Scouting for Boys

by Robert Baden-Powell

  We no longer think of the colonies as places made for our special benefit or profit; in the past many mistakes have been made, but that is how we have had to learn the duty of being in charge of these colonies. The first consideration now is, how can we best help the peoples—whatever their colours—who live in these places?

  A good example of how countries have developed under our rule is Ashanti, on the West Coast of Africa. I was out there in 1895, when we marched into Ashanti and stopped the slave-dealing and the horrible sacrifices which went on. It was little better than a savage country then. Yet in 1924, at the Wembley Empire Jamboree, there were Scouts from Ashanti who brought me messages from their fathers who had served under me nearly thirty years previously. I was interested to find that they remembered me as “Kantankye,” which means “He of the Big Hat,” because even then I used to wear a Scout Hat. Now the

  Ashantis are being educated along their own lines, and have become a happy, prosperous people. Tribe no longer fears tribe.

  Perhaps some day you may have a chance of helping in the training of such people; you will then find your Scouting of great value, for you have learnt to make no difference between one Scout and another, whatever his creed or colour. If you are looking for an interesting life, let me suggest you find out what possibilities there are for you in the various colonial services; it may mean hard work to get such a job, but I am sure you will never regret that, once you win the chance of doing some of the most fascinating work in the world.

  John Smith

  I wish I had time to tell you the story of how we came to have this Empire. It is a wonderful tale of adventure and romance, and some of the finest characters in British history have played their parts in it.

  For instance, think of the men who crossed the Atlantic to colonise America.

  It took Sir Walter Raleigh, Captain John Smith, and other great pioneers four or five months to get there in their little cockleshells of ships, some of them only 30 tons measurement—no bigger than a Thames barge. Nowadays you can get there in five or six days, instead of months, in steamers of 50,000 tons.

  Think of the pluck of those men tackling a voyage like that, with very limited supply of water and salt food. And, when they got to land with their handful of men, they had to overcome the savages, and in some cases other Europeans, like the Dutch, the Spaniards, and the French; and then they had hard work to till the ground, to build settlements, and to start commerce.

  Hard sailoring, hard soldiering, hard colonising, by those old British sea-dogs, Sir Francis Drake, Sir Walter Raleigh, Hawkins, Frobisher, and, best of all to my mind, Captain John Smith.

  He left Louth Grammar School in Lincolns hire to become a clerk in an office, but he soon went off to the wars. After two years’ fighting he returned home.

  He admitted he had gone out as a “tenderfoot,” and had not properly prepared himself as a boy for a life of adventure; so he set to work then and there to learn scouting. He built himself a hut in the woods, and learned stalking game, and killing and cooking it for himself; he learned to read maps and to draw them, and also the use of weapons; and then, when he had made himself really good at scoutcraft, he went off to the wars again.

  He afterwards became a sailor, fought in some tough sea-fights, and eventually, in 1607, he went with an expedition to colonise Virginia in America. They sailed from London in three ships, the biggest of which was only 100 tons, the smallest 30 tons. But they got there after five months, and started a settlement on the James River.

  Here John Smith was captured by the Red Indians one day when out shooting, and they were proceeding to kill him when the King’s daughter, Pocahontas, asked for him to be spared. After this the Red Indians and the Whites got on good terms with each other. Pocahontas became a Christian, and married Smith’s lieutenant, Rolfe, and came to England. After many strange and exciting adventures in America, John Smith got much damaged by an accidental explosion of gunpowder, and came home ill. He eventually died in London.

  The Call of our Kinsmen.

  I can hear you saying, “Yes, that was all right for John Smith. There were countries to be discovered in those days, but what is there left for us?”

  The answer is that these vast lands are calling for men who are prepared to give up some of the soft things of life and get down to real jobs of work. As a Scout you learn to prefer the open country to the town; you have found half the fun of life in the woods, in your camps and in Scouting. The Empire waits for you! There’s a man’s job waiting for you! It will mean hard work—but you will keep as fit as a man can; you will have the joy of creating something —perhaps a farm won out of the prairie; or perhaps such work as forestry attracts you. The Empire, indeed, is so widespread and varied in its resources that you will find something somewhere in it to suit your particular abilities and tastes.

  Thousands of Scouts have already gone out to the Commonwealth countries and Colonies and have made good; some came in the Forces sent to help in the war of 1939—1945.

  I wish you could see some of the letters Scouts have written about their experiences in the Empire. I’ll finish this yarn with an extract or two just to show you what these fellows felt about their new homes and work.

  “Just a few lines to let you know that I am getting on A1 out here. I landed in Sydney on Aug. 1st ex S.S.Vedic and was sent to the Government Training Farm, where I received some very useful instruction for about 10 weeks. I was then sent away 310 miles

  south of Sydney to my above address. I am getting along very well up to now. The people with whom I am living are a young couple just married and they treat me more as a brother than as an employed hand. This open-air life is the right life for me and I

  am sorry that I did not come out here three years ago. There is one thing which s howed me the wideness of the Scout Movement and that was while I was at the Training Farm; among lads from every country in the Britis h Isles there was 95 per cent of them had been or were still Scouts or Rovers. This made things much more pleasant for us all, as we had at least one thing in common.

  “Yours Scoutingly [Sgd. J. H. E. B.”

  “Am doing real good—Canada is a real dandy country—I am glad I came out here. [Sgd.] F. C. H. W.”

  Sometimes instead of going straight to a job you can go to a training school so that you will be more efficient before settling down to work. Here is a note from one boy who went to such a school:

  “The school is the goods, also about 30 miles from town. There are plenty of buck here, some snakes, etc. We get woodwork, bookkeeping, science, no Latin, no French, so it suits me down to the ground. [Sgd.] J. P.”

  SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICE

  1. Yarns about how our forefathers discovered new lands and of the adventures of the explorers and settlers should be given occasionally.

  2. A good-sized wall map might be displayed in the Headquarters, though rough ones to illustrate particular yarns can be chalked on the floor.

  3. Consider the possibilities of using lantern slides and films. Help in this, and in illustrated pamphlets, etc., will easily be obtained from the various Dominion Offices in London, the Canadian Pacific Railway, etc.

  4. Each Patrol might “adopt” a Dominion or one of the Colonies. They could make scrap-books of cuttings and pictures from newspapers and magazines relating to the chosen country.

  5. Some of the Scouts might like pen-pals Overseas. Arrangements for these can be made through the Overseas Department at I.H.Q.

  6. Some Troops link up with an Overseas Troop— perhaps in the same name town—and exchange news and ideas.

  7. If you come across anyone visiting this country from Overseas, get him to come along and talk to the Scouts.

  8. Keep up to date information about Overseas Settlement and the various training schemes.

  CAMP FIRE YARN. No. 28

  OUR WORLD-WIDE BROTHERHOOD

  The Boy Scout and Girl Guide Movements have spread all over the world. In July, 1939, there were over t
hree million Boy Scouts in some fifty different countries. So if you become a Scout you join a great host of boys of many nationalities and you will have friends in every continent. The number is not, alas, as great as it might be, for some countries have banned Scouts simply because they did not fit into the political scheme of the rulers.

  I am sure that when the full story of all that has happened in the occupied countries comes to be told it will be a story you will all be proud of reading, and retelling, for I am confident it will show that Boy Scouts and Girl Guides will have lived up to their training and put our principles into action.

  The Jamborees

  We can look back, though, to considerable progress in the years before 1939. A series of Jamborees, and other meetings of Scouts from many countries, shows what a firm link the Scout Law is between boys of all colours, races and creeds. We can camp together, go hiking together, and enjoy all the fun of outdoor life, and so help to forge a chain of friends hip and not of bondage.

  At each of these Jamborees it has been my privilege to try to sun’ up the message of the meeting at a final rally. I want to repeat here some of the things I said.

  In 1920 the Jamboree was at Olympia, in London. As Chief Scout of the World, I said:—

  “Brother Scouts, I ask you to make a solemn choice. Differences exist between the peoples of the world in thought and sentiment, just as they do in language and physique. The War has taught us that if one nation tries to impose its particular will upon others cruel reaction is bound to follow. The Jamboree has taught us that if we exercise mutual forbearance and give and take, then there is sympathy and harmony. If it be your will, let us go forth from here fully determined that we will develop among ourselves and our boys that comrades hip, through the world-wide spirit of the Scout Brotherhood, so that we may help to develop peace and happiness in the world and goodwill among men. Brother Scouts, ans wer me. Will you join in this endeavour?”

  In 1929 we celebrated our Coming-of-Age; it was 21 years since the first edition of this book had appeared; what had been an acorn had grown into a mighty oak. The Jamboree was held at Arrowe Park, near Birkenhead. The name of the place suggested that a good symbol of this meeting of Scouts from 41 nations and from 31 parts of the Empire, would be a Golden Arrow. At the final Rally I therefore handed to the various contingents these symbols, and in doing so I used these words:—

  “From all corners of the earth you have journeyed to this great gathering of World Fellowship and Brotherhood. To-day I send you out from Arrowe to all the world, bearing my symbol of Peace and Fellows hip, each one of you my ambassador, bearing my message of Love and Fellowship on the wings of Sacrifice and Service, to the ends of the earth. From now on the Scout Symbol of peace is the Golden Arrow. Carry it fast and far that all men may know the Brotherhood of Man.”

  Four years later we met at Gödöllö, in Hungary. The symbol for this time was a White Stag. My message was:—

  “You may look on the White Stag as the pure spirit of Scouting, springing forward and upward, ever leading you onward and upward to leap over difficulties, to face new adventures in your active pursuit of the higher aims of Scouting—aims which bring you happiness.

  Those aims are your duty to God, to your country, and to your fellow men by carrying out the Scout Law. In that way, you will,

  each one of you, bring about God’s kingdom upon earth—the reign of peace and goodwill.

  “Therefore, before leaving you, I ask you Scouts this question —Will you do your best to make friends with others and peace in the world?”

  Then came the Jamboree in Holland in 1937. The symbol then was the Jacob’s Staff which mariners used in olden times in navigation.

  We little knew then what agony was to come to that gallant country and to many others before many years passed. At the final rally I said:

  “This Brotherhood of Scouting is in many respects similar to a Crusade. You Scouts have assembled from all parts of the world as ambassadors of goodwill, and you have been making friends, breaking down any barriers of race, of creed, or of class. That surely is a great Crusade. I advise you now to continue that good work, for soon you will be men, and if quarrels should arise between any nations it is upon you that the burden of responsibility will fall.

  “If you are friends you will not want to be in dispute, and by cultivating these friendships such as have been cemented at this great Jamboree, you are preparing the way for solutions of international problems by discussion of a peaceful character. This will have a vital and very far-reaching effect throughout the world in the cause of peace, and so pledge all of you here in this great assembly of Youth, to do your utmost to establish friendship among Scouts of all nations.”

  The Coming of War

  When war came in September, 1939, it looked at first as though we had failed. But there was another side of the picture. The wonderful way in which all members of the Boy Scouts offered themselves for service to their countries; the courage shown even by the youngest, and the herois m displayed by many a boy, give us hope. If only the same spirit can animate us during peace, we can face the future with confidence.

  It is the spirit that matters. Our Scout Law and Promise, when we really put them into practice, take away all occasion for wars and strife between nations.

  So let us all do our part. Those who are Scouts now should determine to be better Scouts, not only in backwoodsmanship and camping, but in sticking to the Law and carrying it out. If you are not a Scout, come along and join this happy Brotherhood; there are great times ahead, and we shall need you!

  Finally

  I hope I have been able in this book to show you something of the appeal that lies in Scouting for all of us. I want you to feel that you are really Scouts out in the wilds, able to work things out for yourselves, and not just Scouts in a Troop carefully looked after by Patrol Leaders and Scouters. I know that you want to be up and doing things for yourselves; that these old explorers and frontiersmen appeal to the spirit of adventure in you; that, despite all the modem inventions of the cinema, wireless, motor-bicycles, etc., you want to get out on your own, fending for yourselves, pitting yourselves against the forces of nature, exercising yourselves with games, enjoying the freedom of the open air.

  I have just tried to suggest to you some ways of doing this and of helping yourselves to become real men. Scouting is a fine game, if we put our backs into it and tackle it well;. and no game is any good to anyone unless he works up some kind of enthusiasm about it. As with other games, too, we will find that we gain strength of body, mind, and spirit from the playing of it. But remember ! it is a game for the open air, so whenever the opportunity occurs get out into the open, and good luck and good camping go with you.

  SUGGESTIONS FOR PRACTICE

  1. Some of the suggestions made at the end of the previous yarn can be applied to foreign countries; e.g., yarns of exploration, pen-pals, linked-Troops and Patrols.

  2. Films of Jamborees can be borrowed from I.H.Q.

  3. Every attempt should be made to get some of the Troop to the International Jamborees; the aim should be that every Scout at least once in his Scout life gets to one Jamboree. This will mean raising funds and saving-up, and a Troop fund for this purpose is worth instituting.

  4. Camping and hiking abroad can be done without exceptional expense, and both activities are to be strongly encouraged. The aim should be, not so much sight- seeing, as bringing British Scouts into contact with Scouts of other countries in camp or in their homes. Exchange visits between Troops are another way of achieving this.

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