Title: INTERNET SCOUTING
Author: Michael F. Bowman
Company: Attorney at Law

SCOUTS-L
----------
BSA HISTORY

Date:         Wed, 10 Jul 1996 22:45:45 -0400
From: Merl Whitebook <MAWLAW@AOL.COM>
Subject:      Re: First Boy Scout Troop, USA
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

I had the opportunity today, to travel to Pawhuska, Oklahoma, the home of the
First Boy Scout Troop in America.  Its history was fascinating, here is some
of what I learned.

The First Boy Scout Troop organized in America began in Pawhuska Oklahoma in
May 1909. (note the date, not 1910) It was begun by a missionary priest,
Reverend John F. Mitchell, send to the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, by the
Church of England.

        Rev. Mitchell, who had been a chaplain for Sir Lord Baden-Powell, in
England, and had worked together in scouting in England.  This first troop
was organized under an English Charter, (no American Charter yet existed).
 Rev. Mitchell ordered uniforms for the 19 scouts who were the first members
of Troop 1.

        Their uniforms did not have Boy Scouts of America or BSA insignia, but
rather ABS, "American Boy Scouts"

        The citizens of Pawhuska were taken back to hear the 19 scouts voices
opening each meeting by singing: "Long Live the King" The Scouts of Troop 1
place emphasis upon "doing a good turn daily" which at times was a strain
upon the 1,200 citizens of Pawhuska, along with the finest Drum and Bugle
Corp.

        There are letters and memorabilia found in the Historical Society Museum
 in Pawhuska, are fascinating to all scouters.

        Just thought you might like to know.

YIS

Merl Whitebook
Troop 1 Since 1910
Tulsa, Oklahoma

P.S.  Troop 1, (Tulsa) claims to be the oldest continually chartered troop,
at least west of the Mississippi.  The Pawhuska Troop did not remain
continuously chartered and now is identified as Troop 33 of the Cherokee Area
Council.

Date:         Fri, 12 Jul 1996 12:47:09 -0500
From: "Settummanque,              the blackeagle (MAJ) Mike L. Walton" <blkeagle@MIDWEST.NET>
Subject:      Re: First Boy Scout Troop, USA

See Jessiann, *this* is why I keep EVERYTHING and don't want
any of it thrown away for ANY REASON!! *wink*

Of course, I used all of my regular resources this morning to find
the answer to this question, and there's only ONE answer
 (stated with a lot of tongue-in-cheek):  There isn't a "first Troop
officially".

When the BSA was in its infancy, there were several other "Boy
Scouting-type" organizations that quickly transformed their
existing groups to Boy Scout troops after the announcement in
1909 of the "development of a Committee to Investigate the
Organization of the Boy Scouts of America."

My primary "BSA history book", "The History of the Boy Scouts
of America", by William Murray states that "There is no thought
here of dealing with the difficult problem of priority, the problem
of which Troops were first.  This chapter (Chapter 11) merely
quotes a few instances from the histories made available by
Councils which had studied the history of their own beginnings --
to show that troops preceded Councils quite generally, and
indeed let to the neccessity for Local Councils.  Then, as now,
the Council was a device to aid and further the activities of the
Troops operated by the sponsoring institutions."

He goes onward to give a few examples of "the first Troops"
in the nation, which includes a troop in Montclair, New
Jersey in 1909; the Genesee YMCA Troop in Buffalo in 1909;
Troop 2 and others in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1910; Troop 1
in Columbus, Ohio in 1910; and this bit of trivial trival:

"Deputy Commissioner Roy Zoeller, then of Carrick, PA., and
later of Johnstown, PA., in 1908 organized a Troop of
Scouts among the officers' sons at Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas, and received a (Scouting leadership) commission
*directly from London -- years before the Leavenworth area
had a Council."

But I *already knew the answer* to the "first Troop in the
nation" question before I started to look!

An old girlfriend of mine, Georgia Mae Issacs, whom at the
time was working for a healthcare organization in Somerset,
Kentucky, sent me a postcard in 1981 from Burnside,
Kentucky.  Of course I kept the card because it came from
her, but more importantly because of the content of the
card.  Here's what she said and here's what the front
of the card stated:

"How impulsive! I'm at the Seven Gables Dining Room in
Burnside, Kentucky.  Just couldn't resist another
opportunity to say Hi and Happy Day! and of course,
wouldn't you know I'd have to pick something to do with
Scouting! Happy Day!!  GM"

The historical marker reads:

"FIRST BOY SCOUT TROOP"

"Before Boy Scouts of America was organized, 1910, a Troop
of 15 had been formed here, spring of 1908, by Mrs. Myra
Greeno Bass.  Using the official handbook of English
scouting, she guided them hiking and camping, like scouting
today.  Known as Eagle Troop, Horace Smith was troop
leader.  Insignia was a red bandanna around neck.  Reputed
the first American Boy Scout Troop."

How about that!?!  Perhaps the first Troop in the nation and
without a doubt the first one led by a female Scouter!

See, Jessiann....yet another reason why Kentucky is SOOOOO
GREAT!!  *hehehehee*

Settummanque!

 
Date:         Sat, 13 Jul 1996 15:13:18 GMT
From: "Bruce E. Cobern" <bec@NYC.PIPELINE.COM>
Subject:      Re: Oldest Troop?
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

Well, now I am home and have my resources here.  I mentioned in my last
post that we had obtained lists from national of who was celebrating their
75th and 85th anniversaries in 1985 and 1995, respectively.  Well here they
are:

1985:

To quote from the "75th Anniversary History of Troop 1", Flushing, NY by
Jack Baer (our SM):

(He list the response he got from national, but did not actually include
the full letter)

"The following information was received from the National Office of the Boy
Scouts of America, in Irving, Texas, as per the Registration Department of
the National Office as of October 1985.

EAST CENTRAL REGION

Troop 1, Indianapolis, IN (Tuxedo Park Baptist Church)
Troop 309, Chicago, IL (First Congregational Church)

NORTH CENTRAL REGION

Troop 2, St. Louis, MO (Pilgrim Congregational Church)

SOUTHEAST REGION

Troop 1, Paducah, KY (Grace Episcopal Church)
Troop 3, Nashville, TN (East End United Methodist Church)

NORTHEAST REGION

Troop 1, Flushing, NY (Dads Club of Troop 1, Flushing, Inc.)
Troop 1, East Hartford, CT (First Congregational Church)
Troop 1, Hingham, MA (Group of the Citizens)
Troop 2, College Point, NY (St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church)
Troop 2, Cambridge, MA (North Congregational Church)
Troop 4, Lewiston, PA (Men's Barraca Class of United Presbyterian Church)
Troop 13, Montclair, NJ (Union Congregational Church)
Troop 20, Brooklyn, NY (New Utrecht Reformed Church)
Troop 33, Baltimore, MD (The Gotch Memorial Methodist Church)
Troop 505, Jersey City, NJ (United Reformed Church)"

So, in 1985 national's list of troops celebrating their 75th anniversary
included 15 troops.

1995:

The following letter, dated September 30, 1994 was received from Leroy G.
Jossell, Director, Registration and Statistical Service:

"Congratulations on Troop S0001 85th Anniversary in 1985.

The troops, troop number and the sponsor that will be 75 (sic, should be
85) years old in 1995 is listed below.

NORTHEAST REGION

Troop 1, Flushing, NY (Dads Club of Troop 1, Flushing, Inc.)
Troop 1, East Hartford, CT (First Congregational Church)
Troop 2, College Point, NY (St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church)
Troop 2, Cambridge, MA (North Prospect United Church of Christ)
Troop 4, Lewiston, PA (Presbyterian Church of Lewiston)
Troop 13, Montclair, NJ (Union Congregational Church)
Troop 59, Collingswood, NJ (Tatem Shields American Legion Post 17)
Troop 26, New York, NY (Alumni Association of Troop 26, Inc.)

SOUTHERN REGION

Troop 1, Duncanville, TX (Holy Spirit Catholic Church)
Troop 1, Paducah, KY (Grace Episcopal Church)
Troop 3, Nashville, TN (East End United Methodist Church)
Troop 1, Louisville, KY (Crescent Hill United Methodist Church)
Troop 1, Brentwood, TN (Brentwood United Methodist Church)

CENTRAL REGION

Troop 1, Indianapolis, IN (Tuxedo Park Baptist Church)

The other units on your list has dropped, or do not have enough tenure to
be 75 (sic) years old in 1995.

Thank you for your commitment to the Boy Scouts of America."

So, by 1995 the list had shrunk from 15 to 14.

Now, comparing the two lists, it seems that between 1985 and 1995 the
following troops broke their continuous tenure - T309, Chicago; T2, St.
Louis; T1, Hingham; T20, Brooklyn; T33, Baltimore; and T505, Jersey City.
So, six of the 15 75 year old troops dropped during the decade.

However, it appears that 5 troops convinced national that they should be
added to the list: T59, Collingswood; Troop 26, New York; Troop 1,
Duncanville; Troop 1, Louisville; and T1, Brentwood.

Also, some of the units seem to have changed sponsors: T2, Cambridge; and
T4, Lewiston (although this may just be a name change for the church).

All in all, not much change for a ten year period.  Apparently, national
will entertain discussion of whether your unit should be included or will
correct tenure information when presented with support for your position.
So, if you feel that your unit, or a unit you know of, should be included
in the list of units continuously chartered since any time in 1910 (which
is what these lists represent) have them contact national.

Again, I merely report what we have been told by national, for the purposes
of this discussion and to allow others to verify and correct records.

--
Bruce E. Cobern
bec@pipeline.com

Date:         Wed, 27 Nov 1996 18:21:00 -0600
From: Lew Orans <lporans@ONRAMP.NET>
Subject:      Re: Histroy of Women in Scouting?
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

At 02:14 PM 11/27/96 -0700, Jack Kelly wrote:
>1. How and when did women become USA Scoutmasters,
>   Cubmasters and Webelos leaders? (Was there a court case?)
No Court case was the direct cause. I have heard that the BSA estimated its
chances and the likelihood of protracted and expensive litigation and said
let 'em on in.  When I was a Scoutmaster in the early-70's, few women were
even committee members and were barred from unit leadership (some of you
may remember the tender days of den and patrol dads and the troop auxiliary
(the moms). By the late 70's/early 80's the barriers were dropped (much to the benefit
of the Movement).

>2. History of women in Scouting in other countries
>   than the USA.
In most countries separate Guides and Scouts existed by gender (Girl Scouts
outside the USA were mostly known as Girl Guides -- hence the WAGGGS, the
World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts). Many of these
organizations (Guides and Scouts) were brother-sister as part of the same
parent organization.  By the late 60's most began to merge and gradually
more and more countries went co-ed.

>3. How and when were girls allowed to join USA Explorers?
>   (Did this come about because of a court case?)
I do not believe a court case was involved. In the 60's Explorers began to
invite girls to join in their activites (as was encouraged by the program).
 Sometime in the 70's when the program was last given a new look, co-ed
began.  I recall these posts in the early 1970's.

>4. First woman Scoutmaster? First woman Assistant Scoutmaster?
>   First woman Cubmaster? Also any other firsts.
?
>
>Also any other points of Scouting history that has to do
>with women.
>?

>

Date:         Tue, 3 Dec 1996 00:40:48 GMT
From: "Ronald W. Fox" <ronfox@MINDSPRING.COM>
Subject:      Re: Part III - Women in Scouting course
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

 At 11:18 AM 11/28/1996 -0600, Kathie Cerveny <kathie@eecs.nwu.edu> wrote:
>Females began serving on Boy Scout Woodbadge staff in 1978, and have
>gradually increased over the years.  However, there are rarely
>more than one or two females on staff per course.  There are also rarely
>more than one or two females taking this course at any given time.

At CS-19-96, conducted by the Northwest Illinois Council, there were
 (among 42 finishing participants) 5 females, one of whom was in my patrol
(Eagles Soar!, or alternatively, Eagles Sore!),
and two others who are well known to me as Assistant Cubmasters in Pack 69
and Assistant Scoutmasters in Troop 8, Des Plaines Valley Council.  There were
3 women on staff.

>Also, please note that there is only one female Scout Executive to date,
>DesPlaines Valley Council, IL.  Irene Sinival.

My Scout Executive's name is properly spelled Irene Szinavel (no negative
criticism intended: I had to look it up myself, and I talk to the woman
at least once every 2 or 3 weeks).

And let me tell you, things have been hopping at DPVC ever since she came
on board....

Date:         Thu, 28 Nov 1996 11:12:39 -0600
From: Kathie Cerveny <kathie@EECS.NWU.EDU>
Subject:      Women in Scouting-history/present-course  written in 1994
              -Northwest Sub. Council, IL
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status: 

PART I - watch for my second message as this course was too long to send.

I wrote the course in 1994 and presented it and a second edition in 1995.
The feedback was absolutely outstanding, the facts are straight from national.

For the information of those who might want to know - following is my course
outline and the facts that go with it.  It is, indeed, the legal cases being
brought against National in regards to female Scoutmasters, (on the East
Coast) that caused National to make a policy change admitting women to
Scoutmaster.

Hope you will find the following helpful - we have received great feedback
and evaluations from our courses.

Please feel free to email me directly for further information.

Kathie

--=====================_849222057==_
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

                            WOMEN IN THE 90S

1930

The first woman was registered in the BSA in the New York Area Council as a Den other in March of 1930.  Women did not do much else in a registered basis, but many women  served as Commissioners and as field representatives, unofficially.

1972

There were no visible changes to that until 1972.  In the fall of 1972, the BSA's National Executive Board announced that that would be the final year in which the Silver Fawn Award, presented to women for service to the local Council's Cub Scouting program, would be presented and that those women previously awarded the Silver Fawn would be eligible to receive and
wear the Silver Beaver Award if they chose to do so.

[ In the history of the Silver Fawn, 1341 awards were presented since 1934 (the
start of the award) to women whom have done much to serve youth in their communities. The Silver Fawn was ONLY awarded to females. ]

1973

In the fall of 1973, the BSA allowed females to serve as Cubmasters.  This was the first time that females were given the ability to serve as "primary Scouter" for a unit.  Also during 1973 and ending in around 1976, the BSA conducted several studies into the "idea" that females can
serve in support roles in Troops and in local Councils and Districts other than in Cub Scouting.

In those years, local Councils were permitted and several did register female members as
Commissioners and allowed them to attend basic Commissioner Service Basic Training courses.
However, they were not allowed to attend Boy Scout leader training courses until much later. The
first Commissioners were mainly Roundtable Commissioners and Cub Scout Unit Commissioners.

1974

In 1974, Mary Wright became the first National Explorer President after being elected to this position during Exploring's third National Explorer Presidents' Congress in Washington.
Through Mary's leadership, the Exploring program gained three new National Speciality Associations....Law Enforcement, Law and Government and Medical Exploring.  Since 1973, two other female Explorers have served as National Explorer President.  The National Explorer President serves as a voting youth member of the National Executive Board of the BSA as well as voting members in other key committees dealing with program and support.

After testing it for two years, in 1974, the BSA hired its first female Education Executive in Orange, New Jersey.  The following year, 1975, the BSA allowed local Councils to hire females to serve as Exploring Executives and as paraprofessionals dealing with in-school and Exploring programs.

Kathie Cerveny

Date:         Thu, 28 Nov 1996 11:15:45 -0600
From: Kathie Cerveny <kathie@EECS.NWU.EDU>
Subject:      Rejected posting to SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU

I can send the actual course and slide info if you email me directly.

Kathie

--------
1976

In 1976, the BSA quietly dropped the position called "Den Mother" since 1929, (a
s many men were now coming forward to serve as leaders of Dens, and they objected to being titled Den Mothers) and all documents and references were changed to Den Leader.  Local Councils were extremely slow to catch on to this new title for something that has traditionally been a female one.

[ As of 1992, there were just as many male Den Leaders and Assistant Den Leaders
 than there are female Den Leaders and Assistants. ]

1977

In 1977, the Narragansett Council (Providence, RI) registered a woman as Scoutmaster of a Troop within that Council because in that community, no man wanted to step forward and work with a longstanding unit in that local Council; the woman did.  The battle became a national issue and led to the decision by the BSA's National Executive Board to admit women as leaders
OTHER than Scoutmasters or Assistants, as WEBELOS Den Leaders or Assistants, or as Friends
and Counselors to Lone Scouts.  Although the announcement was publicized and sent to the field,
very few Councils implemented the policy.  This decision was reannouced in 1987,  and the BSA
National Executive Board removed the "female exclusion" from Scouting totally, starting with the fall of 1989.  (After winning a Supreme Court decision in favor of the policy excluding females.)

1978

In 1978, the BSA allowed Sharon Coleman, formally one of the nation's first Exploring Executives, to serve as Exploring Director and therefore breaking the "management barrier" which was in place for several years before.  The Old Kentucky Home Council in Louisville, Kentucky , became the first Council to have a female to serve as a Field Director.

[ Today, out of the 4620 professionals registered with the BSA, there are over 1200 of them
female...and most are either serving as District Executives, District Executive multiple-person, Senior District Executives, or Exploring Executives.  There are 33 Field Directors whom are female serving local Councils but as of 1992, there are NOT any Program Directors, Finance Directors, Assistant/Associate Scout Executives, Associate Council Executives nor Council/Scout Executives whom are female. ]

Date:         Thu, 28 Nov 1996 11:18:15 -0600
From: Kathie Cerveny <kathie@EECS.NWU.EDU>
Subject:      Part III - Women in Scouting course
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

WOODBADGE

In 1976, the BSA officially recognized the needs of having a separate Wood Badge training course specificially for Cub Scouter Trainers. (EC 9000)  In 1977, the next C.S. Woodbadge course was held in East Central Region (EC-CS-1)There were seventeen female Cub Scouters in attendance during the first regional Cub Scout Leader Wood Badge course which was held in the East  Central Region. The second course in East Central Region (EC-CS-2) was attended by approximately  50% female.

[ The Volunteer Training Division says that over 1200 Cub Scouters have
been through Cub Leader Wood Badge up until 1992. ]

CAMPING

In 1980, the Cub Scout Program Division approved a new Cub Scout Day Camp program and
approved a National Camping School syllabus for it's usage to train program and speciality directors. Before this time, only seven females have attended National Camping School and three
ofthem were professionals.  All of them attended the Boy Scout Camp Operations portions of the
National Camping School.

[ Since 1980, more than 200 females have attended National Camping School and more than 140 of them are still currently certified to teach elements of Cub Scout Day Camp program or to run Cub Day Camp programs in local Councils.  Also since 1980, 118 females have attended the Boy Scout camp versions of the National Camping School and are able to teach other Scouters
or Scouts elements of the camping program.  It is currently not unusual to find at least two or three females on the staff of a National Camping School course. ]

ORDER OF THE ARROW

In 1988, during the National Order of the Arrow Conference, OA Chiefs decided to allow female Explorers and Exploring leaders to serve as Order of the Arrow members after a long meeting which lasted long into the night.  This precursor allowed the National Executive Board  of the
BSA to allow females to serve as Boy Scouting leaders starting with the 1989 program year.

[ The National OA folks say as of 1992 (the last figures that I can get from them) that there are over 3000 female Arrowmen of well over 39,000 active Arrowmen registered with lodges
in the last year (1991). ]

BOY SCOUT LEADER BASIC TRAINING

The first females attending Boy Scout Leader Basic courses (which were later renamed Scoutmaster Fundamentals) in local Councils all over the nation began in 1976. The first female Woodbadgers were allowed to attend courses in 1976.  Northeast Illinois has as one of the first female Boy Scout Woodbadgers, a lady who is a Raven, from EC-96.  Females began serving on Boy Scout Woodbadge staff in 1978, and have gradually increased over the years.  However,
there are rarely more than one or two females on staff per course.  There are also rarely more than
one or two females taking this course at any given time.

[ There are, according to the Volunteer Training Division, over 500 females who have completed Boy Scout Wood Badge training --wearing Boy Scout Wood Badge beads -- and another 240 or more that are currently  undergoing elements (either the practical or the application phases) of the Boy Scout Wood Badge course in 92 local Councils in the USA and in Europe.]

There are more than 3000 female Scouters in Boy Scout Troops as of 1992, and the
re are 844 female Scoutmasters registered with the BSA as of 1992.

Also, please note that there is only one female Scout Executive to date,
DesPlaines Valley Council, IL.  Irene Sinival.

Hope this helps.

Kathie

Date:         Fri, 6 Dec 1996 07:32:03 -0600
From: Mark Arend <arend@PEOPLES.NET>
Subject:      Scoutmaster's minute
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>

More Presidential quotes:

In a speech in 1960 President Eisenhower related an incident from his son's
Scouting career.  At the time there was a "14-mile solo hike" requirement
which John attempted over the objections of his mother.

        "Well, he...came in in fine shape.  And I found this: the tremendous
pride that boy had in making sure--getting the self confidence that he could
do a thing by himself, that some of his doting parents did not think he
could do.

        And moreover, it occured to me that possibly we are doing a little
bit too much of the paternalistic care about our young, and we don't give
them an opportunity to develop self-dependence.  And when I saw the pride
that boy exhibited--he was a different boy.

        [Whenever he meets Scouts] I try to get a word to see what they are
thinking about, and what their morale is.  And it is always at the top.

        They get this morale, why?  Because they are trained or they are
taught that they can render a service.  Because the way these boys are
growing up is to believe there is an honor and a satisfaction in doing a
service for others.  To my mind, that is the great thing about Scouting.  It
doesn't make any difference whether they wrap up their bed-rolls just right,
or pitch their tent exactly right, or whether they do their cookout and burn
the eggs and the bacon not fit to eat.  As long as they have that feeling
and that development--if they get the same feeling that we did when we read
in our Bibles the Parable of the Good Samaritan and then as time comes
along, if they individually and collectively begin to think of their nation
in part as a "good Samaritan", doing the decent thing in this world, then I
will tell you: Scouting is indeed doing something for all of us that is not
only necessary but I would say vital to our vigor as a nation based upon a
religious concept, but is ready to take on its own shoulders its duty with
respect to itself, with respect to those that are less fortunate.  Only in
this way, in my opinion, is America going to be able to lead the way to that
goal that mankind has sought so long, and so far so futilely, a peace with
honor and with justice."

This is from a speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of the BSA.

BTW, in the Presidential Scouting thread someone posted that they thought
that Pres. Eisenhower had been elected to the Order of the Arrow as an
adult.  The Eisenhower Library has no information on this.  Can anyone out
there confirm this story?

Mark W. Arend
Beaver Dam Community Library
311 N. Spring St.                      Outside of a dog, a book is
Beaver Dam, Wisc. 53916                    man's best friend.  Inside of
(414) 887-4631  (fax 887-4633)             a dog it's too dark to read.
                                                             --Groucho Marx
www.peoples.net/~bdlib/
Scoutmaster, Troop 736

mailto:arend@peoples.net

To: Jambo97@hoplite.org
Date: Sun, 22 Dec 1996 22:38:01 PST
Subject: JAMBO97 hulsman: Time Magazine, July 12, 1937
 
An excerpt from Time Magazine, July 12, 1937

SCOUTS

In Europe 725 years ago, children disappeared wholesale from their
homes.  Peasants, in their fields stood and stared at a strange sight. 
Strung out for miles 20,000 youngsters traipsed along the cart tracks of Germany
following a lad named Nicolas.  In France other thousands, laughing,
playing singing hymns, made their way southward behind a lad named Stephen.  The 
children, attacked by the same urge which had already seized their
elders, were going forth to conquer the Holy Land for Christianity.  Like their
elders few of them ever returned.  Where the army of German children went no man
ever knew.  All that they left behind was the legend of the Pied Piper of

Hamelin.  Where the French children went is better known.  Many of them 
were kidnapped, sold to slavery in Egypt.  Never until last week had the
U. S. seen a juvenile mass migration comparable to the famed Children's 
Crusade of the 13th Century.

But last week the U. S. saw and heard more than 25,000 boys invade the 
city of Washington.  Their tent cities spread beneath the Washington 
Monument, over Potomac Park both north and south of the Tidal Basin, 
across the river on Columbia Island and into the fields below Arlington 
National Cemetery on the Virginia shore.  Everywhere bare kneed
youngsters in khaki perabmulated through the streets with cameras and autograph books. 
 Everywhere rose a babel of youthful voices, in childish versions of the 
accents of Maine and California, of Wisconsin and Texas.  No connoisseur
of mob scenes had ever seen such a sight.; never before had the Boy Scouts
of America held a National Jamboree.

     For a whole day Washington's Union Station was bedlam as troops of 
grinning boys in uniform piled off trains accompanied by young Scout 
Masters.  Busses hustled them out to the river front parks where cooking,
dining, administration tents and innumerable little wooden comfort
stations had already been erected.  The arrivals scattered over 350 acres, erected

bright-colored tents for themselves, pounded tent pegs and fingers.  At
8:45  next morning a trench mortar boomed and 25,000 Boy Scouts stood at 
attention.  It boomed again and the flags of 52 nations rose in an avenue
of  flags beneath the Washington Monument.  It boomed a third time, up went 
1,634 flags to 1,634 mastheads throughout the encampment.  The ten-day 
Jamboree had opened.

Date:         Tue, 24 Sep 1996 16:43:00 -0400
Reply-To: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Sender: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
From: Ricky <ricky@BUFFNET.NET>
Subject:      BSA "Aims and Methods" 1927-1947
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status: 

In a recent thread someone asked if The Aims and Methods of Scouting had
always been the same and if all the Methods are to be given equal weight.
At our local Trade-O-Ree this weekend I was able to find most of the old
editions of The Scoutmasters Handbooks (anyone know where I can find a
copy of the first edition at a reasonable price?) and found the following:

I.  Handbook for Scoutmasters: A Manual of Leadership, Second Handbook,
1927:

Two sets of Aims are given (pg. 13),

ADULT AIMS CAN BE REALIZED ONLY THRU BOY INTERESTS

  Adult Aims--------------->--------------------
  (Character, Citizenship)  \
                              \ Scouting /
  Boy Aims----------------->--------------------
  (Pleasure, Interest)

"A Scoutmaster should frankly recognize that the adult aims of citizenship
and character are vitally different from the boy aims of pleasure and
interest.  Only can the adult hope to effect his aims as he does so
through the boy's interests.  The 'train' of the adult program must 'run'
on the 'tracks' of the boy's interests pulled by the boy's enthusiasm.
Character and citizenship then may be expected as by-products of what the
boy does and thinks under leadership and association...."

The Materials and Methods of Scouting (pg. 8),

A. The materials of Scouting are:
1.  Boy Nature
2.  The unknown or unexplored world about him, with its
        Woodcraft               Skycraft
        Fieldcraft              Campcraft
        Watercraft              Healthcraft
and with its larger lifecrafts of character, of service and right living.

B.  The method of Scouting is to naturally bring these two together,-- the
boy and the worldcrafts:
1.  Under conditions of pleasure and interest to the boy, recognizing the
law that learning aided by interest is more rapid and more permanent.
2.  Under conditions which provide chances for expression, for doing
things and learning through direction of that doing.
3.  Under conditions which build character and citizenship habits which
are consciously developed thru exercise.
4.  Under conditions of association and cooperation which make for
democracy.
5.  Where possible under out-of-door conditions which build for health.

II.  The Third Handbook For Scoutmasters (written by a "Mr. William
Hillcourt, Assistant to the Director of Publications"), 1938, talks about
The Elements of Scouting, pg. 25:

"Character and citizenship--these are our aims.  But they are not peculiar
to Scouting alone.  So what are the essential elements which contrast
Scouting with any other program for boys?
  "The answer is best provided in the words of the Chief Scout Executive,
Dr. James E. West, who for more than a quarter of a century has guided the
destinies of the Boy Scouts of America:
                I. The Boy in Scouting
" 'In the majority of other programs for boys, the boy is treated as
simply a member of a group.  In Scouting each boy is an individual....' "

ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS IN THE PROGRAM OF SCOUTING

1. The Boy.......Individual   }
                 Patrol       } In Uniform
                 Troop        }
2. Leadership....Trained Volunteer--In Uniform
3. Activity......The Scout Motto: "Be Prepared"
                 Achievement with Recognition
4. Organization..Institutional
                 Local         } With Trained
                 Regional      } Professional
                 National      } Leadership
5. Scout Oath
     and Law.....Ideals of Service

III.  The 1947 Handbook For Scoutmasters (written "by William Hillcourt,
National Director of Scoutcraft--himself a long active Scoutmaster"), is
the first to list together the "Aim" and "Methods of Scouting," pg. 10:

               THE AIM OF SCOUTING
         Scouting trains for Citizenship
by inclucating in the boy, from within instead of from
            without, the qualities of
                    Character
               Health and Strength
               Handcraft and Skill
                Service to Others

           THE METHODS OF SCOUTING

                        The Scout Way
Scouting is a game        1) A Game, NOT a Science

                        Patrol Method
played by boys in         2) The Scout Patrol
boy gangs
under boy leaders         3) Boy Leadership
chosen by the gang.

                        Men in Scouting
guided by a man           4) The Scoutmaster
backed by other men       5) Troop Committee and
  of the community.          Local Council Scouters

                        Activities
SCOUTING provides         6) Adventure in the
      the boy with an        Out-of-Doors
active outdoor life,
grants him recognition    7) Scout Advancement
for mastering various
           skills, and
                        Uniform
gives him a chance to     8) The Scout Uniform
   wear an attractive
             Uniform.
                        Ideals and Service
It holds before him       9) The Scout Law
the ideals of a true
          Scout, and
encourages him to        10) The Scout Oath or
  "help other people         Promise--Service:
      at all times."         Good Turns

......................
Scouter Rick, ASM
Troop 108, Kenmore, NY
ricky@buffnet.net
......................
IV.  The Fifth Edition, Scoutmaster's Handbook (1959) retained the same
graphical outline of "THE AIM OF SCOUTING" AND "THE METHODS OF SCOUTING"
as the Fourth Edition.

V.  The Sixth Edition, Scoutmaster's Handbook (1972) was the first to list
the three Aims of Scouting as we now know them:  Character, Citizenship,
and Fitness.  It included a list of behaviors that suggest evidence of
those qualities by which a Scouter could judge the effectiveness of his
program:

THE CHARACTER AIM

* He is confident in himself, but not conceited.
* He is honest with himself and others.
* His personal appearance and general actions show that he respects
himself.
* He has some skills that enable him to enjoy life.
* He can take care of himself in emergencies.
* He shows imagination and resourcefulness in solving problems.
* He is courageous in hard situations.
* He can plan and use logic to meet unfamiliar situations.
* He shows what moral values he holds high by the decisions he makes.
* He is responsible and loyal to the commitments he makes to himself and
others.
* He believes in some religious concept and practices his belief in his
daily life.
* He respects other people's beliefs when they are different from his own.

THE CITIZENSHIP AIM

"...If you are making progress in citizenship training, you will observe
behaviors like these:"

* The boy knows something of his heritage as an American and is proud of
it.
* He understands to some degree American social, economic, and
governmental systems.
* He understands and can use skills of leadership to lead a group to a
successful outcome.
* He demonstrates concern for and interest in others.
* He has some knowledge of cultures and social groups other than his own
and is able to understand something of what it is like to belong to
another such group.
* He is aware of community organizations and what they do.
* He understands the ethnic and social situation in his neighborhood.
* He contributes in some way to the improvement of the environment in
which he lives.
* He wisely uses property belonging to himself and others.
* He explores vocational and hobby possibilities for himself.

THE FITNESS AIM

Physical Fitness

* The boy knows and practices good health rules; he has good health
habits.
* His physical fitness is shown by strength, muscle tone, and endurance.
* He has reasonably good physical coordination.
* He keeps his weight within healthful limits.

Mental Fitness

* Being alert (mentally awake!)
* Being able to give and receive information
* Retaining and using knowledge
* Using good judgment, thinking logically, making sound decisions
* Solving problems creatively
* Using a questioning approach to problems

Moral Fitness

* Courage about what he believes.  Being called "chicken" doesn't divert
him from doing what he believes is right--or not doing what he believes is
wrong.
* Respect for other people's viewpoints when they are different from his.
* Compassion for other's feelings and needs.
* Acting as if the rights of others matter to him.
* Accepting others as equal in worth and dignity.

Emotional Fitness

* Adaptability--being able to adjust to new or changing situations.
* Self-discipline--having self-control
* Respect for self
* Constructive and enthusiastic attitudes.

THE METHODS OF SCOUTING

The Sixth Edition was the first of two editions to state that the Methods
"are *not* listed in order of importance--because they are *equally
important*"  (emphasis in bold italics).  There were only seven Methods,
however, and (SURPRISE!) the Uniform was not one of them:

1. Scouting Ideals
2. Patrols
3. Advancement
4. Adult Male Association
5. Outdoor Program
6. Leadership Development
7. Personal Growth

                 Other Program Elements

"We have considered those parts of Scouting that are so essential to the
success of the program that we call them methods.  There are, of course,
other features and elements--some unique to Scouting, some not.  Each
contributes its own flavor to the total program.
We note some of these other program elements here, in no special order."

                   The Scout Uniform
                     The Good Turn
                       Adventure
                      Competition
                Activities Among Troops

VI.  The Seventh Edition, The Official Scoutmaster Handbook (1981),
retained the Three Aims with some minor changes to the behavior to look
for in a successful program:

Character

"He has some skills that enable him to enjoy life" was changed to "He has
developed special skills or hobbies that absorb his energies and develop
his competence and confidence."  "Hard" was changed to "difficult" in "He
is courageous in difficult situations."  Dropped were: "He shows
imagination and resourcefulness in solving problems," and "He shows what
values he holds high by the decisions he makes."

Citizenship

"He understands the ethnic and social situation in his neighborhood" was
changed to "He understands and respects the ethnic and social
relationships of his community."  "He resists the urging of his peers to
experiment with smoking, drugs, and alcohol" was added here and repeated
as an example of "Courage about what he believes" under Moral Fitness.

Fitness (Physical)

Two attributes were rewritten: "The boy has good health habits.  He
eats properly, exercises daily, and gets enough sleep," and "He keeps his
weight within reasonable limits."

Fitness (Mental)

"Being able to give and receive information" was dropped.

THE METHODS

"...We have considered the aims of Scouting and some of the evidence of
achieving them.  There are eight methods we use to accomplish these aims.
They are not listed in order of importance because they are all of equal
importance."  The emphasis had been dropped and an eighth Method added:

Ideals (was Scouting Ideals)
Patrol Method (was Patrols)
Outdoors (was Outdoor Program)
Advancement
Adult Male Association
Uniform
Leadership Training (was Leadership Development)
Personal Growth

OTHER PROGRAM ELEMENTS

Adventure
Competition and Sports
Team Sports Policy
Activities Among Troops, Packs. and Posts
Anniversary Week Celebration

VII The Eighth Edition, The Scoutmaster Handbook (1990), continued with
the same three Aims and eight Methods:

THE AIMS OF SCOUTING

Aim I--To build character
Aim II--To foster citizenship
Aim III--To develop fitness

THE METHODS OF SCOUTING

Ideals
Patrols (was Patrol Method)
Outdoors
Advancement
Personal Growth
Adult Association (was Adult Male Association)
Leadership Development (was Leadership Training)
The Uniform

VIII The Ninth Edition: Has anyone heard any rumors?  I'd love to see Bob
Birkby take a crack at editing the next one!

......................
Rick Seymour, ASM
Troop 108, Kenmore, NY
ricky@buffnet.net
......................
Date:         Tue, 1 Oct 1996 13:27:06 -0700
Reply-To: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Sender: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
From: Rodger Morris <rodger@FISHNET.NET>
Subject:      Re: Vietnamese scouting
X-cc:         XDANDA@DINF.FSV.CVUT.CZ
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status: 

At 07:11 AM 10/1/96 -0600, you wrote:
>Dear friends!
>
>My collegue has got two Vietnamiese refugees in his troop. He'd like
>to learn them also about the history of scouting in their country, but
>we were able to find only, that
>- there definitely was scouting in (South) Vietnam
>- still exists troops of Vietnamese scouts in exile (I've met one of
>them from France)
>- South Vietnamese delegation wasn't allowed to participate in one
>of the big scout events (Jamboree?), because during their travelling
>there South Vietnam falls
>
>Could you add something to this poor list, please?
...

C.T. Miller, a former Assistant Council Executive of the Ventura County
Council of the BSA, was in Vietnam and worked with Vietnamese Scouting
during his tours of duty there. He was a retired army officer.

He once told me that the Vietnamese Scouts planned a national jamboree.
The North Vietnamese Army and the Viet Cong announced that they would
kill all of the Scouts and leaders. The U.S. Army decided that they
would provide protection for the event.

As a result, several brigades of American troops took up position
around the jamboree site and dug into defensive blocking positions.
During the jamboree, there were several pitched battles between
American troops determined to defend the Scouts and NVA troops intent
upon killing them. These battles took place out of sight, but within
hearing range of the jamboree site.

The Vietnamese Scouts and Scout leaders returned home safely.

Alas, C.T. has passed away. Thus, all I can provide you with is the
foregoing material.

Subsequent to the fall of South Vietnam, many of the Boy Scout leaders
were arrested and sent to concentration camps for "re-education".
Scout leaders have long been regarded by tyrants of all types as being
potential focal points for resistance to tyranny and oppression. It
matters not whether the tyrants in question are Communist, fascist, or
of some other ideological persuasion.

I hope that this is of some assistance to you.

Yours in Scouting,

Rodger
Rodger Morris                  <rodger@fishnet.net>
Scoutmaster, Troop 852         Woodbadge 416-18
Ventura County Council         Philmont, 1973
Camarillo, California, USA     "I used to be a Beaver..."

Date:         Mon, 11 Nov 1996 15:58:18 -0800
Reply-To: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Sender: SCOUTS-L - Youth Groups Discussion List
              <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
From: Rodger Morris <rodger@FISHNET.NET>
Subject:      "Be Prepared", by "Rice E. Cochran"
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status: 

At 12:41 PM 11/11/96 -0600, Mark Arend wrote:
>Since there seems to be some interest in the 1935 Jamboree being canceled I
>looked up this first-hand account:
>
>        "I still remembered the National Jamboree of 1935.  I hadnot been
>part of our local contingent for that trip, but a few of my Scouts had, and
>I went to the station to see them off.  The whole contingent was lined up
>beside our special train, awaiting the signal to board it, when Skipper
>Gunnison, who was our Scout executive at that time, came rushing up to them.
>        "'The Jamboree is off, fellows!' he cried, 'You can't go!'
...
>        ...[the author attended the 1949 Jamboree]..."There was no such bad
>luck this year. ... Actually, although we were ignorant of it at the time,
>we did come rather close to a repetition of the 1935 fiasco.  A Scout died
>suddenly of polio en route to Valley Forge.  If he had been in camp when
>stricken, perhaps the Jamboree might have been stopped, even with Troops
>already arriving.
>
>                                        --from Be Prepared
>                                                        by Rice E. Cochran
...

Rice E. Cochran is a nom de plum for Keith Monroe. Keith was the Scoutmaster
of Troop 2 of Santa Monica for roughly 46 years. No, that's _not_ a typographic
error. Keith was also the offical historian of the BSA for many years. He
founded the "The Way It Was" column in "Scouting" magazine. Many Scouters on
this list who were Scouts in the 1960s will remember him best as the author
of "The Time Machine" stories in Boys' Life magazine. Keith told me when I met
him in 1974 at Camp Emerald Bay on Catalina Island:

"The Chief Scout Executive (CSE) was really angry when 'Be Prepared' came
out. (Rodger's note: in the 1950s) He directed his staff to 'find that SOB
and RED FLAG him'".

"Red flagging" was usually reserved for pedophiles, so it is obvious that
the CSE was _really_ provoked by the sometimes irreverent tone in "Be
Prepared". As for me and, I suspect, thousands of other Scouters, I laughed
all the way through reading it and went back to re-read it many times. It's
a great pity this book is out of print, as it is both one of the most
funny and inspirational books about Scouting I have ever read.

"Be Prepared" was based largely upon Keith's experiences and those of his
father who was Scoutmaster of Troop 2 before him. It was a major factor in
keeping me from leaving Scouting as a volunteer leader in my early years as
a Scouter.

I'd be getting really depressed and thinking, "What am I doing here? The
boys don't seem to appreciate what I'm trying to do for them, most of the
parents only seem to care when something goes wrong. Things aren't going
smoothly, and they don't seem to be getting any better. I've got alot of
other worthwhile things I could be doing. What am I doing here?"

Then I'd go back and re-read in "Be Prepared" anecdotes like the time Keith
inadvertantly left a Scout in the mountains with a blizzard coming down and
couldn't get back up there for three days. The boy had slipped out of the
car in the minute between roll call in the cars and the time his troop left
camp for home. Keith told it in such a funny way that I'd burst out laughing
and figure that if he could survive something as bad as that in Troop 2 of
Santa Monica that I could keep doing my best for awhile longer in Troop 225
of Camarillo, fifty miles up the road from Santa Monica.

It kinda put the time one of my patrols forgot half their food on a weekend
campout in perspective.

And you know, things _did_ get better. Thanks, Keith. Without you, I would
most likely have missed some tremendous experiences.

Keith passed on the following advice to Scouters in "Be Prepared" that was
given to him in the first years that he was a Scouter:

"Wait for the rewards."

After 25 years as a Scouter (last month was my anniversary month), I heartily
concur with Keith. I still get a bit depressed about twice a year and wish that
things were going better, but I know now that it's a normal and transitory
thing (for me, at least). Something always comes up to make me glad that I
have stayed the course and continued to do my best.

Yours in Scouting,

Rodger
Rodger Morris                  <rodger@fishnet.net>
Scoutmaster, Troop 852         Wood Badge 416-18
Ventura County Council         at Philmont, 1973
Camarillo, California, USA     "I used to be a Beaver..."

Date:         Mon, 3 Feb 1997 08:05:09 -0800
Reply-To: Rodger Morris <rodger@FISHNET.NET>
Sender: Scouts-L Youth Group List <Scouts-L@tcu.edu>
From: Rodger Morris <rodger@FISHNET.NET>
Subject:      Re: African American Scouters
X-To:         SCOUTS-L@TCU.EDU
X-cc:         Deirdre LaRock <butterbuns@EARTHLINK.COM>
To: Multiple recipients of list SCOUTS-L <SCOUTS-L@TCUBVM.IS.TCU.EDU>
Status: RO
X-Status: 

At 10:40 AM 2/1/97 -0500, you wrote:
>I don't have any information on this.  I'm sure there are many here who are
>qualified.  But, my suggestion is that the person not give up on it for this
>year.  While MLK day is over, Black History month is just beginning.  He
>should be able to find something that he can use by the end of the month.
>Especially, if the people on this list come through as they have in the past.
>
>

In my community:

John R. Hatcher III says he was the second black Eagle Scout in Tennessee.
He became an Eagle in the 1930s. Later, he entered the U.S. Army Air Force
during World War II. He retired from the U.S. Air Force in the late 1960s.
Mr. Hatcher is the president of the Ventura County chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

Richard T. Lee says he was a Star Scout in Ohio during the 1930s. He was
one of the original Tuskegee Airmen, but washed out of the program because
of severe motion sickness. He was retrained as a mechanic and was assigned
to India to service aircraft flying "over the Hump" (the Himalaya Mountains)
to China. As there was a shortage of pilots, he became one of 10
African-Americans who flew over the Hump as enloisted pilots in C-46
Commandos, C-47 Dakotas, and converted B-24 Liberator bombers. Later, he
he became a Cubmaster, Webelos Leader and Scoutmaster, amassing a total
of 14 years in Scouting. He was twice Post President of American Legion
Post 741 of Camarillo, California, and five time Adjutant of the same. He
just finished a stint as a National Executive Board member for the American
Legion. Mr. Lee retired from the U.S. Air Force as a Chief Master Sergeant,
the highest enlisted rank.

Mr. Lee holds the District Award of Merit.

I hope this is of some assistance.

Yours in Scouting,

Rodger
Rodger Morris                  <rodger@fishnet.net>
Scoutmaster, Troop 852         Wood Badge 416-18
Ventura County Council         at Philmont, 1973
Camarillo, California, USA     "I used to be a Beaver..."