BOY SCOUTS.

Hokitika Guardian, 15 May 1924, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS.

(Contributed). It would probably call forth considerable protest were a new arrival from England to accuse this Dominion of being old-fnshionod and many yea is behind the times. Whatever may be the state of affairs generally there can be no doubt that in the attitude of the country towards the Hoy Scout Movement, New Zealand is now where the Home Country stood ten years ago. By this it is not meant that New Zealand troops or individual boy scouts are one whit Itcliim! those at Home, but that the general public of this country have so far entirely failed to recognise the extent to which scouting for boys lues become one of the great facts of the present day life. With the possible exception of two large cities, nowhere in New Zealand does scouting hold a loading place in civic and public affairs. It is true that the King’s representative in New Zealand is also Dominion Chief Scout, but this recognition of the movement in high places is probably more the result of Lord Jollicoo's experience of the English and Scotch Sea Scouts in war time, than of the part scouting is playing in moulding the men of tomorrow out here. The general attitude is undoubtedly one of benevolent amusement towards the boys themselves, and rather scornful pity towards the two or three misguided fanatics who waste tlieii time and make themselves ridiculous acting as “kings of the kiddies.” I<> adults . inside this movement this attitude matters very little; to the boys it morelv appears as another of those characteristics which make “grownups” such hopelessly unreasonable beings, but it lias one serious disadvantage. in that it is a very real bar to manv men from becoming Scoutmasters.' It is only quite a lew people who have courage to risk appearing a-' fools in the public eye and probably more would-be helpers are lost to the movement in New Zealand through fear of ridicule than from all other reasons together. Here, in Hokitika, il is very ueeessarv to emphasise the fact that the Scout movement lias definitely united." that those who join it will find themselves on the winning side, and in the position of those who “laugh last.” To take just a few example, from the present position in England ami Europe. In Oxford. Cambridge. London, Manchester, and nearly all

the English l/ni versities. the 'Scout Clubs and Hover Troops lire well known and flourishing institutions. Scouts have taken active part in every conceivable form of public and civic ceremony from the Lord Mayor's Show to Garden Parties at Buckingham Palace.

[•'nun August Ist. to Bth. the huge Stadium at the Imperial Exhibition at Wembley will be given up to Seoul and

Cub displays. At the accommodation camp nearby, Imperial headquarters have guaranteed (under heavy forfeits) an average minimum attendance of 8.001) Scouts or the period in making arrangements with caterers tor me camp.

Last month the headmasters of tiie famous English “Public' Schools met the Chief Scout in Conference to discuss the position of scout troops in their schools. The King el Denmark has promised to oftieially attend the International Jamboree at Co] collagen this year. Scouting has been established in nil the chief countries of the world for many years. The Bay. Scouts Inlernationnl Bureau has recently recognised the Scout Associations ol Bulgaria. l.ithiuinia, Palestine ami Syria, bringing the total number of scout nations outside the British Empire very nearly to fifty. The League of Nations lias publicly ami officially recommended Scouting to all its representatives. The Soviet authorities in Russia have issued world-wide instructions to their agents to attempt to capture the scout movement by “peaceful penetration.”

These are just a. few random pointers to the fact that outside New Zealand the 'Scout Movement is acknowledged hv men cf vision, men of affairs, and men in the “street” as one of the great facts of present day civilisation, and tint is is only tiareeliialisiu t" lour that by openly coming forward to help it. one i' making oneself a fool. The tragedy of hesitation is that here, in Hokitika, the few Seoul workers have their hands completely lull with the seventy or eighty hays idready enrolled, anil that while other* are hesitating to lend a hand the clock is still moving oil. and bays are growing into men without the help that might have been theirs as Scouts.