THE BOY SCOUTS.

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume X, Issue 177, 12 July 1920, Page 3

THE BOY SCOUTS.

appeal FOR FUNDS. REVIVAL OF MOVEMENT IN HAWKE'S BAY. The Boy Scout movement, which, in its mission to form the characters and to direct the citizens of to-morrow along a path of lofty ideals, based on usefulness and service, has ever made an appeal to the British mind, fever since its inception by General Baden Powell. The Scout 'aw is simple and direct, as embodied in their decologue as iollows: - “1. A Scout's honour is to be trusted. “2. A Scout fears God and'honours the King. “3. A Scout's duty is to be useful, and to help others. “4. A Scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other Scout. “o. A Scout is courteous, kind and po'ito>to all. . “6. A Scout is a friend to animals. “7. A scout obeys orders without question. “8. A Scout .smiles and whittles and looks pleasant. He makes the best of things and is not discouraged by difficulties.

“9. A Scout is thrifty. “10. A Scout is clean in thought, wprd and deed.” That’s a law that makes for loyalty imd .service and, as such, nourishes and strengthens society at its roots, because ■%s Sir Robert Baden Powell says, the object is “to seize the boy’s character in its red hot stage and enthusiasm, to weikl it into the right shape and to encourage and develop its individuality so that the boy may educate himself to become a good man and a valuable citizen.” With such lofty aims the organisation could not fail to obtain the support of al', thoughtful people in New Zealand, where it has made great advancement, from a small beginning, but, for some reason, the Boy Scout patrols at one time a prominent feature in the life of this district, have become gradually less in evidence and the movement has waned. One reason that suggests itself as explaining this unfortunate position is that there was a want of system on the part of the New Zea'a nd'Scouts organisation in the appointment of suitable men to the schoolmasterships, with.the result that, in manv instances, persons, well meaning and enthusiastic enough, took up over which they were unable to exercise the mastery necessary to control and the trdbp dissipated because of the consequent failure of the rank and file to respond to the faltering authority with the deference which is inspired onlv by respect. £3,000 WANTED. At’ the present moment there is ’in Hastings an enthusiastic worker of the movement, in the person of Mr. R. C. Tennant, who is an uncle of Mr. H. B. Tennant, land auctioneer, and who, for 52 years, served the Bank of N.S.W. in New Zealand, retiring two years ago. Air.-Tennant was asked by the council ot the B.:y Stouts’ Association in New Zealand to undertake the position of financial organiser of the association throughout the Dominion, for some months, and he is now touring the country in an endeavour to raise £3OOO to place the funds of the movement on a sound basis, whilst, in the course of his toiir, he has delivered numbers of recruiting addresses in the r schools.

The Association, he explains, began in New Zea'and in lOOti, six months after it was formed in England, with lour scouts and a scoutmaster, enrolled by Lt.-Col. Cossgrave, a Boer JlVar veteran, who had been appointed chief commissioner for N.Z. by Major-Gen. Baden Rowell. The in the Dominion now numbered 2(5,250 scouts and masters, according to the official handbook published in England, and N.Z. ranked second to England in the number of scouts, outrivaling Canada and Scot'and. The movement is run on the most economical lines, each district, supplying its own coramossioner and scouts." tn the whole organisation there wen* only two paid officials —the chief’ commissioner anil tho financial secretary—and the total expenses at headquarters di<l not exceed £lOOO per aninMU. He said tho movement had grown throughout the world by leaps and bounds, there being now threequarters of a million scouts. .MORE THAN AN AMUSEMENT.

To many the scout movement was regarded merelv as something to amuse, hut lie wished to correct that idea, because scout law made lor the formation of character and the promotion of the highest ideals of citizenship. Boys were taught, on their honour, to do a kindly action every day, to be kind and courteous to all and to be truthful, so laying a foundation of character which would be of inestimable value to the nation. Apart from the moral aspect, the -movement taught much that was useful in handicrait. by encouraging lads’ hobbies and theyere also taught initiative. .

Mr. Tennant said that, in Otago, Southland and Canterbury, he had raised a third of his requirements, and he had every reason to hope that >his canvass of the prominent people of this district would result in a liberal response to a most worthy appeal. He was sorry to see that the movement had languished here but, if scoutmasters could be found to undertake control aud instruction, he would be happy "to deliver addresses for recruiting purposes.