The Albert Medal is the highest of these rewards.
The Royal Humane Society also give medals or certificates.
The Edward Medal is granted for gallantry in accidents which so frequently happen in mines.
In the Boys' Brigade medals are given for acts of daring and self-sacrifice in saving life or marked courage in the face of danger.
In the Boy Scouts we have a medal for gallantry, which is granted for similar acts.
But of all these the Albert Medal and the Edward Medal are the most valued, being given by the King himself, and only in very special cases.
So let every Boy Scout prepare himself to win one of these. Some day, most probably, an accident will happen before you to give you your chance. If you have learnt beforehand what to do, you can step forward at once and do the right thing; you may find yourself decorated with the medal. In any case, you will have what is far greater than a mere medal—you will have the satisfaction of having helped a fellow-creature at the risk of your own life.
PRACTICE FOR LIFE SAVING.
Flinging the Squaler.
The squaler is a piece of cane, 19 inches long, loaded at the butt with 1-3/4lb. of lead, and having attached to it at the other end a life-saving line of six-thread Italian hemp. The target is a crossbar and head, life-size, representing the head and arms of a drowning man, planted in the ground twenty yards away. Each competitor throws in turn from behind a line drawn on the ground; he may stand or run to make the throw. Whoever throws the furthest wins, provided that the line falls on some part of the dummy, so that it could be caught by the drowning man.