BOY SCOUTS AS REVOLUTION PRODUCTS

Shannon News, 8 November 1929, Page 4

BOY SCOUTS AS REVOLUTION PRODUCTS

M. Bellenglise’s Experiment

Nobody denies that the great Boy Scouts movement which has encircled the globe to the great benefit of youth was inaugurated by General Sir Robert Baden-Powcll. But there are precedents for all things—obscure anticipations which the world has forgotten because they came to nothing, blit were snuffed out, or flickered out; and it is so in this case. One can picture a French-

man saying: —

‘‘But it was we who invented Boy Scouts. They were a, product of our Revolution. Our great song writer. Bcranger, was a Boy Scout. He has recorded the origin not only of Boy Scouts, but also of. Girl Guides. Look up his autobiography, ami you will see that this is true.” And it is true —up to a point. Born in 17S0, Bcranger was a boy of

thirteen or fourteen when the Revolution became exciting. His parents, who had quarelled and separated, and did not. want to be bothered with him. had dumped him on an aunt who kept

a small inn at Peronne. S-he had adopted him and was doing her best for him Unable to keep him at school much after his twelfth birthday, she had found hint a job as office boy to one of the local magistrates; and this magistrate was an educational reformer. His name was Ballue de Bellenglise, and he was, for a while, a member of

tho French Legislative Assembly. Ho had read Rousseau. In particular lie had re-ad ‘Emile.’ When his. legislative mission was over lie came back to Peronne, resolved to give practical effect. to Rousseau’s educational ideas, and,- to that on. 1 “ founded,” Bcranger writes, ‘‘gratuitous elementary schools, conducted on new lines worthy of serious examination. Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. His aim, a new one at that date in France, was, Bcranger continues, “to form men rather than scholars.” The lads therefore, he deckled, musit- be charged with bile task of keeping themselves and each other in order, must, elect tho-ir own judges to settle their disputes, and their own police to enforce the judicial decisions, both judges

and police being endowed with “powers suitable to an association of children, none of whom was more than fifteen years of age.” They did as they were told, and oven a little more .than they wore told. They marched about the country playing at soldiers, though they carried no muskets. They sang choruses. They held their public meetings, at one of which Bcranger himself was charged to ‘draw up addresses to the Convention and to Maxi milieu Robespierre’; and M. Ballue dc Bellenglise—the first, surely of Hie scoutmasters —“extended the application of his system to the girls in so far as lie considered appropriate to their sex.”

Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, that is to say, were almost simultaneously -created; and Bcranger is loud in his nrnise of educational methods which ho deemed superior to those of the -'-cnool-s of the period. Those schools, he declared,- merely turned out scho! ars. They did not- make men of their pupils, or prepare them to perform their duties as citizens; whereas, Da Hue lo BeMengMse’s schools really' did all that, could be done to equip them to take.their place “in a country in which oopula-r election is to be iho sole pivot !' governmeni. ” Toe Much Militarism.

The svshun,'however, failed to strike loot. There was a militarism about it which our Boy Scout movement discourages; but it was not. its militarism which brought it to grief. Tho Boy Scouts got out of hand. They neglected the lessons in order to play at. being grown up. I*l]eir blood bubbling with the effervescence of u revolution ary epoch, they pro.sumod, in spite of their scoutmaster*s prohibition, to men "e |’:v:-oc;on?,!y with high politic;., am' •> we read:—

‘‘•'•l. do Bel longls-e’s foundation had ■-at a short, run. Noisy objection? to i were raised, and it was soon given Bo unhappy is tho man of superb ir character and talents who is eonle>;nued to live in a small place. That nobody there understands him is the

"nsl of trouble;-. Stupidity and -jealousy causes onomb's to spring up all around him.’

Btill, one is glad to be able to add, the stupidity and jealousy of M, do Bollcngiise V enom.es did not prevent, him from-succeeding j. n Hf c . The first of the scout masters became President of the Criminal Court in the Department of the. Somme, and, in that ca- >- ;;i v, tried hard to persuade Napoleon lo abolish capital punishment.