The Coolidge examiner., 1935-03-08

a mystery, till II was learned that
they, too, had fallen among slave
traders, some being sold In markets
as far away as Bagdad.
Ase.old Training.
The worldwide Boy Scout organ
iZation, as we know 1t now, is the
elimination of age-old training.
How Lord Baden-Powell. then a
colonel In the British army, con-
ceived the Boy Scout idea In the
South African war Of 1S99-1902 Is
an oft.told tale. one OF his officers,
Lord Cecil. organized the boys of
Mafeklng as a scout corps. This
rial proved that If their training
could be made 10 appeal to them,
responsibility, but only If they were
trusted.
II was Baden-POwell, or "B. r."
as boys all over the world now call
him. who In 1901 raised the South
African constabulary. Troops in this
were small units, so that n com
mander could deal with each scout
from personal knowledge of him.
The human side was appealed 10,
and scouts trusted on their honor
to do their duty.
Returning to England In 1908,
Colonel Baden-Powell found that
certain teachers there had adopted
his aids to Scouting" as a text
book for training boys. His own frst
trial camp for scout training was
set up at Brownsea island. England,
In 1907. That was the formal start
OF a movement now spread over the
whole world, involving more than p
100000 boys.
"'ro arouse the boys and meet
their spirit of adventure" writes
Baden-Powell. Il held up backwoods-
men and knights, adventures. and
explorers as heroes for them to fol-
low"
In the actual careers of famous
adyenturers, and all they had to do
with boats, camp life, horses. hunt
ing, and wild life, Baden-Powell
found exactly the lessons he taught
his boys. He trained them. just as
he had trained the army scouts in
South Africa. with some adoption"
he says, ito make the training suit
able for boys. following the prin-
clples adopted by the Zulus and
other African tribes. which reflect
ed some of the ideas Of Epictetus,
the Spartans. and the ancient Brit
fish and Irish for training their
boys"
BY 1910 the Boy Scout movement
had grown so large that Baden
Powell left the British army to give
his whole time to this work. lie Wis
tied the United States TO promote
scouting. A national Office was
opened, and DIR. James Il. West be-
came chief scout executive.
Spreads Over the World.
Now scouting covers the world.
Including England. Ii is organized
In more than seventy different ma
tions and colonies, and under the
guidance OF an international com
mittee of nine. Two are from the
British empire. two are from the
United States, and the rest from
other countries.
II is twenty-four years since this
movement reached the United
States, where today 1t involves an
nually more than 100000 boys and
men.
Men prominent now in the ma
tion's work were Boy Scouts twen-
ty years ago.
One late count showed that So
per cent OF university football cap
tains were former scouts. When
Grantland Rice picked his first All
American Eleven, eight were ex-
scouts. In a choice of Rhodes schOl-
ars for 1888, II per cent were for
mer scouts. In Sing Sing, says War
den Lawes, it is rare to find a pris-
oner who was ever a Scout.
The Red Cross, the forestry serv-
Ice, the fish and game agents OF the
government, all get aid from Boy
Scouts in emergencies. In civic af-
fairs Scouts take an ever-grOwing
part, as in school fire drills. flag
raisings, supervision Of playground
activities and Memorial day exer-
cises.
In towns wrecked by tornadoes or
wasted by fire, Scouts acting under
the Red Cross, the police. or the
sheriff have done mans work. With
in an hour after a cyclone hit st.
Louis 1000 Scouts had mobilized TO
help the authorities.
Men of strong character guide
these boys. Today mcre than $780,
600 men in America and many IN
other lands give their time and ener-
gy to their training.
Exalting the pet hobbies of boy
hood gives scouting a worldwide
appeal