ing a street crossing or keeping the streets clean for a parade. They are always on hand, everywhere ready to do a good deed for somebody. I have learned to love them. I consider the Boy Scout movement one of the best schools of American education. I say God bless them and the men who contribute their time and money to boost them. I should like to speak in detail of the many cases where scouts have done notable work in such service, but must content myself with mentioning one striking instance, which does not differ from the others in quality but stands out especially because of the big scale on which the good turn was rendered.

SERVICE AT LEGION CONVENTION.

During the American Legion convention held at Kansas City more than a thousand scouts acted as police aids helping to manage the biggest crowd ever assembled in the history of the city, and doing it so magnificently that the press gave them almost more space than they did the ex-soldiers themselves. Fifty picked scouts served as an escort to distinguished visitors at the grand stand. Seventy or more scouts were on duty daily at the convention itself, acting as aids, ushers, and messengers. Seventy-five were on traffic duty every day, charged particularly with the parking of automobiles. Fifty were on duty every day at the various information booths scattered throughout the city, maintaining regular communication between the booths. The map of the city distributed among its guests to the number of 100,000 was drawn by an Eagle Scout, James N. Pickering. The legion in assembly passed a resolution of appreciation of scout service rendered during the convention. "All in all," says Scout Executive Wright, in commenting on the work of his boys, "the Boy Scouts rendered a good piece of service." It was more than that. Just among ourselves, we have the right to say it was a great service and one which added immeasurably to the prestige of the movement, as did the work of the Washington scouts in the armistice day observance and scout service at Chattanooga at the Confederate war veteran assembly.

REMARKABLE WORK IN LIFE SAVING AND FIRST AID.

As the report of the national court of honor will show, 1921 has a long and splendid roll of honor of scout heroes who have been prepared to save life even at the risk of their own. Our sympathy goes out in full measure to the mother of Scout Thomas Robinson, of Camden, N. J., who gave his life for his friend and we share in her pride in his scoutlike deed of sacrifice.

Aside from the striking work in life saving at great personal risk, there have been a large number of instances in which scout preparedness and training in first aid have saved lives or prevented disaster. Again and again we hear of lads who bind up severed arteries, render artificial respiration, and give other first-aid services as expertly as a physician himself might do. Again we are tempted to tell many scout stories, but one-the tale of a tenderfoot at that-must suffice as typical of all.

A small boy in Mobile, Ala., hearing the shouts of children at play, moved quickly to the window to look out and see what was going on. In so doing, he slipped and one arm crashed through the window,

severing an artery. He screamed, bringing his brother, Julian Savage, to the spot. Julian was just a tenderfoot, but he aspired to second-class rank and had paid good heed to first-aid instruction as given in his troop. With a towel and a broomstick he improvised a tourniquet and windlass at precisely the right spot. The flow of blood was checked. A life was saved because a boy scout knew how to meet the situation.

EMERGENCY WORK.

As usual scouts have risen nobly to the challenge whenever unusual disaster has occurred. Fresh in all our minds must be the fine service rendered by Washington scouts at the appalling Knickerbocker Theater disaster, a service remarkable enough to have called forth the following acknowledgment from the War Department, through General Bandholz, commanding officer:

All reports indicate that the volunteer service rende.ed by the Boy Scouts during the recent Knickerbocker Theater disaster is worthy of the highest praise.

The assistance given the officers and soldiers working at the scene of the catastrophe is greatly appreciated and I wish to extend to you the grateful thanks of my entire command for your efficient and courageous assistance.

Perhaps the most remarkable emergency work ever done by Boy Scouts was that performed at Pueblo, during the devastating flood of last summer. Among many instances of unusual courage and efficiency in life-saving exhibited at this time was the work of Scouts Hopkins and White who manned a lifeboat and pulled through a fierce current at the risk of their lives to rescue five persons from a burning building, which exploded soon after the rescue. Scoutmaster Cary lost his life in endeavoring to save that of two women. Aside from life-saving and first-aid work remarkable service was carried on in messenger work, telephone and telegraph communication being cut off. The boys established stations of their own, plying back and forth across the river on a narrow and precarious foot bridge. Later they delivered thousands of proclamations for the local health department, distributed chemically treated water, shoveled mud, built temporary bridges, found in short a multitude of things big and little which needed doing, and did them in manly fashion, which is above praise.

At San Antonio, Tex., scouts also did invaluable work during the flood and afterwards, winning commendation on all sides, particularly from the police and health departments and the Red Cross.

OTHER COMMUNITY GOOD TURNS.

Happily disasters like the above are of rare occurrence, whereas opportunities for constructive community service under every-day conditions are countless and continuous. Here are a few of the thousands of community good turns done by scouts during the year throughout the country. The list could be multiplied indefinitely.

In Grand Rapids, Mich., Boy Scouts took a traffic census for the city, under the direction of the safety council.

Washington, Pa., scouts aided the police in handling traffic during the Washington-Jefferson College games.

Des Moines, Iowa, scouts scoured the country for miles around collecting grain to be sent to the relief of the starving people of Europe. Scouts of Okmulgee, Okla., delivered 115 Christmas baskets for the Salvation Army.

Manchester, N. H., scouts held themselves responsible for replacing all torn or weather-worn flags on the graves of the soldier dead.

Boy Scouts of Albany, N. Y., cooperated with the chamber of commerce and railway and boat lines in promoting the "perfect packing" movement, distributing appropriate literature and demonstrating how packages should be done up for sending.

A troop in Montclair, N. J., has for three years raised and lowered the colors on a war memorial.

Orange, Tex., scouts took charge of and promoted city fire prevention campaign and helped put through a community Christmas tree and song program.

A Portland Oreg., troop spread oil in stagnant pools within a radius of 3 miles from the city in order to exterminate mosquitoes. The same troop built a path to a school house, the use of which did away with the necessity of school children using a dangerous crossing.

In Sanford, Me., among other things, scouts maintain bird feeding stations, shovel snow for shut-ins, and are prepared for life-saving service at skating ponds.

Milwaukee scouts collected and repaired over 5,000 toys at Christmas time, redistributing the same for the benefit of poor children. Similar service was performed in hundreds of scout centers throughout the country.

In Clarksburg, W. Va., scouts aided Near East Relief work, built and set up bird houses, cooperated with civic club, chamber of commerce, Red Cross, etc., served at every convention held in town, planted trees, assisted in health drives, "adopted" a Chinese orphan, paid rent for a poor family to prevent their eviction, etc.

Flint, Mich., scouts among other services did police duty during the May day school festival, made over a hundred wreaths for the Knights of Pythias, helped handle traffic at Memorial Day parade, served at the G. A. R. convention, gave exhibitions of first aid and rescue work at public schools, assisted at harvest festival, and during community music week delivered 1,600 telephone books, cooperated with the National Anti-Tuberculosis Association and the safety council, collected over 3,000 used toys, and took part in armistice day parade. Minneapolis scouts maintained a model camp in a public park by way of demonstrating to the public the use instead of abuse of such grounds.

San Francisco Boy Scouts make a special point among their many good turns of looking after the blind and crippled.

EDITORIAL COMMENT.

Our good friends, the editors, have been more than usually kind to us this year in paying unsolicited tribute to the work of the scout movement. During anniversary week a large number of newspapers and magazines gave the event editorial notice and during the year whenever any individual scout or group of scouts have done any noteworthy service the papers have voluntarily given publicity to these matters. For instance, when the two Quincy, Mass., scouts

saved the lives of three children who had fallen through the ice last winter, at least three Boston papers printed editorials on the subject giving credit to scout training, in addition to the regular news items describing the incident. On the occasion when a would-be huntsman was lost in the woods last winter and found nearly starved because he couldn't build a fire and cook raw meat for himself, no less than three newspapers commented somewhat drily that the gentleman should have had a Boy Scout along or had at least the rudiments of scout training before he ventured into the wilderness. All of which merely shows that our Boy Scouts are themselves the best advertisement for the movement.

THE NEW YORK TIMES SERVICE.

The New York Times, as you know, has been giving us several columns in its Sunday edition since July last, which generous service is, of course, of incomparable value to us in promoting the movement. The Times has also printed editorials and signed articles on scout subjects from time to time and has a standing offer to scoutmasters of a dollar prize for all accepted scout matter submitted. I wish in behalf of the whole organization to express keen appreciation of this fine cooperation afforded by one of the greatest newspapers in the country.

COOPERATION WITH ROTARY CLUBS, ETC.

One of the most gratifying features of the year's development is the increased cooperation and sympathy existing between our organization and the Rotary, Kiwanis, and Lions Clubs, as well as the Elks, Big Brothers, and others. All of these organizations have shown themselves ready to help us in every way within their power, and in many cases have rendered exceptional services, financially and otherwise. Considering how many fine instances of this cooperation the year has afforded, it is hardly fair to pick out any for special mention, yet as a suggestion of what is being done, I may cite the following as typical of all: The Rotary Club of Pasadena, Calif., built and presented to the scouts of the city a magnificent clubhouse. The Kiwanis Club of Tacoma, Wash., provided local scouts with a permanent camp home at American Lake. The Elks of Minneapolis last summer "adopted" the scouts of the city and as a first good turn purchased for the boys' use an ideal camp site on an 18-acre farm on Lake Minnetonka. In hundreds of communities one or more of the above-mentioned societies is helping to finance and promote scouting. It is appropriate at this time to express our deep gratification and gratitude to these fine brothers of ours, who are putting their shoulders to the wheel and pushing with us for the welfare of our American boys.

COOPERATION WITH AMERICAN LEGION.

I am happy also to pay tribute at this time to the many posts, officers, and men of the American Legion who are also serving the Boy Scouts of America. In many places scouting is now being sponsored by posts and the Legion is helping at the very point where

we most need help, in providing us with a corps of trained, virile, loyal young manhood splendidly fitted to act as scout masters and instructors. At the Kansas City convention the Legion passed the following resolution, which promises well for the future:

The convention recommends to post commanders that they cooperate in the Boy Scout movement and encourage members of the Legion to render such service as they may be able, especially as organizers and scout masters of troops.

COOPERATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES.

I am glad to report that the work done in France by Mr. Lorne W. Barclay, of the department of education, under the auspices of the American committee for devasted France, was of real significance and value to the cause of scouting, and I am sure none of us will regret our decision made at our last annual meeting to spare Mr. Barclay for the summer to carry out this commendable work in behalf of our brother scouts overseas. In response to appeals by Mr. Barclay, Miss Morgan, and others, many scout troops in this country generously contributed money, often at real sacrifice to themselves, to assure one or more French boys the privilege of a few weeks in a scout camp. It seems especially desirable that this good turn should again be proposed for the coming summer.

Mr. Barclay and Mr. Martin went to Toronto to confer with the Canadian scout officials who asked our help in getting out a handbook for scout masters, along the general lines of our own manual. Whatever value our experience in scouting and our collected data afforded, we gladly placed at the disposal of our friends across the border. Miss Piper, of the editorial department, was loaned to the Canadian association for a month to help in the preparation of the desired handbook.

ANNIVERSARY WEEK ACTIVITIES.

This year, celebrating our twelfth birthday, we endeavored to have even more unique and impressive ceremonials and activities connected with anniversary than we have ever had before. I believe you will all agree with me in looking back over the events of the week beginning with February 8 that our twelfth birthday did actually mark a red-letter week of our history. As has been previously mentioned, what was perhaps the most striking feature of the celebration was the transmittal by radio to scouts all over the country as assembled on February 8, the message from our honorary president, the President of the United States. This message bears repeating here.

- To the Boy Scouts of America sincere congratulations to the Boy Scouts of America on their twelfth anniversary, February 8.

This anniversary of an organization whose ideal is peace and friendship quite strikingly coincides with the birth of a new hope for world peace and friendship at the recent conference of the nations here in Washington. The responsibilities disclosed by that conference must be met by the men who come after us, and I look with growing confidence to that steadily increasing number of boys who are effectively trained to do their duty to God and their country and to help other people at all times, as are the Boy Scouts of America and throughout the world.