THE BOY SCOUTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXII, Issue 7057, 19 February 1910, Page 16

THE BOY SCOUTS

[Xotea of interest frsm Scoutmasters 6hou!d reach me on Wednesday for publication on Saturday.] ADDRESSES OF SCOUTMASTERS.

Foil owinc are the addresses of Scoutmasters, the name in parentheses being that of the troop to which the Scoutmaster is attached :

Mr 11. N. McLcod, opposite G.P.O. Building. Featherslon Btreet. (Mira-

mw). „..,,. Mr Geo. W. Adair, c/o Y.M.C.A., Willis

street. • (Y.M.C.A.) . m , Mr J. Stycb, Boxhill, Brooklyn. (Brook-

lyn). , , Mr lv. Logan, Defence Department, Government Buildings. (Thoradon . Mr E. Un-soii, 12, Talavcra terrace. (Kel-

•burne). ~, . . Mr-C. P. Coloneus, Boys' Institute, Arthur street. (Boys' Institute) Rev. E. McConnel. Jvhandallah. (Khan-

' dallah). , , Mr W. Edwards, Queen's Drive, Island

Bay. (Island Bay). Mr H. Munro, 9, Alpha street. (Rose-

Mi- Perry (c/o A. and T. Burt, Comrtenav place. (Kitturnie). Mr Butcher, Wadestown. (Wadestown). Mr G. Neish. 69, Tasman. street. (Path-

Mr A J. Macdonald. 155, Broußham. street. (Mount Victoria)/ . . Mr. Clarke, Henry street/ Kilbirme.

(Kilbirnie). „,,•,*•„• „ Rev. Walton, c/o St. Peter's Mission, Taranaki street. (Te Aro). -

The signalling squad parade , nioetinc at Courtenay place tramshed at 2.30 p.m. They will then proceed to. Mount Cook for practice in signalling. A general meeting of scouts «i to bo held near Courtenay place at 2.AV p.m. to-day. ~ . The final of the relay race for scouts knife was held at Kilbirnie last Saturday, under Scoutmaster Lawson. a. Grav, of the Brooklyn troop, came nr6t. All boys who can attend the review at the Hutt Park should parade to-day (Saturday). Reports upon the number coming from outlying districts should reach headquarters by Monday. A meeting of scoutmasters wall be held at (the Y.M.C.A. rooms on Monday nlext, at 8 ivm. Tho Moutnib Victoria troop .has dtutrin" the lasit week teen camping at the foot of Mount Victoria. A good attendance of eoclute aias ibeen mamtaiiined and some ulseful ,iails*ructions, such ,as hut building, etc., have been given "by Scoutmaster Lioutouant 'Commander McLeod paid several visite to the camp and put tlhe boys through .useful exercises. .-■.,.: .Last Saturday tfho BoseneatJi and Mount Victoria troops assembled at the head of Constable street and maranod along. Adelaide nctod larid Kent terrace, the Eoseneath Iboys conitmumg as -fat iais the Te Arb Ba*lis, *whero they cooled themselves after their Jong march. The [remaining troop mardhod to the foot of 'Mount Victoria and went tihraagli vatiious •movements. ■■' The liaTge muster af Boy Scouts at NorthOdt'e on Saturday afternoon at the opening of'the mew lhall plainily indicated how popular the movement hasbecome in this part of the Dominion (says t)lie "Auokland IStar"). 1 Boy Soouiw to the number of labout three hundred paraded under tho various scoutmasters, and the. march past, ledby.Hapite Pmtaka . in lias picturesque native costume, was very fine. Dr R. H. Makgill (Comma/nder Nor'tih Island Legion of Boy Spouts) arid Captain Arthur Pluggo (District Commander) •were., present, and expressed their .appreciation of 'Oho smart appearance of tho boys generally. Chief-Sooultmaster Stabbing referred to the splendid work achieved by tJto Dominion Chief-Scout Major Oossgroje, of iKaiir,poi, who first introduced Btos'sH Powell's Scouting for Boys to New Zealand also to Dtr Makgill and Captain Plugge. Eulogistic reference was also made Do Dr J. S. Purdy (late district inspector), Who resigned the position owing to his departure for Tasmania. ■ ■ BEST SORT OF DISCIPLINE. " Discipline, and how best to administer it ; ,is perhaps , the most important point for all scout officers." In the following talk to scoutmasters, ' Sir Francis Vane, Bart., Scout Commissioner for, London, sets down the right outlook. , ■"..'.,, I want, - if possible, to visit every troop in the London district, not as an inspector, but as a friend. Possibly ruy advice may be helpful; a fresh point of view is often of use. One thing which occurs to me as most important , to : discuss, for instance, is discipline—the chain of authority and its limitations. . * True discipline, that Which carries men and their hearts to an end which otherwise might have seemed unattainable, is little understood; It is a combination, of two opposing principles—Authority and Liberty. The kind of discipline which is carried to extremes by authority means, and always must mean,, the paralysis of originality, initiative, and all the qualities which life requires, not only of a scout, but of every' individual citizen. On the other hand, freedom carried to its end means anarchy and chaos. You and 1 have a great woilc before us in reconciling these two principles of Authority and Freedom, in our instruction to the scouts unde: our command. . But, in the first instance, we must understand it ourselves. One of tho greatest charms of this scout movement is-the perfectly friendly accord which reigns between the scoutmastei and the scout, ihis, if not carried be" yond K tne bounds of reason, is tlm most hopeful thing in the movement, apart from its wider educational principles. For too long tho young_ have been divided by a barrier of prejudice or of prudery from the mature. The friendship of 3- hoy and a man has befh looked upon as unnatural, and the father has been prevented from kindly intercourse with his son for fcrthat his dignity may suffer. The scontinaster under our system, therefore, if he be a coed scoutmaster, must obtain the confidence of the boys. TTo must even hear their confessions, must try to fzet th.pm to expand to him. to confide in him their Let thorn come to you as a fn'end in their difficulties, and God will make yo" worthy of their trn^t. Now, how does this harmonise with

Authority, with Discipline p Of counw, the. student of Napoleon or Garibaldi will understand, while the student of Frederick tho Great will be vertedWHEN TO GIVE ORDERB. Tho greatest familiarity among conn rades is consonant with tho strictest .. iiilmc; indeea, ft adds to tho disciplinary eiiect if it be recognised that orders are only given when necessary, and orders must be at ouco obeyed. Tho chain of authority _ from God, tho King, the general, tho c*iitai/i. the scoutmaster, the patrol leader, the scout must bo taught, and always taught, but never used unnecessarily. ix should never be frivolously exploited ; but when called into action it must be prompt and thorough. When the ship goes stiaight thero is no need to turn the wheel. But this means that everyone, from tho chief scout to tho smallest scout, must know his place, and when th» drum beats bo in it. If the chief scout or any other superior officer goes to a troop, not only the boys but the scoutmasters must formally recognise authority by a salute, which should be commoiv from highest to lowest, just as I should recognise my placo by a salute should tho chief scout enter this room at this moment.

Uf scoutmasters flrang bnok, tflien scouts will also d'o so, .and tho dh'aiu of discipline be broken. To (illustrate /what I moan, .there is a good rule in the Brigade of Guards that all officers are equal off parade. This is more tiruly the case, in tho Guards than elsenvliere in the army. But directly the drum boats twice the junior officer, bo lie junior but by a day, turns to the senior and recognises *his superior iby a, formal Salute. what'we want is to extend tlhis principle to all 'soouts, and not, as in the army, to officers only. Tho tperfect friendliness when off duty Should be the .mtore perfect if the clear and cheerful recognition, of authority when on duty ib nuado manifest. - EVERY SCOUT TO HIS PLACE AT THE BEAT OP THE DRUM.

Tlhe beat manner of teaoTiing this, and it in best done in youth, ja rtfliat whidh is common amnong. . certain families of ttie (political aristracnaiey. A boy is tauglit from his earliest, years that he has two personalities, his -unofficial, in ivfaich. ho may be tho equal or the superior of most, and lii! official peirsonality, wOieii, for purposes of administration land tilio work to be done, he must/place- himself under command and be in (his official place, Oiigh or low. If tlie Boy Scouts :aro gradually taught this principle by their officers, their* 'should be little difficulty. For a iboy learns soora—land it is about the best lesson he oan learn: for Insi future in life. ■ ' . When ithe ; drum beats die takes tail place, high or low; ,and the soout T master oi the right sort -will nraiko it plain ito liim that tho lowlier place is quite as honourable las nlie lnghoione Thin is true, discipline, arid if this lesson bo rtruly tauglit by you, not loss friendliness between officers and scouts .will bo possible, (but more. For evorv one will see, and clearly know, tliat ho takes Oris sharo in. * irreat movement, and that command is .not only an ■honour, but rather a bur-den imposed on those who oommand, for *h« good of the -whole brotherhood of Scouts, and for no selfish pivrpoefc. - Finally, 'lot mo •impross on you. >wlM hold t-he responsible office of district secretaries, that you liave entered into what is perhaps tho biggosrt business tof our time, the work of fcr.-umng tho next generation as citizens and men. If -mo other ■boy joined but those wa diavo now «and -wo dan get thorn all) wo should bo rcsTxmsible .for a large proportion of the future manhood of til a Jilmpire—2so,ooo Scoiite. ' It is a "Teat and a fine nrtork, *nd I prav God that 00l of -us may roabs* its import and carry it -blmnigh as oat Oatli vsays. to dc the -work of God, the King, «nd our novghbours. W* ar» engaged in making liisjory, not wnly in. accepting it, as most do, and when tnd future Greo'rt writes ihis liis-bory of our times, a chapter .at least will b* given to us and out work. Let us oil maika our part .of this ihistoiry ■goad. . .