BOY SCOUTS

Dominion, Volume 22, Issue 265, 5 August 1929, Page 11

BOY SCOUTS

THE INTERNATIONAL JAMBOREE RECEPTION TO PRINCE OF WALES MESSAGE FROM THE KING Remarkable scenes were witnessed at the big Boy Scouts gathering at Arrow Park, Birkenhead, when an inspiring pageant was witnessed by the Prince of Wales, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, and many foreign ambassadors and Ministers. The Prince of Wales read a message of welcome from His Majesty the King. (British Official Wireless.) Rugby, August 2. The Prince of Wales, who spent last night in the camp of the Boy Scouts Jamboree at Arrow Park, Birkenhead, was astir very early this morning and visited camps of the Scouts of various nations. His Royal Highness received greetings varying from enthusiastic cries of “Vive le Prince,” raised by French Scouts, to the rattling on tomtoms by Scouts from the East and the weird cries of Zulus. The tour occupied three hours. . There was a great gathering of Foreign Ambassadors and Ministers on the grandstand this afternoon when the Prince saw an inspiring pageant of the Scouts. Sir Robert Baden-Powell, th- founder of the Boy Scout movement, on whom a peerage was yesterday conferred, had a great ovation from 50,000 Scouts on the area when he appeared with the Prince. Addresisng the Scouts, the Prince said that it was surprising to see how the movement had grown in the British Empire, but it was almost more striking to find how it had caught on, as it had done, in foreign countries as well. The jamboree proved that the Idea that lay behind the Scout movement was a really big one and one that appealed to all sorts of people, irrespective of nationality. “Every day,” he added, “scouting is growing and extending and bringing into closer touch the youth of nations. The Scout movement is a wonderful thing for individual countries and for a better understanding between peoples.” THE KING’S MESSAGE The Prince read the following message from the King:— “l heartily welcome the Boy Scouts who have travelled from their homes in far distant parts of the British Empire and many foreign lands for the coming of age of the Boy Scout movement. This is a unique assembly, representative of the youth of all the great nations of the world, and I ask you to remember that the future of the world depends on those of you who are taking part in this jamboree. I hope you will thoroughly enjoy your stay in this country and will have a happy and beneficial, experience. I am keenly disappointed it has been impossible for me to be present on this memorable occasion. But I am glad my eldest son is able to represent me. “It has given me great pleasure to mark this event in your history by conferring a peerage on Sir Robert Baden-Powell, the Chief Scout. Ever since its inception, he has been the mainspring of this adventure from its small and almost humble beginning until to-day when you number nearly 2,000,000 in your ranks. This recognition of his valuable service to the cause will be welcomed by all who realise the importance of training the world’s youth both in mind and body. At the same time, I am aware that the splendid achievement of this organisation could not have been possible without the support given to the Chief Scout by his officers. I wish God speed to you all, and may you go from strength to strength in development and prosperity.” LARGE RALLY AT KILBIRNIE ADDRESS BY GOVERNOR “A VERY WONDERFUL MOVEMENT” The coming-of-age of the Boy Scout movement was celebrated with a jamboree rally at the Kilbirnie Stadium on Saturday afternoon, when the Gover-nor-General reviewed several thousand Scouts and Girl Guides from the Wellington district, and spoke to them on the universal Scout promise of loyalty to God and King, of helpfulness to other people, and of the need of allegiance to the tenfold Scout Law. The rally synchronised with the world jamboree at Arrow Park, Birkenhead. Every phase of scoutcraft was demonstrated to a large attendance, which included the Governor-General and Lady Alice Fergusson, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Wellington, Mr. and Mrs. G. A. Troup. As Their Excellencies entered the stadium they were met by the Wellington District Commissioner, General Sir Alfred Robing and led to their seats on the stand to the accompaniment of popular Scottish airs, played by the Scots College Pipe Band. Boy Scouts, Sea Scouts, Wolf Cubs, Rovers and Girl Guides then marched on to the parade ground, and after giving a haka and a Scout rally, they closed in around His Excellency in the centre of the ground to hear his address. After the speech the troops and patrols went to various parts of the grounds to give exhibitions of scoutcraft. Their Excellencies were interested spectators throughout, moving among the Scouts and Guides and chatting with them and discussing their work. At the conclusion of the demonstration His Excellency took the salute as the parade left the grounds, the Guides being in the lead on this occasion. The officer commanding the parade was Mr. R. Nelson, while Miss J. Dalton held the sub-command in charge of the Girl Guides. Series of Displays. A fine display was given by the First Wellington Rovers, who built a tower with a flagstaff 60ft. high. The erection of a trestle bridge by the St. Augustine (P«tone) Group, the construction of model camps by the First Wellington Rover Crew and by the Kelburn Troop, and a display of boat building, breeches buoy erection and land boat racing by the combined Sea Scout Troops were highly instructive,

am gave the public some idea of what is learnt by those associated with the Scout and Guide movement. Cub displays were given by the Masterton, Anglican Boys’ Home, St. Augustine, Lower Hutt, St. Peter’s, and Trinity Packs, showing various aspects of cub life and work, such as semaphone signalling, and physical exercises, examples of games for the development of boys at this age, and 'jungle dances illustrating characters from Kipling’s “Jungle Book.”

Displays were given by other patrols of scouts and guides as follow: —Lyall Bay and Seatoun Troop, combined lifesaving display w T ith reel rope-making (L. 8. ; Island Bay Troops, Indian rescue scene (contrasting old Indian scouting with the present day) ; Trinity Troop, “How to Grow Strong,” scouting exercises; Boys’ Institute Troop, tire races; Miramar Troop, slow motion cricket match; Hill District Troops, scout games; Hutt Valley Girl Guides, figure marching; South Wellington Girl Guides, country dancing; North Wellington Girl Guides, display of work done for second-class badge and march past of guides showing various proficiency badges that may be won after passing second-class test; Wellesley College Troop, physical drill display; Y.M.C.A. Troop, display of scout laws; St. Paul’s Troop, ambulance and signalling; First Lower Hutt Troop, demonstration of a chapter of accidents, and fire-lighting and band items; St. Peter’s Troop, pyramids and signalling; Lower' Hutt Methodist, figure marching, ambulance and signalling; Wairarapa Combined Troops, human compass; Terrace Troop, special games; and Roseneath Troop, signalling. “Scouting for Boys.”

“We are here to celebrate the twenty-first birthday of the boy scouts,” said the Governor-General. “The movement dates back to the beginning of 1008. In the first three months of that year Sir Robert BadenPowell published in a series of pamphlets his idea of the boy scout movement, and in May of that year the first edition of his ‘Scouting for Boys’ was published in book form and the first scouts were enrolled. That movement has grown during those twenty-one years and extended not only to the boys of the whole world, but also to the girls./ The girl guides will have their birthday in a year or two.” His Excellency went on to say that from those small beginnings there had grown up an army of scouts and cubs—nearly two million —and also girl guides, whom, he believed, to be the same strength. “That is,” His Excellency said, “two million boys and two million girls, pledged to do their duty to God and the King, to help other people, and at all times to obey the scout law—a law that comprises all the qualities that go to make up good citizenship. Not only are there those millions to-day, but the hundreds and hundreds of thousands who have passed through the ranks during the past 21 years. Truly it is a very wonderful movement. To-day I think our thoughts must be with that great man who had the conception of founding this great brotherhood and sisterhood, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, who has brought the movement up to that wonderful position it has attained.” The Need For Loyalty.

“Be proud of your organisation,” His Excellency said, as he proceeded to make a plea for loyalty to the spirit of the Scout and Guide law. “Remember its reputation lies in the hands of each one of you, remember your promises, and remember the spirit of the Scout and Guide law. You do not obey that law for hope of reward, for fear of punishment; you obey that law because it is the right thing to do. That law is binding on every one of you from the officers of the movement down to the youngest cub. Only one thing can do this organisation harm or break it up; that is to forget the spirit of it—loyalty, service, discipline and selfcontrol. My appeal to you, from top to bottom, from officers to the cubs and brownies, is to keep up discipline. Otherwise the movement will break up. I want you Scouts and Guides to go away in pride, holding up your heads that you belong to this great movement, which extends to every country in the world.” Sir Charles Fergusson mentioned that some 60,000 scouts were assembled together at Home, and that a few hours previously they had been addressed by the Prince of Wales. The Prince, he said, had delivered a message to them from the King. His Excellency then read the message, which is published among the cable news of this issue of “The Dominion.” “That, Scouts and Guides,” said the GovernorGeneral, after reading the message, ‘is. the message from the King. Although given to the gathering at Horae, it is given just as much to you from His Majesty the King.” In conclusion, His' Excellency congratulated Sir Alfred Robin and his officers on the progress made by the Scout movement in the Wellington district. “The growth of the movement,’ he said, “has been wonderful. Don’t let it go down. 1 want to congratulate the Guides for coming here to-day to celebrate their brothers’ birthday. I wish the movement every success and prosperity.” (Applause.) Cheers were then given for His Excellency and Her Excellency. AUCKLAND CELEBRATIONS By Telegraph—Press Association. Auckland, August 4. Over one thousand Boy Scouts paraded on Saturday afternoon to celebrate the anniversary of the founding of the scout movement. The procession made an imposing spectacle as the boys marched through the city.