Evening star., 1937-06-27
Bv J. Wallace Tallev.

Assistant Scout Executive, District OF
Columbia Council, Boy Scouts of
America.
THE first National Jamboree Of
the Boy Scouts of America
opens in Washington Wednes-
L day, where American Scouting
was born on February 8, 1910, and
will probably be larger than any
Scout jamboree ever held, from the
standpoint of the number Of boys in
camp at one time, with from $4,000
to 10000 expected to arrive between
now and Tuesday.
Four international or world jam
borees have already taken place, two
in England, one in Denmark and one
in Hungary.
Eighteen thousand Scouts of 81
nations took part in the first World
Jamboree in 1920 at Olympia. Lon
don. England, with 356 Scouts and
leaders representing America.
The second World Jamboree In
1924 at Copenhagen, Denmark,
brought 5000 Scouts from "a nations,
DO Ol lIleUl tTOIH A1llGl1Cd.
Arrow Park, near Birkenhead, Eng
land. was the scene of the third and
largest World Jamboree in 1929,
where a total of $4,000 Scouts from
70 lands, including 1900 from the
United States, gathered together.
The fourth of these gatherings was
1T Godollo, Hungary, in 1888 with
participation of $1,000 Scouts from
Is lands, 402 of them from America.
All of these gatherings were typical
Scouting sprees, noisy and with little
restraint exercised or necessary. But
no community has ever regretted its
Scout Jamboree, nor has any COM
munity failed to recognize the definite
character and citizenship values
resulting. And all people have felt
and will feel more and more the
results in world brotherhood engen-
dered by youth living together under
the influence of the spirit Of Scouting.
A fifth World Jamboree is sched-
uled this year from July 20 to August
l3 at Vogelenzang, Holland. The
Boy Scouts of America will be repre-
sented by 1000 Scouts who will first
camp together In Washington on
Constitution avenue at Sixteenth
street during our own National JAM
boree. Twenty of this group will be
Washington boys led by District Com
missioner Yule Fisher and Scoutmas-
ter William c. Westlake, both vet
erans Of former world jamborees.
WHAT is it that attracts boys to
wv Scout jamborees and why Is 1t
that little restraint is necessary? 1t
Is because the jamboree program
indeed the whole program of Scout
Ing is geared to boy psychology. It
not only attracts but it directs con-
structively the vast energies Of boys
by appealing to their mate urges.
Suppression of these urges dams up
energy that might break forth in per-
version and crime, while direction
leads to good citizenship and happi-
ness.
Examine the jamboree program as
outlined here and see how it lends
direction to some of the principal
urges of boyhood such as: Manipula-
ton, free expression sensory contact,
barter and trade, struggle and fight,
muscular control, collection, rhythm,
escape from the commonplace out
of-doors, comradeship and achieve
ment.
Last night several thousand Scouts
from the host region 3, comprising
Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland,
Virginia and the District of Columbia,
arrived at the camp site in Washing
ton and set up their tents. From now
until Tuesday evening hundreds of
trains will be unloading other thou
sands from every State in the Union,
Hawaii, Alaska and the Philippines
and some 400 Scouts from ~ foreign
countries.
The kitchens and dining tents, the
showers and latrines are ready. but
each troop will erect its own living
quarters. There will be Indian tepees,
log cabins, grass huts and many other
types Of abodes, the greatest variety
OF camping ever seen in America
The construction of their own quar-
ters in this camp gives direction to
the innate urge for manipulation. It
Is expressed by tearing things apart
Is well as by putting things together
SIMULTANEOUSLY at $50 O'Clock
Wednesday morning hundreds OF
hags will be raised over the whole
encampment. in the first Of the great
patriotic ceremonies to be staged dur
ing the jamboree. This Is but one OF
the multitudinoW opportunities fol-
free expression. The newsboy who
sold his papers at cost just because
be liked to boiler" had this urge. AL