Scouting, Volume 63, Number 1, January-February 1975 Page: 51
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FRONT
UNESRJFF
GOOD LEADER ESSENTIAL
Mr. Z.E., an Eagle Scout and pro-
spective Scout leader, asked in our
September issue whether the wilder-
ness might be better off without
Scouts. He noted that Scouts had been
criticized in national magazines for
"vandalism, butchering the thickets,
rudeness, bedlam, ignorance." How,
he asked, can we get rid of these de-
linquent troops or straighten them out?
Most of you replied that poor adult
leadership is the problem. Here are
some comments:
Scouts are not necessarily to blame. It
is the untrained and thoughtless adult
leader who is responsible. In the
Western Region, we have found that
the untrained are both the trouble mak-
ers and the victims in the wilderness.
All councils should provide training
opportunities, and trained leadership
should be a prerequisite for all high
adventure awards, including the 50-
Miler.
National High Adventure Program
Committeeman C.E.C.
Coronado, Calif.
Two points ought to be made. First,
that some people in all groups do set
bad examples, and so somebody who
wants to write an article usually finds
those somebodies to write about. My
experience in a very heavily back-
packed area — by Scouts and others
— is that the Scouts that I have seen
set a good example and carry out a lot
more than they carry in. The second
point is that it is necessary, as in
everything else, that Scouts and
troops participating in backpacking
adventures be trained and their lead-
ers be trained. . . . The worst thing we
could do for Scouting is to take the
adventure of the backcountry away
from boys because of the bad example
and ignorance of a few.
Mr. I.D.G.
Beverly Hills, Calif.
There is really but one solution. Those
who have the concern which you
espouse must join hands with other
concerned Scouters and raise the lev-
el of Scouting's leadership. Welcome
aboard, Mr. Z.E.
Commissioner A.E.W.
Fairfax, Va.
Mr. Z.E.'s letter strikes at a long-
standing concern of mine and of many
other backpackers. The prospect of
spending a second night with a Scout
group in the White Mountains last July
induced my two companions and four
other backpackers to double the next
day's hike so that we would be at least
out of screaming distance. Loud, rude,
destructive, disruptive — none of
these words is too strong for the ma-
jority of Scout groups I've encoun-
tered on the trail. . . . Scout leaders
must be thoroughly committed to a
backcountry ethic which promotes re-
spect, even reverence, for the wilder-
ness.
Mr. D.E.C.
Melrose Park, Pa.
When I read Mr. Z.E.'s letter, I had a bit
of a shock. I felt that I had been delin-
quent when discussing the Scout Oath
with Tenderfoot candidates, particu-
larly the phrase, "to do my duty to God
and my country," because I had failed
to include the following thought: "Our
Creator conferred upon mankind the
stewardship of this world of ours.
Therefore, it is up to every individual
to assume a share of that responsibili-
ty and to fulfill it as a duty to God and
country."
Troop Committeeman W.N.
Tomahawk, Wis.
Three things are necessary. First,
better trained leaders. Second, more
adult supervision; too often one adult
leader has too many boys in his
charge. And third, a tighter and more
meaningful program. It seems to me
that Scouts involved in such antics are
not Scouts in the full sense of the
word. They have not been taught the
ways of Scouting. It makes me very
proud to say that my Scouts have not,
nor will they, abuse this great organi-
zation and the ideals it stands for.
Scoutmaster L.R.S.
Overland Park, Kans.
Maybe the answer lies in letting the
boys see just how much mess is
caused by a few careless individuals.
... A few troops in my area have taken
regularly scheduled nature hikes. The
Scouts hike by patrols for several
miles, carrying trash-can liners in their
empty packs. The object is to pick up
everything nature did not put down.
The patrols are followed by the
leadership corps. If the corps mem-
bers are not satisfied with the job, the
Scouts go over the same ground again
— and I mean those leadership corps
fellows are hard to please.
Cubmaster H.T.B.
Burbank, Calif.
When applying for a Local Tour Per-
mit a Scoutmaster signs a statement
to abide by the Outdoor Code. A good
leader knows where all of his boys are
and what they are doing at all times. I
am a firm believer in the Code because
if we don't leave campsites and trails
better than we found them, we soon
won't have them.
Scoutmaster R.F.B.
Philadelphia, Pa.
SKILL AWARD STALEMATE
Skill awards must be earned for each
Scout advancement from Tenderfoot
through First Class. The skill awards
are not tough, says Scoutmaster
R.C.B., but for some reason his Scouts
are slow about earning them. The re-
sult: little advancement in the troop.
Read his letter and send your com-
ments to Front Line Stuff, Scouting
magazine, North Brunswick, N.J.
08902.
Dear Front Line Stuff:
With a few exceptions, merit badges
are a lot harder to earn than skill
awards. So how come I have better
luck getting Scouts to earn merit
badges than skill awards? And when
one of my Scouts does earn a skill
award, often he doesn't wear the belt
loop. Is this a common problem? What
can our troop do about it?
Scoutmaster R.C.B.
51
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 63, Number 1, January-February 1975, periodical, January 1975; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353656/m1/51/?rotate=90: accessed July 16, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.