Scouting, Volume 7, Number 11, March 13, 1919 Page: 1
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For Scout
Officials and
Others Inter-
ested in Work
for Boys.
SCOUTING
Published weekly by National Headquarters, Boy Scouts of America. Subscription Price, $1,00 a year. Office of
publication, 200 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. Acceptance for mailing at special rate of postage provided for In
Section 1103, Act of October 3, 1917, authorized June 13. 1918. Entered as second-class matter November 8,
1918. Post Office at New York, N. Y., under the Act of March 3, 1879.
SCOUT
WEATHER
FORECAST
r
Just right jfor
growing thin
especially boys
VOL. VII
NEW YORK. N, Y., MARCH 13, 1919
NO. 11
SEASCOUTS TO EXPLORE
CONNECTICUT RIVER
—♦—
Thrilling Expedition Calls for
Volunteers
Frederick Culver, of Hadlyme, Conn.,
and W. O. Goodman, of Chicago, have of-
fered two smart motor boats to the sea-
scouts for the month of July. They will
be used as a nucleus for the Connecticut
River Seascout Expedition, which will get
under way July 1, with Chief Seascout
James A. Wilder in command. In order to
make this a success, 100 seascouts of the
Schooner grade are needed. Seascouts who
have passed g<ood sloop work may join for
instruction in schooner work. Forty have
already signed up. The remaining 60 should
at once send in their applications to the
Seascout Department, Boy Scouts of Amer-
ica, 200 Fifth Avenue, New York. The
cost will be $7 a scout per week—a dollar
a day. '
Nightly Camps Feature Trip
To transport a full crew of 43, whale-
boats will be towed, one of which will con-
tain camping material for a party of 40.
Having taken on crews by proceeding along
the river with a full ship's company, the
first two days of the trip will be devoted
to training the seascouts in the Pine Tree
Method of Camping.
Council fires will burn on the second
night of the trip, the day having been spent
in seamanship instruction along the river
and in camp. The seascouts will map the
river for hidden obstructions, springs,
camp-sites, and sources of supplies, for
future use. In all camps the slogan, "Leave
no tracks behind" will be enforced to the
letter.
Expedition Combines Sea and Land Scouting
Each full crew will camp six nights, per-
haps seven. By a carefully arranged plan,
two crews will do land scouting, including
the preparation of food, while two crews
scout on the river. On their return, a
nightly powwow will take place around the
camp fire. This is a sing song jollification
after the day's duty. The two river crews
will then be assigned to shore work, for
the following day.
On July 1, the first and second schooner
crews will report for duty. On July 7, the
first schooner crew will be demobilized, and
the following week the second and third
schooner crews will make use of the equip-
ment. The second schooner crew is demo-
bilized on July 14 and the third and fourth
schooner crews will proceed up the river.
On July 21 the fourth and fifth schooner
crews will take charge, the fourth demo-
bilizing at Hartford.
The B. S. A. Emily of Philadelphia and
the Yankee Boy of the Queen's Council will
probably join the expedition.
HEADQUARTERS QUESTIONNAIRE SHOWS
CAUSES FOR TROOP PROSPERITY
—♦—
Reasons Given for Troops Failing to Re-Register, Puts
Lack of Leadership in First Place
Determined to know why, with Scouting making gains on every hand, and
evidence piling up to show the enthusiastic interest in the Movement on the
part of Scout officials and Scouts throughout the nation, 3,963 troops failed
to re-register during 1918, and consequently had to be dropped, National
Headquarters late in the year sent out letters of inquiry with questionnaires.
These letters were addressed to the ranking troop committeeman, the scout-
master and a representative Scout of each dropped troop so as to assure the
fullest measure of response. These responses, resulting in the reinstatement
and re-registration of many of these dropped troops by indirection, throw a
great deal of light upon the reasons for the prosperity of 14,920 troops of
Boy Scouts of America.
The following letter sent by the Chief
Scout Executive to the scoutmaster last
registered of each of the dropped troops,
is in itself an indication of the sympathetic
and practical interest taken by National
Headquarters in every individual scout and
troop of scouts whose names have once
been registered at Headquarters:
The year 1918 has been the most
wonderful and glorious in the history
of the Boy Scouts of America. In-
deed through organized boyhood we
have been able to have a definitely
worth while part in winning the great
war.
Every scout and official has just
occasion for pride in our record
which justified such splendid en-
dorsement by President Wilson, Sec-
retary Daniels, Secretary Baker, Sec-
retary McAdoo and other Cabinet
members and hundreds of other Gov-
ernment officials and prominent citi-
zens.
According to our records we now
have 14,920 troops. During the year
3,963 have been dropped, and your
troop is among those dropped. Wre
are anxious to know if your troop
was dropped because it has actually
disbanded and is no longer interested
in the Boy Scout program or have
you been facing problems which
made it impossible for you to comply
with the registration regulations.
I am writing personally to- the
scoutmaster of each one of the troops
which has been dropped in order that
I may learn first hand and frankly
exactly what the facts are. If your
troop has discontinued I would like
very much to have you tell me frank-
ly the reason. If you will be good
enough to fill out carefully the en-
closed questionnaire it may help in
analyzing Scouting conditions so as
to enable the National Office to ren-
der a greater service to others. I
realize that in some cases reports
have already been submitted to the
office, but this special report now re-
quested from all will be very helpful.
If 3'ou are able conscientiously to>
assure me that your troop has not
actually disbanded but is active and
will re-register within thirty days, I
will be glad to order it restored tO'
the rolls immediately and be included
in the formal report to be sent to
Congress as to our records on De-
cember 31, 1918. We want to report
just as large a membership as pos-
sible, but most decidedly we will
make none but such report as is to>
the' best of our knowledge 100 per
cent honest and fair.
Please write me personally as soon
as possible after the receipt of this
letter so that I may know all there
is to know so far as your own troop
is concerned.
Sincerely and cordially yours,
James E. West,
Chief Scout Executive.
The Letter to the Troop Committeeman
As a member of the troop commit-
tee of a troop which has until re-
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Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 7, Number 11, March 13, 1919, periodical, March 13, 1919; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth283026/m1/1/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.