WHAT magic there is in the name of Scout! It calls up before the mind’s eye the vision of a buckskin-clad pioneer, inured to the hardships of the trail and endowed with the virtues of strength, fortitude, clear thinking, and courage which boys admire so much; one whose everyday life is made up of a series of thrilling adventures and hairbreadth escapes. Is it to be wondered at that the hero-worshiping boy, still in the semi-savage state, should desire to emulate such a romantic figure in our national life?
The organization known as the Boy Scouts of America is a national movement, rather than an organization, whose primary object is character-building. It is non-sectarian and non-military. It furnishes the adolescent boy with facilities for the expression of his growing body, mind, and soul and inspires the virtues of patriotism, chivalry, honor, courtesy, loyalty, self-respect, faithfulness, cheerfulness, thoughtfulness, and obedience.
There are three classes of Scouts; the tenderfoot, the second-class Scout and the First-class Scout, advancement being made according to the proficiency shown by examination. Suitable badges awarded for each class are prized as great honors and furnish the incentive to further progress in Scoutcraft. The reader is referred to the official handbook of the organization for a detailed statement of the many subjects included in their curriculum. These subjects cover practically the entire range of an adolescent’s interests and activities apart from the home, the school, and the church.
Not the least important among the many requirements of the scout is the good turn or kindness which he must do for someone every day without financial reward. The performance of the daily good turn develops courtesy, gallantry and social consciousness and fixes in his mind a realization of the fact that he is one of the threads in the social fabric of humanity. The boy-training of today, whether parental or organizational, should emphasize the importance of service to others, and the boy in whom this altruistic idea is grounded will not give his parents great cause for worry. If this organization had no requirement other than the daily good turn, that fact alone would be sufficient excuse for its existence. These samples of good turns, taken from the records of a Scout troop, are as varied as the natures and opportunities of the boys themselves and afford an interesting study in adolescent psychology:
1. I helped a blind man ’cross the street.
2. A steam roller was passing and frightened a horse, I held the horse until the roller went by.
3. Fed a starving cat.
4. I gave a dime to a orfun asilam.
5. Picked up a broken bottle from the road so it wouldn’t cut a horse’s foot or an automobile tire.
6. Gave a lady my seat in a street car.