CHIEF SCOUT'S TOUR

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXIII, Issue 22332, 1 February 1936, Page 12 (Supplement)

CHIEF SCOUT'S TOUR

BOOK FOR BOYS AND GIRLS Just ft year ago Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, wolf cuba and brownies had the thrilling exporienco of seeing with their own eyes tlio groat founder of their movement, the Chief Scout, Lord Baden Powell of Gilwell. Ho lias now written a special book for them and their brothers and sistors throughout the Empire, telling m simplo language the story of his great world tour, and illustrated it with those delightful sketches rich in humour that revoal tho still youthful heart of ono of tho Empire's "grand old men." "Scouting llouiul tho World" might well bo added to every school library, whore it would certainly make geography tho most pleasant of tasks. It commences with tho trip out to Australia on tho Orama, during which Lord Baden Powell apparently missed nothing that might interest his youthful readers. Naturally, tho initiative of tho Australian appealed to him, and ho relates tho story of those real scouts, tho aboriginals. Above all, the climax of tho great jamboree at tho Melbourne Centenary is given the placo it deserved as ono of tho chief objectives of his globe-trotting. Ho then came on to New Zealand, and, as might bo expected, ho was more than charmed with people and scenery. Auckland proved a most impressive introduction to the Dominion. "Tho wholo scene,", ho writes, "reminded ono of tho Bay of Naples reversed, with Vesuvius on tho left instead of the right sido of the bay," and ho also speaks of tho groy battleships at Dovonport and "the hundreds of white yachts and boats like a huge flock of seagulls resting on the water." There is an excellent account of the memorable jamboreo at the Western Springs Stadium. The Chief Scout's story of his trip "■'through New Zealand occupies fully its share of tho book. Many things made their deep impression on the visitor. Rotorua, tho Waitomo Caves, Maori stories and Maori place names, the glaciers and tho Southern Alps, and tho countryside, in places reminiscent of Wales and Cumberland. The drawings of native carving and of types aro very faithfully executed, and altogether scouts in othor countries will learn much about New Zealand that they did not know before. Tho fascinating story is carried on across the Pacific and so to Canada, where there aro tales of Indians, and canoes and buffalo, log cabins and cowboys. Finally the Chief Scout tells of his visits to Newfoundland and tho United States. Scouts and Guides the world over may bo intensely proud that such a book has been written especially for them "Scouting Round the 'World," by Lord Baden Powell. (Herbert Jenkins.)