Scouting, Volume 39, Number 8, October 1951 Page: 21
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as North. 90 degree street is known as East and
so on (8 of them for Second Class Scouts) around
the dial.
You are now ready to pick up your compass and
ask the Patrol Leaders, (who are going to show
their Scouts) to turn the compass dials with you
until the path number 360 is on the base of the
marching arrow. Now hold the compass flat on the
palm of one hand and turn the entire plastic base
until the magnetic arrow and the orienting arrow
match tips. Have the Scouts do this with several
different street numbers such as 90 degree street.
260 degree street and so forth. When the tip of the
magnetic arrow is directly over the tip of the ori-
enting arrow then the marching arrow will show
the way to walk to get where you want to go. Have
the Patrol Leaders do this often enough to be cer-
tain that they will be able to show their Patrol
members correctly.
Once the Scout has learned something about this
ancient instrument he will want to do something
about it, so here is an idea you might use for a meet-
ing some night.
You will need a compass for each two Scouts and
a map for each Patrol. If you live in the wide open
spaces a road map which is obtainable at any filling
station will do. If you live in the big city a map of
your section will do. These are obtainable usually
from the Chamber of Commerce in most cities.
Before the meeting select a course for each Patrol,
(mark the courses on your own master map but let
no one see it), make it long enough to take them out
of sight of the Troop meeting place but not so long
as to take too much time to complete. It's easy if you
make the course such that it ends up at the meeting
place, that is if they follow it properly. Some won't,
so set a time limit with the Patrol Leaders and have
them understand that at the end of the limit they
are to come in no matter how far they did or did not
get on the course. You might make the course three-
sided or in the city four-sided. Keep it Simple as
this is the first try and it should convince the Scout
that he can do what he has learned about the com-
pass. He will then want to try again on something
harder and more challenging.
Then comes the big night. The meeting opens as
usual but right after the opening ceremony is over
the Scoutmaster steps up and tells the Troop that
he has a set of sealed orders for each Patrol.
The orders contain a map of the area (nothing
marked on it), a red pencil, or blue if you like it,
and the compass directions for the three or four legs
of the course to be run. Also there is noted the time
limit for return to meeting.
The instructions should tell them to follow a
certain degree street until they find a certain land-
mark which is described in the sealed direction. It
might be a big church with a cross on top in blue
neon, or a concrete bridge with a single arch. At this
landmark, if they identify it correctly, they take a
new bearing and start a search for the next land-
mark. Pick these from the master map you have
made up and try to describe the mark so they will
be unable to recognize it until they reach it.
The winner of the contest is the Patrol which
comes back first with their map marked in pencil
(blue or red) showing the route they took and the
landmarks they found. When they are all in the
entire Troop compares the map they made with the
master map, and they all discuss their errors and
add ideas for doing it better next time.
The closing ceremony is held after the Scout-
masters' Minute and the Scouts go home with an
outdoor adventure to add to their experience in the
basic use of the compass and map.
That's just a beginning on the hi-road to big ad-
venture in the outdoors, it will make Second Class,
"Finding Your Way" more interesting to the boy.
BOY SCOUT SECTION
OCTOBER, 1951
21
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 39, Number 8, October 1951, periodical, October 1951; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth329199/m1/23/: accessed April 23, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.