out all you can about [ he program. Then I would call on f he Scout council office to furnish C 'ou with a list of Scout troops and J where they meet. and if you have Il inc visit troop or make inquiry [ tt the Scout office so that you will c ,now something about the Scout s program with it's wonderful appeal a 0 every red blooded boy. Then I u would call on the boys secretary at t he ", Mr. Strong, and find out e rom him as to the cultural and rec c eational opportunities which the Y offers.
 This knowledge l would try to o' ear in in 8 helpful way ill the life IT f some boy. It may be your news re oy from whom you buy youh daily n aper or your bootblack or this or D hat boy whose spare time job d. rings him into contact with you. " lake him feel you're his friend by d. and a little bit of check p. using notebook for information aimed. You will find that such casu- sc inquiry will soon give you a good ai ne on the boy. You will also have |. reated a friendly spirit and the 2, hances are that boy will feel that l you he has friend. You might sk him what organization he bel ngs to, and if he does not belong Al - why? " You and were boys Of yester- a. .. ay. It Is hard for us to see T., - hs