THE BOY SCOUTS

Taranaki Daily News, 7 October 1929, Page 13

THE BOY SCOUTS

THE GREAT: JAMBOREE IMPRESSIONS OF NEW ZEALANDER INDIAN BOYS’ ENCAMPMENT. (Special to News) In wandering through this camp, with its large and. beautiful gateway, we were shown everywhere by an Indian guide who spoke beautiful English, and. possessed a charming manner. We were told about the Star of India, which is laid out round the flagstaff in red and yellow sand and moss; about the badge of the Punjab, which has been conferred as a great honour upon the Punjab Scouts; about the Khyber Pass .and the River Indus, showing us all the while models of these things in front of each tent. In a large cauldron could be seen a very tempting looking curry in process of cooking, as the Indians know so well how to cook and to enjoy In the Ceylonese eamp a native Scoutmaster was in charge. Here was a fine shop containing handsome coconut spoons and native curios of all kinds. The Ceylonese are most enterprising. The tidiest camp belonged to the Scotch, \vho played all their games and dances outside, so that in the centre of their eamp there Was grass instead of mud. One county Scoutmaster, going his morning rounds, came across some of the Scottish contingent from Roxburgh, and remarked: “I hope you have slept well.” The reply came: “Yes, sir, we have slept very well.” The Scoutmaster, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, said: “I wonder you did not say, ‘We had a braw nicht?” Quickly came the retort: “We wad ha done only we didna’ think anybody in this camp understood a decent language!” WORK OF BLIND BOYS. It was wonderful to see the blind camp where the boys, with uncanny .certainty, avoided bumping into one. another or into visitors to their quarters. There is a ladies’ camp with about fifty occupants established on the lawn within Air. Paul's private garden at Overchureh, adjoining the auxiliary camp. This is locally dubbed “The Garden of Eden.” the description continuing “with fifty Eves inside and about 8000 Adams outside.” There has been no sign of any apple of discord. The Scouts from the Welsh counties can always be picked by their iousness. For their tongues seem never to be still! With all this great array of friendly camps, the opinion of the Cheshire County Scouts’ Council is that if more camps like this could be planned, the League of Nations would have little to do. A memorable event during the Jamboree was that when the Beckanham and Forest Hill contingents of the London Scouts decided to celebrate their anniversary with a special tea. Scouts from thirty different nations were represented . They sat round to tea in a huge enclosure, and what a feast it was of tea and bread and butter and jam, plain and fancy cakes, and oranges and bananas! Then followed a jovial programme from many nations and from many, tongues. The chairman always made the announcements in three languages —English, French, and German. England started with a part song, the singers being winners of prizes at the all-England Scouts’ Musical Festival in London. Then two little Ceylon boys sang a couple of Scout songs, and the South African visitors treated the company to some home-trained yells. The Fiji visitor gave a song, and a German and a Spanish Scout, united in a German duet. The International Commissioner for Lower Austria gave some Austrian leder songs. One of the most popular items on the long programme was a comical . action sona- by the Secretary General of the PoHsh Scouts, in which the adventures of a rabbit and a dog were most cleverly portrayed with the aid of a handkerchief and nimble fingers. After an evening spent in music and song and friendly interminglig, came the unique and fitting finale for such an occasion. It commenced with the jamboree yell, a mighty shout of. the nations. Then came the indescribable London bowl, after which all joined hands around the flagstaff and sang “Auld Lang Syne” with an enthusiasm which satisfied even the Scotch representatives. Finally cheers ■were given for the visitors, the hosts, and the Chief Scout. In wandering round the American camp one was quickly impressed with its wonderful organised efficiency. The whole arrangement of the camp was clean, compact, and comfortable. Originality was everywehere in evidence, in lay-out, decoration and exhibition. The tents looked very inviting with their neat camp beds, and racks, feeding shelters and kitchens. Method was the hall mark in every direction. The wigwams and teepees and the carvings of the various troops proved most interesting to see. The boys themselves were imbued with a spirit of cheerfulness and good-will. Each boy seemed happily occupied. Some were singing, some cooking, other laying tables for dinner or explaining troop exhibits and activities to visitors. Air. G. Barrett Rich is their eamp chief, a man of genial personality, and is doing much for the co-operation and friendly working together of t'he nations of the world.

FINLAND ASSOCIATION HAPPENINGS TN OTHER LANDS. HEADQUARTER’S AWARDS. (By “Scouter.”) There is a federation of three scout associations in Finland under the name of Snomen Partropojat. They sent a combined contingent of 140 to the world jamboree. The badge of the Finland's Sverska Scoutforbund is the arrowhead, superimposed with a drawn bow and arrow, and the motto, “Var Redo.” The badge of the Soumen Partiolutto is superimposed with a lion'. Scouts the world over are constantly using their knowledge of swimming, rescuing and first aid in order to save life, as° the following list of award by the London headquarters in three weeks shows: — Certificate of Merit.—Patrol leader W. J. M. Powell, Ist Kington Group, for the prompt and efficient manner in which

he rendered first-aid to a young man who had been injured in a cycle accident. Silver Cross.—Patrol leader D. Turner of the Mildenhall Group, for his gallantry in rescuing a boy from drowninc the River Lark. Silver Cross. —Scout F. J. Charlton, Ynysybwl Group, Glamorgan, for the gallantry he displayed in the rendering of first-aid to a man wo had been bitten by a viper. Silver Aledal —Scout T. Turner, Coppice St. Group, for his gallentry in rescuing a boy from drowning in the canaTat Union Street, Tipton. Gilt Cross—Scout O. Rathbone, 6th SW. Cheshire Group, for his promptitute and pluck in rescuing an old man who had been knocked down by a train. Gilt Cross.—Scout J. Adams, 114th Birmingham Group, for his gallantry in rescuing a boy from drowning in the canal at Nile Street, Birmingham. The Glasgow Bulletin remarks' that the great scout jamboree is perhaps the biggest bit of practical propaganda for international peace that has ever been known. But the peace which it expresses not the negative thing—the mere absence of war—which sometimes seems to be the most that grown-up people can aim at. Peace of that sort can have very little attraction for any healthy boy. The peace of the possibility of which the jamboree is an active proof is a very positive expression of active friendship and respect between the peoples. And what is particularly worth noticing is that this demonstration of universal good-fellowship has been brought about by the use of means which seem naturally designed for the strengthening of the spirit of war. Drill, uniforms, the organisation of sebut troops, the cultivating of the spirit of the campfire —these seem to be the very things which a determined militarist would naturally seize upon to turn a nation’s youth to his way of thinking. Used just to the extent that boys -themselves feel to be agreeable they are the natural gilt on the military gingerbread. Perhaps, indeed, it has been Sir Robert Baden-Powell’s greatest achievement to prove that the spirit of adventure, the loss of which would mean the loss of youth itself, can be wholly separated from the spirit of war and of all kinds of mischievous rivalry. There is probably no other society in the world but his which could bring together in a single camp boys of the white and coloured races and still confidently expect that' no trouble would arise between them. In this respect the boy scouts have gone further than any political organisation in which “grownups’’ have joined, farther even —in practise if not in theory—than the League of Nations itself. HOW TO USE ROPES. In scouting one of the first things a bOV learns is how to tie a few of the simpler or more common knots. * The boy who really learns these knots and their various uses finds, especially in camp, that his knowledge comes in very liandy. Every art has its own technical terms and the art 1 of using ropes is no exception. The greatest artist with ropes has always been the sailor, and most of the terms used in connection with ropes smack of the sea and are therefore unfamiliar to the landsmen. Before a scout learns knotting he should be familiar with these terms. A rope usually has one end fixed and only cne end available for knotting. The fixed part is called the “standing end,” oi' “standing part,” and the free one the “running end.” When learning to tie knots on end of the rope should invariably be held by the instructor or fastened to something, otherwise both ends of the rope are used. Knotting should always be taught with a stranded rope Or cord, and not with string, which is apt to slip. Most' ropes are what is called, “hawser laid,” that is, as you hold the rope up in front of you the strands run from right top to left bottom. Some ropes and’’ cords have three strands, some four. A bight is-simply a loop. A bend is a knot for fastening two ropes together. The word is also used as a verb, to “bend” one rope to another. “Sheet” is a term which denotes a rope,, especially the rope which holds down the bottom of the sail. A hitch is a temporary knot, generally the knot which fastens a rope to something stiff, such as a spar or ring. A round turn is a complete turn of -the rope around an article such as a spar. As the ends are brought together it really amounts to two turns. (To be continued ) Each year the cubs of the Hawera Troop stage a concert', the door takings of which represent the cubs’ contribution to the funds of the troop. In previous years, under the guidance of Cubmaster Hitchcock, ably supported by his assistants and the boys themselves, the concert has proved an unqualified success. “Scouter” has had the priviledge of scanning the programme, and feels sure the concert to be held soon will be quite up to the usual high standard. The concert opens with the “Cheerio Song,” sung by Subs Debb, Walsh, Aloddcrn, Richards, Taylor, Milne, Hopkins, Whyte, Lerkman and Griss. Cub Basil Hopkins will then sing, “Sonny Boy.” Solos, duets, quartettes, sketches, etc., will make up the programme.