Scouting, Volume 28, Number 8, September 1940 Page: 4
34, [2] p. : ill. ; 28 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Committees, the Commissioner
Staff and Troop Leaders — to see
that steps are taken to insure every
Troop being recruited to its full
strength of Scout enrollment with
a Scoutmaster and at least two As-
sistant Scoutmasters. Further you
are urged to make sure that your
Scouts meet regularly and carry
out intensively the program of
Scouting in such a way that every
boy will feel that he is as a Scout
vitally related to Uncle Sam's
team, and that he is prepared
through training and adult lead-
ership to participate in emergency
or other service of a worth-while
character for our country, on a
basis that comes within the types
of services of a non-military char-
acter rendered by Scouts through-
out the last thirty years.
3. Cooperate with Other
Agencies
We have already presented an
opportunity for Scouts to serve,
through cooperation with the
American Red Cross. See July
Scouting, pages 3 and 26. Un-
doubtedly other calls will be made
upon us on a national basis. Mean-
while, there will doubtless be op-
portunities for cooperation with
local efforts of a patriotic and non-
partisan character. We should be
alert to take advantage of all op-
portunities for service which give
Scouts a basis for feeling that they
are actually doing something
worth while in service for their
communities, state and Nation.
4. Recruit Full Strength
It is recommended that the
Scout Executive and Commis-
sioner Staff make a careful re-
view of the exact status of every
Troop and Cub Pack or other
Scout unit in order that plans may
be developed for an aggressive ef-
fort to bring the enrollment of
every Troop and Cub Pack up to
what the Local Council believes
to be the capacity of the available
leadership. An effort should be
made to increase the average en-
rollment of all Troops from 22 to
32. If this procedure is followed
in all Councils, it would mean that
401,380 additional boys would
have the advantages of Scout
training as members of established
Scout Troops. If one-half of our
present Troops recruited on an
average of ten boys and one-half
on an average of five boys, it
would mean that in excess of
301,000 additional boys would
have the values of Scout training.
If we averaged five new boys for
each one of the 40,138 Troops now
active, it would mean in excess of
200,000. A further source of in-
crease in membership is in the
6,595 registered Cub Packs. Were
we to average an increase of 10
Cubs in each of these Packs, it
would give us an additional 65,-
950 Cubs.
This is a very simple procedure
which may result in a material ex-
pansion of the influence of Scout-
ing in your community, and add
substantially to the character
building and citizenship training
program of the Boy Scouts of
America. While the procedure, as
I say, is simple, it of course is
recognized that to accomplish the
objectives of a program of this
kind will mean hard work. I hope
every Scoutmaster will be en-
thusiastic, and that every Com-
missioner will feel that he has a
vital responsibility. Scouts them-
selves can be organized to secure
recruits and train them in the
Tenderfoot tests. The time is short,
so prompt action will be necessary.
If the Scouters in each Local
Council enthusiastically approach
this project with intelligence and
courage, we can insure one of the
most dramatic and worth-while
progressive steps in the whole his-
tory of Scouting. At no time have
we had better Local Council or-
ganization. At no time has such a
high percentage of our Local
Councils had such an outstanding,
high-grade leadership ability. No
chain is stronger than its weakest
link and, therefore, it is highly
important that the leadership of
every Local Council consider this
not only as an opportunity for
greatly extending the influence of
the Scout Movement in these crit-
ical times, but as a very solemn
personal responsibility. I am con-
fident that substantial progress
will be made.
5. Organize New Troops
and Packs
Without interfering with the
simpler procedure of filling up the
gaps in existing Troops, it is hoped
that every Council will go a step
further in what must be recog-
nized as a more difficult proced-
ure — the organization of new
Troops and Packs and other Scout
units.
I have suggested to every Scout
Executive and Council President
that they organize, as an emerg-
ency measure, a special fall pro-
gram to insure that their Council
meets its objective in newly or-
ganized Troops and Packs. If this
is done by every Council, it would
mean 2,873 additional Troops and
1,373 additional Packs between
June 30 and December 31, 1940,
or a total of 6,102 new Troops and
2,662 new Packs in the year 1940,
and this might mean an additional
40,000 or 50,000 Scouts and Scout-
ers and 30,000 Cubs and Cubbers
before the close of the year.
It would be splendid if Scout-
masters and Troop Committees of
existing Troops and leaders of ex-
isting Packs could, in cooperation
with the proper Council leaders,
help organize new Troops and
Packs under adequate institutional
sponsorship.
6. Promote Correct
Uniforming
Scout Leaders are urged to de-
velop procedures, within Coun-
cils and Troops, for checking def-
initely on the appearance of Scouts
to insure their being correctly
uniformed so that when they are
called upon for public service they
will reflect credit upon the Boy
Scout Movement and inspire con-
fidence in themselves as individual
Scouts and in the cause of Scout-
ing. This will contribute to the
effectiveness of the service which
is to be rendered.
7. Develop a Vigorous
Outdoor Program
We must continue vigorously to
promote Troop hiking and Troop
camping as the most effective
(Continued on page 31)
Page Four
New Scouts Keep a Troop Healthy; Fill the Gaps in Your Troop
SCOUTING
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 28, Number 8, September 1940, periodical, September 1940; New York, New York. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth313063/m1/4/: accessed May 7, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.