Methods
The activities of the Girl Scouts are, of course, not peculiar to this organization. Every one of them is provided for elsewhere, in schools, clubs, and societies. But the way in which they are combined and co-ordinated about certain basic principles is peculiar to the Girl Scouts.
In the first place all these activities have a common motive which is preparation for a fuller life for the individual, not only in her personal, but in her social relations. It is believed that the habits formed and the concrete information acquired in these activities both contribute to the girls being ready to meet intelligently most of the situations that are likely to arise in their later life. This concept is expressed in the Girl Scouts Motto—"Be Prepared."
The method of preparation followed is that found in nature whereby young animals and birds play at doing all the things they will need to do well when they are grown and must feed and fend for themselves and their babies.
To play any game one must know the rules, so the Girl Scouts have Laws that they believe cover most of the needs of the Game of Life.
The Girl Scouts Laws are ten:
| I | A Girl Scout's Honor is to be trusted. |
| II | A Girl Scout is loyal. |
| III | A Girl Scout's Duty is to be useful and to help others. |
| IV | A Girl Scout is a friend to all, and a sister to every other Girl Scout. |
| V | A Girl Scout is Courteous. |
| VI | A Girl Scout is a friend to Animals. |
| VII | A Girl Scout obeys Orders. |
| VIII | A Girl Scout is Cheerful. |
| IX | A Girl Scout is Thrifty. |
| X | A Girl Scout is Clean in Thought, Word and Deed. |
These Laws are known by all Girl Scouts, but the Promise to obey them is made only after they are understood and voluntarily accepted. The Promise summarizes the Laws and is:
On My Honor, I Will Try:
To do my duty to God and to my Country
To help other people at all times
To obey the Scout Laws
The heart of the Laws is helpfulness and so the Scouts have a Slogan: Do a Good Turn Daily. By following this in letter and spirit helpfulness becomes second nature.
Because the Girl Scouts are citizens they know and respect the meaning of the flag, and one of the first things they learn is the Pledge:
I pledge allegiance to my flag, and to the republic for which it stands; one nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.
Organization and Drill. Some observers have criticized the Girl Scout organization because of its apparent military character. It is true that the girls wear a uniform of khaki, and are grouped in Patrols, corresponding to the "fours" in the Army; that they salute, and learn simple forms of drill and signalling. But the reason they do this is because the military organization happens to be the oldest form of organization in the world, and it works. It is the best way men have found of getting a number of persons to work together. Following directions given to a group is quite a different matter from doing something alone, and most of us need special training in this. A group of eight has been found to work the best because it is the largest number that can be handled by a person just beginning to be a leader, and m oreover elementary qualities of leadership seem to exist in just about the proportion of one in eight. It is probably on this account that children take so kindly to the form—rather than because of any glamor of the army, though this must be admitted as a factor. In actual practice the drill and signalling take up a very small portion of the program, and are nowhere followed as ends in themselves, but only as a means to an end.
The Uniform. The uniform is simple, durable and allows freedom of action. It is of khaki because this has been found to be the best wearing fabric and color. It is not easily torn and does not readily soil. Wearing it gives the girls a sense of belonging to a larger group, such as it is hard to get in any other way. It keeps constantly before them the fact that they represent a community to whose laws they have voluntarily subscribed and whose honor they uphold. It is well, too, to have an impersonal costume if for no other reason than to counteract the tendency of girls to concentrate upon their personal appearance. To have a neat, simple, useful garb is a novel experience to many an over-dressed doll who has been taught to measure all worth by extravagance of appearance.