1. He had no idea of discipline.
2. He was generally surly and ready to grumble at difficulties.
3. He could not be relied upon to stick to a job the moment he found it at all distasteful.
These faults are, undoubtedly, very widespread among us, in all classes of society, owing to want of an education like that of the scouts. They are the result of putting self in the first place and ignoring duty or the interests of others; in other words, they mean bad citizenship.
CONCLUSION.
I fear I have stated my hints in very long and formidable array, such as seem to make the instructor's part a very complicated and responsible one, but it is not so when you come to put them into practice. My hints are like the rows of oil-valves on a motor-car, they look complicated, but in reality they are intended to drop their oil automatically and make the wheels run easily.
I merely offer this scheme as one among many for helping in the vital work of developing good citizenship in our rising generation.
Every man of the present generation ought as a matter of duty to take a hand in such work.
This scheme purposes to be one by which any man can do this, since it requires but little time, expense, or knowledge; and it is one which attracts the boys and is at the same time interesting and beneficial to the instructor himself.
If you who read this are a man who has charge of boys in any way, or if you are one who has so far had nothing to do with them but who has a desire to see your country keep her place among the nations for the good of the world, and would take a hand by training half-a-dozen boys and putting them on the right road for good citizenship, you would be doing a great thing for your country, for your younger brothers, and for yourself.