SCOUTS OF THE EMPIRE.

Press, Volume LX, Issue 18184, 22 September 1924, Page 10

SCOUTS OF THE EMPIRE.

INSPIRING SCENES AT WEMBLEY. SERVICE IN THE STADIUM. • (JROVI OCR OWN CORHSSPOKOKKT.) LONDON, August 7,

The Prince of Wales, Chief Scout, of Wales, went into cainp_ on the Wembley fields last week-end with twelve thousand fellow Scouts from all parts of the Empire. He attended the afternoon display iti the Stadium on Saturday. He went on to the camp-fire concert, and joined the Aberdeen contingent in the dancing of a reel. Ho slept in a tent, rose at reveille, made a thorough inspection of the camp, receiving, amongst other things, the present of a Mans kitten, and then he attended the great service held in the Stadium on Sunday morning. On Saturday evening the Prince was "piped" to the camp-fire shortly before nine o'clock, by Scout pipers and drummers playing ''The Highland Laddie." He wore Scout uniform, but this was hidden by a camp-fire robe—a garment woven of soft camel's hair and decorated with the head and claws of a tiger embroidered in silk. On the highest ground of the encampment was built the great camp-fire, square at the base, with huge logs piled to an apex. Por an hour before the Prince was due, the campers were seen threading their way, in many roughly marching throngs, in and out of the forest of bell tents. Each moving column was an integral part of one of the five sectional camps —blue,, purple, yellow, green, or red in colour. Every Scout bore about him in Some form or other his distinguishing colour. Generally they wore coloured headgear or coloured scarves, the effect being extraordinarily picturesque as they came trooping over the hilly ground. The multitude of boys were arranged in ever-widening circles, each section keeping to its colour, around a raised, roughly-sawn, wooden platform by the gangway, in which were placed three seats.

"Alert!" cried the Camp Commandant, and the 1000 boys of the Welsh troops sang " God Bless the Prince of Wales."

"Squat!" shouted the Camp Commandant, and down went the 12,000 lads on their ground sheets.

Tribute to the Chief Scont. When the yells and songs of the programme had nearly come to an end, there crept round the immense circle the Camp Chief, wrapped in a highlycoloured Bed Indian blanket showing vividly in the light of tho blazing log fire. He whispered: "The Prince is going to dance a Scots reel! Keep him to it, Scouts!" A band of four pipers and two drummers stepped: up close to the fire and started to play "Mrs MacLeod of Rassay." • A moment later eight sets of kilted: Scots Scouts' stepped into _ the circle; With them was the Prince, who, laughingly throwing off his robe and hanging it over the back of his throne, started in with the delighted dancers. Hatless, tho Prince danced and laughed and ehouted. From all segments of the circle came s excited cries. After ten minutes' dancing the Prince stepped back again on to the rough platform. But he did not sit down, and the Chief Scout, holding up a hand, silenced the storm of cheering.

In a dead silence the Prince began to speak: "I am too much out of breath to make a speech," ho said, "out of breath with dancing the Reel! But I do want to say that this is the largest gathering of Scouts there has ever been. Scouts from all over the world and Scouts from the Home Country. It is to the Chief Scout that Ave owe the inception of this great movement. Now I. want you to givo the Chief Scout three cheers. Three of the very best cheers. Scouts! Let it go!" And go it did! Reveille was sounded at half-past •five. After breakfast in his tent the Prince of Wales made a thorough visitation, of the camp, including the canteens and the hospital ward. A pleasant incident -was provided' by tho 4th Noasden troop, which consists entirely of golf cuddies. They made, the chair on which the Prince sat at tho camp-fire, chopping down a tree for the purpose, and adorning the chair with the three feathers of Wales and the inscription- in the Cree tongue: "To the Chief Morning Star" (which is the Prince's title in that North Indian tribe). The chair will go to the permanent training camp of the Boy Scouts at Gilwell Park.

Sunday Service. Prayers in the Stadium on Sunday morning provided what will probably he the greatest gathering of the Jamboree. For an hour and a-half the boys marched into the areni? until half of it was filled by a multitude. _ln the centre of it was a broad aisle across the grass, leading to a high platform in the gallery. While the Scouts sang "Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven," an imposing procession entered—first a hundred great banners of the various parts of the Empire then the Prince of Wales, carrying his stave, the high officers of the movement, and, finally, the Archbishop of York, who wore his scarlet Convocation robe, and was preceded by his pastoral cross and followed by two small Scouts acting as train-bearers. The service was done with the aid of loud-speakers, and surprisingly lond and clear they were. "This wonderful gathering," said the Archbishop of York, in the course of his address, "is more than a great rally; it is a great call. The Prince will speak it in the name of your country. The Chief Scout 'will speak it in the name of the great movement which he conceived, and which he has made and leads. I have tried to speak it in the name of God. It is a call to yon to give your young lives with all the future before them to the service of God, and, for His sake, of the Empire which He has given us on trust."

Prince's Address. The Prince of Wales, addressing the boys through the loud-speaker, said: "Scouts, I am proud to be present on this unique occasion, when Scouts are gathered from all parts of the Empire. It is an invigorating experience, which must put new life into us all. This Exhibition gives yon some idea of the boundless possibilities of the British Empire. How these possibilities will be developed depends upon the future men of the Empire. You are the future Empire men, and it is up to you to carry out your Scout Law and be prepared for these great possibilities, which at tho same time will offer yon a great opportunity. Tho best way to prepare yourselves is to go on. with youT scouting, and gain all you can in health and strength, both of body and mind. '"I ask tho Overseas Scouts to make the moat of tho opportunities which their visit provides, and to learn all they can of the character and institutions of the Old Countrv. Those of the Old Country will, I "know, make fast friends with their brothers from overseas, and will carry on the nrineiples of goodwill and helpfulnere, and reproduce that spirit of comradeship wbiah wrb raeh a feature of the Great (Continued at foet ef next celnma.)

War. The Empire was like a bundle of sticks, any one of which might be broken, but which, when they were tied together, could not be broken. The bond which bound the Empire together was the splendid spirit of loyalty to the King and one another,' which in all my journeys overseas I have found to bo a great sustaining foioe. You are a great brotherhood of Scouts of the Empire. If you go forward in the spirit that has brought you here to-day you will not only find many of the difficulties of your life les3 formidable than they might appear, but, what is more important, you will be setting an example in unselfishness that cannot fail to be a blessing to the community in which you reside, 'and the Empire as a whole. I wish you the best of luck in the future." Loud cheers rose from the Scouts in the arena, and they were taken up by the people in the galleries.

The Scout Promise, Sir E. Baden-Powell then addressed the boys. He said: "You have heard the eall of the Church and the call of your future King. Those calls will live in your minds as Scouts and future men of the Empire. I ask you to pause for a minute, flags lowered and heads bent, and think of your Scout promise: <1 promise on my honour to do my beat; to do my tfoty to God and the King; to obey the Scout Law; and to help other people at all times.' "I ws.nt you all to go forth from this place eager to serve God and the Kins and your fellow-men. Those who will do that, stand up and toll me," In an instant every boy was on his feet, and thousands of hands were ralsod aloft as they joined in a great cry, "I wilL" With a benediction pro* nouneed by the Archbishop, the ser-i yioa pndad, The Scents crowded round the SPyinea, and loudly cheered him p* he left Stadium to drive home to London, The boys marched baek to camp te the merry taae of <'Colonel Bogey,"