Scouting, Volume 8, Number 9, April 22, 1920 Page: 21
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SCOUTING, APRIL 22, 1920
21
THE RESOLUTIONS
The National Council adopted the fol-
lowing resolutions upon the recommen-
dation of the Committee on Resolutions,
of which Mr. Mortimer L. Schiff is
Chairman. The article is taken without
change from the stenographic report of
the meeting.
Greetings to French Scouts.
" Whereas, The National Council of the
Boy Scouts of America in annual meeting
assembled, has learned with deep interest of
the formation of the Eclaireurs de la France
Devastee, (Boy Scouts of Devastated France)
under the direction of a Committee under the
honorable Chairmanship of Mr. Andre Tardieu
and the Chairmanship of Mr. Dufresne, which
in cooperation with the existing Boy Scout
movement in France proposes to extend the
benefits of Scouting to the boys of the devast-
ated regions of France, and.
Whereas, The National Council is partic-
ularly gratified to learn that it is proposed
to organize a Camp this summer with the
particular object of training Scout Leaders,
and that it is the intention to follow as
closely as may be feasible the American pro-
gram and system of organization as we find
it in the Handbook of the Boy Scouts of
America; therefore be it
Resolved: That the National Council take
this opportunity to extend its greetings to
the Eclaireurs de la France Devastee and to
wish them every success in the work they
have undertaken, and
Whereas, The National Council sees in this
organization a new bond of sympathetic co-
operation between France and the United
States, it suggests to the Executive Board
that it arrange if feasible, for at least some
of the American delegates attending the Jam-
boree in London, to go to France and confer
with the French Committee and view the
Camp in operation.
Request for Census
Mr. Schiff : The next is. a resolution
having to do with what probably everybody
connected with Boy Scout work has run up
against, the lack of data about the youth in
this country. As has been stated, we know
the number of hogs but we don't know the
number of boys. The following resolution
has been proposed and recommended bv the
Committee:
Whereas, The National Council of the Boy
Scouts of America regard it of the utmost im-
portance that there should be available for
use of the Boy Scouts of America and other
organizations interested in the welfare of the
youth of the nation, all possible data relating
to this subject, and
Whereas, Investigation has proved that
practically no uniform data of this sort is at
present available as a basis for a thorough
study of the situation and further develop-
ment of thjsir respective programs for the
service of the youth of our nation,
Resolved: That the National Council of the
Boy Scouts of America in the 10th annual
meeting now assembled, request that the
Federal Government and the various States
of the United States shall at their earliest
convenience, through their various appropri-
ate departments, collate and make available
for our use and that of other organizations
such data as will provide intelligent, efficient
and economic promotion of the program tend-
ing to the making of good citizenship ; and be
it further
Resolved: That the United States Bureau
of Education. Census Bureau and Department
of Child Welfare be especially urged to col-
late such data as is absolutely necessary for
a thorough investigation of the problems in-
volved ; and be it further
Resolved: That if sufficient funds are not at
the present time available for this absolutely
essential purpose, the Congress of the United
States and the Legislatures of the various
States of the Union be urged to immediately
make such appropriations as may be nec-
essary for carrying out this purpose.
To Increase Board
Mr. Schiff : The next is a resolution
amending the Constitution and is recom-
mended by the Committee on Resolutions:
Article 9, Section 1 of the Constitution now
provides for an Executive Board of 21. The
amendment proposed changes that to the ef-
fect that there shall not be less than 21 and
not more than 30, the idea being from time
to time if more members are needed in the
interests of the work, to make it possible to
place on the Executive Board men who are
desirable, either for themselves or on account
of the locality that they represent, that it is
well for the Executive Board to have places
available for such men. The latter is recom-
mended by the Committee.
It was moved and seconded that Article 9
of the National Constitution be amended to
read as follows:
" The Executive Board shall consist of not
more than 21 or less than 30 members elected
in accordance with the provision of the by-
laws and shall exercise all the powers of the
National Council during the interval between
its meetings."
Mr. Schiff : A resolution has been pro-
posed that in case of municipalities lying so
close together as to form one community, the
National Council permit the uniting of sep-
arate Councils into one strong central Coun-
cil, and that being an administrative matter
and there being nothing in conflict with this
in our by-laws, it has been referred to the
Field Department and will not be acted upon.
* Cabin Boy
The next: " In furtherance of the Boy
•Scout program for boys over 15 years, be it
Resolved: That the National Council ap-
prove the program of Seascouting which in-
cludes a new degree known as ' Cabin Boy,'
and slight changes in the insignia made nec-
essary by the application of Scouting to sea-
faring life "
Mr. Schiff : One of the members of the
National Council has proposed and offered a
resolution, " That each Local Council in the
United States be requested to appropriate
$5.00 to send one French or Belgian Boy
Scout to a summer camp this coming sum-
mer."
The Committee is naturally sympathetic to
such a thought but it is contrary to the pro-
visions of our by-laws to ask the boys'for
money for any purpose and if we send French
and Belgian boys, perhaps we ought to ex-
tend it to other countries and we have deemed
it desirable to report this without recom-
mendation that it be passed.
" That a more intensive educational ?nd
organization campaign be carried out in this
country to quicken the interest of many sec-
tions which as yet do not know the vaiue of
the Boy Scout program as an .educational
agency."
That has been covered by the action taken
this morning.
" That a Committee be appointed to con-
fer with representatives of coordinate organi-
zations for girls for the mutual improvement
of their and the Boy Scout programs."
The Committee on Resolutions has referred
this to the existing Committee on other or-
ganizations of which Dr. McConnell of Wash-
ington, is Chairman.
A resolution has been offered by a number
of members of this Council which would
amend Article 2, Section 8, of the By-Laws,
which provides for the appointment ot'a Com- '
mitt.ee at the January meeting on program,
for the Annual Meeting and perhaps it would
be just as well if I read it. The preamble
reads :
Whereas, The present plan of representa-
tion tends to defeat the democratic principles
and policies that the National Council wishes
to govern all its deliberations and work in
that National Committeemen are often unable
to attend the National meeting and alternates
must be chosen on short notice and thus come
to the National meeting almost wholly un-
prepared in the matter or knowledge of their
duties or of the views of their constituency
on thte subjects to be discussed and passed
upon, therefore be it
Resolved:
Mr. Schiff : Let me interrupt here to
say that our recommendation as to the pre-
amble is in the negative because it does not
agree that the present plan of representation
tends to defeat democratic principles, but as
to the resolution which affects Section 8.
Article 2, providing as you may remember
before the printing of the program of the
action to be taken at the January meeting of
the Executive Board, to appoint a Committee
of three or more members on program or
Resolutions, it has been suggested that there
be added to that a provision :
" That the program for the Annual meet-
ing in so far as practicable shall be sent to
the members of the National Council and to
the Local Councils SO days prior to the An-
nual meeting."
While we see some physical difficulties as
to that, we recommend that they be done.
That, in other words, this resolution be
adopted, but that the preamble be not
adopted.
A member of the National Council has rec-
ommended that we should consider the elim-
ination of the Associate Scout, or drastic
change in the rules covering the same. The
situation is that the Associate Scout is to
provide for a class of boy who is away at
■school or absent from his Troops and is per-
mitted by his Scoutmaster to have leave of
absence but to remain in good standing unless
some reason to the contrary is given. It is
purely a question for each Local Council to
decide for itself. It does not concern a great
number of boys and it is within the jurisdic-
tion of the Local Council and I do not think
it is a matter on which the National Council
should take any action.
There have been quite a number of sug-
gestions made as to resolutions, many of
them not framed in terms of resolutions,
which are administrative matters and which
we have seen fit to take the privilege to refer
to the proper administrative department.
One, however, I think we should read where
it has been suggested that the Constitution
be amended. It is not placed in the form of
a formal resolution, but it asks that the Con-
stitution be amended so as to allow women
who are now citizens to act on Local Councils.
The gentleman who makes this, adds this:
" I make this recommendation, sincerely be-
lieving it to be for the best interests of
Scouting."
Our Committee discussed this and we think
it unwise to make that recommendation at
the present time. It is not that we do not
think that women are in many cases more
virile than men. but it has a'psychological
reaction on the Boys' movement. The women
are handling the women's movement and we
feel that the men should handle the boys'
movement and do not make any recommenda-
tion.
The following resolution is submitted with
our recommendation :
Resolved: That the National Council of the
Boy Scouts of America assembled in Execu-
tive Session, on this the occasion of its tenth
birthday celebration, extends to all in the
organization, Scout Leaders and friends of
Scouting throughout the country its most
cordial greetings and good wishes. And be it
further
Resolved: That every member of the Na-
tional Council urge all Boy Scouts, Scout
Leaders and friends of Scouting to help make
the Boy Scouts, of America during the next
decade, stronger in numbers and resources
than ever before and stronger in its vital con-
tribution to American life through its train-
ing for manhood, physically strong, mentally
awake and morally straight.
We recommend the adoption also of the
following resolution :
Resolved: That the National Council of the
Boy Scouts of America in 10th Annual meet-
ing assembled, send cordial greetings to Lieu-
tenant General Sir Robert S. S. Baden-Powell,
on its own behalf and that of the Boy Scouts
of America, with the hope that the friendship
existing between Great Britain and the
United States may grow stronger from year
to year, and that the Boy Scouts of other
nations may be a growing force in the weld-
ing of that friendship.
(Applause.)
Mr. Schiff : We started to write resolu-
tions covering French, Belgian, Italian, Ja-
panese and so forth but when we discovered
that there were 52 nations having Boy Scouts,
we thought 52 was too many and so we tried
to embody them all in one particular one
which is as follows :
Resolved: That the National Council of the
Boy Scouts of America in 10th Annual meet-
ing assembled, send cordial greetings on its
own behalf and on that of the Boy Scouts
of America to all other Boy Scouts with sin-*
cere wishes for the success and development
of the Boy Scout movement everywhere.
WANTED—JULY 10TH- ISSUE
Extra copies of the July 10, 1919, issue
of Scouting are urgently wanted for the
completion of extra bound volumes or-
dered by councils. If anybody can sup-
ply one or more copies of this without
exhausting their own files they will do a
great favor by .mailing them to Mr. Fred-
eric L. Colver, Boy Scouts of America,
200 Fifth Avenue, New York.
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 8, Number 9, April 22, 1920, periodical, April 22, 1920; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth283168/m1/21/: 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.