Scouting, Volume 21, Number 4, April 1933 Page: 3
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APRIL, 1933
Vol. XXI, No. 4
A Magazine of Information for All Scouters
Copyright, 1933
by Boy Scouts
of Americ_
BOY SCOUTS WILL CARRY ON
THESE are surely great days. We
can all be proud that we are Ameri-
cans and a part of a great Democ-
racy. Things are happening. We are
marching onward. Already the skies are
brighter. "Courage and Confidence" has
accomplished much and is our greatest
need at the moment. We who are a part
of Scouting are an important cog in the
wheel. We have a big job to do. The
response to my letter of March 6th say-
ing we would carry on as usual is con-
vincing evidence of the unity, vitality and
cooperative spirit in our organization.
We are carrying on!
Do It With Smiles
Indeed, we hope you will go further.
In keeping with the spirit of the times,—
we urge that you make your personality
felt in some characteristic, individual
fashion with every group in your com-
munity so that every Scout and Scouter
will feel conscious of the fact that we
have the opportunity and responsibility
to keep the home fires burning,—to
SMILE! SMILE!! SMILE!!!—to do
all we can to create and maintain good
will, courage and confidence in our gov-
ernment.
Let us be participating citizens right
now! Let us extend the influence of the
Troop so that every boy who really wants
the opportunity may have a chance to be
in the Game of Scouting—now—in these
history-making days of a new epoch in
the life of America.
Membership Still Increasing
Our National Executive Board was
cheered with the information, as I know
you will be, that on March 1st our grand
total of membership had reached 927,000
men and boys, as contrasted with 919,000
at the end of the year 1932. This in-
cludes in both figures a number of Scout-
ers serving in more than one capacity.
How much further we will go during
the year 1933 no one can predict. We
have the opportunity of greatly increas-
ing the number of Cubs, Sea Scouts, and
Scouters. How glorious it will be when
we can say we are past the One Million
Mark! Let us get as near as we can to
it, as quickly as possible.
APRIL, 1933
By JAMES E. WEST
Chief Scout Executive
Less-Chance Boys
We will appreciate any information
you can give as a result of the special
effort we made in the inauguration of the
Ten Year Program of Growth to reach
less-chance boys. What were you able
to accomplish in your Council? Are you
in a position to make any report as to
the number of Troops which with the
help of Troop Committees arranged to
take care" of less-chance boys? Have you
any suggestion to make as to how we
might be of greater service to this type of
boy in these times?
Have you had any personal experience,
or have you any definite information
about the so-called vagabond army? Of
course, our hearts are stirred because of
the publicity which gives the inference
that this is an army of boys. Our inves-
tigations thus far have revealed that rela-
tively few boys under sixteen years of
age are involved. What has been your
experience? Do you have any suggestion
as to what we might do for such boys?
It may be that there is nothing we can
do as an organization in dealing with this
problem, but certainly we can show our
interest in and cooperation with an,y local
effort that is organized to deal with wan-
dering boys of Scout age. Apparently,
the problem is one primarily involving
young men, that is, boys over 16 years
of age.
Service To All
How wonderful it would be if because
of our resourcefulness and leadership,
the strength and peculiar values in the
organization for making effective the
Game of Scouting, we could work out
some plan whereby no Scout, or Scouter
is embarrassed or kept out of our regis-
tered membership because of present day
conditions. Happily, I am able to say,
based upon a rather careful check-up of
conditions in Troops and Councils here
and throughout the country, that our
Scout leadership has devised ways and
means of holding on to Scouts and Scout-
ers. The Troop Budget Plan has helped
in many cases. Other schemes have been
developed to meet the situation.
Let's Stand Squarely Behind Our President!
Surely no boy and surely no Scout or
Scouter should be denied the opportunity
of carrying on. Yet, on the other hand,
we must preserve the fundamentals of
our organization policy and procedure.
To do otherwise would mean decadence
—and God forbid any backward steps in
times like these in a Movement which has
done so much to make America what it
is today and which has even a greater
task ahead of it.
Leadership Resources
Fortunately, from the standpoint of
leadership available the Boy Scouts of
America has never been richer in its re-
sources. The experience shows that even
men of long years of service are fired
with new enthusiasm and are willing to
devote hours and hours in service over
and above what seemed practicable under
previous conditions. Our Ten Year Pro-
gram has captured the imagination of our
entire membership and we have evidence
of a new zeal and desire to reach more
boys, more effectively. More than this,
there is a quicker response in efforts to
enroll new leadership.
Camping As Usual
It is sincerely hoped that beginning now,
Councils will aggressively plan, with as
much publicity as they can secure, to have
it understood that our Camping Program
will be carried out this summer just as if
we had not had all of the many per-
plexing problems of the last few months
or more. Indeed, there is a more definite
need for this kind of constructive outdoor
activity than ever before. This will
mean, in many instances, new ideas; per-
haps a new basis for camp fees, and in
some cases using home grown food prod-
ucts in the absence of cash. These sub-
jects will be discussed in the series of
Camp Leaders' Training Courses that
have been organized in each Region.
Surely in times such as these the full
resources and service facilities of each
Local Council for training and camping
should be made available to every Troop
within the jurisdiction of the Council. It
is believed that such a policy will con-
tribute much to the Council in helping
(Continued on Page 30)
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 21, Number 4, April 1933, periodical, April 1933; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth312983/m1/3/: accessed May 3, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.