The Wilmington morning star., 1940-04-21
NEWS
BY JACK STILLNIAN

BY JACK STILLMAN
Our Scout movement embraces
all sects and creeds and is above
all class or sectional consciousness.
1t is, in a word, democratic and
therefore truly American. God grant
that it may ever remain So"
These were he words in which
President Roosevelt described the
Boy Scous of America last February
s, the anniversary of the Boy Scout
movement in America.
Il like to think of Scouting as a
kind of family group. This is as it
should be, for he United States is
a family nation. The family is the
very base of u naional life and
the Scouting movement does not
take the individual away from it
rather, it extends the spirit of the
family into the activities of the boy
outside the home. Our twelfth
Scout law effectively expresses the
spiritual ideals of Scouting. 1t con
stiutes an excellent basis for citi-
zenship. 1t affirms the importance
of religion in the life of the nation
and emphasizes the necessity of re-
spect for the convictions of other
people,
The following cable of anniver-
sary greetings was received from
the British Boy Scouts Association
last February:
"Heartiest congratulations on thlr-
itch Scouting anniversary and best
wishes for future from British
Brother Scouts"
Scouting fosters world friend
ship. At the 1887 National Jam
boree of the Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca, foreign Scouts became acquaint-
ed with Scouts from other lands.
Scouting and its programs do
more than keep boys off the
street" The Notwithstanding
character and training for citizen
ships a much greater RESPONSE
bility than just keeping boys out
of trouble.
Specific results are expected to
be obtained from each and every
boy. The extent to which this
ideal is realized in the lives of
boys will depend upon the char
acter and leadership ability of the
men directing the groups of Cubs,
Scouts and Senior Scouts.
This is no easy task and no man
who thinks he can step in and sit
back and just wait for results can
succeed in any plan. Unless car
rled out with the full knowledge
of a boy, he will fail to hold their
interest and eventually lose them
altogether.
Boys who longingly dreamed of
Scouting at nine, ten, and eleven
years of age have their hopes
blasted and their dreams shattered
when they join a Troop which
never camps or goes hiking. When
the promised adventure turns out
to be only drab repetitions of use
less ~horse-play or poorly planned &C
tivity in a stuffy room, a boy finds
other things to interest him.
The Cape Fear council was repre.
sented at the regional meeting of
Boy Scouts of America in Green
vile, S. c., last Tuesday by David L.
Lilies, Scout executive of the Will.
mington district, j. A. Maultsby,
council president, S. P. Smith,
Scoutmaster of Troop 60, Tabor City,
Crump Blake, mate of the Sea Scout
ship Lumbee, Lumberton, and Doc
tor w. T. Rainey, national council
representative of Fayetteville.
Those present reported a most sue
cessful and well planned meeting.
The Boy Fact survey is near COM
pletion in the schools of the county.
More than IS per cent of the boys
who are not Scouts desire a mem
bership in the organization. The Or
ganization committee plans to use
the information derived from this
survey to form now units Of Scout
ing in order to take care of all new
boys.
Indian Scouts of the Cape Fear
Area council are preparing for the
camporee to be held in Pembroke
Saturday. Negroes will hold their an
nual camporee in Wilmington during
May 8 and 4.
Troops of the Wilmington district
are being inspected by R.. j.. Divine,
Area Field Commissioner, and as
sisted by George L. Morton, Leader
ship Training chairman.
The Scout office announces the or
ganization of a new Troop, number
l65 in Bolton. Harry A. Paxton will