Scouting, Volume 4, Number 7, August 1, 1916 Page: 6
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SCOUTING
HEADQUARTERS CORRESPONDENCE ON QUESTIONS OF POLICY
THROUGH the courtesy of the Bureau
of Investigations of the New York
Tribune, National Headquarters was
recently given the opportunity of explaining
the facts with reference to a complaint
which had been received by the newspaper
from the father of a boy not a scout who
felt aggrieved because a local department
store refused to sell him an official uniform
of the Boy Scouts of America.
Unfortunately, the salesman seems to
have taken an attitude which gave offense
to the prospective purchaser without ex-
plaining why he could not sell the suit. The
boy's father thereupon left the store, de-
termined to withdraw his patronage from
the Movement and holding thoughts of the
scout organization which led him to write
vigorously in protest to the Tribune.
It is hoped that the following letter writ-
ten by Mr. West to the newspaper will re-
move all cause for misunderstanding and
possibly be helpful to others should similar
cases arise elsewhere:
Gentlemen: (Attention of Bureau of Investigations)
We are indeed grateful to you for giving us an
opportunity to reveiw the correspondence between
the Frederick Loeser Company and Mr. John J.
MacDonald, of Brooklyn, which is returned here-
with.
The statement set forth in our circular from
our official outfitter, Mr. Sigmund Eisner of Red
Bank, N. J., mentioned in Loeser's letter, cor-
rectly states the facts. The Boy Scout Move-
ment would soon lose its integrity and power for
good if it were possible for anybody to wear
the scout uniform or the scout insignia.
Since the issuance of the circular accompanying
the Loeser letter, Congress has passed two im-
portant laws affecting this subject, as you will
note from the enclosed pamphlet. The Federal
Incorporation approved by President Wilson, June
15th, 1916, contains a provision specifically limiting
the use of the words and phrases and scout
insignia to those who are members of the Boy
Scouts of America. Section 125 of the new Army
bill specifically restricts _ the use of the uniform,
any part of which is similar to the Army, Navy or
Marine Corps uniform, to the members of the
Army, Navy or Marine Corps, excepting only
members of the Boy Scouts of America. Pro-
vision is made whereby the Secretary of War may
grant permission to other organizations. This
imposes upon the Boy Scouts of America the
necessity of controlling the distribution of the
scout uniform, and safeguarding against its use
by those who are not members of the Boy Scouts
of America.
I am sure Mr. MacDonald has written you in
entirely good faith, but without knowledge of the
facts. Should Loeser _& Company sell scout
uniforms contrary to their contract with Sigmund
Eisner, it would place us under obligation to insist
upon Mr. Eisner concelling his contract with
Loeser Company, and in case Mr. Eisner cannot
grant us the protection which we must have in
this respect, it would involve the necessity of our
making arrangements with some other manufacturer
of uniforms.
We will appreciate any effort on your part to
have Mr. MacDonald correctly understand the
facts. When he realizes that our motive is simply
for the protection of the integrity and value of
the Boy Scout Movement, I feel sure he will be
willing to concede that there is merit in the position
which we have taken.
Again thanking you for your courtesy in giving
us an opportunity of taking this matter up with
you, on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America, I am,
Very sincerely yours,
(Signed) James E. West,
Chief Scout Executive.
suits (of course, not the insignia), and the Hand-
book for Boys as a reference and text book.
This little company—which, as I have already
said, is still in the embryo stage and not definitely
organized—desires no affiliation with your order
at this time. The boys are merely to be trained
privately and under an instructor selected by their
parents and guardians.
If you can tell me if I may use this text book
with your permission and have the boys adopt
the uniform of the boy scouts (minus the buttons,
perhaps, if you desire), kindly advise me at your
convenience.
Very cordially yours,
(Signed) Hugh Stuart Fullerton.
UPON receipt of the following letter
from Hugh Stuart Fullerton asking
permission to use the boy scout official
uniform for a proposed organization of
boys under twelve, Chief Scout Executive
James E. West took occasion to outline the
basis upon which the Boy Scouts of Ameri-
ca object to the organization of boys under
twelve and the use of scout uniforms for
such boys. Mr. Fullerton's letter follows :
The Boy Scout Movement in this state has
created such an interest among boys of all ages
in the great out-of-doors that, largely, I believe,
through its influence, boys' camps and field organi-
zations of all kinds have advanced in popularity
to take the place formerly occupied by the summer
resort watering place.
Unfortunately, the age of a tenderfoot scout is
twelve for the minimum. Many youngsters of
ten and eleven yearn to ape their older brothers
or their boy friends of more eligible age. The
project has been conceived among certain of the
influential people of this city to form, under my
leadership and care, a small company or club of
some ten or twenty boys of an age just beneath
that of the youngest boy scout. These boys would
be drilled upon the more elementary portions of the
manual, made accustomed to hikes, and fitted gen-
erally to become tenderfoot scouts in due season
and at their own discretion.
My purpose in writing to you was not to solicit
a recognition of this organization by the Boy
Scouts of America, but rather to inquire of you
as to the propriety of these boys using boy scout
Mr. West's answer to Mr. Fullerton is
as follows:
My dear Mr. Fullerton:
I appreciate very much the earnestness shown in
your letter in behalf of the boys under twelve
years of age, asking that they be given permission
to wear our scout uniform.
You attention is respectfully invited to the en-
closed issue of Scouting, telling of our Federal
Incorporation and also of the act of Congress,
restricting the use of our uniform, any part of
which is simliar to the U. S. Army uniform, to boy
scouts, and those to whom the Secretary of War ■
grants special permission.
Our interpretation of these two laws is that we
have no authority to permit the use of the scout
uniform except by registered scouts and, therefore,
it is beyond our power to grant the request you
make.
_ For more important reasons, however, we would
dislike very much to see boys under twelve years
of age wear a scout uniform or anything similar.
The question as to the proper age for boys to take -
up Scouting has been very carefully considered (
and for us to make it possible for boys under '
twelve years of age to appear on the streets in
uniform which is similar to ours would cause a
great deal of embarrassment and we believe do
positive harm in many ways. Certainly it would
not be appreciated by the boys who were twelve
years of age and members of the scout organiza-
tion.
I hope you will not misunderstand this attitude
as being unappreciative of the splendid work you
are doing. So far as our text book is concerned,
you are at perfect liberty to use it in any way
that will help you, although we do not believe any
attempt should be made to give boys the scouting
program unless they are twelve years of age.
Indeed we are doubtful as to the wisdom of
having, boys twelve ye^rs of age organized except
m rare instances. There may be some exceptions.
Generally speaking, boys under twelve should not
be encouraged to take part in organizations which
take them away from their homes to any con-
siderable extent.
Very sincerely yours,
, (Signed) _ James E. West,
Chief Scout Executive.
BOY SCOUT MOVEMENT IS NON-POLITICAL
Resolution of Executive Board States Policy to Avoid Misunderstandings
in Coming Campaign.
aT a recent meeting of the Executive Board the follow-
ing resolution was agreed upon and the Chief Scout
**■ -*• Executive was requested to make it known to all offi-
cials, with a view of avoiding unfortunate misunderstandings
in the coming political campaign:
"The ideals, uniforms, badges, flags and other insignia, and
the name, "Boy Scouts of America," and other phraseology
peculiarly descriptive of the program and organization of
our Movement must at all times be held sacred and inviolate
from commercial, racial, religious, political, militaristic^ par-
tisan or other factional partiality, in order that the oppor-
tunity of the Scout Movement to fulfill its mission of helping
all boys may not be hampered in any degree.
"It is contrary to the practice and regulations of the National
Council for it or any registered council, troop, official or
scout to take any action which might be capable of interpre-
tation as indicating sympathy of the Boy Scout Movement
with or support of any political or other factional issue or
struggle. No scout or official should assume the responsi-
bility for making possible the use of the Scout Movement as
a vehicle for promoting the interests of one faction as against
another, though, of course, this is not to be construed as in
any way limiting in such an affair, the purely personal, indi-
vidual and legitimate activities of anyone who may be con-
nected with the Scout Movement when such activities are
entirely dissociated from Scouting relationship.
"It should further be made clear that this policy of the
National Council shall not be construed as opposed to co-
operation by scout officials and scouts in response to call from
civic authorities to render service, such as maintaining lines
of march at parades or public gatherings, acting as water
carriers, rendering first aid, assisting in clean-up and health
campaigns and otherwise co-operating with the civic author-
ities in a purely non-partisan *way. Civic service of such
character rendered by a scout helps to develop him along the
lines sought by the scout program, and a reasonable amount
of such service, with due regard, of course, for the other needs
and demands of the boy is to be encouraged.
"By the two reecnt acts of Congress, with regard to the
wearing of the uniform and the federal incorporation of our
Movement, as announced in the lune lsif and June 15th issues
of Scouting, the use of the uniform, badges and insignia of
the organisation is limited to regularly registered members
of the Boy Scouts of America; and any unauthorised use of
the name of the organisation, or of the words, "Boy Scout"
or of our badges and insignia, by way of illustration, adver-
tising or otherwise, for purposes of commercial exploita-
tion, political advancement or other private interest is made
unlawful."
Any infractions of these two federal laws or of the spirit of
the resolution should be reported to the National Council.
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 4, Number 7, August 1, 1916, periodical, August 1, 1916; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth282824/m1/6/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.