Give Due Credit to Scouts and Leaders It is quite important in this connection to insure accurate records of the troops and scouts participating, so that proper acknowledgment of the service. rendered may be made either in local newspapers, in scout publications, or at scout rallies. While a boy derives great satisfaction from the doing of a "good turn," he feels a natural glow of pride at seeing his name in print or hearing his service acknowledged in public. At the conclusion of the service, the executive should not neglect the important factor of reporting the success of the undertaking to those persons for whom the service was rendered, as well as to the scoutmasters and boys who made it possible. The executive should make use of these opportunities to express appreciation for the scout service which they have rendered to the whole community, and he should so congratulate each scoutmaster who has cooperated in the service, that he will be eager to participate when the next call is made. The above statements strive to emphasize that quality is a most important element in the rendering of Community services and that business-like methods will result, not alone in efficient service, but will produce a very favorable impression upon everyone who witnesses that service. Let us never be careless in accepting responsibilities which we can not discharge, nor undertake, on behalf of our field, to do work which will be too much of a burden upon them. But once the word is given, let us proceed with careful preparation, common-sense, and an earnest desire to carry out the principles of the Scout Oath and Law. Volunteer Good Turns Requests for community and national service became so numerous during the war that the respite after Armistice Day was more than welcome. The psychological effect of the "good turn" upon the scouts themselves, however, was not lost sight of, and many executives planned volunteer "good turns" which are most commendable. There is a very definite reaction in a - boy which comes from participating in a community activity. He senses the fact that he is living up to the Scout Oath and carrying out the Scout Law. Any executive who lets an indefinite period elapse between community "good turns" is not alive to the possibilities of the "Good Turn.' A few examples only may be cited to emphasize this point. Important community service which was volunteered by scouts as shown by council reports includes the following: "Clean Up" Days, Building and erecting Bird Houses, Aiding police instead of Marching in Parades, Taking Lead in Community Life Saving and Swim- Removing nails and glass from streets, etc., etc. The practical value of such activities to a movement whose chief objectives are character-building and citizenship-training will be recognized at once by every leader. "INTO CONGRESS THRU A GOOD TURN." Hon. James Davis, for years representing Missouri in Washington— where he has been active in scout work told this story last year at a Washington Scout Celebration. He said: "One morning when I was about 20 years old, I was riding my horse into "town," when by the road side, I came upon a boy, a mule, and a fallen sack of corn. The boy was helpless to reload. I got off my horse-removed my coat-loaded him and the corn on the mule and went on my way forgetting the incident. A score of years had passed and I was candidate for Congress, in the primaries. I had heard that in one corner of the "enemy's country" there was a fellow who was getting votes for me but I did not know him. I was nominated by 47 votes. At the county seat speechmaking which followed, a big, sturdy, young man elbowed his way through the crowd to the stand, and extended his hand, saying:‘I don't suppose yew remember me,' and I said ‘No, I do not.' 'Well, he said, 'do you remember a boy, a mule, and a sack of corn in the road some twenty years ago—and you, the fourth man to pass, stopped to help me on my horse?' 'Well,' he said, 'I'm that boy, and I vowed that day that I'd repay you some day and I've done it. We gave you a majority of 68 votes in our township." SCOUTS AS SERVICEABLE CITIZENS Gleanings from 1920 Troop Reports In Kansas City, Boy Scouts annually participate in the sanitary survey of the city conducted under the auspices of the Health Department. Over 800 Scouts turned out last spring for this service which included a census of fire hazards and health menaces throughout the entire city. Similar service is being rendered in many other cities by Scouts. Among other things, Erie, Pa., Scouts built bird houses, conducted a Learn to Swim campaign, contributed to the Marne Memorial, aided in Salvation Army and Community Chest drive, acted as aides at Rotary Club Convention, decorated soldiers' graves, co-operated with the State Game Warden in planting walnut trees and distributed invitations to foreigners to attend Americanization classes. Troop 1 of Florence, Alabama, took school census, aided Chamber of Commerce in checking up Federal census, and instructed 2,500 people in the use and location of fire alarm boxes. Scouts of Casper, Wyoming, have formed an official "Sanitary Squad" which undertakes to see that the school yards and buildings are clean and sanitary. Scouts of Bucyrus, Ohio, made an efficient collection of outstanding library books for the public library, conducted a clean-up in an old cemetery, resetting stones and markers, acted as guides and messengers for over 400 delegates at the State Young People's Conference. Four hundred and three cases of efficient first aid rendered by Scouts during 1920 is the record of the Boy Scouts of St. Louis. In Arlington, Mass., Troop 6 supplies a chain of bird stations with food during the winter. In Trumansburg, N. Y., Troop 2 bought lumber, paint, etc., and made and placed village street signs. St. Paul Scouts distributed in one day 30,000 handbills and 5,000 windshield stickers for Good Roads bill. Boy Scouts of Riverside, Cal., took a tree census, reporting not only numbers but species and location of each. For five years past they have guarded and patrolled the trails leading to the summit of Rubidoux Morning on the occasion of the Easter sunrise service. Scouts in Louisville, Ky., are organized as "Guardians of Property" and have taken a pledge to safeguard property at home, church and school. Detroit Scouts helped direct traffic during holiday rush, and are regular appointed traffic aides, operating in shifts near school buildings, using semaphore signals at bad crossings. Over 7000 Boy Scouts are registered as Forest Guides in the State of Pennsylvania, pledged to protect the wild animal and plant life of the state and practice and spread the doctrine of fire prevention. Tulsa, Okla., Scouts carried on a "Spring offensive" against the bayworm and collected nearly a ton of glass, sharp pieces of metal and other debris from roads in the interest of tire safety. CHAPTER XVI PUBLIC OCCASIONS Asst. Executive A. H. Townsend, Queens, N. Y. The prestige of Scouting in a given community is dependent on the public appearance of the scouts as well as upon the lives they unconsciously lead. Troop exhibitions, parades, rallies, community good turns, mass meetings, and all scout activities witnessed by outsiders have a direct reaction on public opinion. Worth while public occasions, wisely planned and successfully carried out will help educate the public and thus widen the service range of Scouting. Community Service The Community "Good Turn" by scouts often in connection with a public occasion such as a County Fair, a Clean Up Campaign, a local celebration, or a public holiday, affords an opportunity for the Scout Movement to appear before the Public in the very best light. This subject has been treated on pages 219 to 227 of the "Handbook for Scoutmasters" and is also covered in this volume, Chapter XV. This chapter, however, will not concern itself with those public functions in which the scouts render services to other organizations or to the community but will confine the discussion to those occasions in which the program is primarily or entirely in the hands of the Scout organization. The Scout Rally Public meetings of scouts with a program of scout activities are commonly called rallies. A Parents' Night by the only troop in a small country town is a rally just as truly as the annual gathering of hundreds of troops in a metropolitan center. Rallies usually consist primarily of scoutcraft demonstrations and scout contests. A review or inspection of troops may be included. Most rally programs include one or more special features, such as a big game of "Flag-Raiding," the award of scout badges, or a talk by a prominent personage. There are several variations of the rally, such as the Wild West Round Up, an Indian Pow Wow, a Water carnival, a Jamboree, etc. As a rule they follow the same general lines as the ordinary scout rally, but with a special emphasis on some one activity. Morale and Publicity The rally has a two-fold aim: first, to educate the participants and build morale; second, to educate the spectators and thus accomplish worthwhile publicity. This two-fold purpose must be kept in mind in preparing the program. The activities should be educational and measurably spectacular for the benefit of the spectators. At the same time they should provide interesting and profitable opportunities for participation by every scout. The Objectives In developing plans for the rally, the first essential is a definite objective. Is the rally to be primarily for the benefit of the spectators? If so, contests, demonstrations and other features must be devised to interest and educate the public. Is the rally to be primarily for the benefit of the scouts? If so, is it to consist primarily of contests or are there any new troops for whose benefit demonstrations of elementary scoutcraft should be included? What part of the program should be given to activities whose prime value is entertainment? What, if any, place shall purely athletic contests take in the program? What, if any, big feature shall be included in the program? Upon the answers to such questions depend the site, program, and organization of the rally. |