By Gilcraft
I
A Scout Commissioner who began his Scouting in the year One was asked if he
noticed any great difference between the Scouting of to-day and of the Pioneer
period. His reply came without any hesitation. He said that in the early days the normal thing was
to see Scouts going off on Saturday afternoons with their staffs and billies
(old cocoa tins mostly) for some kind of attack and defense game or for
stalking, fire lighting, or other Backwoods pursuits.
"Nowadays," he added, "it is rare to see that kind of thing,
but, of course, we hadn't clubrooms in those days, so we had to get out!"
It would be interesting to speculate why the club-room kind of Scouting began
to grow on us. Was it reaction from the stress and discomforts of war? Was it
that more Scouters became available, and that the boys themselves had not, in
consequence so much say? Was it the sudden growth of more artificial pleasures?
Club-room Scouting, as we may call it, is an easier kind to run - so far as
surface matters are concerned. It takes up less time at a stretch, and we may,
therefore, have tended to take the line of least resistance. Moreover, if we
work hard to get a club-room, we feel bound to use it as much as possible to
justify all the grind of getting it!
Large towns offer special difficulties; access to open country is not easy,
and, in spite of cheap fares and other facilities, there is a very serious drain
on pockets. Yet the fellow who grudges a sixpence spent on bus fares in order to
enjoy a whole afternoon's Scouting does not seem to grudge the same amount for
two or three hours of the 'talkies'. We must, however, take into account all the
multitude of counter attractions, such as the cinema, that have grown up in the
last decade.
But, one of the most encouraging things in Scouting to-day is the fact that,
despite all these difficulties and counter-attractions, we have not been content
to sit down and say that outdoor Scouting is no longer possible. There has, in
fact, been a considerable increase in the amount done in recent years - notably
in the direction of camping and my present purpose is to try and encourage
further increase by passing on ways and means of occupying half days in Scouting
activities that have been adopted by various Troops.
The Commissioner whose opinion has already been quoted supplies a sure and
certain line of attack against the apathy of indoor Scouting; that line is the
use of wide games and practical Scout activities, such as cooking with any old
gear available. None of us have grown so old as to have lost the fun of trying
things out, of making experiments, of making things do although at first sight
they may seem woefully inadequate.
Wide games cover a multitude of exciting activities; instead of the Scouts
going to the cinema to see Tom Mix, they can take Tom Mix out into the open with
them! The Scouts themselves will soon suggest Cowboy, Red Indian, Smuggler and
Spy tales that can be used for the setting of wide games. In this way their
visits to the 'talkies' can be turned to good account, and the cinema roped in
to aid us instead of being regarded as likely to give us a spill at any moment.
The fatal thing - and this applies to all kinds of Scout activities, and not
only to wide games - is to go on playing the same old game in the same old way.
Boys crave for, and need, variety, and every time a fresh setting is given to an
attack and defense game it becomes a fresh game.
Again, we can go through the Second and First Class Tests and from these draw
up lists of practices and activities that our Scouts can utilize on half-days.
Some of our Scouts don't get Saturday afternoons off, but they do get one afternoon off in the week, and
will be glad of suggestions to improve their Scouting by making use of that free
afternoon. One of the reasons why there are still so few First Class Scouts is
undoubtedly the fact that we have not been getting out of doors enough. A boy,
or a man for that matter, cannot become a First Class Scout in a clubroom.
Another reason is that we have been tending to reduce our Scouting to terms of
the Troop or the Patrol and to ignore the fact that it is a matter of individual
development. The individual Scout requires suggestions and encouragement to
carry on with his Scouting on his own, in his own time.
It is unnecessary to list the various activities that clamor to be done
out-of-doors; such a list would cover the whole of Scouting, and we have
Scouting for Boys to stimulate our imaginations, the Boys' Edition of which can
be had for one shilling only.
Some may feel that this appeal to get out into the open more is all very well
in a small country town where Scouts can get out into the open without so very
much in the way of expense in either money or time, but what of London and
Manchester and Birmingham and Glasgow, and such like places as these? It is true
that Scouting in such areas does involve added difficulties; but these
difficulties are not insurmountable, and these ultra-large towns carry with them
some compensating advantages that are missed by Troops in small towns and in the
country.
"Slowly, slowly catchee monkey." Start small. Take as an aim
getting out into open country once a month, or even once in two months. Plan
ahead. Find out the cheapest way of doing it. Find out the nearest open country
that suits the purpose required. It does not always lie in the direction you
would expect to find it. Go exploring all the surrounding country to find out
possibilities. Get the Rover Scouts on the job. Discuss the matter at Scouters'
Meetings. Pick other people's brains. Invite your own Patrol Leaders and Scouts
to join in the search.
It is only by these means that the way over the difficulty will be
discovered, and in the course of all this search and exploring, you will already
have got most of your Scouts out into the open, and infected them with the
desire for more.
Make that once a month half-day of Scouting a real adventure. Get into it all
the excitement and romance that you can. If the Scouts are reluctant to come,
don't blame them, blame yourself. Such days should be red-letter days that a
Scout would no more think of missing than of refusing Christmas pudding! But the
way to paint the calendar red cannot be learned from articles, or books, or
courses; it can only be learned by experiment and practical experience.
Articles, books, courses may suggest roads to explore, but the fun of exploring
and of experimenting is yours and your Scouts'. It is bad enough to miss it
yourself; it's horrible that they should miss it because you won't give them a
lead!
What of the other half-days? There again planning ahead is essential. The
Court of Honor is just the place to throw out suggestions for the Patrol Leaders
to improve on. It is not of much use going to the Court of Honor and saying,
"Well, Chaps, what shall we do next Saturday?" Bring out a definite
suggestion; let them pull it to pieces, and in the course of discussion all
kinds of ideas will crop up. Get the Patrol Leaders interested and the rest will
follow suit,
Some of you may be asking, "But am I expected to give up every Saturday
afternoon as well as two or three evenings each week?"
Of course not!
But we must all realize - whatever our particular niche in Scouting is - that
if we are going to do our jobs properly we have got to make up our minds to
sacrifice both time and thought.
Many of these afternoons should be arranged and carried out by the Patrol
Leaders with their Patrols. At first much of the brain work, of the suggestion,
will come from the Scouters. They can share the time between them, if necessary;
the majority of Troops have more than one Scouter to their credit. After the
tradition of Scouting on half-days has been established, the Scouters can sit
back a bit and see the results of their hard work. Many of us refuse to sit
back, and so don't see any results. There is a moral to that remark!
If you want an idea to pass on to the next Court of Honor, suggest to the
Patrol Leaders that they should have a good look at the conditions of the
Explorer Badge. These conditions simply bristle with ideas for half-day
expeditions for Patrols or for individual Scouts.
The lesson is clear. Outdoor Scouting has to be planned well ahead; Scouters
should use their imaginations as well as their heads to work out suggestions for
Patrol Leaders to discuss and put into practice; Scouts should be encouraged to
set about their Scouting for themselves; the aim should be any amount of
variety, lots of fun and plenty of real honest-to-goodness SCOUTING.
II
It is undoubtedly and unfortunately true that the balance of Scouting has
swung from outdoor to indoor; but it is also undoubtedly and fortunately true
that the pendulum is swinging back again to the right side. Still it remains the
exception for Scouting to be done on Saturday afternoons or other half-days. The
continuity of Troop nights gives the habit of regular attendance, but occasional
Saturday afternoon meetings appeal only to those who are interested.
Do we in towns take as much advantage as we might of the open spaces that are
available in the neighborhood? Granted that it is difficult to scout in, say,
some of London's Parks, yet in others you will find children almost any
afternoon playing at Scouting on their own. Again there are open spaces -
temporarily unoccupied perhaps - that can be found for the seeking in most large
towns and which can be utilized for our purposes. Builders' yards, large car and
bus parks, river banks and foreshores have been utilized by the First Class
Scouter - the one who has an "eye for a country." (Scouting for Boys,
p. 65 .)
Even what are commonly known as open spaces are not always essential to the
practice of real Scouting. There are many quiet streets and byways in every town
that lend themselves to its pursuit.
Given the ground, then comes the choice of activity; but don't select an
activity and say, "Oh! we cannot possibly manage that." That way lies
defeat. If you and your Scouts are keen enough, you can manage, no matter where
your Troop may have its being. It may require a deal of planning and infinite
patience, but remember "easy come, easy go". Is it not a fact that too
large a number of our Troops suffer from that disease, and that our best Troops
are those which have had to struggle for themselves, to plot and plan, to learn
to do without, to make one article serve two purposes - one of the hiker's
golden rules?
Here is a medley of ideas: murder hunt, sealed orders, treasure hunt, town
tracking games, cross-town runs, swimming and visits of exploration and
discovery to all kinds of places. Occasionally two Troops can combine, either
for a prearranged activity for both, or for a surprise afternoon at the
invitation of one of the Troops.
Visits - not to other Troops, but to places of interest need careful thought.
Museums can be visited occasionally but only for definite purposes, for
instance, to see the birds and animals of Patrol emblems, and never with a
larger number that a Patrol at a time, unless split up into several quite
separate and independent groups. Just wandering around a museum is about the
most tiring activity there is and the worst form of boredom, and will put boys
off going on their own to explore for themselves.
Other visits can be more attractive and can usually be arranged without much
difficulty. Here are some suggestions, although there is nothing new about them:
Gas works, Electric Light works, Newspaper printing works, Factories of all
kinds, Ships, Docks, Railway works, etc., etc. In fact, any place where the
Scouts can see things being done is suitable.
Taking afternoons generally there is no need to set about trying to maintain
some kind of a balance between the activities you imagine to be Scouting and the
activities you perhaps class as recreational. Anything that is truly recreational is good Scouting, the
trouble is that so few of us appear to realize it. Swimming, football, hockey,
cricket and so on are all both recreation and good scouting if played aright,
and if they do not exclude all other activities and contacts. If your Scouts
play football on their half-days, there is no need to deter them, far otherwise.
There will be many, however, who do not care for, or have no aptitude in, such
games, these are the boys for whom you should provide more recreation in the
shape of other Scouting activities.
Below is given a suggested program for a year's Saturday afternoons. It will
be noticed that opportunity has been given to Patrol Leaders to run their own
shows on nine of the afternoons - five outings and four camps. This number might
be extended with advantage. After preliminary suggestions had been made, the
actual arranging for the outings, writing for permission, and so on was done by
the Patrol Leaders themselves. These outings included the following visits:
Government - G.P.O., Mint, Tower of London, Museums, Broadcasting House.
Municipal - Gas and Water Works, Electric Power Station, Cleansing
Department.
Industrial - Hovis, Peak Freen, Shredded Wheat, Cadby Hall, United Dairies,
Docks, Locomotive, Newspaper printing and Piano works.
The material for the lantern talks, notes and slides, were obtained free of
charge from Museums, Under-ground Railway and others.
PROGRAM
September.
December.
1.
Visit
to Liner.
1. District Scout Social.
2.
Free.
2. Free.
3.
Football match.
3. Preparations for Good Turn.
4.
Conference, tea, games.
4. Christmas.
5.
Patrol Outings.
5. Good Turn (Entertainment
for Hospital).
October.
January.
1.
District Swimming Gala.
1. Roland House Pantomime.
2.
Free.
2. Free.
3.
Rehearsal for Show.
3. Patrol Visits (See London 1 s. and
all-day tram
4.
Inter-Troop
Visit (Tea Lantern talk).
tickets).
4.
Troop Party.
November.
February.
1.
Patrol
Outings.
1. H.Q. Painting and Repairs.
2.
Free.
2. Free.
3.
Troop Concert.
3. Patrol Competition (Question Game
on "See
4.
Wide
Games and Tea, followed by Mock Trial.
your own District").
4.
Troop Tracking Game.
March.
June.
1.
Troop
visit to Locomotive Works.
1. Patrol Camps.
2.
Free.
2. Free.
3.
Overhaul
Kit. (Cinema film of past camps)
3. Patrol Camps.
4.
Easter Camp
4. Trip to Croydon Aerodrome.
April.
July.
1.
S.M.'
s Surprise Stunt.
1. Patrol Camps.
2.
Free.
2. Free.
3.
Patrol
Tramps in Country.
3. Parents'
Camp
Tea
.
4.
St. George's
Day Parade.
4. Patrol Camps.
5. P.L.'s
Training Camp,
5. Inter-Troop Cricket Match.
August.
1.
District Field Day and
Camp
Fire
.
1. Troop Camp.
2.
Whitsun
Camp
2. Troop Camp.
3.
Free.
3. Free.
4.
District
Sports.
4. Free.
III
It is of more than passing interest to reproduce from the Headquarters
Gazette for January, 1914, a list of the activities actually practiced by a City
of London Troop in 1913! Let the article - not one word of which has been
altered speak for itself.
"The following Fixture List of the City of London Troop for the quarter
September to December, 1913, is published at the request of the Chief Scout as a
suggestion to other Troops. It is a good example of how a program should be
thought out beforehand, and the future properly prepared for:
SEPT. 6, GREENFORD GREEN. - Attack on Camp held by the Ealing and Hanwell
Troops. Train (Mark Lane), 3.30; ret. train (Sudbury Hill), 8.15.
SEPT. 13, EARL'S COURT. - Rally of Scouts of London District at Imperial
Services' Exhibition. Train (Mark Lane), 3.30; ret. train (Earl's Court), 8.45.
SEPT. 20, NORTHOLT. - Attack on the Camp held by the Ealing and Hanwell
Troops. Train (Mark Lane), 3.15; ret. train (Sudbury Hill), 7.45.
SEPT. 27, HORSENDON HILL. - Hare and Hounds, followed by a Route March along
Canal Tow-path. Train (Mark Lane), 3.35; ret. Train (Perivale), 7.45.
OCT. 4, SOUTH HARROW. - Red-cap Hunting, followed by Camp Fire or Will o' the
Wisp. Train (Mark Lane), 3.15; ret. train (South Harrow), 7.30.
OCT. 11, PINNER. - The Haunted House Mystery. This Game is done in Patrols
(Patrol Leaders must see all their boys are present). Train (Mark Lane) 3; ret.
train (South Harrow) 7.30.
OCT. 18, SUDBURY HILL. - "Sealed Orders" in Patrols. Patrol Leaders
to wear broad white bands round right arm. Train (Mark Lane) 3; ret. train
(Sudbury Hill) 7.30.
OCT. 25, GREENFORD GREEN. - Dispatch Relay Races across country against
Ealing Troops, or Section 'A' of Troop against Section 'W. Train (Mark Lane) 3;
ret. train (Sudbury) 7.30.
NOV. 1, PARADE OF SCOUTS ON TOWER HILL. - See Special Orders. Preparation for
the Lord Mayor's Procession and Church Parade.
NOV. 8, LOUGHTON. - Waggon Trek and Ambush Work across the fields from
Loughton to Chigwell. Train (Fenchurch) 3.11; ret. Train (Chigwell) 7.45.
NOV. 10, LORD MAYOR'S DAY. - Full Parade of all Scouts in the Troop; parade
Order. (See Special Orders for this day.)
NOV. 12 (Wednesday), MERCERS' HALL. - Guard of Honor to the Chief Scout on
his Installation as Master of the Mercers' Company. Scout Choir.
NOV. 15, GRANGE HILL. - Red-cap Ambush over Hainault Forest. Winners to reach
Romford Marketplace by 6.30. Train (Fenchurch) 3.20; ret. train (Grange Hill)
7.45 (Ch. S.); Red-caps return from Romford.
NOV. 20 (Thursday), "CRUMPTON COLLEGE." - At St. Augustine's Hall,
Victoria Park, 8. Full Uniform.
NOV. 22, "CRUMPTON COLLEGE." - At Clapham Town Hall at 3 and 8.
Full Uniform.
NOV. 29, CHIGWELL. - Hidden Treasure Hunt in Patrols. (The Treasure, when
found, will be the property of the finder.) Train (Fenchurch) 3.20; (Ch. S.);
ret. Train (Chigwell) 7.45.
DEC. 6, LOUGHTON. - Winter's Stob (see Scouting for Boys, p. 21). Trial at
Robin Hood Barn at 6.30. Train (Fenchurch) 3.11; ret. Train (Loughton) 8.23.
DEC. 13, CHINGFORD. - Waggon Trek across the Forest; Observation Tests; Camp
Fire and the tale of the Haunted House. Train (Liverpool St.) 3.34; ret. train
(Chingford) 7.55.
DEC. 20, GRANGE HILL. - "The Babes in the Wood." Special prize for
the highest marks in this event. Train (Fenchurch St.) 3.20; ret. train (Grange
Hill) 7.45.
DEC. 27, LOUGHTON AND HIGH BEECH. - Bear Hunt and Spider and Fly. Camp Fire
and Moonlight Trek to Chingford. Train (Fenchurch) 3. 11; ret. train
(Chingford).
CHRISTMAS HOLIDAYS. - Indoor Camp at "Bracebridge Hall," in
Warwickshire Christmas Games, Outdoor Sports, etc. See Special Orders. Only
those boys will be chosen who show best Scouting, etc., during last four months.
Equipment for Saturday Outings. - Cocoa, sugar, milk; bread and butter or
sandwiches; hard-boiled eggs, etc., etc. Spirit lamp and mentholated spirit.
According to the Troop Regulations no Scout under the rank of warrant officer is
permitted to enter a tea-shop or restaurant to have his meals except in London.
He must be prepared to make his own dinner, tea, or supper under the charge of
his Patrol Leader.
Thursday in each week is "Patrol Night," for Training in Tests,
7.30.
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