The Washington times., 1937-07-10

and the construction gangs r,
Of boys.
And thanks to careful admins
tration and fine leadership from
the Scout leaders who engineered
the vast project, the city OF Wash
ington has a clean taste in its
mouth and a come-again attitude
toward the departing boys. This
is a new feeling for a city that
has become pretty tired OF patch.
ing things up after a bang-up and
smash-up conventions.
The Boy Scouts left town with
clean consciences and camp sites,
Completion of park repair work
will continue until September Is,
when the city will have no
tangible after effects OF the
largest congregation Of boys the
United States has ever seen.
What is the appeal Of living
in the open? What unknown
quality draws a youngster away
from the convenienceS and
luxuries of a modern home into
the woods to a tent to eat on
logs, wash in streams, study the
trees, the animals, the beauties
of nature? In other words: why
a Jamboree? Is it the Call OF
the Wild" of the desire OF in
dependence that draws Boy Scouts
away from the city to seek the
palmer, more natural life?
Well, without trying to become
prosaic, 1 think it is an Unborn
urge in any young boy to prove
that he can take care OF himself
in the open. 1t is test Of the
things he has learned since he
toddled. Until the time a boy goes
camping he has been guided and
directed, taught and corrected, led
and put to bed. So, there lies the
appeal for the younger boy. TO me
camping is a tonic-an explana-
ton and a proof Of my religious
principles.
1.-THE main object Of a Jambo-
rec is to bring Scouts together
from different countries to meet
and get to know each other ana
to make friends with each other"
said Lord Robert Baden-Powell'
founder Of the Boy Scouts, on
July 6, 1887. This Jamboree has
done Just that. Assembled to-
gether at one spot, representatives
of "a countries camped, conversed
and snapped with $4,000 Of our
boys, It was more education than
the most broadening books, and
promoted more. good will and
friendly interest than a library
full of peace books or the Alps
full of peacemakerS.
The grub" all $50 tons Of 1t
daily, was fine.
Camp hospitals, although man
aged by q fine group Of physicians,
went wanting for business as the
$4,000 campers had much less Ill
ness than an average city OF this
size, with no fatalities at all.
The morale of the campers
through sun or storm was high and
wholesome, and despite the fact
that the Scouts were emphatically
not regimented, the Jamboree was
entirely orderly and well-behaved,
proving that the idealiSm OF the
Scout oath and law is far more
effective in intoxicating the pr1n'
ciples of the highest type Of Amer
lean tradition, government, NOR
ais, and individuality in youth
than any form of fascist, COM
munistic or other "istic" form Of
youth RECOMMENDATION that has ever
been attempted.
With more than $4,000 Of the
1925 Boy Scouts and their lead
erS here for the Today National
Boy Scout Jamboree having left
Washington yesterday on 90 spe-
cial trains and coaches from
noon to midnight, a second
group of approximately 10000
was being routed out Of the city
today in all directions.
Although the camp came to
an official closing at 2:30 p. m.
yesterday, when retreat was
sounded by buglers throughout
the camp simultaneously with
the lowering of all sectional and
headquarters flags, the last Of
the largest group of youngsters
ever assembled in the United
States at one time will not get
away from the city until Mon
day.
Railroad officials explained
that if trains had been leaving
the city every few minutes from
the time the camp closed it
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