BOY SCOUTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXII, Issue 15717, 9 September 1911, Page 6

BOY SCOUTS.

AT WORK AND AT PLAY.

If yon toil for tile land vritb brain or haa& Ton loro, and honour, and crown; Bri;Mn tr.ja to each, “ W©U donel” Taking account -of hor every boil (By VEDETTE.) "Vedette” Trill bo plonsed to receive news or criticism from Scoutmasters or Scouts, or from any person interested in the Boy Scout movement, for insertion in this column. Contribution!! should reach the “ Lyttelton l'imes ” Office not lttor than Thursday morning. The following very interesting article written by the Itov G. M. A. Hewett is so good and so full of useful hints to Scouts that I am tempted to quote it in full for their benefit. Mr Hewelt is the author of a very interesting book called “The Open Air Boy,” and this articlo is written in his usual simple and very interesting stylo: A Scout’s Duty is to Help Others.— There were no Scouts forty years ago, but a wise father was my Scoutmaster, and took care to impress this law upon ire He always sent me out to learn laws by practice, and the -first tiling that met my eyes was a ily struggling in a spider’s web; it was obviously my duty to release it; it scorned to ho pleased, so that was satisfactory, in tho next bush was another web, but empty this time, except lor a poor, humnw-looking spider sitting disconsclate in tho middle. It was easy to catch a fiy and put .it into the web, where it was promptly devoured. The snidor fiho sccnicci bo uo piGtiscdj so that was again satisfactory. On my return my father asked how the law was working out in practice. He listened to my efforts after a useful lifo without a filmic. Ho was a who man Ho only wanted to bo suro that the spider was really starving, and very nearly went to look for Ins stick when niv answer was rather vaWo He said that nothing was more mischievous than help, where help was not needed. . .. Now, that early incident in my career ’seems to offer an excellent text for a sermon, and we will preach it in tho old-fashioned way of “ Firstly” Secondly,” “thirdly." Firstly, then — ... , , Bo quite sure that your help is required. There is a veiv small boundary hedge between what is helpful and what is only nieddlesoine. Never try to prevent a donkey from eating thistles because you think that ho will priciv his poor mouth. Ho may like them. And, unless you are a good swimmer, do not trouble to jump into a river to save a water-rat from drowned. Secondly-^ Nothing is too small to need vour help, if it. 13 I .'. ce { l - v 111 trouble. “You may ono day find a rabbit caught bv tho leg in a gm; k;ll it a t once, it is no kindness to let iv go with a broken leg. H you find a snoop lying oil its back, turn it over on to it s i ega . if you see the gate oi a meadow open, shut it. i you seo a cow wandering on tho railway, turn , t off _ lf yo ” dnd your- mother fretted and worried, iry to help her even lt it meaus nurs : j 11(5 tho baby loi *ui liouj* Thirdly, ami lastly^.

Do not be afraid because the tiling to tio done seems either very difficult or very unpleasant. This is not quite in my text, but it might have been a wasp that was caught in tho spider’s web. Nasty tilings are to bo lielped just as much as nice things. If one only had to go about the world reselling beautiful princesses from ogres, it would be very easy. But sometimes the beautiful princess is bullying a littlo o<?re shamefully, and then one lias to help the ogre. You may find a cow stuck fast in the mud of a river, and if you catch hold of her horns and try to pull her out, she will very likely pull you,in; but you must try. It may be necessary to wade in yourself and twist her tail till the pain makes her walk out of her own accord. You may find a baby lying in front of a furious motor-car, and you must not stop to think whether you are going to bo hurt yourself. Now, there is always a background to a sermon, and the background to mino is this: You must set to work to learn a great many things if you are to be really useful. You must learn that donkeys are fond of thistles. You must certainly learn to swim. You may as well learn about water-rats and other animals. You ought to learn what is the quickest way to kill a rabbit—that sheep lying on their backs will die unless they aro helped—that there is a difference between meadows and pastures. You must even learn how to wash plates and nurse babies. You must also keep yourself in good enough training to be able to pick a child from ill front of a motor, just as a good, halt-back picks the. ball from under the feet of the opposing forwards. And if you ask. “ How in the world am i to learn all this?” I can only say. “ Read—notice—think, and, above all things, try. You cannot bo sure that soap will make you sica until you have oaten a piece, ifou are bound to make mistakes—wo all do—but learn from your mistakes, and never make the samo mistake twice.” I had better add, “ Learn liow to fight stud box.” Tho world is still pretty full of fools, - and boy fools think that a kind person, who always wants to help, must be a molly-coddle. There is nothing much more pleasant than to prove to sucli that they have made a biu mistake. If you hit them hard enough, you may oven convert them, and draw them into the great army of useful Scouts. Ho who helps others helps himself. If you are to be oqo of the perfect helpers of the world, you must make yourself very wise, and'you must keep yourself absolutely lit and fearless, and what better destiny could a man desire? Now you may think this to be a hard job—too hard a job. It seems to mean a total alteration of the reputation which boys bear in tho world, and that is, a bad reputation. 1 A boy is generally regarded as a person who puts down orange-peel for old gentlemen to clip over and break their legswho sticks pins into tho tyres of bicycles ; who ties kettles to tails of dogs; who is better out of tho house than in tho house. The last statement is very often true, but you ought to be able to prove that, oven in tho house, a boy can bo of help. Kindness, consideration, thoughtfulness, go a very long way. If you are untidy someone has to clean up aftei you • if you shout and make a noise, someone gets n headache; if you break things, someone has to pay for them. Never forgot that. And when you are out of doors—well, there is an old proverb about Satan and idlo hands. Therefore tho best safeguard against Satan is to find something good for ycur hands to do. And that is quito oasy. Take off the kettle instead of tying it on; pick uj> tho pieces of orange-peel that aro scattered about, and if you seo anyoho puncturing a bicycle, smack his head, and if he shows fight, thank the Lord for a good scrimmage, and go in and convert him. "When the Devil in the Bible wanted to got back into his house, lie found it empty. If you fill it properly he cannot get back, so set to work and furnish. Thero is plenty of furniture lying about, and if I can help you to choose, writo to me. Mr J. D. Campbell, Scoutmaster of All Saints’ Troop, Auckland, has forwarded his application, properly attested, to the Dominion Chief Scout for tho “ Silver Wolf Badge.” Ho is a young man of twenty years of age, and was last year appointed as travelling inspector by the late Commissioner. In writing to tho Chief Scout ho says that his only reason for qualifying for all those badges was to encourage the boys at a time when some cncouragomont was necessary. The very laudablo example of this young man might very well bo copied * by many other young Scoutmasters in tiro dominion. All tho Auckland troops aro working hard and vicing with each ether in tlioir efforts to soouro tho King s Prize.

Tho Wellington Commissioner, who recently made a tour of his province, reports as follows through the provincial secretary:—Pahiatua—Good troop. Scoutmaster Cameron probably be made a Scout Cadet officer. District Commander Major Herbert a splendid officer. Masterton—No troop. Endeavour made to set matters'in order. Carterton—Met District Commander, who controls Groytown, Eeatherston and Martinborough. Scouting had suffered through loss of scoutmasters leaving district. Making a new start. Foather-storn—-Met Scouts and encouraged them. Martinborough Encouraging start under the Rev C. Maciaverty. The following officers in the Wellington district have been appointed on probation for three months: —Messrs P. Beckott, W. H. Marsh, J. B Lawson, Webb and W. VI Brown. The District Commander telegraphed to the Chief Scout, on Monday whether Scout Cadets might Wear long trousers. The Chief replied that he had no objections to long trousers provided that shorts were full dress. The W ellington senior boys have a (neat objection to shorts. General BadenPowell, General Godley and Major A. u. Andrew aro all in favour of shorts, as being useful, healthy and more businesslike than long, dirt-collecting clumsy trousers. Major Andrew informs mo that almost all the troops in India wear shorts, and that cnee men become accustomed to them they will have nothing else. General Godley expressed the hope that shorts would be retained, and 1 am sure General isaden--I‘owell will not look with a very favourable eye upon Scouts in long trousers.

I am informed that there is considerable feeling aroused in the city owing, to the reported action of one Scoutmaster, who, it is said, is purging liis roll of all bad attenders and those who will not qualify for proficiency badges in order that his troop may have a better chance in comoeting for the King’s prize. There need bo no apprehension on this score; as the Chief Scout has already decided to cxcludo from the corps. recruits enrolled since March last if the numbers are already in excess of twenty-six, that is, threo patrols of eight, a troop ■ sergeant and a bugler. As a troop consists c"f twen-ty-four boys any Scoutmaster who has over that number may form a second troop, the txtra patrol or patrols being numbered 1 and 2 of No. 2 troop. There is at least one Scoutmaster who has over fifty hoys under his command in Christchurch. This officer is empowered by the regulations to form his command into two complete trocDS and tho nucleus of a third. There will thus be no inducement to weed cut boys. The Chief Scout desires it to be understood that Scoutmasters should do their utmost to keep their boys, do everything in their power to encourage them to remain. Badge winning is only second in importance to hoy winning. A good officer will therefore sacrifice badges for tho sake of winning boys. GIRLS’ PEACE SCOUTS. Tho Blenheim Troop has decided to go into khaki uniform in deference to tho wishes of headquarters. Blue has proved itself very unsatisfactory. It shows tho dust, and shows whito throads when washed. Miss Brayshaiv. reports that the girls aro getting on well and still keeping up their interest in their work. Miss Skcliey, of Wellington, reported that there was a fine stamp of Girl Peace Scouts in this town. Commissioner M’Naught, of Wanganui, reports that Mrs Dunn lias undertaken tho control of the Girl Peace Scout movement in h:s district, and that a Council will be formed shortly. This is very interesting news, and as the local boys’ headquarters has promised her assistance tho movement will soon be as successful there as is the boys’.

Mrs Procter, of tho West End Troon Christchurch, reports that the "manager of the Oxford Terraco Baotist Caureh lias kindly granted her the use of tho largo schoolroom. Her girls will bo able to enn-a-m in practices not possible m their" former room. There is a largo number of girls in trie Oxrord lerrace district who should . take tins eppert unity of joining ihis very lino troop, ard as soon as sufficient numbers join

they could be formed into an Oxford Terraco Troop. It is to be hoped that a large .number off:girls will enrol during the ensuing 'simmer ‘to welcome General tho Chief Scont of all tlio world. At the recent rally in Cambridge, England, one of tho sections in the circle was composed spf Girl Guides, and they-were specially complimented by the. Geperal upon their appearance and their good work.

Too East Oxford Troop gave its concert again last week in response to urgent requests from the residents. District Commander Watson reports that the hall was as crowded as before, and teat tho concert was quite as successful. -p

The Auckland troops are. all very busy. Most of them are now.'in uniform, and they look very .neat and business-liko. The Ponsonby Troop,;:it is sain, holds pride of place, Devonport running it very close.- Northcot-e and Mount Eden are also coming well -to the front. v-

The Lyttelton girls are- increasing.-in numbers slowly but steadily. Mrs \\ ca-toil, tiie Scoutmistress, is hopeful of having a good troop before long, and is already inquiring about an assistant, borne of the girls write-most enthusiastically of t.ieir prospects, and are looking eagerly forward to the Saturday outings. Girls in Lyttelton should join at once and thus have the advantage of .beginning with the first and learning the A B C of the work, i

Mrs Bnrkill, of Hamilton, has Already registered three patrols of eight girls each, and is hopeful of having' a full battalion of them in her distrait. Tho Rev W. Connolly enrolled the-m, and dclivev-ed a short address to them on the aims and objects,.of the mofemeat. -Ho'enjoined fipon them tin need of . careful conduotrtit Ml times,“aa ‘the public would judge the movemehl by their behaviour. f $ The Wellington troops are getting into good working order, in. view of Hie visit of the general. Some of these girls are very good swimmers, and are well up in iifesaving methods in .the water, as well as in ambulance work. They are also enthusiastic Natur'e'students, and know a good deal about “ out-door life.” ; yThe,Stratford-troop is-having a good tmld. just now. ~ The girls are learning cockingmnder a member of the Council of. the Technical- School, kindly lent by Mr Tyree, This gentleman was for-mcrly.-stotftly 'opposed to the Girl Peae« Scouts’hiapyement, bufhhe, like many dthers, '4ins become a convert-, and ij willing to help in any way he can. The “Dominion Scout” for this month is well up to its usual high standard. It is especially interesting to girls, ns it contains a photograph or some or tho Auckland troops, a letter from a Girl Peace Scout in Mosgiel, and a splendid dramatic sketch for a girls’ concert. This was written by a well-known young lady—a teacher in ope of our schools—and is a splendid contribution to our list of suitable pieoes for girls’ entertainments. Th« paper also contains a very pat-hetio story entitled “Soldier and Son.” There are the usual prizes offered, ai -well as a fund of useful information. Boys and girls should regard it as their first duty to help their own paper. To make it a' success they must become subscribers,, and when they have read it they , should not throw it aside, but hand it to. some home where there are no scouts, so that it may carry on its missionary work thero. The chief object in life is t-o do your duty., jTo teach yourself to do this, you" should, try to do things which you are afraid of doing. You must not only trainiyour body to bo strong, but ■also your mind to be full of knowledge and courage. Be charitable to all. Be believed by all. Obtain the respect of others by your good conduct and courtesy:, and never do anything to cause your word to be doubted.— Words of General Nogi. A SCOUT MOTTO. (By Lucy Murray.) Do a tiny kindly action Every dpy, ’neath shower or sun, Building thus a shining roadway Up which weary feet may run.