Why “Scout”?
Well, I think it is the case with most girls nowadays. They do not want to sit down and lead an idle life, not to have everything done for them, nor to have a very easy time. They don’t want merely to walk across the plain, they would much rather show themselves handy people, able to help others and ready, if necessary, to sacrifice themselves for others just like the Scouts on the North-west Frontier. And they also want to tackle difficult jobs themselves in their life, to face mountains and difficulties and dangers, and to go at them having prepared themselves to be skilful and brave; and also they would like to help other people to get over their difficulties also. When they attain success after facing difficulties, then they feel really happy and triumphant. It is a big satisfaction to them to have succeeded and to have made other people succeed also. That is what the Girl Scouts want to do, just like the mountaineer guides do among the mountains.
Then, too, a woman who can do things is looked up to by others, both men and women, and they are always ready to follow her advice and example, so there she becomes a Scout too. And later on if she has children of her own, or if she becomes a teacher of children, she can be a really good Scout to them.
In fact, if one caricatured a Scout one would draw her thus:—“Turn to the right and keep straight on.” And for these reasons the name Scout was given to them originally.
By means of games and activities which the Scouts practise they are able to learn the different things which will help them to get on in life, and show the way to others to get on also. Thus camping and signalling, first aid work, camp cooking, and all these things that the Scouts practise are all going to be helpful to them afterwards in making them strong, resourceful women, skilful and helpful to others, and strong in body as well as in mind, and what is more it makes them a jolly cheery lot of comrades also.
“Be Prepared!”
The motto of the Scouts on which they work is “Be Prepared,” that is, be ready for any kind of duty that may be thrust upon them, and what is more, to know what to do by having practised it beforehand in the case of any kind of accident or any kind of work that they may be asked to take up. Thousands of women have done splendid work in this war, but thousands more would have been able to do good work also had they only Been Prepared for it beforehand by learning a few things that are useful to them outside their mere school work or work in their own home. And that is what the Scouts are learning in all their games and camp work; they mean to be useful in other ways besides what they are taught in school.