TO DISCOURAGE MILITARISM.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 77, 2 April 1910, Page 5

TO DISCOURAGE MILITARISM.

NATIONAL PEACE SCOUTS. By TeJograpli.— Press Association.— Copyright. (Received April 2, 9.20 a.m.) # LONDON, Ist April. _ Sir Francis Vane is inaugurating National Peace Scout*, to be affiliated with Britihh Boy Scouts. The object is to discourage the militarist spirit. Captain Sir Francis Vane in 1886 raised the first corps of Working Boy Cadet?. He served in South Africa, and later acted in that country as special correspondent of the Daily Mail. His nublicaitions include "Pax Biitannica in South Africa." The object of the Boy Scouts is, according to Sir Robert Baden-Powell, "to help the boys of whatever class to become 'all-round' men, to give them 'character,' and to make them capable of looking after themselves in whatever circumstances they are placed. The method of the movement is the education of the boys by means which really appeal to them — namely, scoutcraft, or backwoodsraanship, and its many attributes." The movement has been subjected to some criticism, principally on the ground of its tendency to militarism. On this point, Sir R. Baden-Powell says :—"I: — "I ican only repeat what is fully explainedin our handbook, namely : 'Sfouting- has not, necessarily, anything ito do with soldiering.' Under our system of decentralisation it is permissible for scoutmasters to specialise in any particular aspects of srout\ng that they may select, such as ambulance, woodcraft, seamanship, marksmanship, or any other item."