THE BOY SCOUTS

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 58, 17 June 1910, Page 8

THE BOY SCOUTS

A DISTRICT COMMITTEE FORMED. A meeting ■was held last night in the Central School to set up a district committee ill connection with the Boy Scout movement in New Plymouth. There was an attendance of about twenty, and the Central troop of Boy Scouts attended in uniform. The Mayor (Mr. G. Tiscli) presided. Apologies for absence were received from the Rev. P. G. Evans, the Rev. S. S. Osborne, and Mr. J. It. Sinclair. His Worship said that lie considered the enrolment of the Boy Scouts was one of the finest movements ever inaugurated, for it tended to good citizenship. He recalled that it was only a little over two years since General Baden-Powell had initiated the movement, and there were now over a million scouts. Over 22,000 'badges had 'been distributed, and 84 medals,"many of them for saving life. Every day they were noticing the good effect that the' Boy Scout discipline was having on the boys, who seemed ever anxious to do a good turn for somebody. He instanced the application of the Central School troop to .be allowed to care for the old sold'.:s' graves in Te Hennj Cemetery.

Mr, F. P. Cork;!;, convener 01 tiie meeting, said the tr.ceting had ■been called at the request of th r si eretary of the New Zealand Association 'n Wellington. The o'bject of the eoi mittee was to get into touch with the oflieers a number of gentlemen 'interested, in the organisation. It was usual to have about three in addition to the officers, ibut there was no need to limit it to three in a town of this .size. The committee elected woulil, he hoped, he representative of the whole of the town. He would like to see the committee go a little farther than most committees were doing. In BadenPowell's "Scouting for Boys" tfie Chief Scout discouraged "cadging" in any shape or form. But there were some hoys who would make fine scouts' 'hut who could not afford to purchase uniforms and outfit. The committee might start a fund for providing or assisting to provide such lads with uniforms in meritorious cases. Sometimes boys left or were "fired out." There was nothing, to prevent stfch 'hoys disgracing the nniform afterwards. He had seen a boy in a Scout uniform playing football on a Sunday, and that was not pleasing. Any hoy joining the Scouts should be compelled to sign an undertaking, countersigned by his parents, to sell his uniform to the committee at, say, half-price wJienhe severed his connection with the organisation. Those uniforms would, when washed, be available for other boys. He then read the rules governing the appointment of district committees. Mr. H. Dem.psey, headmaster of the Central School, addressed the meeting by invitation of Mr. Corkill. He said his experience of the 'boys belonging to the Scouts was that their character was •being greatly improved. 'They were continually asking to be allowed to do something for him. It was part of their creed to do one good turn or more for somebody or other every day. He warmly congratulated the Central Scoutmasters, Messrs. Sullivan and Mclsaac, on the ■manner in which they were throwing themselves heart and soul into the work. The duties were 'heavy, and he wondered what would happen if anything happened to their Scoutmasters. The Scout movement was the cadet movement with something more teoked on. He asked that these two gentlemen would not take these duties too. much to heart. He found that if any Scout offended in any way in the school now it was quite sufficient to say to him, "What will Mr. Sullivan think of you?" He strongly supported the object of this meeting, and particularly the proposal to compel a Scout to surrender his uniform lest he disgrace it after leaving. Mr. Corkill moved that the following form the committee: Messrs. A. H. Glasgow, A. McHardy, H. E. Fookcs, W. N. Ewing, J. E. Wilson (West End), F. H. Jackson (Fitzroy). and the mover.

Mr. F. W. Sand-ford seconded, and referred to a phase of the movement that bad not been touched upon, but which was very prominent, in the book, "Scouting for Boys." He referred to the fact that the movement was not for the good boys only, but for the bad boys as well. "It is not a few smart boys we want," said General Baden-Powell, "but a go>xl average- as a whole." The chief thing for this committee was to loolc after the boys who had left school and who wsrc getting beyond control. The boys at the school were well looked after, and he considered that the committee would make the movement worthy the name if they looked after the big boy unfc.l he became something of a man. Mr. Dempsey remarked that the Central School Scouts were not all "goodygoody boys." Some were "nippers," and his experience was that it wasn't the "goody-goody boys" who were this most useful. The committee was elected. Mr. W. N. Ewing praised the ivork of Messrs. Sullivan and Mclsaacs, and moved that they be heartily thanked for their work as Scoutmasters at the Central School. The motion was seconded by Mr. P. White, one of the "old boy;," of the school. Mr. Sullivan, in returning thanks for the sentiment of the vote, said it seemed to him that it was quite unnecessary, and there was a certain Amount of sycophancy about it. ' The Mayor pointed out that the Scouts were taught to say "Thank you." The meeting was just doing ths.t.