SCOUT NOTES

Hawke's Bay Herald-Tribune, Issue 165, 30 July 1937, Page 12

SCOUT NOTES

It is no easy thing for a programme to be arranged for the weekly Scout meetings. Week after week com.es along and it is very kard to get out of the same old style of running the evening. There eeems to be so very few different kinds of competitions tliat can be put on between the patrols. It is certaiply quite impossible (wliatfever some Scouters may aay) for the Seouter to plan it all himself ; he m ust get the help of his court of honour. Whether that includes the seconds as well as the patrql leaders will depend on what kind of chaps the troop has for seconds, also on tlie number oi .patrols in the troop. If there are a good rnany patrols, two from each would mean too big a meetingi for any serious planning to be done. 11' tlie seconds are too young, or of the soit who" will not settle down to the business of making pians it is better to make the court oi' honour consist ouly of the leaders, Of course, we all kuow that boys will not listen "to lectures, and that a lpt of the Scout training has to be done by niore interesting things such as games and competitions between the diiferent patrols in a troop. For the help of some troops that may be a bit stumped, I am. g,oing to give you the programme that has bccn devised by my own court of honour. As a mattor of i'act we call that part of the troop the leaders' aud seconds' councilj the court of honour of tbe leaders alqne meets to discuss promotions, etc. As the time-table stands it mav quite likely not suit your troop conditions but it will give you, some basis on which you may be able to form some useful and yet interesting parade programme for yourselves. Fall in, mark rolls, inspection 7 p.m. Helays (or some games or other) 7.5, patrol work 7.15, patrol competition 7.45, gusto (or handball) 8.0, annouucernents 8.10, patrol competition 8 15, Scout demonstration work 8.30, games 8.40, fall in 8.55, dismiss. 'J'he times have been cut down to a pretty fine marg^n, but you will ftud that they can be kept to if the patrols out out all fooling about, and get into their places quickly. Patrol competitions need not necessarily ali deal with Scout wcrk for there is not a great' range of that. Most of^tbcm should^ of course. deal with that pai't of the. Scout traunng. but soiuetimes somethiug else put i.u v/ill make a nice changie. Here are two other kinds of competitions that we put on at times. "We have an Indian ciub for each patrol and a tennis ball also.- I don't nccd to say more — 'the two things are vcj v ciosely related, only miud there are no windows behind the clubs. We also have half-a-dozen featliei\d darts, aud a few chalk circles on a board make good targets ; make a ruJe tbat everyone keeps bchind tbe firingline, and tbat only a very seusible cbap goes to retrieve the darts. Buman being might make good pincusliions, but unforfcunately we have more fee'ings than that article in question. Here is a bit out of "Gilcraft's F.leanings" in which he says: 'Tt is unnecessary to stress the value of in-ter-patrol competitions — they have long been appreciated - but there is more need to point out some of the dangers and to suggcst- ways of avoidiag them. "Xhere is always the risk that Scouts wjll get into the habit ot doing their best at a job only when it forms part of a competitiou. When a Scout gjets into the way of asking, 'Does this count for points?" then somerhing has gone wrpng. He is thinking more of scoring than of Scouting. The remedy is to have a complete break witli ali competitions until the Scouts realise that they should do their best at all times-, irrespective of the award oi points. "Npt infrequently one. patrol has a x:un of success; this may not be entirely of its own virtue, but due fcu the accidents of experieuce, placing oi recruits, more time for Scouting and so on. The other patrols are apt to g(ct disheartened. Usually this happens when the competitions have been too rigid in nature, so that the subjects chosen tend to meet the special abilities of one patrol and disregard the abilities of the other patrols. The remedy is obvious, to vary the items as much as possible and to introduce the element of surprise frequently. "Possibly the greatest danger is that competitions inevitably stress the practical side of Scouting at the expense of the spirit of Scouting (though cases have been known where points have been given for Scout spirit). It is possible to have a troop that is brilliamt in all praetical Soout matters, and yet sadly deficient in the essentials of Scoutingi. The chief warns us in "Scouting for Boys" when he says, "there can be only one test by which a scontmaster can judge tho success or otherwise of his work, and that is whether the boys he turns out are better citizens for the training he has given them. It is not enough that they are smart on parade, or good caiupers, or prolicient signallers. eto., these aro morely steps : tho point for hirn to note it, Do they attain the aim of Scouting ? Are they really healthy, happy. lieipful citizens ?" "Many troops havo run successfully without having any oompetitions at all. Let us, then, keep fix-mly iii our minds that competitions may bo an aid to Scouting), but are by no means the whoie structure. This applies not only to troops, but to districts aud counties." "With the warnings in mind, we may now consider details of how an iuter-patrols competition may be run. An actual schenie that was in use toi some years wili supply a useful text. Here are the rules :-w "1, Attendance-— (a) Troop meetings. One pomt for each attendance in correct uniform. Absence for good rcasons will be allowed for. (b) Patrol meetings. The patrol gains five i>oints for each meeting at which at least 75 per cent. of the patrol attends. "2. Badges. (a) Tenderfoot live points, (b) Second class 15. (c) First class 25. (d) 10 points for each qualii'ying badge l'or King's Scout or Bushman's Tliong. (e) Other proficiency badges (xve points each. "3. cqiapeiiiMuttij, lo poiata

l'or first patrol, six points for second and three for third. "This is not put forward aa a model competition; clearly each troop niust meet its own pe.culiar cii-cumetanccs. It wili serve, however, to iliustrate one or two points that are important. "Note that the scheme was arranged by the court |i honour; in other vvords, the patrol ieaders were behind it ; it was not thrust upon the troop by the scouters. Next a defiuite pexiod was fixed, in this ease two montlis. It is a- mistake to iet a competition go* on unendingly. Evexi the most suecessfui patrol hke to feel that it can get a Jxesn start; this will help to prevent 'that sinking feelingt.' " More about this another week.