POLICIES REGARDING CREDIT FOR TEN YEAR SERVICE

(1) Q. What constitutes service to be credited for the ten year service registration?

A. Formal registration at the National Council Office of the Boy Scouts of America, in the case of scout officials; formal registration at the National Council Office, in the case of scouts, for all service since October 1st, 1913, or membership in a troop whose scoutmaster was so registered for service prior to that date.

(2) Q.

What governs in determining registration?
A. The records of the National Council Office.
Is there any exception?

(3) Q.

A. No, but if preliminary search of the records as the National Council Office does not verify the record claimed, evidence may be submitted to prove that the records in question formerly existed but are now mislaid. All such cases will be handled on the merits of the evidence submitted.

(4) Q. Is there any exception to the requirement of actual registration as stated in question 1 above?

A. Only when such failure to register is clearly due to no failure on the part of the man concerned but to the fault of a superior official or office.

(5) Q. Are troop committee members and local council members eligible?

A. Yes, as they are officially registered members of the Boy Scouts of America.

(6) Q. Does service as a troop instructor, camp. leader, or expert examiner count for the ten year service?

A. No, not unless the man was commissioned in some official capacity with the Boy Scouts of America, e. g., as an Assistant Scoutmaster, Field Executive, etc. (7) Q. Does service in an independent troop organized prior to the establishment of the office of the Boy Scouts of America and using the British Scout Manual count for ten year credit.

A. Yes, provided the troop affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America.

(8) Q. Does service in other scout organizations than the Boy Scouts of America prior to the affiliation of such organizations with the Boy Scouts of America count towards ten year credit?

A. Only in case the organization as a whole affiliated with the Boy Scouts of America.

(9) Q. What is the earliest date from which it is possible for ten year credit to start?

A. Feb. 8th, 1910, the date of incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America.

(10) Q. Does the ten years of service need to have been continuous?

A. No, there must have been a total of ten years' service, but it may have been discontinuous.

(11) Q. Does service during the war in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps count for ten year credit?

A. Yes, any one who was a scout or scout official prior to the war or prior to joining the Army, Navy or Marine Corps may receive credit for all service in any of the above in the period April 1917 to September 1919 inclusive, and if he re-entered the Boy Scouts of America within three months following his discharge, for the intervening period of readjustment. This credit applies only in case the scout or official re-entered scouting after the war.

(12) Q. Does service in the Army Y. M. C. A., K. of C., or similar war service organization count for ten year credit?

A. Yes, service in any of the recognized war service organizations counts in exactly the same way as service in the Army.

(13) Q. Is it necessary for a ten year service man to re-register annually if he retains active connection with the movement?

A. Yes, in the regular manner for the position he holds, but not in order to retain his ten years registration, which holds for life.

CHAPTER XXI

THE OLDER BOY

Where Are They?

The theory of the physical, mental, and social problems of older boys is discussed in the Scoutmaster's Handbook and will not be repeated here.

Where are the Older Boys? Are they still with usor have they gone? A study of the present age distribution of Scouts gives pertinent and unmistakable testimony.

PERCENTAGES OF SCOUTS OF EACH AGE
(Compiled from 100 Councils, Oct. 1920)

The falling off comes rapidly after 14. If the scout movement held perfectly there would be no loss and if recruiting were regular and uniform there would be 1212% of the Scouts in each year above. Instead of that we have fewer older boys and a "piling up" at the younger ages. Not only have older boys been permitted to drop out of Scouting in large numbers, but an analysis of the data given in the Tenth Annual Report indicates that the present membership has made but modest progress through the Scouting grades.

In other words 2% of the scouts are Tenderfoot and only 8.4% have gotten beyond second class.

The merit badge program with all of its rich interest appeal and potential vocational significance is reached by only one scout in 14.

While these figures are very significant, there are certain very vital factors which they do not reveal: 1-Why did the scout drop out? 2-How old was he then?

3 What was his Scouting rank?
4-How long had he been a scout?

Where such careful facts have been collected and made known, the fact has stood out sharply that the tenderfoot is the critical age. In certain of these studies 80% of the scouts dropping out have been only of Tenderfoot rank. Indeed such scouts have only been exposed to a part of the full scout program of activities, having merely taken its initial step.

Men active in Scouting are agreed that the rule is to find that the Oath and Law and the spirit of service have borne fruitage in habits in proportion to the time during which the boy has been an active scout. This points clearly to the conclusion that progress is a vital factor as well as age.

The gross facts of loss indicated above give no direct testimony as to the effectiveness of the leadership which the boys received. This factor is also probably more significant than the age of the scout.

These facts lend support to the words of Executive A. A. Jamieson of Atlanta, Ga.:

"I am thoroughly convinced, after many years observation and some experience, that the only "special device" that will hold older boys is "efficient Scouting." I am entirely out of sympathy with any plan which contemplated adding an organization or club to the Scout Movement for the express purpose of catering to older boys, because I believe the aim will not be realized. In my opinion, the Scouting program, properly and efficiently conducted meets all the requirements of older boys. Let us stick to Scouting, and not be running after 'special devices,' most of which have already been tried long ago and found wanting." Livingston, Montana, Executive W. V. Evans offers his older boys:

"1. Advanced Scouting by the system of Merit Badges. 2. Training in leadership of the younger boys.

3. Longer and harder trips if they want them, at mountain climbing, skiing, etc. We have much opportunity for this

sort of thing."

Galveston, Texas-Executive T. E. Murray:

"Using the regular Scout program, but getting scout leaders in charge of older boys who can dignify and magnify the program to fit the 'nature of the critter.' In other words, they make it more of a 'Man scout' program than a 'boy scout' one.' THE REPORT OF THE OLDER BOY COMMISSION AT THE FIRST NATIONAL CONFERENCE SCOUT EXECUTIVES

IS ALSO SIGNIFICANT

"First-While in some sections the percentage of boys 15 years of age and over is shown to be as high as 25 per cent of the total scout enrollment, there is,. generally speaking, a demand for help in meeting the Older Boy problem. Therefore, we believe that local efforts by way of experiment to meet these needs be encouraged, provided that such efforts are in harmony with the principles and purposes of the Boy Scouts of America, as evidenced by the definite authorization of the National Council; and provided further that under no circumstances should innovations or experiments be undertaken at the expense of the regular program.