Scouting Magazine, December 1948


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[Illustration]

          Here’s What They Say about Getting Boys into Uniform


                           Why It’s Important

“A boy gets into the Uniform, and immediately it does something to him.
To be dressed like a Scout makes him want to act like one, makes him
want to do the things that Scouts do. Besides, it gives a boy pride in
his appearance, helps him toward self-confidence, gives him a standing
in the eyes of the public. With boys dressed alike, rich and poor, a
real brotherhood can be established.”


                              How To Do It

There is one simple key to getting your Unit uniformed. Your own
attitude and example. You have to make up your mind to get a Uniform for
yourself and wear it at all Unit undertakings. Your boys will quickly
realize that you take Scouting seriously, and they will soon get into
Uniform themselves. See Handbook for Scoutmasters, page 404 and
Cubmaster’s Packbook, pages 210-212.


                          _You must be First_

Don’t take our word for it! Go to the _Handbook for Scoutmasters_, the
_Cubmaster’s Packbook_ ... and if you’re still unconvinced, take a peek
at Baden-Powell’s _Aids to Scoutmastership_. You’ll find it right there
on page twenty-five, where, big as life, Scouting’s founder says, “It is
largely a matter of example. Show me a slackly-dressed Troop and I can
‘Sherlock’ a slackly-dressed Scoutmaster.” Brother, if that doesn’t
convince you, nothin’ will. Your Unit can only be as good as your
leadership, and this basic, unavoidable fact holds for uniforming too.
Wear your own Uniform for all Troop activities!


                  _Apply This Principle Outdoors Too!_

Your winter overcoat may be nice, but it’s not Scouting. Your hunting
jacket or heavy sweater may be comfortable, but they’re not Scouting
either. Only the Official Scout Jacket can make your Uniform do its job
outdoors as well as in. You’ll like this sturdy jacket too. It’s warm
and serviceable, good-looking and economical, rightweight for
year-’round wear. Most important, it is Scouting. Ask to see it at your
Local Scout Distributor’s today.

=$5.75 and $5.95=

LEADER’S UNIFORM “A”

Complete 5-Piece Outfit for Scoutmasters, Cubmasters, Assistant Unit
Leaders, Committeemen.

SERGE TROUSERS FLANNEL SHIRT

NO. 587 =$19.95= COMPLETE

The Uniformed Leader holds promise ... of Good Scouting for every Boy!

       IF NOT STOCKED BY YOUR SCOUT DISTRIBUTOR ORDER DIRECT FROM
            =NATIONAL SUPPLY SERVICE·BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA=
  2 Park Ave., New York 16, N.Y.  231 So. Green St., Chicago, 7, Ill.
               1663 Mission St., San Francisco 3, Calif.


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                     You’re Wanted for Questioning

[Illustration]

But don’t let it bother you. Any embarrassment will be on our side. And
we’re willing to take the chance.

All you stand to lose is three cents and a half hour. To gain, a more
interesting and helpful SCOUTING.

What I mean is, you’re No. 1 man on our Board of Experts and your
opinion is very important to us.

We know that you have one, that you make up your mind very quickly as
you thumb an issue as to whether a page seems to interest you, whether
you’ll read it or keep thumbing. Finally, whether it was worth your
time, likely to help you in _your_ Scouting work.

We can’t talk with you personally about your ideas, and a long
questionnaire would probably send you scooting, so here’s a plan to do
it the easy way. It may look sketchy to you, but it will really help us
a lot.

Here’s how it works—when you have finished reading this issue—that is,
all of it you feel the urge to read—turn back to this page and use the
contents column as your survey blank. Put checks opposite each article
in the columns that best describe your reaction. Then write any comment
you wish to add in that small space at the bottom, note your Scouting
position, cut off the Contents strip on the dotted line, slip it into an
envelope and mail to us.

I hope we will hear from you. It’ll be a real Good Turn to all your
fellow Scouters.

[Illustration:

  Lex R. Lucas
  _Managing Editor_
]


                         ---------------------

=SCOUTING MAGAZINE= is published monthly except August and bi-monthly
June-July, and copyrighted 1948, by the Boy Scouts of America, 2 Park
Ave., New York 16, N.Y. Reentered as Second Class Matter, June 13, 1946,
at the Post Office at New York, N.Y., under the act of March 3, 1879.

Scouting Magazine is edited in the Division of Program by the Editorial
Service. _Director at the Division of Program_, E. Urner Goodman.
_Director of Publications_, _Editor_, Lorne W. Barclay. _Managing
Editor_, Lex R. Lucas. _Asst. Managing Editor_, Tom MacPherson. _Art
Director_, Donald Ross. _Production Director_, Geo. W. Goddard, _Jr.
Associate Editors_: Gerald Speedy, Cub Scouting; Ted Pettit, Boy
Scouting; Ted Holstein, Senior Scouting.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

                                SCOUTING
                    DECEMBER, 1948, VOL. 36, No. 10

                               _CONTENTS_

                       Follow the “Trail Signs”—
                            ★,   ◆,   ⚜,   ●
             to find articles of special interest to _you_.

     ─────────────────┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┬───┐
                      │ a │ b │ c │ d │ e │ f │ g │ h │ i │ j │ k │
     ★ FOR ALL        │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         SCOUTERS     │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Scouting the  2│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Country      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Christmas     3│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Spirit       │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Reaching Out  5│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Scouting On   8│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Main         │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Street       │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       The Dust of  10│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         the          │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Round-Up     │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Settles      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
     ◆ FOR CUB        │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         SCOUT        │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         LEADERS      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Don’t Forget 11│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         the Denner   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Blue and     12│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Gold Week    │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       American Cub 13│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Scout Den    │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         In Peru      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Music and    14│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Minstrels    │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Gentlemen,   16│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Be Seated!   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Musical      17│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Instru-      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         ments        │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       I Was A Den  18│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Dad          │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Den Doings   19│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Cub Scout    20│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Treasure     │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Chest        │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
     ⚜ FOR BOY        │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         SCOUT        │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         LEADERS      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Scouting     21│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Shorts       │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Give Dads A  22│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Chance       │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Troop Plans  23│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         for          │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         January      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Scout Week   24│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Adventure    │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Doing It     26│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Right In     │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Winter       │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       The Early    28│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Scout Gets   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         The Bird     │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Game File    30│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Scout        36│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         master’s     │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Minute       │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Just a       38│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Minute       │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
     ● FOR SENIOR     │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         LEADERS      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Spotlight    31│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Scout Week   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Senior       33│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Briefings    │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┼───┤
       Emergency    34│   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Service      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         for          │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
         Seniors      │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │   │
     ─────────────────┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┴───┘


                    Key to interest level:

                    a - I READ THIS ARTICLE CAREFULLY
                    b - I READ IT CASUALLY
                    c - I DID NOT READ IT
                    d - IT WAS INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN
                    e - IT WAS NOT INTERESTINGLY WRITTEN
                    f - I CAN USE THE IDEAS
                    g - I CANNOT USE THE IDEAS
                    h - THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE CLEAR
                    i - THE INSTRUCTIONS ARE NOT CLEAR
                    j - THE ILLUSTRATIONS HELPED THE ARTICLE
                    k - THE ILLUSTRATIONS DID NOT HELP


Comments:



My Scouting Position


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                         _Scouting the Country_

[Illustration]

★ =Buckshot to Memorial=

When John M. Phillips began his crusade for conservation less than two
generations ago, he was taunted, reviled, threatened, and “accidentally”
shot in the legs three times. Sportsmen of that day felt game was public
property, and they dealt roughly with “busybody conservationists.”

But on an August Sunday in 1948, a new crop of sportsmen met near
Glenhazel, Pennsylvania, and paid public tribute to the same John M.
Phillips, no longer taunted nor “accidentally” shot. Commonwealth
sportsmen now revere him as “Pennsylvania’s grand old man of
conservation.” On the site of the first game lands purchased by the
state, they unveiled a huge boulder, bearing a keystone-shaped plaque
commemorating the work of Mr. Phillips in developing a state-wide
conservation system.

A member of the Advisory Council of the Boy Scouts of America, Mr.
Phillips is 87 years old, and one of the few men to have a memorial
erected in his honor while still living.


=Dutch Uncles—2¢ Each=

If you’d like to get it off your chest—you know, tell parents a thing or
three—here’s your opportunity to do it in a nice way. (Not that you’d do
it other than nicely.) At the request of many Scouters, we are making
reprints of Louis C. Fink’s “Are We Pied Pipers?” from October SCOUTING.
If you’d like a few copies, why not ask your Council for them?


=Country Kids=

If you, too, have always taken it for granted that delinquency is a crop
native only to the teeming metropolis, Albert S. Goss, Master of the
National Grange, has a shock for you.

“The farmer,” reports Mr. Goss, “is now disturbed about the rapid
increase in delinquency. He has finally come to the conclusion that the
greatest influence (in combatting delinquency) is that of
character-building organizations, the results of which he is delighted
with.”

Among character-building organizations, “Scouting for the country kid,”
adds Mr. Goss, “is a natural, for he has many things right at his back
door that Scouting offers (and) every one of the Granges can sponsor a
Scout Unit. There are 7,100 sub-units in the United States, and a
special effort is being made this year to push this. The sub-units
themselves own about 4,000 buildings.”

Mr. Goss was speaking at a meeting of the National Committee on Rural
Scouting late last October. The meeting was presided over by Mr. Wheeler
McMillen, Committee Chairman. Mr. McMillen, known for his interest in
rural youth, is moderator of this month’s round table, “Reaching Out,”
which you’ll find on page 4.


=Old Mags=

The fondest dream of any editor is that you, dear reader, cherish and
possess your magazine through eternity. But, no respecters of dreams are
the 2,000 Boys’ Clubs of Britain. Magazine-hungry, they’ll gladly accept
any and all back numbers of any magazine, providing it’s American. Mail
’Em to E. H. G. Barwell, Peace Haven, 25 Chantry Close, Kenton,
Middlesex, England.


=Brothers=

Troop 23 of Schenectady, New York, _did_ go to camp last summer,
although there was some hectic scrambling at the last minute to raise
funds. You see, Troop 23 was financially set pretty well in advance, but
along came June, and clear across the continent Vanport, Oregon, went
down under fifteen feet of water. Scouts of Troop 23 read of how two
Vanport Scout Troops and two Cub Packs barely got ashore with the
clothes on their backs, so the boys from Schenectady began packing. To
Vanport went haversacks, uniforms, pins, badges, and a welter of
miscellany. But still the packages didn’t look impressive enough to
Troop 23, so into the treasury they dived and came up with $35 of their
camp funds.

No moral needed.


=Fifty Means Forty=

=No that’s not double talk on inflation, it’s just a first clue to the
fact that, come 1950, we celebrate our 40th Anniversary, and since 40
years is quite a milestone, we propose to celebrate it in a big way.=

=In fact, we’ll be starting the process at the very beginning of 1949—a
big, two year program which will reach into every Pack and Troop and
Senior Unit in America. Be watching for future announcements!=


------------------------------------------------------------------------



[Illustration]

[Illustration:

  CHRISTMAS SPIRIT
]

    _By E. Urner Goodman_
    National Program Director

★ Scouting, like Christmas, is a thing of the spirit. Everybody knows
about the spirit of Christmas! It is a spirit which makes itself felt in
the heart of man no matter where he may be. There was the story of the
landing at Casablanca which tells of this spirit so vividly. The story,
contained in a letter to home by a Scout of yesterday, relates:

“It was Christmas Eve when we landed at Casablanca. We were among the
first contingent to land, so we didn’t know what kind of reception we’d
get. Our officers gathered us together and cautioned us about that. No
one could predict if it would be a friendly welcome or a welcome of
machine gun fire. So, as we marched up the main street of Casablanca, we
walked as silently as possible. No one spoke to his neighbor. Everything
was expectant and utterly tense.

“The march led toward the East, and as we marched, my eye quickly picked
out a bright star shining down near the Eastern horizon. At once I
remembered another Star that likewise shone so brightly on Christmas
Eve. But now things seemed so different. Danger and death apparently
were lurking behind every house as we passed.

“And then it happened—but not as we expected it. For, coming clearly and
crisply from a group of buildings we were passing was the sound, not of
machine guns or rifles, but the sweet and lovely strains of a blessed
Christmas carol.

“The effect was electric. We all felt it. I looked at my buddy, who was
a hard boiled sergeant. He caught his lip in his teeth and with tears
coursing down his cheeks, he marched on unashamed.”

Well, there you have it. With the spirit of good will moving in the
hearts of men, the Christmas spirit overcomes the rattle of the machine
gun. It is wonderful to contemplate what effect the Christmas spirit has
even on souls hardened by men at war.

More familiar, of course, are the homey evidences of the Christmas
spirit ... the smell of balsam boughs and turkey roasting; the sight of
the bright red berries on a wreath of holly; the soft caress of a
falling snowflake on a moonlit Christmas Eve; the unforgettable taste of
that red and white peppermint candy cane; and above all, the sweet notes
of Christmas carols falling on the ear—all these things bring to us the
spirit of Christmas at home.

But something deeper than all of that is there, because Christmas
reminds us of the song of the angels, of “Peace on Earth among Men of
Good Will.”

So similar is the spirit of Scouting, which grows out of such vivid
experiences as these: The smell of woodfire with bacon broiling above
it; the call of the loon over the lake on a quiet night; the sight of a
great bird soaring over pines on a mountain top; the comforting feel of
your buddy’s shoulder as you hike along a woodland trail at night; the
unforgettable taste of wild strawberries gathered to augment the
Patrol’s menu.

These things have a part, it is true, in the spirit of Scouting, but
there is something far deeper, as we all know. For Scouting, like
Christmas, is a thing of the spirit.


                              “Happyfying”

No season is happier than the Christmas season, and the secret of that
happiness lies in what our founder, Baden-Powell, called “happyfying.”
It is the philosophy of the old song, “I want to be happy, but I can’t
be happy, ’till I make you happy, too.”

Our Christmas turkey loses its taste and becomes dry fodder unless we
have done something to make somebody else happy at Christmas time.

Now that is the spirit of Scouting at Christmas and at all other
seasons. It was put into the Scout spirit by Baden-Powell. The
implication is clear. Our happiness all year through, as Scouts, grows
out of the many acts we do to bring happiness to those around us.

It is a fine thing for the Troop to engage in national or community
programs of service. We should do that as good citizens. It is an even
greater thing for a Patrol to single out some very human service they
can perform for somebody close at hand. And when these Scouts see the
smile on the face of the neighbor they have helped, then they know all
about “happyfying” and their own lives are blest, too.

And the Scoutmaster, or other Unit Leader, knows about “happyfying,” for
is he not making a Christmas gift to the nation every week in the year
as he carries on his Scoutmastership? Thus he, himself, receives
dividends the like of which no billionaire in history ever knew. So it
was that one such Scoutmaster speaking at the last meeting of our
National Council was able to say, “When the Scoutmaster looks around him
and counts his blessings, he finds that his reward is the richest of
all.”


=Good Will=

The youngest Cub Scout, of course, knows about good will, for does not
the Law of the Pack remind him that “A Cub gives good will?” So, in the
Boy Scout experience he finds that “The Scout is a friend to all and a
brother to every other Scout.” As he grows older he learns more of the
World Brotherhood of Scouting and finds that good will among men knows
no boundaries of race or creed, or nationality.

The beloved song of the angels at Christmastime, then, is the thing that
Scouting is trying to do all year round. Insofar as Scouting builds its
brotherhood and gives good will all year round, will it be speeding that
day of “Peace on Earth.”


------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Illustration]

[Illustration:

Moderator WHEELER McMILLEN Editor-in-Chief Farm Journal and the
Pathfinder Magazine

FOREST WITCRAFT Scout Executive Huron, South Dakota

HOWARD F. FOX Supervisor, Vocational Agriculture, New Castle, Pa.

VERNON NICHOLS Scoutmaster Crosby, No. Dakota

L. H. ELEAZER Cubmaster Pelion, So. Carolina]

★ We have it on good authority that 53% of the boys of America live “way
out there,” in the little crossroads settlements and on the miles-apart
farms.

We all know that we have a big opportunity and responsibility to reach
out into that open country. We also know that it is a hard job.

To help bring this rural business into the spotlight, SCOUTING Magazine
asked eight men to join in one of our Round Table discussions. These men
represent all phases of rural life and of Scouting. The “moderator’s
gavel” will be wielded by the Chairman of our National Committee on
Rural Scouting, Wheeler McMillen, who as the Editor-in-chief of the
_Farm Journal_ and the _Pathfinder Magazine_, has a host of friends
throughout America.

Mr. McMillen, will you take over?

                  *       *       *       *       *

=McMILLEN: I feel honored to join you fine men, who represent so many
aspects of modern farm life. We all have one thing in common—we want
that boy who lives on the farm to have a good break. Some of us believe
that the Scouting program can play a big part in his growth.=

=We should face this whole question objectively and constructively.
Let’s start by asking a rather blunt question: _Do rural boys really
need Scouting? Or is their normal life already filled with the
ingredients which make for character and good citizenship?_=


=VERNON NICHOLS, SCOUTMASTER=: They need it very much. Scouting not only
builds character, but it helps especially in developing leadership, a
quality often lacking in farm boys.


=HOWARD F. FOX, SUPERVISOR, VOCATIONAL AGRICULTURE=: The boys who live
in small towns need Scouting, but I think those who live on farms need
it in less degree.


=JOE C. CARRINGTON, COUNCIL PRESIDENT=: I can’t agree with Mr. Fox. Farm
boys need it even more than town boys, who have more supervised
playgrounds, more church and school and club-sponsored programs. The
rural boy has very little to round out his life, and really needs
Scouting.


=L. H. ELEAZER, CUBMASTER=: Perhaps the elements are there on the farm,
but Scouting can help bring them out. Sometimes when a man is close to a
thing, he doesn’t see it in its real light. Also, all rural boys do not
stay on the farms where they were reared. These boys need much of the
same kind of training their city brothers get.


=CARRINGTON=: That raises a good point—when the rural boy moves to town,
he very often has no entering wedge into the youth programs there. But
if he is a Scout in the rural area he can transfer his membership and
make a transition which would have been difficult without Scouting. Its
universality is an important feature.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                              Reaching Out

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

L. O. PARKER County Farm Agent Metter, Georgia


HENRY P. CARSTENSEN Master, State Grange Seattle, Washington


JOE C. CARRINGTON Council President Austin, Texas


=McMILLEN: I see you’re all nodding in agreement, including Mr. Fox.
Actually we have never really questioned the need, have we? It’s the
ways to use Scouting best and to get it to the rural boy, that bothers
us.=


=FOREST WITCRAFT, SCOUT EXECUTIVE=: Does it really need to bother us? Of
course it’s hard to take Scouting out to the boys in the open country,
but plenty of Councils have proved that it can be done.

I’m thinking of Draper in my South Dakota country, with a population of
190, Barnard with 60, Strandburg with 177, Stratford, Northville and
Garden City adding 700 more—six communities with a little better than
1100, supporting _ten thriving Scout Units_. I think of places like
Tulare (population 244) with 19 Scouts, 17 of whom come from their
farms. It can be done.


=FOX=: The crux of the problem is probably leadership. Can rural
communities supply it? There is no question in my mind but that it’s
there, but will men who do hard physical work long hours every day in
the week give the time needed for Scouting?


=HENRY P. CARSTENSEN, MASTER, STATE GRANGE=: Part of the problem here is
the tendency of parents of rural youth to take the attitude that
Scouting is a non-essential activity, a luxury which they cannot afford.

Some good parent education would make it easier to get leaders and thus
to spread Scouting.


=CARRINGTON=: There are ways to get men in the farm country. As District
Chairman, I used a well-known method that worked wonderfully. I used a
survey blank that asked boys the question “Who do you think is the best
man in your community, and why?” The kids would name men whom we hadn’t
thought of, and give good reasons. When we went to such men and told
them why the boys thought they were tops, resistance faded away and we
usually had our leaders.

In most communities the leadership is there if we know how to dig for
it.


=NICHOLS=: Leadership may be there all right, but believe me, _trained_
leadership is sure lacking. That is where our Local Councils need to
give us more help—short courses that busy men can attend. I think time
and money spent by the Local Council assisting new leaders would be well
spent.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Illustration]

=WITCRAFT=: Training becomes harder as the distance between your Scout
Units increases. Here are a few ways we have been able to get training
to our men:

(a) We run week-end training courses.

(b) Our monthly Round Tables are packed with training as well as
fellowship.

(c) The One-Unit course is tops—the committee joins with the leaders in
an at-home training experience. This may lack some of the advantages of
larger courses but it has some of its own.

(d) We count heavily on personal coaching by our Field Executives and
Commissioner Staff.


=McMILLEN: Before we get too deeply into Council methods of handling
country Scouting, let’s study it a bit more from the boy’s angle. What
aspects of Scouting are most interesting and helpful to boys?=


=ELEAZER=: I would say the most interesting aspect to the rural boy is
camping. The most helpful is probably the achievement part of the
program.


=FOX=: I put this question to the forty students in my vocational
agriculture class, well over half of whom are or have been Scouts. The
younger boys put camping first; the older ones put it on a level with
advancement skills. All of them rated these two aspects of Scouting
tops.


=NICHOLS=: One of the values I see my boys get out of camping is the
ability to work with others. Too often rural boys do not have a chance
to develop this important trait. That’s why group activity is especially
important to rural boys too.


=McMILLEN: A very good point, Mr. Nichols. Our rural boys aren’t
different, but sometimes their opportunity to develop certain abilities
and traits is limited: Scouting’s camping and its group activity can
fill a big void.=


=Speaking about program, what do you think of the Merit Badge work?=


=FOX=: In the first place, rural boys like to receive recognition for
things they do, as well as any youth. I know that many of the Merit
Badges encourage farm boys to improve their agricultural skills.
Experienced farmers make good counselors in agricultural subjects.


=NICHOLS=: The rural boy possibly needs the Merit Badge program more
than does the city boy because he has less access to these “idea
sources.” He needs to know about trades and occupations, too, other than
those found on the farm.


=WITCRAFT=: In addition to the values the Merit Badge program holds for
the boy, it has two other big values; it has sold many rural people on
Scouting because farmers readily see the value of such subjects as Beef
Production and Soil Management. It has also brought many men into
Scouting. A man gets a taste of Scouting while serving as a Merit Badge
Counselor and, liking this experience, accepts other leadership
responsibilities.


=McMILLEN: Mr. Witcraft’s comment about adults reminds me of a frequent
criticism heard in the rural field that such activities as Scouting
interfere with a boy’s responsibilities to his farm home. Is this so,
and need it be so?=


=L. O. PARKER, COUNTY FARM AGENT=: It is true that they could interfere,
but I don’t think it happens often. When the Unit Leader and Committee
are rural people they will recognize this problem and avoid it.


=ELEAZER=: Getting to and from meetings sometimes poses a problem.
Perhaps a less frequent Troop meeting would be the answer, with Patrol
meetings in the boys’ homes in between.


=NICHOLS=: The camp may be the biggest problem, if it comes in the
middle of the harvest season.


=FOX=: Camp doesn’t really have to interfere, does it? Each Troop would
naturally schedule its camp dates to miss the busiest season in that
area.


=NICHOLS=: I didn’t mean that the camping problem was hard to overcome.
Certainly it is so important to a farm boy that we must get it in
somehow. Going to the Council camp helps us realize that we belong to
something bigger than our own Troop in our own little community. In the
same way, inter-Troop activities help us keep on our toes.


=PARKER=: I certainly agree that camping is important, but it is the
Scouting activity which is most likely to conflict with home
responsibilities. Councils with rural territory should be very aware of
the problem, and should handle it realistically.


=CARSTENSEN=: This whole discussion of competitive activity raises
another question which we in the Grange feel is important. That is, that
leaders of all youth movements should recognize the need for closer
contact and understanding—the need for planning together so that their
problems will be coordinated rather than conflicting.

We have tried to work this way in developing our Juvenile Grange
program; we have made an effort to support such activities as the Boy
Scouts, the 4H, Future Farmers, etc.


=FOX=: I am not too much concerned about the danger of competition.
Neither the 4H nor the F.F.A. cover the entire country, by any means.
Furthermore, my experience has been that boys can belong to both F.F.A.
and the Scouts and do a good job of both. Then, too, since Future
Farmers are all older boys, their activities become a continuation of
the leadership training received in Scouting.


------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Illustration]

=PARKER=: We in 4H like to have our boys active in Scouting. Scouting
and 4H strengthen one another. For example, Scouting recognizes with its
Merit Badge awards the work our boys do in 4H projects. Scouting
provides programs in non-agricultural subjects which 4H does not offer.


=WITCRAFT=: Let’s go even stronger than that. There isn’t nearly as much
competition for a boy’s time in the country as there is in the city;
that’s one of the reasons Scouting is so much needed in the country.


=McMILLEN: All of this brings us face to face with the pay-off question:
Granted that Scouting has a program needed by country boys, and that
there are ways of making it work, what help is most needed by isolated
rural Units, and how can the Local Council best provide this help?=


=ELEAZER=: The help most needed by those of us who lead rural Packs and
Troops is that which can be given by the Executive or a Field Executive.
This is especially true when we start new Units.


=NICHOLS=: Training is our No. 1 need, and this includes our Committees.
Our Council made a good move in filling its monthly District meetings
with real training and a lot of good fellowship.


=WITCRAFT=: That word “fellowship” is especially important. When men
live a long ways apart they need opportunities to get together. The
Council must find ways to make this happen.


=FOX=: Financing rural work also seems to be a problem. I am not too
familiar with Scouting, but I wonder if this does need to be a problem?


=NICHOLS=: This is probably more true in times of financial stress than
it is now, but there is a problem to face. One thing is sure, the
stronger and more active the Troop, the easier it is to raise funds. If
the people of a community see that Scouting is doing a lot for the boys,
they’ll support it.


=CARRINGTON=: In our Council we furnish Scouting service all over our
area, but we think it’s right to apportion more Field Executive time to
the Districts which are providing adequate funds to make that field
service possible.

At the same time, we carry on an organized extension program in all
areas with the hope that all will make use of Scouting and give it their
support.


=WITCRAFT=: It is true that the cost of rural Scouting has often delayed
Councils in coming to grips with the rural problem. Usually we have
assumed that Scouting starts in the city, moves out to the small towns
and eventually filters down to the village and open country.

The Council faces a practical problem. It has a certain amount of time
and money. How can these be spent most wisely? The same amount of work
that will organize a rural Troop of six boys at Olson’s Corners will
organize a Troop of twenty boys in the headquarters city. It has seemed
to be sound business to spend Council money where it would bring
Scouting to the most boys.

But consider what this means to Olaf Torkelson, twelve years old, out at
Olson’s Corners. Can we say to him, “Sorry, Olaf, but it will probably
be several years before we can organize marginal places like Olson’s
Corners.”

Our Council, at its coming Annual Meeting, will take action on a
proposal by our Organization and Extension Committee that we shall
henceforth recognize an equal responsibility to all boys within our
area, regardless of where they live.

We believe such an approach would be financially sound, and that the
rural area will support it.


=FOX=: I broached this question of cost, but actually I don’t think it’s
serious. The open country has the boys, and wants them to have their
chance. The money can be secured if we approach the right people. For
example, some farm cooperatives now have educational programs. They
might see big dividends in efforts spent to help Scouting develop
leaders among rural youth.

Farming has become so complex that the country can no longer afford to
let its best youth go to the city. Today farming demands the best brains
as well as the strongest bodies the nation can produce. The modern
farmer must organize, manage, finance, produce, and market.

Scouting can, and does help round out a rural boy’s life. It builds the
kind of men the nation needs on its farms.


=McMILLEN: This has been good talk. It has been all the more persuasive
because we have heard the voices of men who have actually “reached out.”
Rural Scouting is a fact that grows all the time.=


=One thought in closing: No one has much trouble to get boys into
Scouting. But in order to keep the Scout groups flourishing, we need
more men who will give leadership. I would like to suggest that no
Council’s annual dinner, or outdoor event, will be quite complete unless
the top leaders in farm and rural business activities are personally
invited to see and hear for themselves. Pay them more attention and they
will pay more attention to Scouting.=


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                        SCOUTING ON MAIN STREET

                          _By Edward Belason_,

                 Assistant Director of Public Relations


★ BOY SCOUT WEEK will soon be upon us. For one entire week in February
you will hear and see a lot about Scouting as the general public finds
itself becoming Scouting-conscious.

You will hear _Scouting_ on the radio, see _Scouting_ in newspapers and
magazines, and rub elbows with _Scouting_ as Scouts go to and from
school in their uniforms.

As a Scout leader, you will want to make the best use of the nationwide
publicity and direct the attention of people in YOUR community to the
activities of THEIR Scouts. One ideal method for a local Unit is through
a Scout display in a store window with a prominent location.

The three immediate advantages of a window display are: ONE, the general
public becomes Scouting-conscious; TWO, the Unit has a live and unusual
program for several days; and THREE, boys who are not now Scouts see an
opening for themselves to join the Unit.


=Plan Your Display=

Before you ask a merchant for window space, have some plans for your
display on paper, or at least in your mind. Explain to him the
advantages to the community, to Scouting, and to his store. Most
storekeepers are willing to cooperate. Larger shops may even offer the
services of trained window decorators. Once you obtain the space you
have a responsibility to both the merchant and to Scouting to install
the neatest and most interesting display you and your staff can create.
No doubt you can get some valuable help from your Local Council.

Build your display around the theme for 1949—“Adventure—That’s
Scouting!” Show the folks in your community that your Unit spells
Adventure with a capital “A.”

Make a list of the items you will want to display, such as photographs,
handicraft articles, posters, flags, collections, knot boards, books,
etc. Select those which you can make outstanding. Don’t crowd the
window; use just what you have room for.

After the list is decided upon, get the Unit’s specialists on the job.
Get the shutter bugs busy on photographs, the craftsmen to their work
benches, and the artists to their layout pads. Photos are one of the
best mediums for telling your story. Select those that truly represent
Scouting activities. Enlarge them and mount them neatly, with captions
easily read.

The background, too, should be eye-catching. It should be large enough
that passersby will be arrested and enticed to step up close to look
over the display. You can make a good backdrop with a photo illustrating
Scout adventure, and enlarged to take in practically the entire
background. If you cannot get extra size enlargements in your community,
choose several photos, make 11″ × 14″ enlargements and group them to
form an artistic background. Or you might have your boys make a large
Scout emblem from beaverboard and color it. Another possibility is to
mount several photos on wallboard cut to the shape of the Scout badge.

[Illustration]

Experiment with arrangements in advance, so that when you enter the
store you can trim the window in the quickest possible time.

Chalk off the actual window area on the meeting room floor. Place
smaller items in the foreground, and gradually build up to the
background. If pedestals are needed, perhaps the storekeeper may lend
them to you. If he has none, make some of cardboard and gummed tape.
Cigar boxes, paper cartons, and tin cans, painted or covered with
colored paper, can be used.

Extremely bright colors will sometimes detract from the items on
display. Avoid them or use them carefully. Neutral colors can easily be
arranged to compliment and flatter the displayed items. For example,
when exhibiting a collection of leather-craft items, a cream or light
green will show them up better than bright red or blue.

[Illustration]

_ADVENTURE ... that’s Scouting!_

The large silhouette in this window was made, as shown below, by placing
subject between light and wrapping paper tacked on wall, tracing his
outline and filling in with black poster paint.

Arrange the articles to create continuity. It isn’t necessary that each
item be seen from every angle. Avoid over-crowding; it has a tendency to
confuse and tire the window-shopper. He may walk away and perhaps miss
the essence of your message.

Not until you have had your “dress rehearsal” are you ready to install
your display in the store window. The pet peeve of any shopkeeper is to
have his store upset while windows are being dressed, especially if the
job takes too long. Agree on the time convenient to him, then do the job
rapidly and neatly. Don’t send the whole gang over. Pick two or three
good workers and let them handle it. A good job done efficiently will
undoubtedly get you a return invitation next year.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                    THE DUST OF THE ROUND-UP SETTLES

[Illustration]


★ The Round-Up that started along the Old Scouting Trail three months
ago is heading for the biggest event of all—the final “branding,” when
the “mavericks,” the new boys brought into Scouting this fall, are
formally and officially brought into the corral.

The “branding” ceremony, which should be staged in early December, can
be one of the most colorful events your Unit ever held. Put it on with
all the spirit and zip of a real western event. Use imagination in the
staging—a few corral fence rails in the background, a fire “burning” in
front, and the investiture team in cowboy togs. Think in western terms
when you write the investiture script. Act out the Round-Up and branding
with a nice combination of cowboy color and dignity, and your new boys
and your public will remember the night of the “branding” ceremony for a
long, long time.

When that final ceremony is staged, the “branding” done, we will have
time to lean back against the old corral fence and take stock of the
results.

_What do we see as the dust of our Round-Up settles?_ How well did we
round up the strays? Are there still boys “out there” who should be
getting Scouting, and who could be, if we were really on our toes?

Before _you_ hang up _your_ spurs and lariat, won’t you check up once
more on that boy that showed up at two or three meetings and looked as
though he wanted to join but somehow didn’t make it.

You might be surprised at what you would find if you called on his
folks—so often boys are kept out of Scouting because of
misunderstandings which can be so easily cleared up when you talk to the
parents. Lots of boys get that close to Scouting before they are shut
out. The extra time given to this personal follow-up will be some of the
best you ever spent on Scouting.

This may seem like a lot about membership, but remember, all of us who
really believe in Scouting’s value to a boy, want to do our part to
extend Scouting opportunity to as many boys as we can handle in our
Unit.

Membership facts, by the way, are a good measuring rod of our program.
When there’s fun and adventure in a Scout Unit most every boy wants to
join. When there’s always something new and interesting happening, they
want to stay in.

That’s what our membership figures really represent—our ability to
provide the _opportunity to join_, plus the _program that holds_.

Much of this fall’s Round-Up activity has been designed to provide more
of the _opportunity to join_, as well as a good deal of planning for
_the program that holds boys_. Now we need to follow through on that
program. That means _steady attention to the regular activities_,
whatever they may be—the Den meetings, the Patrol meetings and weekly
Troop or Senior Unit meetings, and _special attention to the highlights_
that serve to “point up” the boy’s Scouting experience.

What are some of these highlights? In Cub Scouting the monthly Pack
meetings are highlight events; each one is different and apparently more
interesting than those that have gone before.

Up and coming Boy Scout Troops and Senior Units plan their highlights in
a different way. They schedule at intervals through the year a number of
events specially chosen to give a lift and a purpose to the week-by-week
program. They use these special events as something to look forward to,
something to prepare for, and afterward, of course, to look back on with
happy memories.

Well, it’s time to boost ourselves off that old corral post and get
going. There’s things to do around this ranch and now’s the time to be
doing them!


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                        DON’T FORGET THE DENNER

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

    for
    CUB SCOUT LEADERS

    ◆ <— FOLLOW THIS TRAIL SIGN STARTING EACH ARTICLE


◆ The Denner is probably the most neglected and forgotten leader in Cub
Scouting. Yet he is one of the most important links between other Cub
Scout leaders and the Cub Scouts themselves.

The Denner is elected by the boys. While their standards may be
different from the standards of adults, you can probably trust them to
select the boy whose leadership they are most ready to accept.

If there is any influencing of the election, probably the best point to
bring out is that the older boy with more experience is usually the
best.

Usually the term of office is not long. However, there is no specific
limit. If the term is not too long, more boys will have an opportunity
to practice leadership. On the other hand, if it is too short, no Denner
serves long enough to become a really helpful leader.


=HIS RESPONSIBILITIES=

The Denner is the right-hand man of the Den Chief. Here are a few of the
responsibilities which the Denner in most Dens can and should assume:

1. Arrive early to prepare meeting place.

2. Meet with Den Chief and Den Mother to go over last minute plans for
the meeting.

3. There are times when he can lead games or songs. This will require
coaching from the Den Chief, and also some backing during the activity.

4. He often keeps and reads the Den diary although in some Dens another
member of the Den carries on this responsibility.

5. He can also help with simpler ceremonies. For example, he should lead
the Grand Howl and Living Circle. When the Den repeats the Den Promise
and the Law of the Pack, he is the logical leader.


=HIS BADGE OF OFFICE=

The Denner wears his Denner’s Stripe six inches below his left shoulder
seam. An Assistant Denner wears a single stripe in the same position.

The Denner relinquishes the badge of office when he no longer holds that
office. Only one boy in the Den wears the Denner’s stripes at any one
time. Explain to the Den that Denner’s Stripes are not an award for
service but a badge to designate the boy who holds the office. It should
be presented to the boy at a ceremony either at a Den Meeting or a
regular Pack Meeting.


=SOME GENERAL TIPS=

1. If the office is to seem important and worthwhile, the Denner must
have an active part in the leadership of Den activities.

2. Sometimes a boy becomes a little overbearing. You may have to tone
him down a bit, and make clear to him that one mark of a good leader is
to lead in such a way that folks like to follow.

3. Make the election of a Denner an important matter. Discuss it
thoroughly. Make clear to the boys that the boy they elect will
definitely be their leader once he is elected and they are then expected
to follow him.

4. Recognize the Denner. A bit of recognition will make his leadership
more helpful.

5. The Den Chief and the Den Mother should see that the Denner has a
happy experience. If the boys do not follow his leadership, it will tend
to discourage him from further leadership efforts.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                        SCOUTING’S 39TH BIRTHDAY

[Illustration]

                             BLUE AND GOLD
                                  WEEK


◆ Yes, we know it’s only December, but it’s not too early to begin to
think about the way your Pack will celebrate Boy Scout Week in February
of 1949. This will be Scouting’s 39th birthday, and it’s a time for
celebration for everybody related to the Boy Scouts of America.

Some Cub Scout Leaders feel since our birthday is called “Boy Scout
Week,” that the celebration includes only Boy Scouts. This simply isn’t
true; it’s the birthday of our Movement and those of us in Cub Scouting
are very much a part of the Scout Movement. So—here are a few advance
tips which will help you look ahead to February and make some plans.
More detailed tips will appear in January SCOUTING.


=ADVENTURE—THAT’S CUB SCOUTING=

As you know, each Boy Scout Week has its theme or big idea, and in 1949
it will be “Adventure—That’s Scouting.” Of course, to you that means
“Adventure—That’s Cub Scouting,” so you’ll be wanting to emphasize the
adventure part of our program.

As usual, Blue and Gold will be our program theme for February. This has
become a tradition in Cub Scouting. It’s an annual party occasion with
Boy Scout Week as its theme. Perhaps your Blue and Gold party will be in
the form of a potluck where everyone brings his own food, or perhaps
you’ll do it banquet style. However you do it, it will be the basis for
a month of preparation on the part of both Cub Scout Leaders and Cub
Scouts.


=THE UNIFORM=

Encourage parents to look ahead to Boy Scout Week and attempt to have
their boys in complete Cub Scout uniform by February. Cub Scouts will
want to wear their uniforms to school and to church. They will want
their uniforms in spick and span condition.


=SCOUT SUNDAY=

Plan ahead so that your Pack will fit into some scheme for attending
church on the Sunday of Boy Scout Week. If your Pack is sponsored by a
church, perhaps all boys who belong to that church will sit in a body
with their parents on that particular Sunday. Perhaps you could even
work out some plan whereby Cub Scouts will participate in the church
service or prepare an exhibit for the entrance hall of the church.


=YOUR SPONSORING INSTITUTION=

Perhaps your Pack is sponsored by a P.T.A. or a civic club which has
regular monthly meetings. If so, why not start working on a plan where
your Pack might have some part in the February meeting of the
organization. It is not necessary for the Cub Scouts themselves to
attend the meeting, but an exhibit or a display and perhaps several
representatives of the Pack would help to put the spotlight on Boy Scout
Week.


=WINDOW DISPLAYS=

Every Pack should try to prepare a Cub Scout window display in a
community store. If possible, pick a store window which is located in
the neighborhood of your Pack. These are the folks who will be most
interested in what you are doing. You will find some suggestions on Cub
Scout window displays in the January SCOUTING Magazine.


=SPECIAL PUBLICITY=

Urge your Cub Scouts to listen to the radio during Boy Scout Week. There
will be statements about Scouting in connection with all nationwide
programs. Try to fit into this general scheme in your community and get
some Pack news into your community paper.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                     AMERICAN CUB SCOUT DEN IN PERU

[Illustration:

  _By Mrs. A. R. Merz_
  La Oroya, Peru
]


◆ “Gee, mother, all the Cubs are wearing their new uniforms to school
and there’s four—let me see, how many Cubs are there now? I guess five,
Cub caps in a row in the cloakroom, and now the two Scout caps, and,
gee, they look nice!”

It was Boy Scout Week and the five Cub Scouts and two Boy Scouts, whose
uniform accessories had just arrived from BSA Headquarters in New York
were 100% thrilled at the privilege of wearing their new gear every day
to school. The boys are members of Den One and Patrol One, the only
officially registered Scout groups in the Sierra of Peru, and doubtless
the highest in all the world—for the altitude where we live is 12,500
feet.

On January 7, 1947, the parents of the only four boys then eligible to
join any Scout group met and decided that even with so few it would be
worth everyone’s effort to start a Cub Den. We were all members of the
small mining camp (about 50 “gringo” families) of the extensive Cerro de
Pasco Copper Corporation called La Oroya.

Since then, four new boys of Cub Scout age have come to camp and been
admitted, and four of the original five have attained their twelfth
birthdays and are now enjoying their first meetings as a Boy Scout
Neighborhood Patrol. Without exception, the younger boys are all looking
forward to their ninth birthdays so that they may join the envied group
of Cub Scouts.

Our first month was dedicated to getting acquainted with Scouting
literature, its history and intent, and fixing up the gravel-floored
garage loaned to us as meeting place by the Cubmaster. We borrowed the
unused school workbench, decorated walls with Cub Scout plaques,
American and Den Flags, and the framed Den Charter. With the help of
local men, often not themselves fathers of Cub Scouts, we made many
things of wood, tin, and copper during the year. But the regular
meetings are held at the Den Mother’s home, or at the homes of all the
boys in rotation when the Den Mother is out of town.

Our theme for the second month was “Books,” when we learned how to care
for books and specialized in the Reading Achievement. Now the
company-sponsored Inca Club has a children’s book-shelf for the first
time in its thirty years.

During April and May we made musical instruments and practiced using
them—I can hardly say playing them—for a minstrel act that was part of a
five-part program we gave at the end of the school term in June.

In July we had our first “Pack” meeting—the same few boys, but with
their parents and the general manager and his wife as guests. Each boy
personally prepared one dish to be served, and each mother another, so
we had a generous banquet that night in the Golf club.

In December, with “Service” as our theme, we collected odds and ends of
broken or non-used toys and outgrown clothing. By mid-month the garage
was overflowing, and with the mothers we managed to get the hopeless
looking pile reduced to gifts in acceptable condition to distribute to
the poverty-stricken Indian children of Old Oroya.

Now, even as you, we are planning a minstrel show.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                            Music Minstrels
                           THEME for JANUARY
       Pack 370, Portage, Wisconsin and Pack 7, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

[Illustration]

◆ This month there will be musical games, new Cub Scout songs to sing,
and a minstrel show planned and put on. It’s going to be a big month,
and the following ideas will help make it so.

Naturally, we can’t tell you which type of music is most typical in your
section. That is something Pack and Den leaders will discover during
December in preparation for the January theme. School music teachers can
help, as well as most libraries. Each Den can choose a song and do it in
costume for the minstrel show.

Of course, the boys of the Southwest will be singing cowboy songs such
as “Home On the Range,” “Headin’ For the Last Round-Up,” “Cowboy’s
Lament,” The boys of New England may choose to sing sea-farin’ chanteys,
such as “Blow the Man Down,” or “Reuben Ranzo.” (A laughable stunt would
be to have a Cub Scout on stage going through singing motions while a
hidden “_basso profundo_” sings “Rocked In the Cradle of the Deep.”)
Boys of the South will probably sing southern ballads and spirituals.


=HOMEMADE MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS=

You will find this a most popular field with Cub Scouts. They can
actually make instruments that will have musical tones as well as being
comedy take-offs of actual instruments. You will find a page of ideas
for homemade musical instruments on page 17 of this issue of SCOUTING.

Naturally, it’s a lot more fun to make these instruments if the boys
know they are going to use them in your Pack meeting or minstrel show.

Perhaps each Den will have its own “kitchen cabinet” type of band. All
Dens can practice the same songs, then come together at the Pack meeting
in one big band and play them together.

Another interesting field is to make rhythm instruments which boys play
to the tune of a phonograph record. Rhythm instruments include pot cover
cymbals, rattles, blocks of wood, and tin cans.


=CUB SCOUT MUSICIANS=

Perhaps there is a boy in your Den who does most things poorly but plays
or sings well. This is the month he can shine. Encourage boys with
musical instruments to practice their best numbers and play or sing
solos for the minstrel.

You will probably find several boys in your Den, and surely a number in
your Pack, who will be interested in writing Den or Pack words to old
time songs. Occasionally we even find a boy or two who can compose
simple music and words so that a Den can have an entirely original song.


=GROUP AND FAMILY SINGS=

Why not suggest that each Den Mother invite boys and parents of her Den
into her home on a Sunday afternoon. They could sing old time songs
together, and boys who play instruments can put on an informal recital
for parents. Perhaps there will be a dad or mother who can sing a solo.

In addition to Den sings, families will enjoy singing together
occasionally. None of these things will happen—Den Mothers won’t think
to ask the parents over, and boys won’t be asked to play their
instruments—unless you push the idea.


=JANUARY PACK MEETING TIPS=

The Cubmaster or member of the Pack Committee can give a short talk on
the importance of parents looking for opportunities to recognize their
sons for having done projects found in the Achievement Program. Many
times boys will complete projects without realizing they are meeting a
requirement for an Achievement. For example, a boy may make a boat just
because he is going to a lake and would like to have one to sail. Unless
his parents point out that he has met the requirements for the Model
Boats Elective, he may never receive credit for it.

Opportunity should be given for parents to ask questions on the
Achievement Program. The Cubmaster should also cover current items, such
as condition of the Pack Thrift Plan, attendance, etc.


=JOINT MEETING=.

You will find minstrel show tips on page 16, but here are a few
suggestions on how your meeting may be adapted to the minstrel show
idea:

If there are badges to award, award them immediately after the separate
meeting, so you will not cut into minstrel show time. Before the show
explain to the boys the program for the month ahead, and interest them
in the Blue and Gold party.

Skip a formal closing this month. Close your Pack meeting with the grand
finale of the minstrels. Make all announcements before the show begins.
On page 16 you will find some ideas on preparing and staging your
minstrel show. Here we are concerned mostly with the regular Pack
meeting outline.


=Pre-Opening.=

During the pre-opening, boys remain in uniforms rather than wear
minstrel costumes. Save the costumes as a surprise. Each Den should have
a table available for exhibits developed during the month, especially
homemade instruments, music scrapbooks, Cub Scout-composed music, etc.


=Separate Meetings.=

During this period Den leaders, with the help of others if necessary,
should help the boys get ready for the minstrel show. It will not be
difficult in the time allowed, because in most minstrels only end men
wear blackface. Leaders should also make sure the boys know their songs,
jokes, and stories. Just before opening the joint meeting, the boys
should be lined up ready to begin the minstrel.

While the boys are busy reading for the minstrel, the Cubmaster meets
with all parents. Since the January Pack Leaders’ meeting will probably
take place before the January Pack meeting, plans will probably be well
established for the Blue and Gold party in February.

The Cubmaster should explain Blue and Gold plans to parents, doing his
best to build their enthusiasm for making it the high spot of the entire
year. He should explain the way in which food will be handled, announce
the names of those who will serve on committees, etc.

                  *       *       *       *       *

You’ll find specific helps for planning and producing your minstrel
show, as follows: PROGRAMS (“Gentlemen, Be Seated”) page 16; Homemade
MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS page 17, and DEN REHEARSALS (“Den Doings”) page 19.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                               GENTLEMEN
                               Be Seated
            Minstrel Program of Pack 18, Prospect Park, Pa.

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

=Tips For Your Pack Minstrels=

◆ _Program and Publicity_: Plan an attractive mimeographed announcement
for your show, and deliver it to parents in advance.

_Costumes_: Almost anything goes. In some minstrels all actors are
blackface. This appeals to boys, although it presents problems for the
make-up crew. Blackface make-up may be bought at most drug stores. Burnt
cork is an old favorite. In many minstrel shows the cast remains in
white-face with simple costumes, while the end men wear bright, comic
costumes and blackfaces. Either way is good, so take your choice....
It’s a good idea to have all boys except the end men dressed alike. If
they are to be blackfaced, have each bring a black sock which can be
pulled tight over the head to hide the hair. A white shirt with a black
tie (cloth or paper), black trousers and socks, and dark shoes complete
the costume. It also adds a nice effect if every boy can wear white
gloves. Even white canvas work gloves will serve nicely.

_Stage Setting_: If you have a fairly good-sized stage, try to arrange
chairs or benches on different levels so that all performers can be
seen. Decorate the back of the stage with large paper musical notes
pasted on a background of paper, and perhaps a sign reading
“Welcome.”... Footlights and spotlights help the show but are not
necessary for success. You can buy spot bulbs at hardware stores....
Even without a stage, you can arrange your chairs or benches on
different levels so that you have the effect of a stage.

_Program_: Plan your program so you don’t need the entire Pack at
rehearsals. Features which will be participated in by the entire cast
(for example, opening and closing chorus), can be rehearsed by each Den,
then sung together at the show. Here are some good numbers for your
opening chorus: “Dixie,” “Minstrel Days,” “We’re Here For Fun” (see page
6, _Cub Scout Song Book_), “Hello, Hello, Hello,” “When You Wore A
Tulip,” “Down South,” etc.... Each Den can prepare whatever acts time
will allow, and ought to supply at least two solos, either vocal or
instrumental. Solos can be alternated with the Den stunts. The stunts
can include such items as homemade orchestras, Den chorus, Den tap
dance, Den skits, etc.... Much of the success depends upon the end men.
Two or four sit on each side of the front line and pass jokes and
stories back and forth with the interlocutor. The interlocutor can be
either an adult or boy, and it is his job to keep the show running
smoothly and to prompt those who forget their cues. Most libraries have
several books on minstrel shows, and you will find some good stories in
them. Give them a local twist and they will seem funnier.

                                          From “Way Down South in Dixie”
                                          we bring you the one and only
                                          PROSPECT PARK CUB PACK
                                          18’S OWN BIG MINSTREL

                                          May 25th 1948

                              =PROGRAMME=

PART I 7:45 P.M. Opening “Dixie” Entire Company Dens 1, 2 and 4.
Interlocutor’s Welcome Edward Hinderliter

                                 DEN 1

              Saxophone Solo, Specialty Solo, Cornet Solo
                   Chorus Number and End-Men Hilarity

                                 DEN 2

              Selections by the World-Famous Den 2 Chorus
                          and End-Men Jollity

                                 DEN 4

              Musical Duet, Specialty Number Supported by
           Entire Den, the Celebrated Den 4 Chorus Featuring
                     their Den Song, End-Men Mirth
          Closing “Oh Susanna” Entire Company Dens 1, 2 and 4.

                    Graduations, Investures, Awards

                              INTERMISSION

PART II 9:00 P.M. Opening “Dixie” Entire Company Dens 3 and 5.

                                 DEN 3

                  Musical Trio, A Fast-Stepping Duet.
                    World—renown Harmony Boys Chorus
                          and End-Men Hilarity

                                 DEN 5

                A Trick Up His Sleeve, Specialty Number
                by the Famous Den 5 Theatrical Unit and
                           End-Men Merriment
         Finale “Oh Susanna” Entire Company (All Cubs of Pack)

_Remember_: Your minstrel show can succeed without rehearsals of the
entire cast if you plan carefully. It won’t be quite so polished as a
professional minstrel show might be, but your parents and guests will
enjoy it all the same, and will appreciate the fact that you did not
require the boys to go out for special rehearsals.


------------------------------------------------------------------------


                          MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS

[Illustration]

[Illustration]

=UNICORD=

A cigar box and four-foot stick, an “E” string, an old fiddle bow and a
few nails will make it.

Be sure to remove paper from cigar box so it will sound. Make a bow out
of stick and horse hair with resin on it, or borrow an old fiddle bow.

Slide flat metal bar up and down string to make different notes.

[Illustration]

=MUSICAL CANS=

Four 2-qt., four 1-qt. and four 1-pt. cans with different amounts of
water to make a musical scale.

The more water and the larger the can the lower the note. The less water
and the smaller the can, the higher the note.

Put three pieces of sliced cork on the bottom of each can to lift it
above table top. Strike with cork hammer.

[Illustration]

=MARIMBA STICKS OR SLATS=

Dry California Redwood or poplar slats are good. The longer or thicker
they are, the lower the note or pitch. The shorter or thinner they are,
the higher the note or pitch.

Cut shorter or thin down the slats until you have a musical scale.

Lay tuned slats across a cardboard box.

Sprinkle sawdust on them.

Strike lightly and rapidly in center. The sawdust will gather in two
places. These are the spots where there is practically no vibration.
Drive your nails through these spots in attaching to ropes.

Hold rope by loop and strike slats with hammer made from a stick and a
spool padded with cloth.

[Illustration]

BAMBOO PAN PIPES Bamboo tubes with diameter from ⅜ in. to ¼ in. 1st tube
about 7 in. long.

Leave joint at bottom to close it. Grind and cut bamboo tubes shorter
and shorter until you get the right note when blown.

Another way: Test tubes bound together and partly filled with clay will
give different depths and different notes of the scale.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                          _=I was a Den Dad=_

    _By Harold Gifford_
    Los Angeles, Calif.

[Illustration]

◆ Someone asked for volunteers to take over a Den one night at our Pack
58 meeting. Bewildered and afraid, my wife said she would try. After
all, there were just six youngsters from around our block and they were
all nine years old and anxious to get a start in Cub Scouting. The man
in charge of the Pack meeting said it would be nice if one of the dads
would act as Den Dad, so having three boys of my own, out went my neck
and there I was ... Den Dad of Den 5, Pack 58.

The boys learned the Cub Scout Law and Promise, and they also learned
that discipline was the first word in the language. In due time this
became a part of their regular activities. They learned fast, because
when they were obedient they were rewarded with special trips or treats.
And because one fellow’s misbehavior penalized all the others, they
learned by living that the “buddy system” really works.

Our Den meetings always came first. The program was planned so that each
boy could advance within the six month period, and the achievements were
geared into the program so that what we did as fun also resulted in
advancement. And we didn’t have any spoiled boys at 11½ either, because
our program helped them grow into Scouting.

Our Denners were elected by democratic vote, with ability, interest, and
progress as the prerequisites. Believe me, it worked, and we never had
any real problem with our Denners ... either before, during, or after
they took office.

Yes, our Den had its problems. I remember one boy who just couldn’t
read. His athletic ability was nil but you should have seen his
beautiful art work. Another boy was a bully, but one day one of the
little fellows, who had practiced diligently for weeks, used a swell
one-two punch during a Den parents’ meeting show, and the bully never
gave us any trouble again. In fact, he became one of the fairest,
squarest shooters in the Den. Any personal problem of any of our boys
was handled secretly by the Den Mother, and many a mother called to
express her grateful thanks for help in home problems involving her son.

We were pretty regular in our recognition for handicrafts and attendance
at the monthly Pack meeting, and our skits and stunts were mighty good.
The highest honor ever given any of us was when we were invited to
present our puppets at the Council Cubbers Pow Wow. One of the mothers
of the Den made puppets as her hobby, and after a while every boy in the
Den was in the act in the many stories we told with these little acting
dolls.

Every one of our boys was taught to mend his clothes and do simple
cooking. He learned a lot of handicrafts, but most of all he learned to
be clean in every sense, and to be courteous and friendly.

All of this happened during the war years ... at a time when most folks
were singing the blues that we couldn’t get leaders ... that we were too
busy to worry about the little fellows ... that we had a war to win and
nothing else counted.

All true stories must come to an end. But my wife and I had our real
thank-you as Den Mother and Den Dad when twelve of our thirteen Cub
Scouts graduated with Webelos Honors into Scouting, and even the
thirteenth, the lad who couldn’t learn to read, graduated too, though
without the added honor of the Arrow of Light on his uniform. The last
time we checked, ten of our boys were still in Scouting, and four of
them will come up for their Eagle Rank together at the next Court of
Honor.

Of course, as Den Dad I did a behind-the-scenes job, but I worked
closely with the Den Mother even though I couldn’t often attend the
afternoon Den meetings.

Yessir, I was a Den Dad. All three of my boys are in Scouting, one an
Eagle Scout with Palms, one a Star Scout, and the third a Wolf Cub Scout
heading for Bear. My wife? She is still a Scout widow as I continue to
be active in our District, but she shares with me the thrill of seeing
her boys receive honor after honor in the best boy program on earth ...
Scouting.

Mister, if YOU want to enjoy life a little more ... be a Den Dad. It’s
fun!!!


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                             _=DEN DOINGS=_


◆ Most of the following Den suggestions come from material developed by
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Starr of Corning, New York. The material was used as
a part of their “Fun With Music” Theme.

[Illustration]

_Pre-Opening._ Play some spirited patriotic records and marches on a
phonograph. Feature a march such as the “Marine Hymn,” and each Den can
make up its own words. This project can extend through all four Den
meetings.

For music during the pre-opening Mrs. Starr recommends Decca Album
number 50, “Patriotic Songs For Children.”


_Opening._ Use phonograph or piano to accompany the boys in the “Star
Spangled Banner.”

_Business Items._ Leaders explain Music and Minstrels theme and discuss
Den’s part in minstrel show. This need not be finally determined until
next Den Meeting.


_Activities._ Pin pictures of musical instruments on boys’ backs. They
ask questions of each other which can be answered “yes” or “no” until
each discovers the name of the instrument he wears.

Practice the song the Pack has chosen for chorus of minstrel show. Also
practice any other general songs to be used in the show.


_Closing._ Sing again the closing chorus for the minstrel show.

[Illustration]

_Pre-Opening._ Tell the story of some special music or composer such as
Stephen Foster.


_Opening._ Sing one of the choruses to be used in the Pack minstrel
show.


_Business Items._ Den Mother leads Den in discussion to decide what the
Den will do at the Pack minstrel show.


_Activities._ Spend some time working as a group on words for the song
chosen at the first meeting. Try some musical charades. Each Cub Scout
acts out the title of a song while others guess its name. After the name
is guessed the Cub leads his Den in the song. Rehearse Den’s part in
minstrel show.


_Closing._ Teach the Cub Scouts an old time spiritual such as “Swing Low
Sweet Chariot” and “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho.” The _Fireside
Book of Songs_, published by Simon & Schuster, will give Den Mothers
lots of ideas.

[Illustration]

_Pre-Opening._ Pick a simple radio theme song such as the “Duz” song and
let each boy write his own words for the music. Here is what one Cub
Scout in Mr. Starr’s Pack composed:


                         CUB CUB

                    Cubs can do most anything
                    Cubs can stand the test you see.
                    When you ask them why this is,
                    They say we’ll try anything.


_Opening._ All teach their songs to the Den.


_Business Items._ Den Mother and Den Chief check up on costumes,
properties, etc., for Pack minstrel show.


_Activities._ Musical Guessing Game. One Cub Scout sings a song silently
in front of the Den while others try to read his lips. As each Cub Scout
guesses the song, he joins the first boy and sings the song silently
with him. When everyone has guessed the song, the Den sings it aloud.
Play another game of your own choice unrelated to the musical theme.
Rehearse the Den’s part for the minstrel show. It should be really
polished this time. Also rehearse the choruses which are to be sung by
the entire cast.


_Closing._ Sing a quiet song such as “Now the Day Is Over.”

[Illustration]

_Pre-Opening._ Hold a dress rehearsal for the minstrel show. During the
pre-opening, Cub Scouts put on their minstrel show costumes. Blackface
is not necessary for the rehearsal.


_Opening._ Rather than follow through with the formal Den meeting, use
time to rehearse the Den’s acts for the minstrel show. Teach Cub Scouts
some rounds. Mr. and Mrs. Starr recommend the _Blue Book_ published by
Hall & McCreary Co. Good rounds are: “Scotland’s Burning,” “Sweetly
Sings the Donkey,” “Row Row Row Your Boat,” “Three Blind Mice” and “Are
You Sleeping?”


_Closing._ Rehearse the Den song which was composed by the boys at the
first Den Meeting.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                             _=CUB SCOUT=_
                            =TREASURE CHEST=

[Illustration]

◆ =MAGIC KIT AND PUZZLE KIT=

The Supply Service of the Boy Scouts of America has brought out two new
kits which we think will be very popular with Cub Scouts. One of these
kits is a new Cub Scout Magic Box. It’s filled with material to perform
tricks suitable for boys of Cub Scout age.

The kit is packed in an attractive Cub Scout box. You can get the Magic
Kit through your Boy Scout dealer. If he doesn’t have it in stock, your
Boy Scout office will order it for you. (Catalog No. 1888, priced at
$2.)

Cub Scouts will also find the Cub Scout Puzzle Box interesting. The box
is filled with the sort of tricks boys can try on their dads. The Puzzle
Kit may also be purchased through your Boy Scout dealer or ordered
through the Boy Scout Office. (Catalog No. 1887, price $2.)

Both of these Kits would make wonderful Christmas gifts for Cub Scouts.


=GOT A GAME?=

A lot of digging goes on before the Cub Scouting section of SCOUTING
Magazine reaches you each month. We do our best to make available to you
information which will help you in the planning of your Pack programs.
Naturally we cannot give you enough to make it unnecessary for you to do
some thinking too. Our purpose is to give you just enough information to
stimulate your own thinking and planning.

One of the areas where we need some help is that of games. We can keep
passing games along to you, but we would like to be able to give you
games which other Cub Scout leaders have successfully used in their Dens
and Packs. The only way we can do that is for you to send us the
favorite games of your Den.

Would it help you if we were to start a Favorite Games Department?
Perhaps we could print two or three favorite games each month. You would
know that they were games which had been successfully used in Cub
Scouting in some section of the country.

Would you like such a favorite games column in your SCOUTING Magazine?
If so, send us your favorite game, and we will consider it your vote in
favor of the Department. Tell us just enough about your game so that we
can understand it. You need not worry about making it polished writing.
We’ll edit it. If the game you send us has not been used in our
literature, and if it’s the type of game we can use, then we will
publish it and give you credit for sending it.

Got a game?


                   =CUBS OF REGION FOUR=
                 (_Tune: The Marine Corps Hymn_)

                From the shores of blue Lake Erie
                  To the hills of Kentuckee,
                You will see our banner flying,
                  O’er this great land of the free.

                         (Chorus)

                We’re the Wolf Cubs, Bear Cubs, Lion Cubs
                  And Akela we adore.
                You will always find us on the job,
                  We’re the Cubs of Region Four.

                We work and play, we laugh and sing,
                  We always do our best.
                We give good will whene’er we can,
                  For Cubs can stand the test.

                         (Repeat Chorus)

                Our uniform is blue and gold
                  Our shoes are shining bright.
                Our health is good, our spirit’s high,
                  And everything’s all right.

                         (Repeat Chorus)


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                            SCOUTING SHORTS

[Illustration]

                                  for
                           BOY SCOUT LEADERS

           ⚜ <— FOLLOW THIS TRAIL SIGN STARTING EACH ARTICLE

[Illustration]

⚜ =Troop Announcements=

Scoutmasters who are also photographers, or who have photographers on
the Troop Committee or among their obliging friends, have an easy way of
turning out interest-catching cards announcing Troop meetings, hikes,
and other events.

Use a snapshot of a recent hike or camp. Print the photo in one corner
of a piece of photographic paper, cut to post card size, (or a regular
postcard photo stock sold in many shops). Write the announcement in the
white space surrounding the picture, stick on a one cent stamp, and
leave the rest to Uncle Sam. The sample above shows the type of card
sent out by Scoutmaster S. L. Lenington, of Troop 207, Denison, Texas.
He says it works nicely.


=Stop That Hacking=

When the Meshingomesia Council Camp Staff, of Marion, Indiana, began to
take stock of the trees in camp, their observations rocked them right to
the ground. Not that Scouts were intentionally destructive—but careless
hacking, needless bark stripping, and the typical American habit of
carving initials on anything and everything in sight—all had been
combined to completely ruin some trees, partly destroy others, and at
the very least, deface the natural beauty of the woods.

Several schemes were suggested to stop these careless habits, and one
proved most successful. Whenever a batch of campers arrived, they were
lined up with their axes and knives in front of them. Each Scout gave
the Scout Sign and repeated “On my honor I do promise to protect all
plants and animals in our Scout Camp, being particularly careful with my
knife and axe, not cutting any tree or shrub without permission.”


=Bugs and Flowers=

Scoutmasters who are embarrassed when eager beavers run up and ask “What
kind of a bug is this?” or “What flower is that?” will welcome two new
books, both published by Doubleday and Company, Garden City, New York.

_The Insect Guide_ by Dr. Ralph B. Swain, a former Scout, is a
very-easy-to-use book. Instead of describing the individual species, Dr.
Swain tells how to recognize the larger, more easily remembered insect
families and orders. Four hundred and fifty illustrations—330 in full
color, make the job of question-answering that much easier. Equally
interesting is the material on how to find, capture, observe and
preserve different insects. As a hike or camp activity, insect
observation can be good program material, if you know how to do it. This
pocket guide supplies the answers.

Also recommended for the Troop library is _Wild Flower Guide_, by Dr.
Edgar T. Wherry. Actual use with Scouts has proved this to be an
easy-to-follow guide. For example: if you find a flower and wonder what
it is, refer to the appendix, where flowers are classified according to
color. Run down the list and eliminate those which you know the flower
isn’t. Then look for possibilities of what it might be. The
illustrations, many in color, make the job easier. The description of
each flower is complete.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                          _GIVE DADS A CHANCE_

[Illustration:

  Photo by Carl W. Eysenbach
  Lakewood, Ohio
]


When Mr. West called his Committee at ten o’clock on a Saturday night to
pose for a picture at noon on Sunday, he found that six men were out of
town. The other nineteen are shown here. That’s a good example of the
Committee cooperation Mr. West describes in this article.


    _By Gerry West_
    Scoutmaster, Troop 78
    Lakewood, Ohio

⚜ We start getting a dad’s interest when his boy joins the Troop. The
boy is invited to a meeting by a Scout. We make him welcome, tell him to
look us over and we’ll look him over too. After he’s been to a meeting
or two we talk to him about passing Tenderfoot tests, and tell him when
he’s ready to come to our home. We ask him to bring dad along to meet
us.

So, the evening we’ve both agreed upon arrives. So does the Scout-to-be
and his dad. We set them at ease and start to pass the boy on his tests.
He’s ready all right and does a good job, and we make it a point to let
him know it. Then we tell of the 2nd Class requirements, how simple they
are to pass, and how with a little bit of help from dad there is no
reason why he shouldn’t be Eagle in a couple of years.

Dad, pleased that his son is on the first step of Scouting, is in a
receptive mood, so we go on to explain the fun in Scouting for man and
boy, how winter camps are the highlight of our Troop activities and how
other dads go along on these camps.

Our Troop registers about thirty-six Scouts every year and this year we
registered twenty-four dads. They are Scouters and take an active
interest in problems confronting the Committee. On the average, we have
no less than fifteen dads at every monthly Committee meeting. Not
everyone can make every meeting, but all can and do pitch in whenever we
have a special project to work on.

For instance, we needed money to buy camping equipment a year or so ago.
One dad took over as chairman of the project which turned out to be a
waste paper and magazine drive. He rallied twenty-eight Scouts and
twenty dads and their cars. We put $250 into the Troop treasury and had
a swell time doing it.

Four of the dads on the Troop Committee act as a Board of Review for the
Troop. Then at the subsequent Court of Honor this same group along with
other members of the Committee sit on the Court and make the awards. At
these Courts of Honor we make it a point to invite and expect every
mother and dad to attend—even though their son may not be up for an
award. We know he will be at a future Court, and know his mother and dad
would want the same cooperation and interest shown by other parents.

As I’ve said, we like to go camping, to spend long week-ends in the
woods, and when one of these week-ends comes along another dad steps
into the picture. He’s our Transportation Chairman and it’s his job to
see that the Scouts get to and from camp.

Because our dads come from every walk of life and all kinds of
businesses, we look into their daily jobs or hobbies for special talents
that might be employed at a Troop meeting. One of our dads is Lieutenant
Commander in the Coast Guard, so some weekend this fall the Troop will
take a trip and visit the local Coast Guard Station and see how it is
operated, and incidentally look over and into the workings of a
submarine stationed there.

No you won’t get them all. You’ll run across the dad who just can’t do
much because of his job, and you’ll run across the dad just not
interested—even the fellow who is most willing to have you take the boys
to camp, his boy included, and not even be able to lend a hand with
transportation. Don’t let these few discourage you however, nor cause
you to slacken your efforts to ask the next dad who comes along. Don’t
be afraid to go out and ask for help. Give your dads a chance and you’ll
have more fun in Scouting, you’ll have a better Troop and you’ll have an
easier job.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                        TROOP PLANS FOR JANUARY

[Illustration]

                                 THEME
                               HANDICRAFT
                                 SKILLS

Build Scout Week Displays, Model Making, Make Camp, Activities
Equipment, Handicraft


⚜ January is essentially a month of preparation for Scout anniversary
week, and since local activities vary so much over the country, it is
difficult to suggest four weekly meetings that will be usable by every
Troop. Some Units will devote the entire month to preparation for window
displays and live expos, open-house nights, Scout Sunday, participation
in Council or District activities and other events celebrating
Scouting’s birthday. Other Troops will be able to carry on such
preparation, and still spend time on training in some skill or series of
Scoutcraft projects.

The Scoutmaster’s Program Notebook suggests handicraft as the theme for
the month—building Scout Week displays, model making, and making camp
and activities equipment.


=First Week=

Opening—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook, pages 142-144)

Game—Crows and Cranes (page 30)

Scoutcraft—Demonstration of what to make for the Scout Week window
  display. Each Patrol to collect material and make one part of exhibit.
  Explanation of what skills will be demonstrated in live expo, and
  assignments made to Patrols (pages 8, 9)

Patrol Corners—Patrol business. Attendance, dues. Start planning Patrol
  part in Troop window display and live expo. Continue preparation at
  weekly Patrol Meeting.

Game—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook, page 422)

Announcements—Scout Week Plans. Winter Camp. Scoutmaster’s Minute.

Closing—Songs (Songs Scouts Sing)


=Second Week=

Opening—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook, pages 142-144)

Game—MM! U See ’Um (page 30)

Scoutcraft—Start collecting Patrol material for Window display. Practice
  for live expo. Plan for open house, parent’s night, or part in Council
  or District activities.

Patrol Corners—Patrol business. Continue work on handicraft for window
  display, or making camp and activities equipment. Practice for Patrol
  part in live expo, or other Troop activity.

Game—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook—page 422)

Announcements—Progress of Scout Week plans. Troop business. Winter camp.
  Scoutmaster’s Minute.

Closing—Songs


=Third Week=

Opening—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook, pages 142-144)

Game—Newspaper Study, (page 30)

Scoutcraft—Winter camping techniques—clothing, equipment, menu planning
  (pages 26-27) (See also November SCOUTING, page 16)

Patrol Corners—Patrol business. Continue handicraft activities. Practice
  for live expo, open house, or parents’ night demonstrations.

Game—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook, page 422)

Announcement—Scout Week plans. Winter camp. Scoutmaster’s Minute.

Closing—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook)


=Fourth Week=


Opening—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook, pages 142-144)

Game—(Page 30)

  Scoutcraft—Plans for Winter Camp. Tent pitching, bed making, keeping
  warm, cooking, etc. (Pages 26 and 27, also November SCOUTING, page 16)

Patrol Corners—Finish preparation for Scout Weeks handicraft and live
  expo, or skill demonstration for open house. Hold dress rehearsal, for
  staff of part in live expo and open house. Turn in all handicraft
  projects, ready for placing in window.

Game—(Scoutmaster’s Handbook—page 422)

Announcements—Meeting place for start of camp trip. Scout Week plans.
  Scoutmaster’s Minute.

Closing—Songs.


=Overnight Camp=

  P.M.

 3:15 Troop meets. Patrol Leaders check Patrols. Inspection of Packs.

 3:30 Leave for camp site.

 4:30 Arrival at camp site. Half of Patrol pitches tents, makes beds,
  etc. Other half prepares dinner.

 6:00 Dinner

 6:30 Clean-up. Inspection of Campsite.

 7:00 Games

 8:30 Campfire

 9:00 Taps


      _2nd Day_

 7:30 Get up. Build fires. Cook breakfast.

 8:15 Breakfast. Clean-up.

 9:00 Inspection of camp

 9:30 Winter nature hike. Look for tracks and other animal signs (and
  animals themselves). Make casts of tracks for Patrol Den.

11:00 Start lunch.

12:00 Lunch. Clean-up.

 1:00 Games

 2:30 Break camp.

 3:00 Leave for home.

 4:00 Arrive home.


Handicraft ideas will be found in December BOY’S LIFE and in the
Handbook for Boys. Look in your Scoutmaster’s Program Notebook for list
of free BOY’S LIFE reprints suggesting handicraft projects.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                         SCOUT WEEK _Adventure_
                        _By William E. Lawrence_
                        Director of Boy Scouting


=_In Fun and Fellowship_=

It seems strange that FUN must be emphasized as a feature of Scouting.
For that’s what Scouts expect when they join a Troop. That’s what they
must get if we are going to keep them interested ... but it should be
fun with a purpose, a dignified sort of fun that Scouts will always
remember.

New games and inter-Patrol contests; better Patrol and Troop meetings;
stunt nights; special features, such as Troop attendance at the big
basketball game or a Troop swim at the school or “Y” pool; wide games on
every hike and camp; these are only some ways to make Scouting fun.

And don’t overlook fellowship. One way to stimulate wholesome
companionship is to see to it that every boy is in the Patrol where he
fits—in a Patrol where he has friends, common interests with the other
fellows, a leader he will gladly follow, activities he helps to plan and
responsibilities he has to carry out for the welfare of his gang.

THERE IS adventure in fun and fellowship and it’s up to us to provide
opportunities for it.


=_In the Out-of-Doors_=

Many times, when boys drop out of Scouting they tell us it is because
“we didn’t go hiking or camping often enough” or “our program is always
the same old stuff.” Scouts want to go OUT. We must take them out—out
where they can master the skills of the pioneer, explorer, woodsman, or
sportsman.

Scouting has the program for the out-of-doors—hiking and camping. But
let’s make it hiking and camping with a purpose—to explore wilderness
areas, catch bigger fish, track wild animals, tramp the trails of the
old pioneers. Let’s help Scouts learn outdoor skills—but then, let’s
give them a chance to use those skills in seeking adventure.

Every Scout has the right to a rugged outdoor experience, for Scouting
means outdoor adventure.

⚜ “Adventure—that’s Scouting.” But what is adventure? Webster says that
it’s “That which happens without design ... hazard ... a bold
undertaking ... a remarkable occurrence ... a striking event ... a
stirring incident.”

To adult minds such a definition conjures up visions ... leaving the
commonplace, going into the unknown. And ... most of us find it only in
reading about the great and hazardous adventures of others.

We go with Perry and Stefansson to the Arctic or with Shackleton,
Amundsen, Scott and Byrd to the Antarctic.

We go up the Mississippi with DeSoto or down it with LaSalle.

Or we thrill to the determination, courage and excitement in the
conquest of Mt. Everest, or in flying faster than sound.

Perhaps we as adults have few things happen to us now that we call
adventures. But ... let’s not forget that adventure is a relative thing.

A boy may put up a front of being sophisticated but he hasn’t lived long
enough to get around much. There are still plenty of bold undertakings,
remarkable occurrences and stirring incidents ahead for him.

Can’t you recall some of your own early adventures? They’d seem pretty
tame to you now ... but were they then?

Within the last few years I have hiked and camped in some of the places
where I hiked and camped as a Scout. I’ve been surprised to find that
the forests are now only small wooded areas ... the mountains I climbed
just hills ... the wide lakes hardly more than ponds.

Adventure to a boy is something that is new and different ... a change
of surroundings ... experiencing new things in new ways.

It is this promise of adventure ... of camping and of life in the
outdoors that lures the boy into Scouting.

We must keep faith with him by giving him that adventure ... not just to
satisfy him but because it is the best way we have of holding his
interest. And ... only as we hold his interest can we influence his
development.

But if we give a boy a good, old-fashioned, rugged brand of Scouting ...
if we teach him to take care of himself ... if once a month we take him
to a not-too-distant spot with a pack on his back ... have him sleep on
the ground and cook his meals ... he will have adventure.

Here, with his Patrol and Troop he will establish a temporary
settlement. He will meet the problems of shelter and food and learn to
get along with his fellows. Every new experience will bring new problems
to be solved.

As he grows in ability, his experiences can become longer and more
difficult and thus more adventurous. Opportunities to live outdoors in
rain and snow should be sought. In this way he may learn additional
skills which come only from living with, and mastering difficulties.

When he can light a fire and keep warm with wet wood, pitch his tent,
and make his bed in a rainstorm ... then he will have had adventures and
through them learned a lot about self reliance.

Remember Webster’s definition ... “a bold undertaking ... a remarkable
occurrence ... a striking event ... a stirring incident.”

They are all there. You can find them as you work and plan your Troop
program.

If you do, you will help boys to know themselves. You will develop in
them a feeling of responsibility toward others. You will go far toward
enriching the life of a boy through his Scouting experience.

This can be _your_ “bold undertaking” ... your “striking event” ... your
“stirring incident.” This can be your adventure in Scouting!

Five adventure highlights for Boy Scout Week are spotlighted below.
Start them in February, but keep going the rest of the year. These are
the elements which will bring adventure to the boys in your Troop.


                         =_In Special Events_=

Everybody loves a BIG SHOW—almost every scout gets a kick out of
performing for his family, friends and neighbors. The special events
suggested for Boy Scout Week give Scouts a chance to be recognized.

Feb. 6th—Scout Sunday—attend religious services in uniform and take part
in the service.

Feb. 8th—Anniversary Day—revive the custom of re-pledging oneself to the
Scout Oath and Law at 8:15 p.m. Scouts all over the country will be
doing the same thing at the same time.

Feb. 7-11—Troop Meeting night—Open House program. (Get the new “Open
House” booklet from your Local Council.) Fun, demonstrations,
recognition of advancement, Report to parents and parent institutions on
Adventure in Citizenship.

Scouting in schools—assembly program and demonstration.

Feb. 12th—A day in the open—hike or camp activities appropriate for
locality and individual Troop.


                           =_In Citizenship_=

Remember last year’s Report to the Nation when Troops reported on their
service projects for the coming year—1948? This is the pay-off year,
when we report on what we did instead of what we plan to do. This is the
time to check up on your community Good Turns, service to your sponsor,
and other service projects. Plan new and bigger activities for Scout
Week—1949, and for the rest of the year. But don’t stop with plans—do
something!

There is adventure in Citizenship when Scouts come to realize that they
are citizens of the world too. There is no better time to revive an
interest in the World Friendship Fund to help Scouts in other lands.
Food packages are more important than ever.

Review now the results of our promises—and make even more challenging
ones for 1949.


                           =_In Leadership_=

Every Scoutmaster knows how important his junior leaders are—Patrol
Leaders, Senior Patrol Leader, Junior Assistant Scoutmaster, Scribe and
others. This hard working staff comes in for little credit except on
rare occasions. It will boost their morale, raise them a little higher
in the esteem of their fellows if they are properly recognized for their
leadership jobs. It will point up to parents and friends the way
Scouting helps boys develop their latent leadership ability.

Den Chiefs, too, should be recognized for the important part they
play—recognized in the Troop, before fellow Scouts, parents and friends.

A special investiture for Troop leaders at the Open House, or another
special occasion would be the ideal way to recognize this leadership.
Make it short, make it impressive. Make the Scouts feel that they are
appreciated. Point up their work as adventure in living—as well as
adventure in Scouting.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                             DOIN’ IT RIGHT

[Illustration:

  _By William H. Wadsworth_
  Asst. Scout Executive, Onandaga Council, Syracuse, N.Y.
]


⚜ There are two ways to get the know-how of winter camping. One is the
hard way, by trial and error, the other is profiting by the experience
of others. We did it the hard way, which has certain advantages; once
you learn a trick, you don’t forget it. But, we’re happy to let you in
the easy way, so let’s take first things first:

[Illustration]

=Packing=

We usually have each Patrol get personal equipment together and lay it
out in neat piles. Patrol equipment and food is divided equally into as
many piles as Scouts in the Patrol. We consider both weight and bulk,
and try to even it up.

It’s a good idea to fill your cook pots (we use five No. 10 cans) with
food or small articles which might possibly be greasy, or break or
freeze, and place in the top of your pack. If blankets are on the
outside (get them inside if possible) protect them from the weather by
rolling in waterproof groundcloth. Don’t have the end of your blanket
roll exposed. (We found we could keep the Patrol canteen from freezing
by putting it in the middle of a bedroll.)

[Illustration]

=Clothing and Equipment=

As you travel and begin to heat up, peel off layers of clothing. Several
layers are warmer than a few heavy pieces. This goes for socks as well
as shirts. Air space gives good insulation. If it’s raining or snowing,
be sure to wear a water-repellent outer garment, removing the inner
layers and packing them in the flap of your pack. You’ll want
them—dry—later at night. In snow country, specially after a fresh
snowfall, you’ll find a large amount of snow constantly dropping off
trees onto your pack, your back, and down your neck. Carry a small stiff
brush to remove it. Keep the brush handy in an outside pocket for
removing snow from clothes and equipment. “It’s easier to keep ’Em dry
than to dry ’Em out!”

Damp socks may be dried during the night by laying them flat across your
stomach outside whatever night clothing you are wearing. In cold
country, shoes should be dried before the fire and placed inside or
under your bedroll for the night. I’ll never forget the time we had the
first really cold night and left our ski boots outside the bedroll. They
were like rocks and it took some time to soften them enough to get our
feet in them.

We are strong believers in the Swedish bow saw in country where we do a
great deal of wood cutting. We cut bed logs to hold the dead leaves,
boughs, or grass. We cut poles for our tents and reflector fires. We cut
large base logs on which to build the fire to keep it from burning
itself out of sight in deep snow. I’ll never forget the day we “lost our
fire” when we were on a day hike. We were in a large frozen swamp and
had made fires to cook our lunch. You should have seen the expression on
one face when, with a hiss and sputter of steam, his fire disappeared
into the water, leaving his hot dog dangling above floating charcoal.

One reason for emphasis on the bow saw, is that it does twice the work
with half the energy. Wood fills with frost in winter and axes bounce
instead of cut, no matter how sharp they may be.

In winter look for just the opposite type of campsite you would select
in summer. Instead of a shaded open knoll, seek low lands, if they are
frozen, where trees are thick and provide good windbreak. Places you
never visit in summer suddenly come into their own for winter camping.

A small roll of copper wire will come in handy for many things. One
fellow always carries about four wire pothooks of varying sizes. Oh yes,
he can make a wood pothook, but that takes time, and often when we have
made camp a little late because of a long trip or late start, his
pothooks come in mighty handy. He also added pot bags to our list.
Strange as it may seem, we don’t have one Scout who likes to wash the
black off pots; thus, if we are making only one camp, we just crush the
#10 cans and bury them. When we use a regular pot, we just wash the
inside, pack it full of other food and equipment, and slip on the pot
bag, which prevents it from dirtying up our pack.

[Illustration:

  by Remington Schuyler
]

=Tents=

Tentage is a story in itself. We use the Tab tent (SCOUTING, December,
1947), which is a rectangular, suspended tent. It has thirty-seven tabs
which give us a chance to pitch it in many different ways, each
providing twenty-inch walls, which make for more room and efficient use
of the tent’s interior. For winter camping we pitch it with an open
front in either winter baker, forester, or explorer style, using
forty-penny nails or logs to anchor it on frozen ground, or logs or
sticks buried in deep snow. We like logs best; the same logs can be used
for bed logs with the Tab tent. We bank the tent well with grass,
leaves, or snow—for that wind can whistle under an open edge too easily.

We have a favorite tripod fire crane which works perfectly under any
conditions—frozen ground, in snow, or mud. It eliminates cutting
crotched sticks and pounding them into hard or frozen ground. The three
uprights may be dead or live wood fastened at the top with a small piece
of rope, wire, or even a neckerchief. The lug pole is green wood about
an inch in diameter. This rig can be easily moved as your fire changes,
and works well with any type of fire lay.

Don’t forget a small food cloth for keeping food and cooking equipment
off the ground. Keep one pot on the fire for a constant hot water
supply; it will come in handy in a dozen ways and is an excellent first
aid precaution. It is easier to melt snow in water than in a bare pot
where it must be stirred to keep from burning. Let each individual
prepare his own beverage with boiling water and the beverage powder he
prefers. This saves tying up another pot.

A good ground cloth is essential. Make it large enough to go under and
over your bedroll. Build your bed of dried leaves, grass, or boughs.
Don’t rely on that summer sleeping bag alone—extra blankets are
necessary. Newspapers are good insulation. Sleep with your head to the
highest part of the tent so that your breath won’t freeze and form a
hoarfrost on the tent and fall off onto your blankets.

One fellow hit on a good idea on our last trip. At night he prepared his
tinder, kindling, and firewood in three neat piles inside his tent. When
morning came, he extended one arm, in went the kindling, a match, and
it’s lighted, with him still in bed. A stick or two of wood and things
began to warm up. By the time he had to get up, he didn’t miss his warm
blankets ... well, not much.

We carry two pairs of long underwear. The one worn during the day is
taken off and dried at night when going to bed and when it is warm. The
next morning clothes are put on over the set of underwear worn during
the night, eliminating too much exposure of bare skin—an important
point, especially when you are inside that bare skin.

First aid precautions in cold weather differ from regular summer first
aid; shock is greatly intensified in cold weather. Blankets and canteen
hot water bottle are handy. How to treat for frostbite is required
knowledge. Make preparations against snow blindness in northern regions.
Temporary sunglasses may be made with cardboard, cloth, or wood with
slits cut through, fastened in place with adhesive tape. Watch out for
your feet. Wear several layers of light wool socks with large sized
waterproof shoes, shoe packs, or ski boots. Tight-fitting ski boots will
cause you trouble. Lay down boughs or branches around your fire; you can
walk on them and thus keep your feet out of wet snow or mud caused by
the fire’s heat.

You’ll pick up other ideas as you go along. It’s not difficult, and you
don’t need special equipment or skill. All you need is the spirit of
adventure—the spirit your Scouts have—and the desire to try something
different. It’s fun.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                   =_THE EARLY SCOUT GETS THE BIRD_=


⚜ Killing two birds with one stone may have been satisfactory in the old
days, but in these days of inflation we figured we should be able to
knock off at least six birds, figuratively speaking of course.

It all started at a Committee meeting when we were looking around for a
Scout Week window display idea. A mass display of bluebird houses made
by the Scouts was suggested. But just making birdhouses as a craft
project did not seem too practical, unless we could put the houses to
use and get birds to nest in them. But why couldn’t we do that? We
could. We did. And this is how it worked:

[Illustration:

  Boards were cut and kits were assembled in the basement workshops of
    Committeemen and friends.
  _Wolf Photo_
]

First of all, each Committeeman made one birdhouse, using the pattern
shown here and an old apple crate or scrap lumber. That was to prepare
the Committeeman to help the boys. It also gave us a start with ten
houses.

Then each Scout was given a copy of the pattern and asked to make a
house in the next week. Most of the fellows came through and we had
twenty more. Now we were ready for mass production.

We scouted the lumberyards in town, and the building projects for scrap
lumber—1″ thick boards in various lengths and widths. Everyone was
cooperative and we got all the wood we needed. We bought the nails, and
then looked around for a “basement shop” or woodworking hobbyist to help
us prefabricate the birdhouses. The power saw was easily found, and we
went to work sawing up the boards to the proper sizes.

[Illustration:

  Birdhouses were used first in Scout Week window display and later were
    placed out in orchard country.
  _Frederick Avery Photo_
  _Wolf Photo_
]

Then we tied up the boards into “kits,” each kit containing all the
makings of a house. In Patrol Meetings, the Scouts assembled the houses.
That gave us something over 150 more houses.


=Window Display=

When the houses were complete, just before Scout Week, we gathered them
all together and built our window display. The photo shows what it
looked like. But the photo doesn’t show all the interest it aroused.


=Mapping=

The craft work “bird” and the window display were knocked off—now for
setting up the houses. The Buffalo Ornithological Society helped us, and
we placed them along fifty miles of highways radiating out from town.
The houses were placed in orchard country, with the approval of the land
owners. Each group made a sketch map of the roads along which they set
up houses, and we put the segments together to make a large map showing
the location of all the houses.

[Illustration:

  A map was made to show the location of each birdhouse so that
    check-ups could be made during the nesting season.
  _Wolf Photo_
]


  =Bird Study=

  Of course the chief purpose of the project was to attract birds and
  provide nesting places for them. So two more “birds” fell before our
  one stone. Weekly hikes, during the spring, gave Scouts a chance to
  see how successful the housing development was. Every house was
  checked and the tenants carefully observed. Landlords can’t be too
  careful these days. We found that we housed more than 400 young birds.

                     _THE EARLY SCOUT GETS THE BIRD_

[Illustration:

  _By H. B. Hammill, Jr._
  Committeeman, Troop 64,
  Williamsville, N.Y.
]

  In the fall too, hikes were necessary, to check on the houses to see
  how they were standing up, and also to clean them out. Bluebirds won’t
  use a house that contains the remnants of a last year’s nest. So the
  houses were all cleaned to be ready for the 1949 season.


  =Community Service=

  Of course there is one more “bird” that we haven’t mentioned yet—and
  probably the most important. This was one of the best community
  service projects we could try. For bluebirds are insect eating birds,
  and one family in one season can destroy an unbelievable number of
  harmful insects. Attracting the birds to orchard country should
  certainly help to improve the apple crop—at the same time the birds
  are among the first to arrive in spring and they stay all summer. They
  are colorful, cheerful birds and their very presence should help to
  make some people happier—just to see and listen to them.

  So that’s our birdhouse story. It was a project that lasted for six
  months. It is good Scouting all the way through, and it was not hard
  to organize. We heartily recommend it to others. But remember! The
  early Scouts get the bird! Start it now, so the houses are up by the
  end of February. Bluebirds come early and prefer “weathered” houses.
  You too, can “kill” six birds with one stone.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                            YOUR SCOUTCRAFT
                              _GAME FILE_

[Illustration]

  [Sidenote: INDOOR OUTDOOR LARGE ACTIVE NO EQUIP.]

                    FUN HALF TROOP TEAMS FACING LINES
                            =CROWS AND CRANES=

  _Equipment_: None.

  _Method_: Divide Troop into two teams, lined up, facing each other in
  center of room or cleared space. Teams 2-3 ft. apart, one called
  “Crows,” the other “Cranes.” Leader calls out one of these names,
  rolling “r,” as: “Cr-r-r-rows” or “Cr-r-r-ranes.” All on team named
  must turn and run to wall or given line in back of them. If a player
  is tagged by an opponent before reaching wall, he is captured and
  becomes member of other team. This is kept up until all players are on
  one side. Leader can add fun by giving occasional false alarms—for
  example: “Cr-r-r-rabs” or “Cr-r-r-rash.” None may move, any so doing
  are deemed caught and moved to opposite side.

  _Scoring_: Last player captured wins.

  VARIATION: As before, excepting when player violates leader’s call, he
  drops out. Last remaining earns 20 points for his team.

  ─────────────

  [Sidenote: INDOOR SMALL QUIET EQUIP.]

                  NATURE      PATROL TEAMS      INFORMAL
                         =MM! U SEE ’UM (Museum)=

  _Equipment_: Collection of nature specimens that every Scout should
  know, such as: pine cone, wood and leaf specimens, wasp nest, insects,
  etc. Set of cards (file size is good) numbered from one to number of
  specimens collected. Paper and pencils.

  _Method_: Troop’s nature expert collects samples of many different
  things. Each item is placed on or attached to a numbered card.
  Collection is placed before Troop. Each Patrol is given sheet of paper
  numbered from one to number of items displayed. Patrols write down
  items they are able to identify.

  _Scoring_: Lists are turned over to judge, who gives one point to each
  correct answer.

  VARIATION: Nature collection is viewed for designated time and each
  Scout matches numbers to nature specimens he can identify. Papers are
  handed in and each correct answer earns 1 point. Total points divided
  with number of boys in the Patrol gives each Patrol standing.

                  *       *       *       *       *

  [Sidenote: INDOOR SMALL QUIET EQUIP.]

                      BASIC SCOUTING PATROL CORNERS
                      =PATROL TEAMS NEWSPAPER STUDY=

  _Equipment_: One issue of the same day’s newspaper for each Patrol.
  Pencils.

  _Method_: Patrols in Patrol corners, each with the same day’s issue of
  a newspaper. On signal, Patrols start searching for articles or news
  items which illustrate some Scout Law. Items are torn or cut out of
  newspaper and Patrols write on the clipping the Scout Law involved
  along with their Patrol name.

  _Scoring_: Clippings are collected by the Troop leaders and the Patrol
  with the most clippings in given time, wins.

  VARIATION 1: Patrols cut out news items illustrating Scout Laws broken
  and/or kept. First to find clippings for all twelve Scout Laws, wins.

  VARIATION 2: Leaders select one of the more difficult laws to
  illustrate. First Patrol to find specified law, wins.


                  *       *       *       *       *


  Hap—py New Year! Heave Ho and away we go into 1949.

  What’s new in your Troop? New faces, new games? Send them along,
  games, that is; so that they might find their way to this page.
  Remember, we would like to know YOUR favorite game.

  Don’t suppose that 1949 will change that time-tested saying, “A friend
  in need is a friend indeed.” We like to think of the Game File as
  helping that Scoutmaster friend of ours. You know the fellow.... Scout
  meeting scheduled for 7:30 o’clock; 7:50 and only a dozen fellows on
  hand and the games are planned for three full Patrols of eight Scouts.
  So rather than give way to complete frustration, the meeting goes on.
  A quick shift must be made. So we tug on the sleeve of that
  Scoutmaster friend of ours and steer him over to his file where he
  keeps his Scoutcraft Game File. Thumbing quickly through the file
  cards, he soon finds the games that will cover the situation.

  How ’bout it Cubbers and Scouters.... Got your Game File up-to-date?


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                          Spotlight Scout Week

[Illustration]

  for
  SENIOR SCOUT LEADERS
  ⚜ <— FOLLOW THIS TRAIL SIGN STARTING EACH ARTICLE

[Illustration]

  ● Spotlight the adventure of Senior Scouting during Scout Week,
  February 6-12. Scouting will be in the national news—newspapers,
  magazines, newsreels, and radio. People will be especially aware of
  Scouting. You can localize this priceless publicity by newsworthy
  activities in your Senior Unit.

  Select projects from the outline below, based on the theme
  “Adventure—That’s Scouting!” Then put the spotlight on your Unit by
  giving the facts to the local newspaper and radio editors.

  In Senior Scouting there is Adventure in Fun and Fellowship. A
  spotlight activity may be:

[Illustration]

                               _Honor Day!_

  Honor an outstanding student, athlete, musician, teacher, hero, or
  others deserving special tribute. This may be arranged as a school
  assembly or chapel program or a special banquet given by the Unit.

  In addition to a well prepared sincere tribute, your Unit may give the
  honored guest a lasting token in the form of a certificate or plaque
  prepared by members of the Unit.

  More than one person may be honored if care is taken not to cheapen
  the recognition by giving it indiscriminately or by allowing any
  possible criticism of the Unit making an award for political reasons
  or to secure privilege.

  The type of achievement recognized may vary from year to year to
  insure honor for someone who greatly deserves it but may otherwise be
  overlooked. This may include honoring the outstanding youth leader of
  the community, a minister, an all-round Scout, or all-round girl
  student.

  This acid test must be applied to every recipient if a Senior Scout
  Unit is to be justified in giving recognition:

  1. Is the person a good citizen, recognizing his responsibility in a
  democracy?

  2. Does the person to the best of his ability exemplify the virtues
  expressed in the Scout Oath and Law in his daily life?

  In Senior Scouting there is Adventure in the Outdoors. A spotlight
  activity may be:

[Illustration]

                         _Field and Sports Day!_

  Run it on an inter-Crew or inter-Unit basis. Let each group invite a
  guest (prospective member) to take part. Provide coaching for everyone
  before each competition or demonstration. Give each man a score card
  so he may keep a record of his proficiency in sports. Crews or Units
  may alternate as coaches and judges for the various events. The
  following list suggests enough to make up either a long or a short
  program:


  _Emergency Service training._

  Mile run—run a mile in 7½ minutes or less. Score 10 for 7½ minutes;
  add 2 for each half-minute less; deduct 2 for each half-minute more.

  Rope work—secure boat to piling (clove hitch or two half hitches),
  lower man from wall (bowline on bight), secure line to corner of sail
  or tent where grommet has pulled out (sheet bend), secure rope to tent
  stake (taut line hitch), throw rope with knot for rescue (bowline).
  Score 2 for each correct knot.


  _Rowing demonstration._

  Row 50 feet to buoy, turn, and return. Show proper entry, feathering,
  and stroke of oars; turning boat; holding it on course. Score 10 for
  perfect demonstration; deduct 1 for each mistake.


  _Archery contest._

  Place shooting line at 15 yards from 48-inch target. Allow 3 arrows
  for sighting in, and 6 for scoring. Score according to standard
  archery target points; divide total by 5.


  _Skish (bait casting) contest._

  If floating skish rings are not available, lay out 4 concentric rope
  rings on ground, 3, 5, 7, and 9 feet in diameter. Place center of
  target 15 yards from casting line. Allow 5 casts for instruction, and
  5 for scoring. Score 20 for cast in or on skish ring or center rope
  ring, 15 for cast within 2 feet or less (in second ring), 10 for
  within 4 feet (in third ring), and 5 for within 6 feet (in third
  ring); divide total by 10.


  _Rifle shooting._

  In prone position shoot 3 rounds for sighting in, and 5 rounds for
  scoring. Score according to standard target points; divide total by 5.

  In the next three events the basic timing of 20, 5, and 3 minutes may
  not be appropriate for your group. Try each event a few times and
  determine the average time to use as a base.


  _Compass racing._

  Lay out a course that will take about 20 minutes on the average (see
  SCOUTING Magazine, September, 1948). Score 10 for 20 minutes; add 1
  for each half-minute less; deduct 1 for each half-minute more.


  _Canoe carrying._

  Lift a canoe from the ground (with aid of tree or rack to lean it on),
  make portage carry 25 yards and return, and lower canoe to ground.
  Score 10 for 5 minutes; add 2 for each half-minute less; deduct 2 for
  each half-minute more. Disqualify for rough handling of canoe.


  _Axemanship._

  Chop 10-12-inch log in two, using long-handled axe and taking all
  safety precautions. Score 10 for 3 minutes; add 2 for each half-minute
  less; deduct 2 for each half-minute more.


  _Bucksawmanship._

  Place 6-inch log on sawbuck. With bucksaw cut off as many sections
  (about 2 inches thick) as possible in 5 minutes. Score 1 for each
  section cut.

  The following are demonstrations for which you can work out your own
  scoring system.


  _Rope rescue._

  Rescue a man marooned across a ravine or stream 20 feet wide. Use
  ropes, vines, temporary bridge, or raft (see SCOUTING Magazine, March,
  1947).


  _Wild foods._

  Find as many wild foods as possible, and prepare enough for tasting by
  the whole group.


  _Overnight camp._

  Set up a Crew camp with proper shelter, beds, sanitation, water
  supply, and fires.


  _Breeches buoy rescue._

  Rescue a man from a mast 40-50 feet away (see _Sea Scout Manual_
  Chapter 18).

  In Senior Scouting there is Adventure in Citizenship! A spotlight
  activity may be:

[Illustration]

                            _Home Management!_

  Encourage Senior Scouts to take over the management responsibilities
  of their families for one week, with the cooperation of their parents.
  Each will plan menus, purchase food (no, he won’t have to cook it),
  make payments of bills, plan family entertainment, include cost, and
  finally report to the family showing a saving if possible on a
  satisfactory program.

  Preliminary conferences with mother and dad will be necessary to learn
  certain routine and long-term obligations as well as to establish a
  family budget if one is not already in operation.

[Illustration:

  Rowing and Riflery are Field and Sports Day Events
]


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                                _Senior_
                              _Briefings_

  ● _It’s On Ice_


  If your Unit is in the two-thirds of the States in the snow belt, it
  can do something spectacular when called on this winter for an act in
  a Council circus, high school assembly, or Scout Week demonstration.
  That is an ice rescue staged in realistic fashion.

  A skater gliding around a pond suddenly breaks through. As he thrashes
  around in the water, another skater comes along, tries a rescue by
  incorrect methods, gets too close, and also breaks through. Then two
  Senior Scouts—instead of the Lone Ranger—come along and rescue the
  skater-swimmers.

  The action takes from five to ten minutes, depending on how much of a
  script is written for it. A commentator verbally sets the scene and
  explains the wrong and right rescue techniques as they are used. If a
  public address system is not available, a megaphone or a strong voice
  should be sufficient.

  The spectacular part is the staging. It is best in an arena where the
  spectators look down on it, although a stage will do, the lower the
  better. A platform is set up and covered with newsprint. The platform
  can be put together from fifteen long tables such as found in many
  church dining rooms. Set them together, three long and five wide, with
  an opening in the center of the resulting oblong. In this opening set
  a tank of water. It may be hard to get and handle, but it is the
  crowning touch when the audience sees the victims splashing about in
  real water.

  Cover the whole platform, including the hole, with three or four
  thicknesses of blank newsprint. Ask the press foreman at a newspaper
  plant for the paper left on the spindles at the end of the roll.

  The four actors, wearing ice skates, can give a good imitation of
  skating on ice after a little practice. Rehearse the act—dry runs
  without the water and paper—until it clicks. The actors and
  commentator will have to coordinate themselves. The men at the mike
  may have to work up a few ad libs where action might slow down in a
  performance. Then have a dress rehearsal.

  Ice rescue techniques may be found in the _Safety_ Merit Badge
  pamphlet and the _Scout Field Book_.


  _Game Equipment_

  Game, equipment in your headquarters comes in handy during parties,
  and also is a pre-meeting attraction. The one danger is that sometimes
  the games are so popular they stretch the pre-meeting period over the
  major part of the evening. However, that can be avoided by a
  gentlemen’s agreement to close the games at a definite time on meeting
  nights.

  Game equipment can be bought, of course, but it can be made
  inexpensively.

  Darts is a game the GI’s found popular in war-time England. Make the
  target of corrugated cardboard cut from a large carton. Mark colored
  concentric circles on it with crayons. Make each dart of a match stick
  (kitchen size). On one end lash a needle with thread. On the other
  glue four small paper fins. Hang the target on the wall and let fly
  with the darts, making sure the firing range is not a thoroughfare.

  _Table tennis_ requires a smooth 5´ × 9´ playing surface. If you don’t
  have a suitable table, get a piece of half-inch plywood. Sometimes you
  can make a better deal by taking two large scraps of standard pieces,
  sawing them to 5´ × 4½´ and then hinging or cleating them together on
  the bottom. If you don’t want to bother putting legs on this playing
  surface, lay it on a large table or two small ones, just so it is at
  least 30 inches off the floor.

  Make paddles of quarter or eighth-inch wood, whittled or cut with a
  coping saw to shape and then sandpapered. They may be any size, but
  generally are 6″ × 12″ over-all.

  The net must be 6″ above the table. Make it of cheese cloth or muslin,
  hemmed and reinforced with strong cord threaded through the hems. Hang
  it from dowels set in cleats that extend beyond the table edge at the
  center line.

  Buy a supply of balls at the dime or sports store, or mail order
  house, and soon you’ll be searching for them under the furniture.

  _Other games_ for which you can make most of your own equipment are
  shuffleboard and paddle tennis, providing you have floor space of 52´
  × 6´ for the first, and 20´ × 44´ for the second. Buy or borrow a rule
  book, find dimensions of equipment, and turn it out in your workshop.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                     Emergency Service for Seniors

[Illustration]

[Illustration:

  _=By Ralph H. Moza=_ Assistant National Director, Senior Scouting
    Service
]

  ● Before the swirling flood waters had stopped pouring into Vanport,
  Oregon, last May, Sea Scouts were driving rescue boats through the
  break in the levee. They had been alerted two days earlier, and were
  ready when called.

  Will your Senior Unit be ready when needed for disaster duty?

  You cannot answer that question easily, because flood, fire,
  explosion, tornado, and earthquake strike so suddenly that there
  rarely is time for alerting. You may even think you will never have to
  face an emergency. But remember, few of the people at any scene of
  disaster _expected_ it to happen to themselves!

  One thing is certain: if an emergency does occur in your community,
  Senior Scouts who have had emergency service training will be very
  greatly appreciated men to have on hand.

  Every registered Senior Scout Unit is a potential Emergency Service
  Corps. As a Senior Scout registers in his Unit and becomes an
  Apprentice Senior Scout, he can at the same time become an Emergency
  Service Apprentice.

  The Emergency Service Corps consists of Senior Scouts in their
  existing Units, under their own leadership, or Crews of Emergency
  Service Corps members in registered Boy Scout Troops, under their own
  Unit leadership. The term “Crew” replaces “Patrol” in Troops, thus
  indicating that it is a young man’s group.

  There are three good reasons for promoting Emergency Service Training
  in Senior Units:

  1. Senior Scouts are often the first to be called for service when
  disaster strikes. With this in mind, Emergency Service Training
  stimulates interest in the service principle of Scouting, as out-lined
  in the Oath, Law, and Motto.

  2. As one of the important parts in the vigorous physical activity
  program requiring knowledge and skill, Emergency Service Training can
  be one of the important activities planned and promoted by the outdoor
  committee.

  3. It develops knowledge and skills which contribute to the worthwhile
  training of the Scout, and insures his effectiveness in time of
  Emergency.


  =THE NEW PLAN=

  One of the most important changes in the Emergency Service Training
  Plan is that the emphasis is now on training being carried out within
  the Unit, under Unit leadership. It is recommended that the Local
  Council have a member of the District Commissioner’s Staff specialize
  as a coordinator of all Emergency Service Corps Units within his
  District. His responsibility would be to coordinate and supervise the
  activity of Emergency Service Corps within his area, organized in
  Senior Scout Units and Emergency Service Crews (within Scout Troops).
  He would stimulate Emergency Service Training within the Unit,
  providing lists of qualified instructors in the various skills
  required for Corps membership. He would recommend joint planning of
  inter-Unit and District activities for the purpose of Emergency
  Service Training, practice, and demonstration when and as desirable.

  If an area larger than a geographical District is stricken, a Scout
  Executive, a Field Executive, or a Special Field Commissioner, should
  serve as Special Director and coordinator of the various Emergency
  Service Corps involved.


  =START NOW!=

  Now is the time to start pointing out the various phases of Emergency
  Service Training to program planning committees, and indicating how it
  affects them. Get them to suggest plans for organizing a Corps within
  their Unit.

  The Senior Scout is immediately qualified as an Apprentice Emergency
  Service Corps member if the information obtained in any recent medical
  examination is sufficient to cover the items listed on the application
  for membership (Form C-1278, Cat. No. 4425), by adding the health
  history, and filing the application with parents’ approval.

  The next step is to develop activity programs which will enable him to
  qualify for full membership. The requirements for the Emergency
  Service Corps are as follows:

  Be a Registered Air Scout Observer, Explorer Woodsman, Ordinary Sea
  Scout, or First Class Scout of 15 or over, in excellent physical
  condition as shown by medical examination. He must run one mile in 7½
  minutes, and climb an 18-foot rope, hand over hand in 25 seconds or
  less. He must whip the ends of a rope of at least ½-inch in diameter,
  and tie a square knot, sheet bend, bowline, bowline-on-a-bight, two
  half hitches, clove hitch, clove hitch secured with half hitch, taut
  line hitch, and Timber hitch.

  Finally, he must have the written permission of his parents or
  guardian, the approval of his Unit leader, and must have earned the
  following Merit Badges: First Aid, Firemanship, Life Saving,
  Path-finding, Personal Health, Public Health, Rowing (where
  necessary), and Safety.

[Illustration:

  _Photo by George Berstrom_
]

------------------------------------------------------------------------




                          SCOUTMASTER’S MINUTE

[Illustration]

  ⚜ Sometimes knowing the right thing to do in an emergency is just as
  important as having the courage to do it. That’s one reason why in
  Scouting, First Aid is an essential part of the Scout requirements.
  For instance, if Second Class Scout Gerald Maley of Cleveland, Ohio,
  had not practiced his First Aid, his friend would not be alive today.
  Last November, Scout Maley with his friend Norman were crossing a
  railroad bridge when the wind blew Maley’s hat off. It landed
  somewhere in the railroad yard under the bridge and the two boys
  climbed down to the yard to recover it. They hunted, but could not
  find it. Suddenly, Norman had an idea. “I’ll bet it’s on top of that
  box car over there.”

  Up he climbed to look for it. Half way up he slipped, tried to save
  himself and grabbed a live wire which was hanging low.

  The shock knocked him to the ground and the Scout ran to help him.
  Norman lay without moving and the Scout thought at first he was dead.
  But he had been practicing his First Aid in his Patrol. He immediately
  started artificial respiration in earnest just as he had practiced it
  in meeting the week before.

  Soon Norman was breathing again, but screamed in agony as he came back
  to consciousness. He was terribly burned about the hands and arms.
  Again the Scout went into action. “Hang on, I’ll get you up to the
  road, we’ll find somebody who can get you to a doctor.”

  “Transporting Injured,” he said to himself, “no chance for a four man
  carry now, I’ll have to use the good old ‘pack-strap’.”

  He got Norman’s arms over his shoulders from his back and somehow
  managed to get up the bank to the bridge. Here he had to rest, but
  fortunately a car passed soon. Scout Maley hailed it and Norman was on
  his way to the hospital for treatment. After a few days he recovered.

  The really remarkable part of this story is that Scout Maley was a
  smaller boy than his friend, and has a crippled leg, so that he is
  obliged to walk with a decided limp.

  Some of you fellows with two eyes and strong arms and whole limbs
  might think over what this Boy Scout accomplished, as a result of his
  Scout training, to save his friend.

  In recognition of Scout Gerald Maley’s skill, the National Board of
  Honor awarded him the prized medal of Merit, which is given in
  recognition of an outstanding act of service, putting into practice
  Scout skills and ideals.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




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------------------------------------------------------------------------

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[Illustration]

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[Illustration]

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  Thousands in use. Clear water or water wetter does the job. Be
  prepared!

  D. B. SMITH & CO. 408 MAIN ST.—Utica 2, N.Y.


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                            _Just a minute_


  “I HAVE a problem, and I’m _glad_!” said someone. We looked up to
  see—you guessed it, our old friend Scoutmaster BLIMP. His Troop is
  just as lively as ever, maybe more so. It’s a good Troop.

  “Who in the world,” we asked, “ever heard of anyone being glad he had
  a problem?”

  “Oh, but you don’t understand,” BLIMP went on, “my problem is the kind
  you can be glad about. Want to hear the details?”

  “Is it optional?” we asked, knowing better.

  “No,” replied BLIMP. “It’s very simple. Before I got wise to myself, I
  used to worry a lot about what in the world to DO at Troop meetings.
  Since I have started using the _Program Notebook_ and all the swell
  ideas in SCOUTING (see contents, Page 1) and since my Scouts have been
  reading BOYS’ LIFE, we have a new and interesting problem ... with all
  this material we worry about _what to leave out_!”

                  *       *       *       *       *

  Troops which discovered this new problem have just about finished a
  whirlwind month of compass work and orienteering, with a world of
  usable games and teaching methods in SCOUTING and almost an entire
  issue of BOYS’ LIFE showing the Scouts the “how” of it.

  There’s no excuse for running out of ideas!

  The same is true of January. The December issue of BOYS’ LIFE (which
  will soon be on its way to your boys) is crammed full of ideas on
  “Handicraft,” the very popular theme for January.

  Your Scouts will feast their eyes on a swell photo-feature called
  “Bead Work,” a Ben Hunt special which will bring out the Indian in a
  lot of our boys, and that’s good! This ONE feature _will be
  reprinted_, if you need a few just drop us a card.

  Other handicrafts include “Tie Pins” by Glenn Wagner (no, _not_ Pie
  Tins!) and a bunch of back-of-the-book nifties you’ll want to try. Of
  course, Green Bar Bill scores his usual bull’s-eye with a page of
  terrific ideas for P.L.s, and all the usual features, articles, and
  shorts.

  We toss-up an action packed basketball serial, “Backboard Magic” by
  Howard M. Brier, as well as “Rambling Christmas Tree” and “Voice of
  the Ugly Truck” by Ward and Conley respectively. There is a thrilling
  mountain climb described in “Ladders to the Clouds,” by Joseph
  Stocker, “Geared for Winter Woods,” by John J. Rowlands, and page
  after page of other thrilling Scout material.

                  *       *       *       *       *

  “May I put on my false whiskers and make a good suggestion,” asked
  BLIMP who has been peering over our shoulder.

  “I know ... I know ...” we interrupted. “Remind all Scouters that
  there is NO better Christmas present for any boy, or any Troop ...
  than BOYS’ LIFE.”

  “Exactly!” he replied, as he banged the door and went cheerily down
  the hall whistling “Jingle Bells!”

                                                      _M. H. M^cMasters_
                                                        _For Boys’ Life_


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                     CUB LEADERS’ ROUND TABLE INDEX
                          January to June 1948

             =(See Scouting Index for September to December)=


                    =GAMES, HOBBIES,
                      TRICKS, STUNTS AND
                      SONGS=             MONTH PAGE

                    Four Tricks              Jan. 3

                    Games for February       Jan. 8

                    Feats of Skill           Feb. 2

                    Games for Handymen       Feb. 7

                    Some Tricks for          Feb. 8
                      March

                    Games                    Mar. 6

                    Indian Games             Apr. 7

                    Outdoor Games             May 5

                    Summer Games             June 2

                    Nature Fun               June 3


                    =HANDICRAFT=
                    Cub Scout Handymen       Feb. 4
                    Make a Yarn Ball         Mar. 7
                    Indians                  Apr. 4
                    Shelters and Shanks       May 2


                    =INSPIRATIONAL=

                    Time’s A Wastin’         Jan. 1

                    Happy Birthday To Us     Feb. 1

                    Can ’Em; Grow ’Em,       Mar. 1
                      Save ’Em

                    One Equals Three         Mar. 8

                    My Boys                  Apr. 1

                    Jimmy’s World             May 1


                    =PACK & DEN
                      ACTIVITIES=

                    Jimmy and Snooker        Apr. 2

                    Indian Council Fire      Apr. 8
                      Meeting

                    Cub Scouts At Work        May 7


                    =PACK AND DEN
                      ADMINISTRATION=

                    Helping Your             Jan. 6
                      Children Make
                      Friends

                    Officers Meeting         Feb. 6

                    Your May Parents’         May 4
                      Meeting

                    New Ceremonies Book      June 8


                    =PROGRAM PLANNING=

                    New Achievement          Jan. 2
                      Program

                    Program Outlines         Jan. 3

                    Blue and Gold Month      Jan. 4

                    Theme for February       Feb. 4
                      Cub Scout Handyman

                    Theme for March          Mar. 4
                      Legends and
                      Traditions

                    Theme for April          Apr. 4
                      Indians

                    Theme for May             May 2
                      Shelters and
                      Shacks

                    Theme for June           June 4
                      Cub Scout Chefs

                    Theme for July          Mar. 2;
                      Achievement Helps      Apr. 3

                    Pack Leaders Meeting     Apr. 6

                    New Cub Scout Books       May 6


------------------------------------------------------------------------




                        INDEX FOR 1948 SCOUTING

          _AWARDS, BADGES, REQUIREMENTS, UNIFORMS & CEREMONIES_


                                         MONTH PAGE

                    Revised and New      Jan.  16
                      Requirements and
                      Insignia

                    Basic Scout          Feb. 8
                      Requirements

                    Investiture for      Feb. 32
                      Patrol Leaders

                    The Keys of Scouting Mar. 5

                    The Arrow Works      Apr.  8
                      (Order of the
                      Arrow)

                    Realigned            Apr. 9
                      Requirements

                    The Way you Act; The Sept.  7
                      Way you Look

                    Awards for           Sept.  39
                      Inter-Troop
                      Contest



                              _CONSERVATION_

                                         MONTH PAGE

                    Scout Citizens at    Apr.  11
                      Work—Conservation

                    Conservation         Apr.  31
                      Education



                              _CUB SCOUTING_

  (See also CUB LEADERS’ ROUND TABLE Index for January through June on
  page 38.)


                    =_Games, Hobbies,
                      Tricks, Stunts and
                      Songs_=

                    Who’s Scared?        Oct.  9

                    Dr. Quiz             Oct.   13

                    Playway to           Oct.  14
                      Advancement

                    Cub Scout Games      Nov.   15

                    Den Doings           Dec. 19

                    Cub Scout Treasure   Dec.  20
                      Chest


                    =_Handicraft_=
                    Good Will            Nov. 10-11
                    Toy Repair           Nov. 13


                    =_Pack and Den
                      Activities_=

                    It’s As Simple As    Apr. 18
                      ABC

                    Pre View of Coming   Sept. 13
                      Events

                    Pack Meeting         Sept. 21;
                                           Oct.
                                           12; Nov.
                                           12

                    Good Will            Nov. 10

                    Musical Instruments  Dec. 17


                    =_Pack, Den
                      Administration_=

                    Lean Brother, Lean   Jan. 14

                    Jimmy and Tommy      Feb. 12

                    How to Make Friends  Mar. 4
                      and Influence Kids

                    Only a Mother Can    May 2
                      Love Him

                    Your Annual Planning Sept. 14
                      Activities

                    I said No!           Sept. 15

                    Cliff Dwellers       Nov. 8

                    Don’t Forget The     Dec. 11
                      Denner


                    =_Program Planning_=

                    February In The Cub  Jan. 14
                      Pack

                    March In The Cub     Feb.  13
                      Pack

                    April In The Cub     Mar.  13
                      Pack

                    May In The Cub Pack  Apr.   19

                    June In The Cub Pack May  13

                    Summer In The Cub    June-July
                      Pack                 12

                    Parents Meet         Sept.  9

                    Your Annual Planning Sept.  14
                      Conference

                    Round-Up Time        Sept. 16

                    Theme for September  Sept.  20
                      Trading Spree

                    Theme for October    Oct. 8
                      Making the New
                      Elective Program
                      Work

                    Parade of            Oct.  10
                      Achievements and
                      Electives

                    Theme for November   Oct.  14
                      The Playway to
                      Advancement

                    October Pack Leaders Oct.   15
                      Meeting

                    Goodwill             Nov. 10

                    Theme for December   Nov. 12
                      Christmas Pack
                      Meeting

                    Blue and Gold Week   Dec. 12

                    Music and Minstrels  Dec.  14

                    Gentlemen, Be Seated Dec. 16


                    =_INSPIRATIONAL_=

                    Scoutmaster’s Minute Jan. 24;
                                           Feb. 30;
                                           Apr. 29;
                                           June-July
                                           30;
                                           Sept.
                                           40; Dec.
                                           36

                    Can Scouting Meet    Feb.   2
                      Boys’ Needs In
                      1948?

                    You and the Scout    Feb.  7
                      Citizen

                    Letters to the       Feb.   31
                      Editor

                    Under Polaris        Mar.  2

                    Profitable           Mar.  3
                      Experiences

                    If I Were a          Mar.   7
                      Neighborhood
                      Commissioner

                    The 5:19             Mar.  12

                    Props for Freedom    Apr. 2

                    Only a Mother Can    May  2
                      Love Him

                    Parents are People,  May   5
                      Too

                    September Feet       Sept.   4

                    Fable of Patrol That Sept.  23
                      Didn’t Work

                    Are We Pied Pipers?  Oct.  2

                    On Going Modern      Oct. 16

                    Adventure—That’s     Nov.  6
                      Scouting

                    Our Den Mother Is    Nov.  7
                      O.K.

                    Good Turns Begin at  Nov.   20
                      Home

                    The Whole Scout      Sept.  8
                      Family

                    The Brave Shake with Nov. 3
                      the Left Hand

                    Christmas Spirit     Dec.  3

                    I Was A Den Dad      Dec. 18

                    Give Dads A Chance   Dec. 22



                      =_NATIONAL SCOUT ACTIVITIES_=


                    38th Annual Meeting  June-July
                                           3

                    Year of Achievement  June-July
                      (1947 Highlights)    8

                    Round-Up             Sept.  2;
                                           Nov.  5;
                                           Dec.  10


                    =_Boy Scout Week_=
                    Report to the Nation Jan.  4



                                 =_NEWS_=


                    Photographic Contest Feb.  28

                    38th National        Feb.  28
                      Council Meeting

                    Northernmost Troop   Feb. 28

                    Fifteenth Lincoln    Feb. 28
                      Pilgrimage

                    Audubon Nature Camp  Mar.  20

                    1948 Camping Schools Mar.  20

                    Membership Figures   Mar.  20;
                                           June-July
                                            27

                    Your Report Went to  Apr.  4
                      Washington

                    Silver Bay—Our First Apr.  7
                      Training Camp

                    Aquatic Schools      Apr. 20

                    One Magazine for     May   4
                      Whole Scout Family

                    Help Needed—Balala   May 20
                      PTA Assn.

                    National Field       May  20
                      Archery Tournament

                    Father’s Day         May  21

                    Philmont Calling     June-July
                                           16

                    Visitors to          June-July
                      Washington           17

                    Our New Chiefs       Sept.   3

                    American Cub Scout   Dec.  13
                      Den In Peru

------------------------------------------------------------------------



                     =_ORGANIZATION & RELATIONSHIPS_=


                    Double Track         Jan. 2

                    Why a Public         Jan. 8
                      Relations Program

                    Be Prepared for a    Jan. 8
                      Good Turn

                    You Can Train        Jan. 10
                      Yourself

                    Can Scouting Meet    Feb. 2
                      Boys’ Needs in
                      1948?

                    The Whole Scout      Sept. 8
                      Family

                    Organizations        Sept. 12

                    Reaching Out         Dec. 4



                              =_PERSONNEL_=


                    John Foster Dulles   Apr. 2

                    George C. Marshall   Apr. 6

                    Bishop Francis C.    Apr. 20
                      Kelley

                    Frederick R. Burnham Apr. 29

                    Dwight D. Eisenhower May 20

                    E. C. Nims           May 20

                    James E. West        June-July
                                           2

                    Elbert K. Fretwell   Sept. 3

                    Arthur A. Schuck     Sept. 3;
                                           Oct.  6

                    Lord Rowallan        Nov. 1



                               =_READING_=


                    Book       Jan.  23; Feb. 26;
                      Reviews    Mar. 11; Apr. 17;
                                 May 4; June-July
                                 8; 27; Sept. 25;
                                 Oct. 28



                           =_SENIOR SCOUTING_=


                    You Can Train        Jan. 10
                      Yourself

                    Paul Bunyan—Senior   Mar. 8
                      Scout Encampment

                    Senior Scout Bites   Apr. 14
                      Dog

                    High Adventure for   May 8
                      Seniors

                    Advisor’s Part       Sept. 33

                    Round-Up in Senior   Sept. 36
                      Scouting

                    Briefings            Oct. 28

                    Christmas for Needy  Nov. 26
                      Kids

                    Spotlight Scout Week Dec. 31

                    Emergency Service    Dec. 34
                      For Seniors


                    _Senior    Jan. 12; Feb. 16;
                      Scouting   Mar. 10; Apr. 16;
                      Program    May 10; June-July
                      Helps_     14; Sept. 33; Oct.
                                 28; Nov. 28; Dec.
                                 33


                    =_Explorer
                      Scouting_=

                    Gittin Thar Fustest  Oct. 26

                    Vocational           Oct. 29
                      Exploration


                    =_Air Scouting_=

                    Road Signs of the    Jan. 5
                      Air

                    Air Marking Project  Apr. 20


                    =_Sea Scouting_=

                    Sailing the Bounding Feb. 14
                      Main

                    Navigation Charts    Oct. 29


                     =_TROOP PROGRAM AND ACTIVITIES_=


                    January, An          Jan.  6
                      In-Between Month

                    Make It Fun          Jan. 18

                    Activities Unlimited Feb. 10

                    Where to Go—Service  Feb.  16
                      Project

                    Woodslore            Apr. 22

                    Things to Do In      Apr. 26
                      Nature

                    Philmont Calling     June-July
                                           16

                    Adventure at Home    June-July
                                           20

                    Push Planning        Sept. 24

                    Troop Roundup        Sept.  26

                    Using Patrols        Oct. 18

                    Program Payoff       Nov. 18

                    Scout Week Adventure Dec. 24


                    =_Camping & Hiking_=

                    Going It Light       Mar.  15

                    Camp Cookery         Mar.  17

                    Hike Meals           Mar.  24

                    Supper’s Over—What   Apr.  12
                      Next

                    Sixty Days to Camp   May   6

                    Home In The Woods    May  16

                    Pull Up A Log        June-July
                                           10

                    Summer Camp, Troop 5 June-July
                      Tradition            28

                    Three Adventures     Sept.  10

                    Hikin’               Sept.  30

                    Winter Camping       Nov. 16

                    Doin’ It Right In    Dec.  26
                      Winter


                    =_Emergency
                      Service_=

                    Score 8—Death 0      June-July
                                           6

                    Scouting Was There   Oct. 4

                    Get ’Em Ready        Nov. 22


                    =_Games and
                      Contests_=

                    Your Scoutcraft Game Jan. 21;
                      File                 Feb. 27;
                                           Mar. 21;
                                           Apr. 27;
                                           May 22;
                                           June-July
                                           25;
                                           Sept.
                                           28; Oct.
                                           25; Nov.
                                           25; Dec.
                                           30


                    =_Handicraft, Camp
                      Equipment_=

                    From Gopher Hole to  Feb.   19
                      Usable Tent

                    Desert Camping       Feb. 20

                    Campcraft            Feb. 22
                      Skills—Indoors and
                      Out

                    Bind Your SCOUTING   Feb. 24

                    Tip Your Pup Tent    June-July
                                           26

                    Troop Neckerchief    Nov. 24
                      Slides

                    Scouting On Main     Dec. 8
                      Street

                    The Early Scout Gets Dec.  28
                      the Bird


                    =_Program
                      Planning_=

                    Planning   February, March,
                      for:       April, May, June,
                                 Summer, September,
                                 October, November,
                                 December and
                                 January Jan. 17;
                                 Feb. 18; Mar. 14;
                                 Apr. 21; May 15;
                                 June-July 19;
                                 Sept. 29; Oct. 19;
                                 Nov. 21; Dec. 23

                    Scout      Jan. 9; Food
                      Citizens   Production, Feb.
                      At Work:   9; Clean-up,  Mar.
                       World     6; Conservation,
                      Friendship,   Apr. 11; Health,
                                 May 14; Water
                                 Safety, June-July
                                 18; Organizations,
                                 Sept. 12


                    _Scouting Skills,
                      Miscellaneous_

                    There is Something   Oct. 22;
                      New

                    What a Compass Isn’t Oct. 24

                    Swap Corner          Oct. 31

                    Scout Shorts         Nov. 24;
                                           Dec. 21



                           =_WORLD FRIENDSHIP_=

                    Scout Citizens at    Jan. 9;
                      Work—World
                      Friendship

                    Food Production,     Feb. 9

                    Thanks American      Feb. 28
                      Friends

                    Under Polaris        Mar. 2

                    World Friendship     Mar. 10
                      Ball

                    Another Way to Help  Apr. 20

                    World Friendship     June-July
                      News                 13

                    World Helps          Nov. 14


------------------------------------------------------------------------

  _Gifts ... __FOR EVERYONE IN SCOUTING!_

[Illustration]

  _Christmas Cards_ _Wish them all a Merry Scouting Christmas!_ No. 9118
  Boy Scout Set    No. 9119 Cub Scout Set 10 CARDS WITH ENVELOPES    50¢
  PER BOX

                            SCOUTING GIFT LIST

                         A HINT FOR COMMITTEEMEN

                     See these and many more at your
                         LOCAL SCOUT DISTRIBUTORS

  Gifts for boys, gifts for adults, volunteer workers and professional
  men.... Every one of your friends in Scouting will appreciate
  something Official! You can choose from scores of items in every price
  range, all fine values, and your gift is sure to win deep appreciation
  for these are items that perform useful service all through the year.
  Here are just a few ideas. See your Distributor for many more!

[Illustration:

  Official Pocket Pieces    1949 Scout Diary
  Handy tokens of glittering metal that are ideal, inexpensive gifts!
    Each carries a message for better Scouting and is sure to be
    treasured by your boys. Give one to every boy!
  =No. 5028 Boy Scout Token 20¢
  No. 5024 Cub Scout Token 20¢=
]

[Illustration:

  1949 Scout Diary
  The perfect personal gift for every
  Scout in your Troop. This year’s
  Diary is bigger and better than ever
  before, sure to make a hit with all
  boys. Give a Diary, and you give an
  effective tool for better Scouting.
  =No. 3012 1949 Scout Diary 25¢=
]

[Illustration:

  Official Tie Clasps
  No. 305A Boy Scouts, Leaders 60¢
  No. 370 Cub Scouts, Leaders 60¢
  No. 302 Sea Scouts, Leaders 50¢
  No. 296 Air Scouts, Leaders 50¢
  Plus 20% Federal Excise Tax.
]

[Illustration:

  Official Scouter Ring
  Excellent gift for all Scouters! Ring is make of heavyweight sterling
    silver, oxidized, and features the Universal Badge on a black
    enameled background. Polishes to gleam.
  =No. 318 Official Ring $3.50
  Plus 20% Federal Excise Tax.=
]

[Illustration:

  Desk Pen Sets
  Fine pens, swivel-mounted on handsome bases of heavy polished onyx.
    14kt. gold points. Brass inscription plates on all but single model.
    Practical gifts for boys and leaders! Expertly made of heavy plated
    metal.
  No. 5190 Single Pen Set $7.50
  No. 5191 DeLuxe Pen Set 12.50
  No. 5192 Double Pen Set 17.50
]

[Illustration:

  Desk Flag Sets
  Every Scouter will appreciate this splendid desk set! Has two fringed
    silk flags on 18″ staffs. Polished wood base has metal Scout emblem.
    Cub Scout Set without emblem.
  No. 1108 Boy Scout Set $4.50
  No. 1116 Cub Scout Set 2.25
]


------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Illustration]

  WHEN IT HAPPENS KNOW WHAT TO DO

  A FISH HOOK CATCHES

  APPLY MERCUROCHROME

  MOVE THE HOOK AROUND TO MAKE BARBED POINT COME THROUGH

  WITH A FISHERMAN’S PLIERS CUT OFF THE POINT. CURVE THE HOOK BACK
  GENTLY AND FREE IT.

  APPLY MERCUROCHROME TO WOUND AREA. FASTEN DRESSING AND BANDAGE.

[Illustration]

  SOME KNOW HOW, WHEN AND WHERE TO CAST

  SOME DON’T!

  BUT EVERYBODY SHOULD KNOW HOW TO PREVENT INFECTION

  OH, HE’S OK. I’VE DRESSED HIS ARM. HERE’S YOUR HOOK. I’VE STUCK IT IN
  A BIT OF CORK. BY THE WAY I’M GOING FISHING WHERE THERE’S LOTS OF ROOM

                                 Prevent
                                INFECTION
                            WITH MERCUROCHROME

[Illustration]

  It is dangerous to neglect wounds, however small; even scratches and
  small cuts may cause serious infections if they are not properly
  treated.

  Mercurochrome (H.W.&D. brand of merbromin,
  dibromoxymercurifluorescein-sodium) is one of the best antiseptics for
  first aid use. It is accepted by the Council on Pharmacy and Chemistry
  of the American Medical Association for this purpose.

  The 2% aqueous solution in applicator bottles does not sting and can
  be applied safely to small wounds. Injuries are reported promptly when
  Mercurochrome is used, because the treatment does not hurt. Other
  advantages are that the solution keeps indefinitely and the color
  shows just where it has been applied.

  Doctors have used Mercurochrome in their practice for more than 25
  years.

  Keep a bottle of Mercurochrome handy for the first aid care of all
  minor wounds. Do not fail to call a physician in more serious cases.

                     HYNSON, WESTCOTT & DUNNING, INC.
                         _Baltimore 1, Maryland_




------------------------------------------------------------------------



  ● Transcriber’s Notes:
     ○ Articles which were continued in the back pages were joined up.
     ○ It was not possible to completely match the page layouts for most
       articles.
     ○ Missing or obscured punctuation was silently corrected.
     ○ Typographical errors were silently corrected.
     ○ Inconsistent spelling and hyphenation were made consistent only
       when a predominant form was found in this book.
     ○ Text that was in italics is enclosed by underscores (_italics_);
       text that was bold by “equal” signs (=bold=).