THE BOY SCOUTS.

Clutha Leader, Volume XXXVI, Issue 47, 23 November 1909, Page 5

THE BOY SCOUTS.

PARTICULARS OF THE ORGANISATION. Those who have read Lieut.-General Baden-Powell's hand-book entitled ''Scouting for Boys," will know something of the Boy Scouts' movement. It is essentially a boy's book, and every boy should read it. We give some particulars , of the Boy Scoutu organisation, taken from an article by R. 0. Packer, Chief Scoutmaster of the New South Wales Patrols, in ti recent number of the "Lone Hand." When the movement began to growj in Sydney, a year ago, a number of gentlemen interested were called togot her by tho originator with a view to forming a controlling body. A committee of control was formed, comprising seven gentlemen. Tho duties of that committee are as follows : (1) To organise. To arrange for instruction. (•i) To settle disputes. (1) ; To enforce obedience to tho I scout law. (5) To arrange competitions, and generally foster the movement. The keystone of the movement is the patrol leader. It must be distinctly understood that the name of the organisation is "The League of Boy Scouts"—"Boy" spelt all through with capitals. . The idea is to make the boy self-reliant, resourceful, and competent to think and control. Therefore, then? are two distinct divisions. The' scoutmasters arc the instructors, guides and guarantors for the boys. They are not ollicers, and the positions tliey hold must not in any way be confounded with those held by ollicers in the army. They arc really the instructional staff. Tho real ollicer, the person .through whom all orders go to the scouts, and tho one who must be left unchallenged in his sphere, if the ideal is to be realised, is the patrol leader. The patrol consists of "his" scouts, his word is law, and he must be obeyed. Ue has under him a corporal, aad when the leader is there the corporal is to all intents and purposes a scout. When the leader is away, the corporal is the autocrat of the patrol. THE SCOUTS' LAW. Fftr the benelit of those who have not read "Scouting for Boys," it may not be inappropriate to give hero portion' of -se sco it law in the simple terms of the book: A scout's honour is to be trusted. If a scout ollicer says to a scout, "1 trust you on your honour to" do this," the scout is bound to carry out the order to the very best of his ability, and to let nothing interfere with his doing so. A scout is a-friend to all, and a brother to every other scout, no matter to what social class tho other belongs. Thus if a scout meets another scout, even though a stranger to him, he must speak to him, and help him in' any way that he can, either to, carry out the duty, he is then doing, or by giving him iood, or, as far as possible, anything that he may be in want of. A scout must never be a snob.

A scout is co&rlootw : That is, lie is polite to all-but especially to women and children, and old people and invalids, cripples, etc. And he must not take any reward for being helpful or courteous.

A scout smiles and whistles under all circumstances. When he gets un order he should obey it cheerily and readily, not in a slow, hang-dog sorb of way. Scouts are of two kinds—first and second class. To become a secondclass scout a boy must satisfy his scoutmaster in the following details : (I) 'lie four of the specified knots iu less than 30 seconds each knot. (■'-') I rack a horse's or man's track for a quarter of. a mile in not more than 15 minutes ;or in town, describe satisfactorily the contents of one shop window out of four observed lor one minute each.

(■5) (Jo at 'the scout's pace for ono mile in not more than l.'i minutes. (I) Know the scout's laws and xisriis.

(5) Know the composition of the Union Jack and liow to llv it.

To become a first-class scout. : ((i) Point out the different points of the compass from where he stands. (7) j\lake a journey alone of not less than 13 miles from point to point, by walking, riding, boat or bicycle. (8) Describe or show the proper means of saving life in case of one, of the following accidents : Eire, drowning, runaway carriage, sewer gas ; or bandage an injured patient, or revive an apparently drowned person. (9) He able to read and write. (10) Haw at least sixpence in the Savings Bank. (11) Show that he has brought a recruit to the boy scouts, and has taught him to tie the jsix principal knots. (12) Lay and light a fn "0, using not more than two matches, and cook ai quarter of a pound of (lour and twq potatoes without cooking utensils. 'I he scout, when ho meets another, shakes hands with tho left hand. Why v—well, become a scout and learn. But there is a very good reason. A scout salutes with three lingers upright only. Those three fingers remind him of the three points of his oath. His badge also is a whole chapter in itself. Each patrol bears the name of a bird or animal, and the call of the patrol is tho call of its titular bird or animal. Tho hundred and one little things a scout does, just because ho is a scout, may appear trivial to the onlooker ; but they arc links in a wisely forged chaini and must stand and be observed,.

Mr 'Rudvard Kipling has shown hie appreciation of the Boy Scouts movement by presenting the organisation) with a patrol song. The poem sets forth, in a delightful way, the little contingencies for which Boy Scouts must "lie Prepared." Appended are two verses from the Patrol Song These are our regulations'— There's just one law for the Scout, And the first and tho last, and the present and tho past, And the future and the perfect is "Look out !'■

I, thou, and he, look out I Wo, ye, and they look out 1 Though you didn't or you wouldn't* Or you hadn't or oauWaH j

You jolly well must look out !■ Look out when your temper goes At the end of a losing game ; And your boots are too tight for your

toes, And you answer and argue and blame, It's the hardest part of the law, But it has to be learnt by the Scout— For whining and shirking and "jaw" (Chorus), All patrols look out !