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From the boys' point of view Scouting puts them into fraternity-gangs which is their natural Organisation, whether for games, mischief, or loafing; it gives them a smart dress and equipment; it appeals to their imagination and romance; and it engages them in an active, open-air life.
From the parents' point of view it gives physical health and development; it teaches energy, resourcefulness, and handicrafts; it puts into the lad discipline, pluck, chivalry, and patriotism; in a word, it develops "character," which is more essential than anything else to a lad for making his way in life.
The Scout training attracts boys of all classes, high and low, rich and poor, and even catches the physically defective, deaf mutes, and blind. It inspires the desire to learn. The principle on which Scouting works is that the boy's ideas are studied, and he is encouraged to educate himself instead of being instructed.
Scouting is a jolly game in the out of doors, where boy-men and boys can go adventuring together as older and younger brothers, picking up health and happiness, handicraft and helpfulness.
It gives a good start in technical training through badges for proficiency in various kinds of hobbies and handicrafts, in addition to the actual Scouts' Badges of First and Second Class, testifying to their capabilities in swimming, pioneering, cooking, woodsmanship, and other points of manliness and handiness. The object of offering so many as we do at an elementary standard is to draw out the boys of every type to try their hand at various kinds of work, and the watchful Scoutmaster can very quickly recognise the particular bent of each boy and encourage it accordingly. And that is the best road towards expanding his individual character and starting a boy on a successful career.
Moreover, we encourage personal responsibility in the boy for his own physical development and health: and we trust in his honour and expect him to do a Good Turn to someone every day.
Where the Scoutmaster is himself a bit of a boy, and can see it all from the boy's point of view, he can, if he is imaginative, invent new activities, with frequent variations, to meet the boys' thirst for novelty. Note the theatres. If they find that a play does not appeal to the public, they don't go on hammering away with it in the hope that it will in the end do so - they take it off and put on some new attraction.
Boys can see adventure in a dirty old duck-puddle, and if the Scoutmaster is a boy-man he can see it too. It does not require great expense or apparatus to devise new ideas; the boys themselves can often help with suggestions. A further way of discovering activities that will appeal to the boys is for the Scoutmaster to save his brains by using his ears.
When in war-time a soldier-scout is out at night and wants to gain information of the enemy's moves, he does so to a large extent by listening. Similarly, when a Scoutmaster is in the dark as to what is the inclination or the character of his boys, he can, to a great extent, get it by listening.
In listening, he will gain a close insight into the character of each boy and a realisation of the way in which he can best be interested.
So, too, in the Patrol Leaders' Council debates and camp fire talks; if you make listening and observation your particular occupation, you will gain much more in- formation from your boys than you can put into them by your own talk.
Also, when visiting the parents, don't go with the idea of impressing on them the
value of Scouting so much as to glean from them what are their ideas of training
their boys and what they expect of Scouting or where they find it deficient.
The vision of the boy is across the prairie and the seas. In Scouting he feels himself akin to the Indian, the Pioneer, the Backwoodsman.
Generally speaking, when short of ideas don't impose on your Scouts' activities which you think they ought to like; but find out from them by listening or by questioning which activities appeal most to them, and then see how far you can get these going that is, if they are likely to be beneficial to the boys.
Where a Troop resounds with jolly laughter, and enjoys success in competitions, and the fresh excitements of new adventures, there won't be any loss of members through boredom.
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