Scouting, Volume 6, Number 32, December 19, 1918 Page: 3
8 p. : ill. ; 31 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
i i i ii i i i i f t i i < i i! (f f i i I f t f f 11 ((l (11111 (11 ((11 n ((i (((11111 f 1111 (111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111111 n 11111111 < i
nifiniiifffitffiiffifliffirfffffiilflfffflfflflfi
11111111111111 <111111 i 11111 JU
DISCOVERING REASONS FOR INACTIVITY
TROOPS DROPPED SINCE JANUARY 1st ASKED FOR FRANK STATEMENT. INFORMATION NEEDED FOR
REPORT OF NATIONAL COUNCIL TO CONGRESS OF UNITED STATES
liiiiiiiiimiiiinimiiiitmiiiiimiimmiiiiuuiiiiuiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiuiiiitiiiimriiimmjiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiijiiimmiiiiiiiiiiiiimiiiiiiiiiiii
NO troop of scouts is finally dropped
from the records at National Head-
quarters until every reasonable effort
has been made to ascertain the reasons for
its inactivity.
The time during which it may be con-
sidered as in good standing when its regis-
tration has expired and no request for an
extension of time has been received, is
limited, but the effort to retain the scouts
in the Movement goes on even after the
troop is removed from the active list.
Just now the data for the report of
the National Council to the Congress of
the United States is being gathered, and
it is especially desirable that all troops
should be present or accounted for. There-
fore, a questionnaire has been sent to troops
not under local councils which have been
dropped from the active records since Jan-
uary 1st, 1918, regardless of any previous
report which may have been submitted.
The questions are as follows:
Questionnaire for Inactive Troops
Troop No. City State
1. Shall we report to the Congress of the
United States that your troop has disbanded?
Yes or No?
2. If yes, what reasons shall we give?
(a) Lack of interest on part of boys?
(b) Did the boys object to rendering war
service ?
(c) Have you discovered a better method of
helping boys? If so, what?
(d) Were the boys unable to meet the ex-
penses involved?
(e) Did the scoutmaster enter war service?
(f) If not, did war conditions make it im-
possible for him to give sufficient time?
(g) Were you unable to secure a new scout-
master?
(h) Did the troop committee fail to show suf-
ficient interest to keep the troop alive?
(i) Did the parents of the boys and people of
the community fail to appreciate the value
of the Scouting program?
(j) Did you have difficulty in maintaining
an adequate meeting place for the troop?
(k) Did your troop fail to get any further
than the tenderfoot work?
If not, how many second class scouts?
How many first class scouts?
How many merit badge scouts?
(1) Have the members of your troop become
members of some other troop ?
(m) Other reasons?
3. If the members of your troop have not actu-
ally lost interest and do not wish to be re-
ported to Congress as having quit the Scout-
ing program, what are the facts?
(a) When did the troop last hold a meeting?
(b) Can you reasonably promise to re-register
the troop within 60 days?
(c) May we reasonably expect the troop to re-
register before January 1st?
(d) If your troop cannot re-register before
December 31st or within 60 days,_ may we
reasonably hope it to be reorganized and
re-registered within the year ? If so,
when ?
4. What help, if given, might have prevented
disbandment of your troop ?
5. Can the Field Department of the National
Council be of any service in reorganizing a
troop in your community? If so, what would
you recommend?
6. Frank statement or criticism regarding the
Scouting Program, pointing out how the boy-
hood of the country might be more effectively
served.
Name
Scout Rctnk Troop No.
City
State
Letter to Scoutmasters
The questionnaire went to the scout-
master accompanied by the following letter :
December 11, 1918.
Dear Co-Worker :—
The year 1918 has been the most wonder-
ful and glorious in the history of the Boy
Scouts of America. Indeed through or-
ganized boyhood we have been able to have
a definitely worth while part in winning
the great war.
December 19, 1918
Every Scout and official has just occasion
for pride in our record which justified such
splendid endorsement by President Wilson,
Secretary Daniels, Secretary Baker, Sec-
retary McAdoo and other cabinet members
and hundreds of other government officials
and prominent citizens.
According to our records we now have
14,920 troops. During the year 3,963 have
been dropped, and your troop is among
those dropped. We are anxious to know
if your troop was dropped because it has
actually disbanded and is no longer in-
terested in the Boy Scout program or have
you been facing problems which made it
impossible for you to comply with the reg-
istration regulations.
I am writing personally to the Scout-
master of each one of the troops which
has been dropped in order that I may learn
first hand and frankly exactly what the
facts are. If your troop has discontinued
I would like very much to have you tell
me frankly the reason. If you will be
good enough to fill out carefully the en-
closed questionnaire, it may help in analyz-
ing Scouting conditions so as to enable the
National Office to render a greater service
to others. I realize that in some cases re-
ports have already been submitted to the
office, but this special report now requested
from all will be very helpful.
If you are able conscientiously to assure
me that your troop has not actually dis-
banded, but is active and will re-register
within thirty days, I will be glad to order
it restored to the rolls immediately and be
included in the formal report to be sent to
Congress as to our records on December
31st, 1918. We want to report just as large
a membership as possible, but most de-
cidedly we will make none but such report
as is to the best of our knowledge 100%
honest and fair.
Please write me personally as soon as
possible after the receipt of this letter so
that I may know all there is to know so
far as your own troop is concerned.
Sincerely and cordially yours,
Chief Scout Executive.
Cooperation of Troop Committeemen
Sought
At the same time that the above letter
went forward to the scoutmaster, the fol-
lowing was sent to some member of the
troop committee:
December 11, 1918.
Dear Troop Committeeman:
As a member of the troop committee of
a-troop which has until recently been reg-
istered and in good standing with the Na-
tional Council of the Boy Scouts of Amer-
ica, I am appealing to you personally for
help in order that I may feel that I have
done everything in my power to avoid
dropping any troop from our records where
the facts might possibly justify us in act-
ing differently.
Enclosed is a copy of a letter and ques-
tionnaire which has been sent to the Scout-
master of your troop to-day. It is possible
that the Scoutmaster may reply to us at
once without any action on your part. Will
you kindly make yourself responsible, how-
ever, for getting in touch with him and
making sure that either he or you will give
me the information requested in my letter
sent to the Scoutmaster?
The responsibility of serving the boy-
hood of America is a tremendously large
one, and at this time we are particularly
anxious to do everything in our power to
help meet the unusual conditions brought
on by the war and the influenza epidemic.
It is therefore urged that you will fill in
and return to us the enclosed question-
naire.
Please write me personally so that we
may know what the facts are so far as
your troop is concerned before January 1.
Sincerely and cordially yours,
Chief Scout Executive.
Scout Scribe Also Asked to Report
Experience having proven that in some
cases neither the scoutmaster nor the troop
committeeman are heard from, a letter is
sent also to the scout scribe or one of
the older scouts, as follows:
December 11, 1918.
Dear Scout:
Our records show that your troop has
failed to re-register at National Headquar-
ters. We regret exceedingly that this is
the case, especially at this time when the
Boy Scouts of America have been doing
such splendid work in helping to win the
war and when the future offers such won-
derfully bright prospects and opportunities
for our great Organization.
It is our wish to do everything in our
power to hold all members of your troop
as registered Scouts in good standing.
With this purpose in mind, we are writing
to your Scoutmaster and to you as the
Scout in your troop upon whom we feel
we may depend to give us some sort of
answer. Dd not fail us! Your troop has
been dropped during the past year because
it did not re-register. We ask your help
in telling us the causes which led to the
disbanding of the troop or its failure to
re-register. A copy of the letter sent your
Scoutmaster is here enclosed.
Your Scoutmaster may be unable to re-
ply to this letter. Will you kindly fill out
the enclosed questionnaire yourself and give
us any information you may be able to sup-
ply? We are very anxious to know if
your troop has been disbanded; and if so,
why, and if we can be of assistance in re-
instating it.
Please be sure to write at once so that
your reply will be received before January
1st.
Sincerely and cordially yours,
Chief Scout Executive.
The cooperation of local councils con-
cerning dropped troops under their jurisdic-
tion and active troops not under council is
sought in securing information from these
inactive troops. In many cases it has been
discovered that the work of a troop has
continued for a long time after the receipt
of its last report at National Headquarters
owing to loss in the mails or possibly neg-
lect to send a report.
In a multitude of cases difficulties which
have hindered the progress of the troop
have been removed as soon as the difficul-
ties became known. The ' scoutmaster of
a troop which is active can render no more
important service than to discover and re-
port to National Headquarters a troop
which is in difficulties.
It is hoped that every troop in the Or-
ganization which has not already submitted
a report will be heard from in time to
have a place in the report to Congress.
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 6, Number 32, December 19, 1918, periodical, December 19, 1918; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth283002/m1/3/: accessed April 27, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.