Chief Scout Talks

Taranaki Daily News, 13 December 1930, Page 9 (Supplement)

Chief Scout Talks

• . CAMP FIRE YARNS. (By Lt.-Gen. Lord Baden-Powell of ■ ' Gil well.); ' _ A boy who cannot box i® not fit to go out into the world. I don’t mean by this that he must want to fight and bully people, but he ought to be able to defend" himself and also to defend others who have been put upon and who cannot- stick up for themselves. He is sure io have the need for this at some time or other in his life. So, as a Scout, if you mean to carry our your motto and to Be Prepared, not only for what is probable, but also for what is possible, you should learn how

to box and should keep yourself in'good practice at' it. It is not difficult to learn, but there are loads of different tricks about it that have to be learned from older hands, and which you cannot find out for yourself without getting a good deal of punishment while learning. 4 . . When you begin to get-into it it is

jolly good fun ■ and gives you the best possible exercise. It makes you very quick in eyesight and action -and gives you strength and musple in a, wonderfully short space of time. Also it teaches you to play fair ■ and 1° take hard knocks with a grin. 'You shake hands before and after the bout to show that, there is no ill-feeling, and that even if you have been licked you don’t . bear malice. >- It is useful to you to be able to use your fists if necessary,-, because, las I have said, you may'need it one day on your own account, or for helping other people, which is your duty as a Scout. It is not much use having the will to help people if you have not the ■ ability» ' •’ " V A Scout who has earned his “Master-at-Arms” badge will -never be in a tight place for want of being able to use his fists, because in order to get that badge you have to be proficient in at least two of the following subjects:— Single stick, quarter staff, fencing, boxing° ju-jitsu, gymnastics, wrestling. When I was in Japan some years ago, before they had started Scouts in that country, I used to go and watch the Japanese boys at their daily practice of fencing with bamboo sticks, and practising ju-jitsu to make themselves strong and active and good-tempered. TAKING HARD KNOCK'S. I say good-tempered because in jujitsu, as in boxing, you have to take a good many hard knocks and take them smiling; if a fellow lost his tempqr at it everybody would laugh at him and think him a fool. In ju-jitsu you learn how to exercise and develop the muscles, how to catch hold of a person in many different ways so as to overpower him, and, what is very important, how to fall easily if you are thrown yourself. But, remember, as I-said at the beginning, that the idea of learning boxing and wrestling and ju-jitsu is-not that vou should go and attack everyone you see, but in order that you should be able to defend yourself and to help other people; should the need for doing so ever arise. ■