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I
*OY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
HANDBOOK FOR BOYS
REVISED EDITION
HimClL© @« LSI
upphes
for
Boys Without Money
Your Scout uniform, your camping tent, your Scout axe and knife — any of these or any other Scout supplies made by the ofScial Scout out- fitters, we will give you without charging you a penny, in return for a few hours of your spare time after school or on Saturdays.
Hundreds of Boy Scouts are in this way obtaining their equipment and are at the same time earning spending-money and starting bank accounts. Thus they are observing the ninth law:
* * A Scout is thrifty. He works faithfully, wastes nothing and makes the best use of his opportunities. He saves his money so that he may pay his own way, be generous to those in need and helpful to worthy objects.*'
Let us tell you about our plan, which is approved by the National Council, and send you a copy of our illustrated catalogue of articles all Boy Scouts need. Write to
Sales Division
THE CURTIS PUBLISHING COMPANY
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
The Best Food for
The
Boy Scouts
is
Shredded Wheat
because it has all the muscle-building, bone-making material in the whole wheat grain prepared in a digestible form, supplying all the strength needed fcr work or play.
It is ready-cooked and ready-to-eat. It has the greatest amount of body-building nutriment in smallest bulk. Its crispness compels thorough mas- tication, and the more you chew it the better you like it.
Shredded Wheat is the favorite food of athletes. It is on the training table of nearly every college and university in this country. The records show that the winners of many brilliant rowing and track events have been trained on Shredded Wheat.
The BISCUIT is in little loaf form. It is baked a crisp, golden brown. It is eaten with milk or cream, or fruit, or is delicious when eaten as a toast with butter. TRISCUITis the Shredded Wheat wafer— the ideal food for the camp or the long tramp.
Building buster hoys is bully business — thai^s the reason we want to help the Boy Scout movement.
The Shredded Wheat Company
Niagara Falls, N. Yo
BOY SCOUTS HANDBOOK
[ADVOCATINGl
UNIVERSAL PEACE
BOY SCOUTS q/ AMERICA
THE OFFICIAL HANDBOOK FOR BOYS
ELEVENTH EDITION
Published for
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
200 FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK
Garden City New York
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1914
COPYRIGHT, 191 1 AND I914, BY BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
n^^fj
BOY SCOUT CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that
of State of
Street and City or Town address
Age Height Weight
is a member of Patrol, of Troop No .
Scout Master
SCOUT HISTORY
Qualified as Tenderfoot 191 .
Second Class Scout 191 .
First Class Scout 191 .
Qualified as Life Scout 191 .
Qualified as Star Scout 191 .
Qualified as Eagle Scout 191 .
Awarded Honor Medal 191 .
Registered with National Headquarters 191 .
Re-registered 191 .
Re-registered 191 .
Re-registered 191 .
Re-registered 191 .
Qualified for Merit Badges
Subject
Agriculture —
Angling —
Archer}^ —
Architecture —
Art -
Astronomy —
Athletics —
Automobiling —
Aviation —
Bee Keeping —
Bird Study -
Blacksmithing —
Bugling -
Business —
Camping —
Carpentry —
Chemistry —
Civics —
Conservation —
Cooking —
Craftsmanship —
Cycling —
Dairying —
Electricity —
Firemanship —
First Aid — First Aid to Animals —
Forestry — Taxidermy
Date
Subject Gardening Handicraft Horsemanship Interpreting Leather Working Life Saving Machinery Marksmanship Masonry
Mining ' -
Music Painting Pathfinding Personal Health Photography Physical Development - Pioneering Plumbing Poultry Keeping Printing Public Health Scholarship Sculpture Seamanship Signaling Stalking Surve3dng Swimming
Date
PREFACE
The Boy Scout Movement has become almost universal, and vherever organized its leaders are glad, as we are, to acknowl- dge the debt we all owe to Lieut.-Gen. Sir Robert S. S. Baden- ^owell, who has done so much to make the movement of interest o boys of all nations.
The BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA is a corporation formed )y a group of men who are anxious that the boys of America hould come under the influence of this movement and be built ip in all that goes to make character and good citizenship, rhe affairs of the organization are managed by a National Council, composed of some of the most prominent men of our ountry, who gladly and freely give their time and money that his purpose may be accomplished.
In the various cities, towns, and villages the welfare of the )oy scouts is cared for by local councils, and these councils, ike the National Council, are composed of men who are seeking or the boys of the community the very best things.
In order that the work of the boy scouts throughout America nay be uniform and intelligent, the National Council has pre- pared its '^Official Handbook,'^ the purpose of which is to fur- lish to the patrols of the boy scouts advice in practical methods, is well as inspiring information.
The work of preparing this handbook has enlisted the ser- vices of men eminently fitted for such work, for each is an expert in his own department, and the Editorial Board feels :hat the organization is to be congratulated in that such men lave been found willing to give their time and ripe experience to :his movement. It would be impossible adequately to thank ill who by advice and friendly criticism have helped in the ^reparation of the book, or even to mention their names, but :o the authors whose names are attached to the various chapters kve acknowledge an especial obligation. Without their friendly lelp this book could not be. We wish especially to express our stppreciation of the helpful suggestions made by Daniel Carter Beard.
We have carefully reexamined and approved all the material ^hich goes to make up this edition of the handbook, and have
VI
Preface
tried to make it as complete as possible; nevertheless, no one can be more conscious than we are of the difficulty of providing a book which will meet all the demands of such widely scattered patrols with such varied interests. We have constantly kept in mind the evils that confront the boys of our country and have struck at them by fostering better things. We have considered the needs which the development of the Scout Movement seems to demand and have sought to provide for such changes. Our hope is that the information needed for successful work with boy scouts will be found within the pages of this book.
In these pages and throughout our organization we have made it obligatory upon our scouts that they cultivate courage, loyalty, patriotism, brotherliness, self-control, courtesy, kind- ness to animals, usefulness, cheerfulness, cleanliness, thrift, purity, and honor. No one can doubt that with such training added to his native gifts the American boy will in the near future, as a man, be an efficient leader in the paths of civiUza- tion and peace.
It has been deemed wise to pubHsh all material especially for the aid of scout masters in a separate volume known as ^^The Scout Masters' Handbook."
We send out our ''Official Handbook,'' therefore, with the earnest wish that many boys may find in it new methods for the proper use of their leisure time and fresh inspiration in their efforts to make their hours of recreation contribute to strong, noble manhood in the days to come.
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
William D. Murray,^
George D. Pratt, > Editorial Board.
Frank Presbrey, J
OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL AND EXECUTIVE BOARD
Honorary President : Woodrow Wilson Honorary Vice-President: William H. Taft Honorary Vice-President : Theodore Roosevelt
President: Colin H. Livingstone, Washington, D. C. Vice-President: B. L. Dulaney, Bristol, Tenn.
Vice-President: Milton A. McRae, Detroit, Mich;
Vice-President: David Starr Jordan, Stanford University, Cal. Vice-President: F. L. Seely, Asheville, N. C.
Vice-President: A. Stamford White, Chicago, 111.
Chief Scout: Ernest Thompson Seton, Greenwich, Conn.
Natl Scout Commissioner: Daniel Carter Beard, Flushing, L. I., N, Y. Treasurer: George D. Pratt, Brooklyn, New York.
Chief Scout Executive: James E. West, N. Y. City.
ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF EXECUTIVE BOARD
Ernest P. Bicknell Robert Garrett Lee F. Hanmer John Sherman Hoyt Charles C. Jackson Jeremiah W. Jenks William D.Murray
Charles P. Neill George D. Porter Frank Presbrey G. Barrett Rich, Jr. Edgar M. Robinson Mortimer L. Schiff Lorillard Spencer
MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL
Mr. Arthur Adams
Dr. Felix Adler
Mr. Harry A. Alhson
Mr. Henry Morrell Atkinson
Mr. B.N. Baker
Mr. Ray Stannard Baker
Mr. Daniel Carter Beard
Mr. Henry M. Beardsley
Hon. Martin Behrman
Mr. August Belmont
Mr. Ernest P. Bicknell Mr. Edward Bok Colonel Peter S. Bomus Hon. Charles J. Bonaparte Mr. William D. Boyce Mr.H.S.Braucher Dr. Elmer E. Brown Mr. Luther Burbank Hon. Frank Byrne Rev. S. Parkes Cadman
viii Officers and Members of National Council
Mr. Arthur A. Carey Mr. Charles A. Carlisle Mr. E. C. Carter Mr. Richard B. Carter Mr.Winston Churchill Mr. P. P. Claxton Hon. Oscar B. Colquitt Mr. Randall J. Condon Mr. Ernest K. Coulter Hon. James N. Cox Hon. Locke Craig Dr. C. Ward Crampton Dr. George S. Davis Mr.E.B.DeGroot Judge William H. DeLacy Mr. William C. Demorest Dr. Edward T. Devine Admiral George Dewey Hon. John A. Dix Mr. Myron E. Douglas Mr. Benjamin L. Dulaney Hon. T.C.Du Pont Hon. Adolph O. Eberhart Mr. George W.Ehler Mr. Griffith OgdenEUis Mr. Robert Erskine Ely Hon. John J, Esch Mr. Eberhard Faber Hon. Samuel D. Felker Hon. Woodb ridge Ferris Dr. George J. Fisher Mr. Horace Fletcher Dr. William Byron Forbush Hon. Eugene N. Foss Dr. Lee K. Frankel Hon. James R. Garfield Mr. Robert Garrett Col. L. R. Gignilliat Bishop David H. Greer Mr. Jesse A. Gregg Mr. George B. Grinnell Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick Hon. William T. Haines Hon. Luther E. Hall Dr. Winfield Scott Hall Mr. Lee F. Hanmer Dr. Hastings H. Hart Hon. W.M.Hays Hon. R. P. Hobson Hon. George H. Hodges Hon. Ben W. Hooper Mr. John Sherman Hoyt Mr. Chas. C. Jackson Mr. A. A. Jameson Prof. Jeremiah W. Jenks
Mr. G. E. Johnson Hon. Hiram C. W. Johnson Dr. David Starr Jordan Mr. Otto Herman Kahn Dr. William J. Kerby Mr. Charles H. Kip Mr. Gustavus T. Kirby Mr. Charles R. Lamb Mr. Joseph Lee Mr. Samuel McC. Lindsay Judge Ben B. Lindsey Mr. Colin H. Livingstone Col. Frank L. Locke Rev. Richard Earle Locke Hon. Nicholas Longworth Hon. Frank C. Lowden Major Charles Lynch Hon. H. B. F. MacFarland Hon. Wm. Hodges Mann Mr. Charles G. Maphis Mr. Edgar S. Martin Mr. Frank S. Mason Mr. Samuel Mather Dr. WiUiam H. Maxwell Hon. Lee McClung Hon. James B. McCreary Hon. WilHam C. McDonald Hon. WilHam B. McKinley Mr. John S. McLain Mr. Milton A. McRae Lieut. -Gen. Nelson A. Miles Hon. Charles R. Miller Capt. J. van Beuren Mitchell Hon. John N. Morehead Mr. Arthur C. Moses Mr. WilHam D. Murray Mr. Charles P. NeiU Hon. F. H. Newell Dr. Cyrus Northrop Mr. Charles D. Norton Mr. Frank W.Ober Hon.TaskerL.Oddie Hon. C. S. Page Mr. G. A. Parker Hon. Herbert Parsons Mr. Harold Peabody Mr. George W. Perkins Hon. Gifford Pinchot Mr. George D. Porter Mr. Frederic B.Pratt Mr. George D.Pratt Mr. Frank Presbrey Mr. G. Barrett Rich, Jr. Mr. Jacob A. Riis Mr. Clarence C. Robinson
Officers and Members of National Council ix
Mr. Edgar M. Robinson Mr. George B. Robinson Col. Theodore Roosevelt Mr. Lincoln E. Rowley Mr. Oliver J. Sands Dr. D.A.Sargent Mr. John M. Satterfield Mr. Henry B. Sawyer Mr. Mortimer L. Schiff Mr. Charles Scribner Mr. F. L. Seely Rear Adm'l T. O. Selfridge Mr. Jefferson Seligman Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton Mr. Samuel Shuman Rear Adm'l C. D. Sigsbee Mr. Fred. B.Smith Hon. George Otis Smith Mr. Lorillard Spencer Judge William H. Staake Mr. C. H. Stoddard Mr. Lyman Beecher Stowe Hon. Oscar S. Straus
Hon. William H.Taft Mr. Graham Romeyn Taylor Judge Harry L. Taylor Hon. John K. Tener Mr. Seth Sprague Terry Col. Robert M. Thompson Adjt.-Gen. William Verbeck Mr. Festus J. Wade Mr. John Wanamaker Mr. Henry L. Ward Mr. Lucien T. Warner Rear Adm'l J. C. Watson Mr.W.D.Weatherford Mr. Charles F. Weller Mr. A. Stamford White Mr. Eli Whitney Mr. Mornay Williams Hon. Woodrow Wilson Gen. George W. Wingate Mr. A. E. Winship Mr. Henry Rogers Winthrop Maj.-Gen. Leonard Wood
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF SCOUT
To THE Boy Scouts or America:
There was once a boy who lived in a region of rough farms. He was wild with the love of the green outdoors — the trees, the tree-top singers, the wood-herbs, and the live things that left their nightly tracks in the mud by his spring well. He wished so much to know them and learn about them, he would have given almost any price in his gift to know the name of this or that wonderful bird, or briUiant flower; he used to tremble with excitement and intensity of interest when some new bird was seen, or when some strange song came from the trees to thrill him with its power or vex him with its mystery, and he had a sad sense of lost opportunity when it flew away leaving him dark as ever. But he was alone and helpless, he had neither book nor friend to guide him, and he grew up with a kind of knowledge hunger in his heart that gnawed without ceasing. But it also did this: — it inspired him with the hope that some day he might be the means of saving others from this sort of torment — he would aim to furnish to them what had been denied to himself.
There were other things in the green and living world that had a binding charm for him. He wanted to learn to camp out, to live again the life of his hunter grandfather who knew all the tricks of winning comfort from the relentless wilderness — the foster-mother so rude to those who fear her, so kind to the stout of heart.
And he had yet another hankering — he loved the touch of romance. When he first found Fenimore Cooper's books, he drank them in as one parched might drink at a spring. He reveled in the tales of courage and heroic deeds, he gloated over records of their trailing and scouting by red man and white; he gloried in their woodcraft, and lived it all in imagina- tion, secretly blaming the writer, a little, for praising without describing it so it could be followed. ^^Some day,'' he said, ^'I shall put it all down for other boys to learn."
As years went by he found that there were books about most of the things he wished to know, the stars, the birds, the four-
A Message from the Chief Scout xi
footed animals, the fish, the insects, the plants, telling their names, their hidden power or curious ways, about the camper's life, the language of signs, and even some of the secrets of the trail. But they were very expensive, and a whole library would be needed to cover the ground. What he wanted — what every boy wants — is a handbook giving the broad facts as one sees them in the week-end hike, the open-air life. He did not want to know the trees as a botanist, but as a forester; nor the stars as an astronomer, but as a traveler. His interest in the animals was less that of an anatomist than of a hunter and camper, and his craving for light on the insects w^as one to be met by a popular book on bugs, rather than by a learned treatise on entomology.
So knowing the want he made many attempts to gather the simple facts together exactly to meet the need of other boys of like ideas, and finding it a mighty task he gladly enlisted the help of men who had lived and felt as he did.
Young Scouts of America, that boy is v/riting to you now. He thought himself peculiar in those days. He knows now he was simply a normal boy with the interests and desires of all nor- mal boys, some of them a little deeper rooted and more last- ing perhaps — and all the things that he loved and wished to learn have now part in the big broad work we call Scouting.
"Scout" used to mean the one on watch for the rest. We have widened the word a little. We have made it fit the town as well as the wilderness, and suited it to peace time instead of war. We have made the scout an expert in Life-craft as well as Wood-craft, for he is trained in the things of the heart as well as head and hand. Scouting we have made to cover rid- ing, swimming, tramping, trailing, photography, first aid, camp- ing, handicraft, loyalty, obedience, courtesy, thrift, courage, and kindness.
Do these things appeal to you? Do you love the woods? Do you wish to learn the trees as the forester knows them? And the stars, not as an astronomer, but as a traveler?
Do you wish to have all-round, well-developed muscles, not those of a great athlete, but those of a sound body that will not fail you? Would you like to be an expert camper who can always make himself comfortable out of doors, and a swimmer that fears no waters? Do you desire the knowledge to help the wounded quickly, and to make yourself cool and self- reliant in an eniergency?
Do you believe in loyalty, courage, and kindness? Would you like to form habits that will surely make your success in life?
xii A Message from the Chief Scout
Then, whether you are a farm boy or shoe clerk, newsboy or millionaire's son, your place is in our ranks, for these are the thoughts in scouting; it will help you to do better work with your pigs, your shoes, your papers, or your dollars; it will give you new pleasures in life; it will teach you so much of the out- door world that you wish to know; and this Handbook, the work of many men, each a leader in his field, is their best effort to show you the way. This is, indeed, the book that I so longed for in those far-off days when I wandered, heart hungry, in the woods.
Ernest Thompson Seton, Chief Scout. Headquarters Boy Scouts of America,
200 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
June I. 1911.
CONTENTS
PAGE
Boy Scout Certificate , . iii
Preface v
Officers and Members of the National Council vii
Message from the Chief Scout x
CHAPTER I.
Scoutcraft 3
Aim of Scout Movement
What Scouting Means
Things Scouts Must Know
How TO Become a Scout
The Boy Scout Organization
Scout Oath
Scout Law
Tenderfoot, Second-Class, and First-Class Scout
Requirements Merit Badges Badges and Awards Knots Every Scout Should Know The Compass
CHAPTER H.
Woodcraft 77
WooDLORE Ernest Thompson Seton
Birdcraft Clinton G. Abbott
Shells and Shellfish Dr. Wm. Healey Dall
Reptiles Dr. Leonhard Stejneger
Insects and Butterflies . United States Bureau of Entomology
Fishes and Angling Dr. Hugh M. Smith
Aquarium Dr. Wm. Leland Stowell
Rocks and Pebbles . . . United States Geological Survey Flowers, Ferns, and Grasses .... Dr. L. C. Corbett Mushrooms, Fungi, or Toadstools . Ernest Thompson Seton Common North American Trees . " '' "'
Native Wild Animals *' " **
Conservation Dr. Wm. T. Hornaday
xiv CONTENTS — continued
CHAPTER in. Campcraft 167
Hiking and Over-night Camps .... H. W. Gibson
Tent Making Made Easy H. J. Holden
An Open Outing Tent Warren H. Miller
Canoeing, Rowing, and Sailing . . . Arthur A. Carey
CHAPTER IV.
Tracks, Trailing, and Signaling . Ernest Thompson Seton 213
CHAPTER V. Health and Endurance .... George J. Fisher, M. D. 247
CHAPTER VI.
Chivalry John L. Alexander 263
CHAPTER VII. First Aid and Life Saving .... Major Charles Lynch 279
Water Accidents Wilbert E. Longfellow
Bandaging Dr. Eugene L. Swan
CHAPTER VIII. Games 323
Indoor and Outdoor Games . . Ernest Thompson Seton CHAPTER IX. Patriotism and Citizenship .... Waldo H. Sherman 359 Practical Citizenship . . . Col. Theodore Roosevelt APPENDIX.
Books for Reference 395
Every Boy's Library 396
General Reading 398
Merit Badge Books and Others 418
Index 435
ANDBOOK FOR BOYS
CHAPTER I
SCOUTCRAFT*
Aim of the Scout Movement
The aim of the Boy Scouts is to supplement the various exist- l educational agencies, and to promote the ability in boys do things for themselves and others. It is not the aim to set
Organizations using scout idea
a nev/ organization to parallel in its purposes others already ablished. The opportunity is afforded these organizations, ;vever, to introduce into their programs unique features sealing to interests which are universal among boys. The
Jote: This chapter is the work of a number of committees of experts and officers of the onal Council.
ecial credit should be given Sir Robert Baden-Powell for permission to use material in )uting for Boys"; to John L. Alexander for editorial work, and the Minute Tapioca pany for use of the illustrations by Gordon Grant.
4 Boy Scouts
method is summed up in the term Scoutcraft, and is a com- bination of observation, deduction, and handiness, or the ability to do things. Scoutcraft includes instruction in First Aid, Life Saving, Tracking, Signaling, Cycling, Nature Study, Seamanship, Campcraft, Woodcraft, Chivalry, Patriotism, and other subjects. This is accomplished in games and team play, and is pleasure, not work, for the boy. All that is needed is the out of doors, a group of boys, and a competent leader.
What Scouting Means
In all ages there have been scouts, the place of the scout being on the danger line of the army or at the outposts, protecting those of his company who confide in his care.
The army scout was the soldier who was chosen out of all the army to go out on the skirmish line.
The pioneer, who was out on the edge of the wilderness guarding the men, women, and children in the stockade, was also a scout. Should he fall asleep, or lose control of his facul- ties, or fail on his watch, then the lives of the men, women, and children paid the forfeit, and the scout lost his honor.
But there have been other kinds of scouts besides war scouts and frontier scouts. They have been the men of all ages who have gone out on new and strange adventures, and through their work have benefited the people of the earth. Thus, Columbus discovered America, the Pilgrim Fathers founded New England, the early English settlers colonized Jamestown, and the Dutch built up New York. In the same way the hardy Scotch- Irish pushed west and made a new home for the American peo- ple beyond the AUeghenies and the Rockies.
Peace Scouts
These peace scouts had to be as well prepared as any war scouts. They had to know scoutcraft. They had to know how to live in the woods, and be able to find their way anywhere, without other chart or compass than the sun and stars, besides being able to interpret the meaning of the slightest signs of the forest and the foot tracks of animals and men.
They had to know how to live so as to keep healthy and strong, to face any danger that came their way, and to help one another. These scouts of old were accustomed to take chances with death, and they did not hesitate to give up their lives in helping their comrades or country. In fact, they left every- thing behind them, comfort and peace, in order to push forward
Scoutcraft 5
into the wilderness beyond. And much of this they did be- cause they felt it to be their duty.
These little-known scouts could be multiplied indefinitely by going back into the past ages and reading the histories and stories of the knights of King Arthur, of the Crusaders, and of the great explorers and navigators of the world.
In camp
Wherever there have been heroes, there have been scouts, and to be a scout means to be prepared to do the right thing at the right moment, no matter what the consequences may be.
The way for achievement in big things is the preparing of one's self for doing the big things — by going into training and doing the little things well. It was this characteristic of Living- stone, the great explorer, that made him what he was, and that has marked the career of all good scouts.
Things Scouts Must Know
To be a good scout one should know something about the woods and the animals that inhabit them, and how to care for one's self when camping.
The habits of animals can be studied by stalking them and watching them in their native haunts.
6 Boy Scouts
The scout should never kill an animal or other living crea- ture needlessly. There is more sport in stalking animals to photograph them, and in coming to know their habits than in hunting to kill.
Woodcraft
Woodcraft is one of the activities of the Boy Scouts of America and means the becoming acquainted with things that are out of doors. It includes the tracking of animals by the marks left by their hoofs, and by stealing out upon these animals, not to do them harm, but for the sake of studying their habits and getting acquainted with them.
In the woods
It also means to be able to distinguish the different birds — to know a song sparrow from an ordinary sparrow; to know a thrush from a lark; and to be able to distinguish the birds by their plumage and by their song. It means to understand the reptile and snake life, which sometimes is abundant incur forests, and to actually know that there are only three kinds of snakes that are dangerous — the rattlesnake, the moccasin, and the copperhead. All the other kinds are harmless, and part of woodcraft is to know the habits of these reptiles and to look upon them as friends.
Scoutcraft 7
It also means to know the fishes, to tell the pools where the muscalonge can be caught, know the ripples where the trout sport, know where the pickerel and the perch have their haunts, and not only to enjoy the sport of pursuing them, but the delight of eating them baked or cooked in the woodman^s style.
It means to be able to know the trees, and to be able to tell by the foliage and bark the difference between the oak and the maple, and the birch and the chestnut, as wxll as the other trees which grow so abundantly in our woods. It means to be in close touch with nature. To understand plant life in the differ- ent ferns and grasses; to know w^hich flowers bloom in the spring, which in the summer, and which in the fall — in short, to get so intimately in touch with nature as to know her at her best and to love her in her many moods — to truly enjoy this great world which God has made.
It means to know the secrets of the streams and the trails in the forest. To know the stars by name and to be able to find one's w^ay by them. It means to understand and appreciate the whispers of the sea as w^ell as the hoarse dash of the ocean waves against the rocky coast. It means to appreciate the song of the surf as it dashes over the pebbles; and, in fact, to live and under- stand the great outdoor life which is all about us.
Campcraft
Camp life means to live under canvas, away from the piles of brick and stone that we generally call our cities. It means to be in the open air, to breathe pure oxygen, to sleep upon ^^a bed of boughs beside the trail," to hear the whisper of the trees from amidst the fragrance of the ''couch of boughs," to look at the camp-fire and the stars when the sun has set, to ply the oar or wield the paddle in the moonlight: to dive in the cool waters of the lake or river at the daw^n ; to eat the plain, substantial food of the forests and the wilds, with the delicacy of the fish and fruit w^hich they afford; and to come heart to heart with nature in constant communion with the woods, the mountains, and streams — all of this is camping, and all of this is good.
But the camp affords a better opportunity than this. It offers the finest method for a boy's education. Between the ages of twelve and eighteen years the interests of a boy are general and reach all the way from the catching of minnows and tadpoles to finding God in the stars. Each day brings him new discoveries, and each night sends him back to his camp bed, to sleep among the branches of the balsam or fir, with an unspeak-
8
Boy Scouts
able joy tugging at his heart. A summer spent like this puts red blood in the boy's veins, a glow of health to his cheek, the hard- ness of steel to his muscles and sinews, and fits him for the struggle of the school or the shop that is going to test his en- durance during the long winter months.
The life of a camp is profitable because of its varied activities. A boy learns to build his own bed out of fallen timber, to make his own mattress out of fir branches or by weaving it out of grass; to cook his own meals; to make his own fishing equipment; to catch his own fish; to build his own fire; to keep his camp clean, and in short to rely upon himself and to take care of himself.
In God's out of doors
He learns self-resourcefulness in this outdoor life faster than he would anywhere else; and somehow or other, every lake, and tree, and star, and pool of water come to be his personal friends, so that no matter where he is, he is never alone; and whether in solitude or with companions, is cheerful and sunny, and always ready to help others.
Some boys cannot go to camp for a summer, while others cannot even go to camp for one week or two weeks, but there isn't any boy, no matter in what city he lives or how big it may be, who cannot go out into God's out of doors for a week-end hiking party or camp.
Life Saving
The Boy Scouts of America also teach the boy scouts to make themselves valuable to the community by saving life. Accidents occur every day. Some one falls and breaks a bone. Or there is an accident by rail or by water. Never a day passes in the history of the world but many are seriously injured by
Scoutcraft 9
some unsuspected and unforeseen happening, and it is the part of the boy scout to live up to his motto, which is ^^BE PRE- PARED/' so as to be able to reheve the unfortunate one who is hurt or wounded in any of these happenings.
For this reason the boy scout needs to know what we call *^ First Aid to the Injured.'' For this purpose he has to know something about the structure of the human body. He has to know the main bones, the joints, the muscles. He has to know how the blood circulates and whether the veins or the arteries carry the blood to or from the heart." He has to know about the method of breathing, and also the method for digesting
Boy scouts to the rescue
food. He has to know something about the nervous system, and the five senses of touch, sight, taste, smell, and hearing. He also has to know something about the skin.
Knowing the construction of the body, he should know how to bandage a broken limb. He should know how to use a tourniquet for the stopping of the flow of blood. He ought to know what to do in case of a faint. He ought to know what a compress is, and how stimulants are used.
These are various kinds of accidents which a boy scout ought to have sufficient knowledge of to handle rightly. There are those injuries in which the skin is not pierced or broken,
lo Boy Scouts
such as bruises, strains, sprains, dislocations, and fractures. There are those injuries in v/hich the skin is pierced or broken, such as wounds and hemorrhage, nose-bleed, abdominal wounds , wounds in which foreign bodies remain.
There are injuries from local effects of heat and cold, and electricity, such as burns, and scalds, and frost-bite. Then there are injuries which produce unconsciousness, such as shock, fainting, injury to the brain, sun-stroke, heat-stroke, freezing, suffocation, intoxication, besides the accident of poisoning by drugs or in some other manner.
Then there are injuries which result from indoor and out- door sport, as in the gymnasium, in a baseball or football game, in Fourth of July celebrations, in boating, skating, swimming, shooting, and fishing, automobiling, and in camp- ing and outings.
Not only this, but there are hundreds of cases of drowning every year, and the boy scout ought to know how to rescue those who are in peril of their lives by water, how to pro- duce artificial respiration, and how to act in every case of ac- cident and emergency. To know what to do, and to ^^be pre- pared'' to do it, is one of the privileges and duties and the glories of every boy scout.
Citizenship
The great aim of the Boy Scouts of America is to make every boy scout a better citizen. It aims to touch him physically — in the campcraft and woodcraft of the outdoor life in order that he may have strength in after days to give the best he has to the city and community in which he lives, as well as to the nation of which he is a part. It seeks to develop him by obser- vation, and the knowing of things far and near, so that later on, when he enters business life, he may be alert and keen and so be able to add to the wealth of the nation. It teaches him chivalry, and unselfishness, duty, charity, thrift, and loyalty; so that no matter what should happen in the business, or social, or national life, he may always be a true gentleman, seeking to give sympathy, help, encouragement, and good cheer to those about him. It teaches him life saving, in order that he may be able in dire accidents and peril by land and sea to know just what to do to relieve others of suffering. It teaches him endur- ance, in order that he may guard his health by being temperate, eating pure food, keeping himself clean; so that being possessed of good health, he may be always ready to serve his country
Scoutcraft
II
in the hour of her need. It teaches him patriotism by telHng him about the country he Hves in, her history, her army and navy, in order that he may become a good citizen and do those things which every citizen ought to do to make the community and land that he lives in the best community and land in the world.
Good citizenship means to the boy scout not merely the doing of things which he ought to do when he becomes a man, such as voting, keeping the law, and paying his taxes, but the looking for opportunities to do good turns by safeguarding
d«.«s*.-
Practical instruction
Helping the police
the interests of the community and by the giving of himself in unselfish service to the town or city, and even the nation, of which he is a part. It means that he will seek public office when the public office needs him. It means that he will stand for the equal opportunity and justice which the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution guarantees. It means that in every duty of life he may be on the right side and loyal to the best interests of the State and Nation. By the ^^good turn" that he does daily as a boy scout, he is training himself for the unselfish service that our cities and land need so much.
12 Boy Scouts
A Boy Scout's Religion
Scouting presents greater opportunities for the development of the boy religiously than does any other movement instituted solely for the boys. Its aim to develop the boy physically , men- tally, and spiritually is being realized very widely.
The movement has been developed* on such broad lines as to embrace all classes, all creeds, and at the same time, to allow the greatest possible independence to individual organizations, officers, and boys.
Scout Training Non=MiIitary in Character
As an organization the scout movement is not military in thought, form, or spirit, although it does instil in boys the mili- tary virtues such as honor, loyalty, obedience, and patriotism. The uniform, the patrol, the troop, and the drill are not for military tactics; they are for the unity, the harmony, and the rhythm of spirit that boys learn in scouting. It is in the wear- ing of the uniform and doing of things together as scouts that they absorb the force and truth of the scout law which states: *'A scout is a friend of all, and a brother to every other scout.^'
A Scout is Chivalrous
Then, too, a good scout must be chivalrous. That is, he should be as manly as the knights or pioneers of old. He should be unselfish. He should show courage. He must do his duty. He should show benevolence and thrift. He should be loyal to his country. He should be obedient to his parents, and show respect to those who are his superiors. He should be very courteous to women. One of his obligations is to do a good turn every day to some one. He should be cheerful and seek self-improvement, and should make a career for himself.
All these things were characteristics of the old-time American scouts and of the King Arthur knights. Their honor was sacred. They were courteous and polite to women and children, es- pecially to the aged, protected the weak, and helped others to live better. They taught themselves to be strong, so as to be able to protect their country against enemies. They kept themselves strong and healthy, so that they might be prepared to do all of these things at a moment's notice, and do them well.
So the boy scout of to-day must be chivalrous, manly, and gentlemanly.
When he gets up in the morning he may tie a knot in his
Scoutcraft
13
necktie, and leave the necktie outside his vest until he has done a good turn. Another way to remind himself is to wear his scout badge reversed until he has done his good turn. The good turn may not be a very big thing — help an old lady across the street ;
The daily good turn
;^s:>
remove a banana skin from the pavement so that people may not fall; remove from streets or roads broken glass, dangerous to automobile or bicycle tires; give w^ater to a thirsty horse; or deeds similar to these.
A Scout Knows How to Save Life
The scout also ought to know how to save life. He ought to be able to make a stretcher; to throw a rope to a drowning person; to drag an unconscious person from a burning building, and to resuscitate a person overcome by gas fumes. He ought also to know the method of stopping runaway horses, and he should have the presence of mind and the skill to calm a panic, and deal with street and other accidents.
A Scout Keeps Himself Healthy and Strong
This means also that a boy scout must always be in the pink of condition. A boy cannot do things like these unless he is healthy and strong. Therefore, he must be systematically taking
H
Boy Scouts
exercise, playing games, running, and walking. It means that he must sleep enough hours to give him necessary strength, and if possible to sleep very much in the open, or at least with the windows of his bedroom open both summer and winter.
Scout requirements
It means also that he should take a cold bath often, rubbing dry with a rough towel. He should breathe through the nose and not through the mouth. He should at all times train him- self to endure hardships.
A Scout Knows and Loves His Country
In addition to these the scout should be a lover of his country. He should know his country, how many states there are in it, what are its natural resources, scope, and boundaries. He ought to know something of its history, its early settlers, and of the great deeds that won his land; how they settled along the banks of the James River; how Philadelphia, New York, and other great cities were founded; how the Pilgrim Fathers estab- lished New England and laid the foundation for our national life; how the scouts of the Middle West saved all that great section of the country for the Republic. He ought to know how Texas became part of the United States, and how our
Scoutcraft
15
national heroes stretched out their hands north and south, east and west, to make one great united country.
He ought to know the history of the important wars. He ought to know about our army and navy flags and the insignia of rank of our officers. He ought to know the kind of govern-
The court of honor
ment he lives under, and what it means to live in a republic. He ought to know what is expected of him as a citizen of his state and nation, and what to do to help the people among whom he Ifves.
Scout Characteristics
There are other things which a scout ought to know and which should be characteristic of him if he is going to be the kind of scout for w^hich the Bov Scouts of America stands.
A Scout is Obedient
To be a good scout a boy must learn to obey the orders of his patrol leader, scout master, and scout commissioner. He must learn to obey, before he is able to command. ♦He should so learn to discipline and control himself that he w^U have no thought but to obey the orders of his officers. He
i6
Boy Scouts
should keep such a strong grip on his own life that he will not allow himself to do anything which is ignoble, or which will harm his life or weaken his powers of endurance.
Obedience
A Scout is Courteous
A scout is always courteous. He is polite to women, children, old people, and the weak and the helpless, and ought to have a command of polite language. He ought to show that he is a true gentleman by doing little things for others.
A Scout is Loyal
Loyalty is also a scout characteristic. A scout ought to be loyal to all to whom he has obligations. He ought to stand up courageously for the truth, for his parents and friends.
A Scout Has Respect for Himself and Others
Another scout virtue is self-respect. He ought to refuse to accept ^' tips'' from any one. He ought to work for the money he gets.
For this same reason he should never look down upon any one who may be poorer than himself, or envy any one richer
Scoutcraft 17
than himself. A scout's self-respect will cause him to value his Dwn standing and make him sympathetic toward others who may be, on the one hand, worse off, or, on the other hand, better off as far as wealth is concerned. Scouts know neither a lower nor a higher class, for a scout is one who is a comrade to all and who is ready to share that which he has with others.
A Scout's Honor is to Be Trusted
The most important scout characteristic is that of honor. Indeed, this is the basis of all scout virtues and is closely alhed to that of self-respect. . When a scout promises to do a thing on his honor, he is bound to do it. The honor of a scout will not permit of anything but the highest and the best and the manliest. The honor of a scout is a sacred thing, and cannot be lightly set aside or trampled on.
A Scout is Faithful
Faithfulness to duty is another one of the scout virtues. When it is a scout's duty to do something, he dare not shirk. A scout is faithful to his own interest and the interests of others. He is true to his country and his God.
A Scout is Cheerful
A scout is cheerful. As the scout law intimates, he must never go about with a sulky air. He must always be bright and smiling, and as the humorist says, ^^Must always see the doughnut and not the hole.'' A bright face and a cheery word spread like sunshine from one to another. It is the scout's duty to be a sunshine-maker in the world.
A Scout is Kind to Animals
Another scout trait is that of thoughtfulness, especially to animals; not merely the thoughtfulness that eases a horse from the pain of a badly fitting harness, or gives food and drink to an animal that is in need, but also that which keeps a boy from throwing a stone at a cat or tying a tin can oh a dog's tail. If a boy does not prove his thoughtfulness and friendship for animals, it is quite certain that he never will be really help- ful to his comrades or to the men, women, and children who may need his care.
l8 Boy Scouts
The Scout Good Turn
And then the final and chief test of the scout is the doing of a good turn to somebody every day, quietly and without boasting. This is the proof of the scout. It is practical religion, and a boy honors God best when he helps others most. A boy may wear all the scout uniforms made, all the scout badges ever manufactured, know all the woodcraft, campcraft, scoutcraft, and other activities of boy scouts, and yet never be a re'al boy scout. To be a real boy scout means the doing of a good turn every day with the proper motive, and if this be done, the boy has a right to be classed with the great scouts that have been of such service to their country. To accomplish this a scout should observe the scout law.
How to Become a Scout
Any boy twelve years of age or over may become a boy scout by joining a troop that has already been started. In case there is no troop in his neighborhood, or if for other reasons it is advis- able to organize a new troop, this may be done by the gang or the united effort of eight or more boys. In all cases the con- sent of the parent or guardian must be shown on the enroll- ment blank.
In almost every town or city, troops have already been organ- ized with the leadership of competent scout masters, and in many of the larger cities scout headquarters are maintained under the direction of a local council with a scout commissioner or a scout executive in charge.
Any boy who is interested should seek the help of the scout master in his town or personally apply to the local scout head- quarters.
Another way to become a scout is to have a group of boys apply to their Sunday-school teacher, or the Superintendent, or the leader of some institution interested in boys ' work in his home town, and have him organize a troop. In case it is difficult or impossible to secure help from a local scout master or local headquarters. National Headquarters of the Boy Scouts of Amer- ica at 200 Fifth Avenue, New York City, will gladly give assis- tance.
Patrol and Troop
Boy scouts are organized in patrols and troops. A patrol consists of eight boys, one of whom becomes patrol leader and another assistant patrol leader.
Scoutcraft
19
A troop consists of not more than four patrols, preferably three, as a scout master can do better wark with a small group of boys than with a large one.
Where Organized
Troops are usually organized in connection with a Sunday- school, Boys^ Club, Playground, Public School, Settlement House, or some other institution engaged in work for boys. This insures a suitable meeting place and proper support and permanency of the troop. Under special circumstances and where it is impossible to make use of an existing institution, troops are sometimes organized independently among the boys of a neighborhood.
The Scout Master
Every troop of scouts has, as a leader, a man who is known as scout master. He receives a commission annually from
Scout master at work
the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America upon the recommendation of the troop committee. This commission certifies as to his fitness and gives him authority to act as scout master in carrying out the boy scout program in accord- ance with the official handbooks.
20 Boy Scouts
He must be at least twenty-one years of age and is chosen be- cause of good moral character and his interest in work with boys. He attends all of the meetings and outings of the troop and is responsible for the general program and supervision of the work of the troop.
Blanks may be secured from the local or National Council for the use of men in applying for commissions as scout masters.
Every scout master should have the official handbook for boys and the official handbook for scout masters.
Assistant Scout Master
Each troop has one or more assistant scout masters who receive their commissions annually from the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America upon the recommendation of the scout master and the troop committee.
Assistant scout masters must be at least eighteen years of age and are often selected and promoted because of their experience as a member of a troop, and proficiency in scouting. The assis- tant scout master performs such duties as may be assigned by the scout master. (See Scout Masters' Handbook.)
Patrol Leader
The patrol leader is one of the members of a patral and may be selected either by appointment by the scout master, or elected by the patrol. He is responsible for the discipline of his patroJ to the scout master and his assistants. He cooperates in giving instruction to the patrol in the scout program and preparing scouts for the various tests. The patrol leader may have as assistant one of the other members of his patrol.
Scout Scribe
Every troop from time to time elects or details one of its mem- bers to act as scout scribe, or troop secretary. This honor should be given to a boy who is proficient in scouting and is ca- pable of keeping the necessary troop records under the super- vision of the scout master or one of his assistants. The scout scribe furnishes the local scout headquarters or scout papers, and the official magazine of the National Council, with items of interest about scouting activities of his troop from time to time. He makes out an annual report to be sent to the local and National Councils and performs such other duties as the scout master may direct.
Scoutcraft 21
Blanks are provided for keeping the records of the troop and may be purchased from National Headquarters upon application.^
Troop Committee
Each troop has a committee of three or five men representing the organization with which the troop is connected. This com- mittee recommends to the local council, and in case there is none, to the National Council, the selection of the scout master. The committee agrees to cooperate with the scout master in carrying out the scout program in accordance with the official handbooks and regulations as may be promulgated from time to time.
If for any reason it becomes necessary for the scout master to discontinue to serve, the troop committee assumes control of the troop and all of its property, until a suitable successor re- ceives his commission from the National Council.
Registration and Membership
Since October i, 19 13, when the plan to make the scout movement partly self-supporting went into effect, each boy scout pays an annual registration and membership fee of 25 cents, which it is recommended that he earn. This fee is col- lected by the scout master when the boy joins the troop and covers the period for which the troop is registered at National Headquarters. The minimum fee for registration of a troop is $3.00. The maximum number of scouts in a troop for which National Headquarters will issue a commission is 32, except under unusual circumstances.
Where there is a local council, a scout master transmits the fees through the treasurer of the council. In other cases he transmits them direct to National Headquarters. The troop is re-registered each year when the scout master sends a renewal application on form furnished by National Headquarters and on the payment of 25 cents membership and registration fee for each boy enrolled and for each assistant scout master.
One dollar and twenty-five cents of the registration and membership fee is set aside at National Headquarters to cover the registration of the scout master and a year's sub- scription in his name to Boys^ Life, the boy scouts' magazine, and Scoutingy our semi-monthly bulletin.
Each boy is furnished with membership certificate containing his name and other data and showing that he is in good stand-
22 Boy Scouts
ing. These certificates are signed by the commissioner and scout master and will be honored among scouts in any part of the world.
Local Council
In communities where there are three or more troops, scout work is promoted and supervised under the direction of a local council which is made up of ten or more men. These men are elected as representatives of the various interests of the com- munity including religious, educational, business, and civic. In many cities each troop elects at least one member of its troop committee as a member of the local council. The local council receives its charter from the National Council to conduct scout- ing in accordance with the official handbooks and upon render- ing a satisfactory report on the work for the preceding year, and a registration fee equivalent to $i.oo for each member of the council. This registration fee covers the cost of issuing a char- ter and one year's subscription to the semi-monthly bulletin, Scouting, and the official magazine, Boys^ Life, for each member of the council.
Each council has a president and one or more vice-presidents, a secretary, treasurer, an executive committee, a court of honor of three or five men, a scout commissioner, and in some cases a scout executive and field officers.
Local councils represent the National Council in supervising the work in the community for which a charter is granted and through its court of honor conducts all examinations for the degree of first-class scout and passes upon the examination of scouts for merit badges. It also investigates all cases of life saving and presents necessary evidence to the national court of honor for the award of honor medals. The local council acts as a final court to pass upon the appeals from the opinions of scout masters and their assistants.
Local councils are divided into two classes — first and second class.
The first-class council maintains an office with a scout execu- tive, whose services are available at all times to help assist scout masters and scouts in carrying out the scout program in ac- cordance with the official handbooks, and to cooperate in the organization of new troops.
Councils of the second class are those organized in communi- ties where the w^ork is not sufficiently developed to make neces- sary a scout executive giving all of his time to the work.
Each local council having five or more registered troops is
Scoutcraft 23
entitled to elect one representative to the National Council and an additional member for every 1,000 boys enrolled as scouts.
The Scout Commissioner
The Scout Commissioner is elected by the local council. He is the ranking officer of the district, the recognized authority in leadership of all scout masters within his jurisdiction. At all general meetings or conferences of scout masters he is the presid- ing officer. He is the one to direct their work as a whole; he keeps the organization aggressively at work, and through him scout masters in the field report to the local council.
National Council
The National Council is made up of representatives from the local councils and such others as are elected in accordance with the articles of incorporation and constitution and by-laws and included representation of the various agencies and organiza- tions definitely interested in the work for boys, the President and ex-Presidents of the United States, the Governors of the various states, and other men distinguished for their achievement in work for boys or public service.
Each member of the National Council pays an annual mem- bership fee of at least $5.00.
The Chief Scout and His Staff
Also upon the recomm.endation of the executive board, the National Council elects a chief scout, who is the active director of his own staff, made up of experts on the different phases of scouting. This staff consists of the chief scout offices of surgeon, woodman, stalker, camp master, citizen, director of health, director of athletics, and director of chivalry. These officers are appointed with the approval of the executive board, and are specifically charged with the development of the scout programs.
The National Scout Commissioner and Staff
The National Scout Commissioner is the head of a staff of official representatives of the various National organizations engaged in work with boys and also interested in the scout program. The commissioner and his staff adapt the activities to the needs of the groups represented, and work for the de- velopment of a high grade of leadership in boys' w^ork.
24 Boy Scouts
Executive Board
The National Council at its annual meeting elects an executive board which with its executive officers is charged with the re- sponsibility for all questions of business, administration, and supervision.
Among its duties and functions are the following:
It grants charters to local councils, and credentials to all scout officials;
Copyrights all badges, insignia, and other scout designs;
Arranges for their manufacture and distribution, selects de- signs for uniforms and scout equipment;
It provides the services of field officers to cooperate with local councils and scout masters in organizing their work and solving problems;
It prepares and publishes suitable text-books and other lit- erature for the use of scouts and scout officials;
It provides a national court of honor by which consideration is given to all applications for merit badges and honor medals;
It makes possible practical results for arranging for cooper- ation with state and national civic authorities in carrying out programs for community service by boy scouts.
The executive board is charged with the responsibility of guarding the movement against those who would, because of its popularity, profit by exploitation at the expense of boy scouts.
In addition to the above functions the executive committee seeks to serve boy scouts and scout officials through the four following mediums.
Supply Department
Under the supervision of a committee of experts, the executive board maintains a supply department through which all duly registered scouts may secure at the lowest possible cost consist- ent with good quality, all necessary scout supplies, official badges, and such other things as they may desire because of the scout program. All profits from this department are used for the furtherance of the scout movement. Therefore, all scouts and scout officials are urged to make use of this department whenever possible. A catalog of scout supplies is issued semi- annually and will be sent without charge to any one upon appli- cation for same.
A scout cannot receive official badges, uniforms, or other scout equipment, restricted to the use of scouts, without the written approval of the scout master. Where there is a local
Scoutcraft 25
council organized with a charter from the National Council, the approval of the scout commissioner or scout executive must be secured.
Badges and scout equipment restricted solely to the use of scouts will not be supplied to any boys who are not in good standing according to the records at National Headquarters. Local dealers in scout equipment will sell uniforms to scouts on the presentation of membership certificates.
Book Department
The book department is maintained under the supervision of a group of expert bookmen who are for the first time in history making available reliable advice as to worth-while books for boys, and furthermore, under the leadership of this department, arranging with publishers for a high grade of books for boys. The results of this department in the shape of definite lists carefully subdivided are made available without charge to libraries, local councils, troops, and parents of boys throughout the country.
This committee has also secured the publication of Every Boy^s Library consisting of thirty books, each of which sells for 50 cents per copy. (See book list in appendix.)
Semi=monthly Bulletin Scouting
For the information and help of scout officials and others in- terested in work for boys, a semi-monthly bulletin is published. This bulletin contains reports of various scout centers and help- ful suggestions and advice. All registered scout officials receive it without further expense, and others may secure same upon the payment of 50 cents annually.
Boys' Life the Official Magazine
Recognizing the desire of scouts for an official magazine, and the value of it to scouts and all other boys, the executive board . has provided Boys^ Life, which is published monthly.
Mr. Daniel Carter Beard and Mr. Ernest Thompson Seton are associate editors. The magazine not only contains scout articles, but interesting stories of adventure and fiction. A copy is sent to each registered scout master and all scouts are urged to subscribe whenever possible. The subscription price is $1.00 per year. A special registration offer is made to all new scouts of a year's subscription to Boys^ Life and a copy of this book, The Official Handbook for Boys, both for 75 cents.
26 Boy Scouts
The Scout Motto
Among the very first things a boy must know to become a scout are the scout law, salute, sign, oath, motto, and signifi- cance of the badge.
The motto of the boy scouts is Be Prepared^ and the badge of the boy scouts is a copyrighted design with this motto, ''Be Prepared,'^ on a scroll at its base.
The motto, ''Be Prepared,'' means that the scout is always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do his duty; to oe prepared in mind, by having disciplined himself to be obe- dient, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that may occur, so that he may know the right thing to do at the right moment, and be willing to do it; to be prepared in body, by making himself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and then to do it.
The Scout Badge
The scout badge is not specifically intended to represent either the fleur-de-lis or an arrowhead, although it resembles both. It is a modified form of the sign of the north on the mariner's compass, which is as old as the history of navigation. The Chinese claim its use among them as early as 2634 B. C. and we have definite information that it was used at sea by them as early as 300 A. D. Marco Polo brought the compass to Europe on his return from Cathay. The sign of the north on the compass gradually came to represent the north, and pio- neers, trappers, woodsmen, and scouts, because of this, adopted it as their emblem. Through centuries of use it has undergone modification. Now we have taken its shape as that of our badge, which is further distinguished by a shield and the Ameri- can Eagle superimposed.
This trefoil badge of the scouts is now used, with slight local variations, in almost every civilized country as the mark of brotherhood, for good citizenship, and friendliness.
The trefoil refers to the three points in the scout oath.
Its scroll is turned up at the ends like a scout's mouth, be-' cause he does his duty with a smile and willingly.
The knot is to remind the scout to do a good turn to some one daily.
The arrowhead part is worn by the tenderfoot. The scroll part only is worn by the second-class scout. The badge worn l3y the first-class scout is the whole badge.
The official badges of the Boy Scouts of America are issued
Scoutcraft
27
by the National Council and may be secured only from the National Headquarters. These badges are protected by the U. S. Patent Laws (letters patent numbers 41412 and 41532) and any one infringing these patents is liable to prosecution at
law.
^ The Scout Oath
Before he becomes a scout a boy must promise: On my honor I will do my best —
1. To do my duty to Qod and my country, and to obey the scout law;
2. To help other people at all times;
3. To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.
When taking this oath the scout will stand, holding up his right hand, palm to the front, thumb resting on the nail of the little finger and the other three fingers upright and together.
The Scout Sign
This is the scout sign. The three fingers held up remind him of his three promises in the scout oath.
The Scout Salute
When the three fingers thus held are raised to the forehead, it is the scout salute.
The Scout Handclasp
The boy scout handclasp is made with the right hand, the fingers in the same relative position as in making the scout sign. The three fingers extended represent the three parts of the scout oath; and the bent position of the thumb and the little finger represents the knot or tie that binds these parts together into a strong unity. One scout shakes hand with another by a good warm handclasp with the three middle fingers extended in a straight line along the other's wrist, and with the thumb and little finger clasped around the other's fingers.
The Scout Law
There have always been certain written and unwritten laws regulating the conduct and directing the activities of men
28 Boy Scouts
We have such unwritten laws coming down from past ages. In Japan, the Japanese have their Bushido or laws of the old Samurai warriors. During the Middle Ages, the chivalry and rules of the Knights of King Arthur, the Knights Templar, and the Crusaders were in force. In aboriginal America, the Red Indians had their laws of honor; likewise the Zulus, Hindus, and the later European nations have their ancient codes.
The following laws which relate to the Boy Scouts of America are the latest and most up to date. These laws a boy promises to obey when he takes his scout oath.
1. A scout is trustworthy.
A scout's honor is to be trusted. If he were to violate his honor by telling a lie, or by cheating, or by not doing exactly a given task, when trusted on his honor, he may be directed to hand over his scout badge.
2. A scout is loyal.
He is loyal to all to whom loyalty is due: his scout leader, his home, and parents and country.
3. A scout is helpful.
He must be prepared at any time to save life, help injured persons, and share the home duties. He must do at least one good turn to somebody every day,
4. A scout is friendly.
He is a friend to all and a brother to every other scout.
5. A scout is courteous.
He is polite to all, especially to women, children, old people, and the weak and helpless. He must not take pay for being helpful or courteous.
6. A scout is kind.
He is a friend to animals. He will not kill nor hurt any living creature needlessly, but will strive to save and protect all harmless life.
7. A scout is obedient.
He obeys his parents, scout master, patrol leader, and all other duly constituted authorities.
8. A scout is cheerful.
He smiles whenever he can. His obedience to orders is prompt and cheery. He never shirks nor grumbles at hardships.
Scoutcraft 29
9. A scout is thrifty.
He does not wantonly destroy property. He works faith- fully, wastes nothmg, and makes the best use of his oppor- tunities. He saves his money so that he may pay his own wa}^, be generous to those in need, and helpful to worthy objects.
He may work for pay^ but must not receive tips for courtesies or good turns.
10. A scout is brave.
He has the courage to face danger in spite of fear, and has to stand up for the right against the coaxings of friends or the jeers or threats of enemies, and defeat does not down him.
1 1. A scout is clean.
He keeps clean in body and thought, stands for clean speech, clean sport, clean habits, and travels with a clean crowd.
12. A scout is reverent.
He is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties, and respects the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion.
The Three Classes of Scouts
There are three classes of scouts among the Boy Scouts of America, the tenderfoot, second-class scout, and first-class scout. Before a boy can become a tenderfoot he must qualify for same. A tenderfoot, therefore, is superior to the ordinary boy because of his training. To be a tenderfoot means to occupy the lowest grade in scouting. A tenderfoot on meeting certain requirements may become a second-class scout, and a second-class scout upon meeting another set of requirements may become a first-class scout. The first-class scout may then qualify for the various merit badges which are offered in another part of this chapter for proficiency in scouting. The requirements of the tenderfoot, second-class scout, and first- class scout are as follows:
Tenderfoot
To become a scout a -boy must be at least twelve years of age and must pass a test in the following:
1. Know the scout law, sign, salute, and significance of the badge. (See page 26)
2. Know the composition and history of Tenderfoot
30 Boy Scouts
the national flag and the customary forms of respect due to it. (Seepages 375"377)
3. Tie four out of the following knots: square or reef, sheet- bend, bowline, fisherman^s, sheepshank, halter, clove hitch, timber hitch, or two half hitches. (See pages 71-75)
He then takes the scout oath, is enrolled as a tenderfoot, and is entitled to wear the tenderfoot badge.
Second=cIass Scout
To become a second-class scout, a tenderfoot must pass, to the satisfaction of the recognized local scout authorities, the following tests :
1 . At least one month's service as a tenderfoot.
2. Elementary first aid and bandaging: know the general directions for first aid for injuries; know treatment for fainting, shock, fractures, bruises, sprains, injuries in which the skin is
broken, burns, and scalds; demonstrate how to carry injured, the use of the triangular and roller bandages and tourniquet. (See pages 279-321)
3. Elementary signaling: know the Sema- phore or the International Morse alphabet. Second-class (See pages 229-240)
Scout 4. Track half a mile in twenty-five minutes ;
or, if in town, describe satisfactorily the contents of one store window out of four observed for one minute each.
5. Go a mile in twelve minutes at scout's pace — about fifty steps running and fifty walking, alternately.
6. Use properly knife or hatchet. (Seepages 179-181)
7. Prove ability to build a fire in the open, using not more than two matches.
8. Cook a quarter of a pound of meat and two potatoes in the open without the ordinary kitchen cooking utensils.
9. Earn and deposit at least one dollar in a public bank.
10. Know the sixteen principal points of the compass. (See pages 75-76)
First=class Scout
To become a first-class scout, the second-class scout must pass the following tests : I . Swim fifty yards.
Scoutcraft 31
2. Earn and deposit at least two dollars in a public bank.
3. Send and receive a message by Semaphore or the Inter- national Morse alphabet, sixteen letters per minute. (See pages 229-240)
4. Make a round trip alone (or with another scout) to a point at least seven miles away (fourteen miles in all), going on foot, or rowing boat, and write a satisfactory account of the trip and things observed.
5. Advanced first aid: know the methods for panic prevention; what to do in case of fire and ice, electric and gas accidents; how to help in case of runaway horse, mad dog, or snake bite; treatment for dislocations, unconsciousness, poisoning, fainting, apo- plexy, sunstroke, heat exhaustion, and freez- ing; know treatment for sunburn, ivy poisoning, bites and stings, nosebleed, ear- ache, toothache, inflammation or grit in eye, cramp or stomach ache, and chills; demonstrate artificial respiration. (See pages 279-321)
6. Prepare and cook satisfactorily, in First-class Scout the open, without regular kitchen utensils, two of the follow- ing articles as may be directed: Eggs, bacon, hunter^s stew, fish, fowl, game, pancakes, hoe-cake, biscuit, hardtack or a ^' twist," baked on a stick; explain to another boy the methods followed. (See pages 172-175.)
7. Read a map correctly, and draw, from field notes made on the spot, an intelligible rough sketch map, indicating by their proper marks important buildings, rOads, trolley lines, main landmarks, principal elevations, etc. Point out a com- pass direction without the help of the compass.
8. Use properly an ax for felling or trimming light timber; or produce an article of carpentry or cabinet-making or metal work made by himself. Explain the method followed.
9. Judge distance, size, number, height, and weight within 25 per cent,
10. Describe fully from observation ten species of trees or plants, including poison ivy, by their bark, leaves, flowers, fruit, or scent; or six species of wild birds by their plumage, notes,' tracks, or habits; or six species of native wild am'mals by their form, color, call, tracks, or habits; find the North Star, and name and describe at least three constellations of stars.
32 Boy Scouts
11. Furnish satisfactory evidence that he has put into practice in his daily life the principles of the scout oath and law.
12. Enlist a boy trained by himself in the requirements of a tenderfoot.
The Merit Badges
A boy who has passed all of the tenderfoot, second and first class scout requirements is now^ eligible to qualify for the various merit badges. Some are purposely restricted to boys living in rural communities, boys in school, and boys at work.
These badges are intended to stimulate the scout's interest in the life about him, and are given for general knowledge. The wearing of these badges does not signify that a scout is qualified to make his living by the knowledge gained in securing the award.
Agriculture
To obtain a merit badge for Agriculture, a scout must:
I. Explain the nature of soil, its texture, need of water,
air, and plant and animal life in the soil;
what the soil does for the plant, and how
the soil may be improved.
2. Make a seed tester and test the germi- nation of three chosen varieties of seeds, — loo seeds of each variety.
3. Identify and describe ten common weeds of the community and tell how best to eliminate them
4. Identify six common insect pests, tell what plants they usually infest, and how best to control them.
5. Have a practical knowledge, for his locality, of plowing, cultivating, harrowing, disking, draining, and harvesting, and the purposes of each. Describe also the farm implements used in each case.
6. Tell how plants are propagated, — by seeds, roots, cut- tings, tubers, buds, and grafts. Explain where plants get their food and how they grow.
7 . Explain how to read a weather map, know weather signals, and the making of local observations.
8. Name and distinguish ten common birds of his locality, and state their value to the farmer.
Angling
To obtain a merit badge for Angling, a scout must:
I. Catch and name seven different species of fishes by the
Scoutcraft 33
usual angling methods (fly-casting, bait-casting, trolling, and bait-fishing). At least one species must be taken by fly- casting and one by bait-casting. In single- handed fly-casting the rod must not exceed seven ounces in weight; in double-handed fly-casting one ounce in weight may be al- lowed for each foot in length ; in bait-fishing and trolling the rod must not exceed ten feet in length nor twelve ounces in weight.
2. Show proficiency in accurate single- handed casting with the fly for distances of 30, 40, and 50 feet, and in bait-casting for distances of 40, 60, and 70 feet.
3. Make three artificial flies (either after three standard patterns, or in imitation of different natural flies) and take fish with at least two of them. Make a neat single gut leader at least four feet long, or a twisted or braided leader at least three feet long. Splice the broken joint of a rod neatly.
4. Give the open season for the game fishes in his vicinity, and explain how and why they are protected by the law.
Archery
To obtain a merit badge for Archery, a scout must:
1. Make a bow, arrow, and string:
(a) With which he shall shoot an extreme flight of 17s yards at an elevation of 45 de- grees above the horizon;
(b) With which he shall at 60 yards score, on a regulation four-foot target, 120 points with 60 shots;
(c) With which he shall also score on such a four-foot target, at 40 yards, 200
points with 60 shots.
2. Know something of the history of Archery, and the prin- cipal archers of the past and the present and their records.
Architecture
To obtain a merit badge for Architecture, a scout must:
1. Present a satisfactory free-hand drawing.
2. Draw, without accurate measurements, the five orders of architecture, the drawings being of the character of sketches, but preserving the proportions.
34
Boy Scouts
3. Write an historical outline of the important periods of architectural development, giving the names of the important recognized architects identified with the de- velopment of each style.
4. Submit an original design for a two- story house, and tell what material is necessary for its construction, giving an outline of specifications, the design to con- sist of original working drawings at scale, drawn in ink on linen or paper suitable for making prints.
Art
To obtain a merit badge for Art, a scout must:
1 . Make a free-hand pencil sketch of an animal or bird show- ing in values the distribution of color.
2. DrSw a cylindrical object and a rect- angular object grouped together a little be- low the eye, and show light and shade.
3. Make a drawing of some example of historical ornament.
4. Make an original decorative arrange- ment in color, using any motif, and state for w^hat use the design is intended.
5. State the essentials of the reproductive processes of etching, half-tone engraving, color printing, and lithography.
6. Paint a flower-spray or leaf-spray in color.
7 . Present a camp scene either in water color or oil.
Astronomy
To obtain a merit badge for Astronomy, a scout must: I. Have a general knowledge of the nature and movements of the stars and planets.
®2. Point out and name twelve principal constellations; find the north by means of other stars than the Pole-star, in case of that star being obscured by clouds. 3. Have a general knowledge of the positions and movements of the earth, sun, and moon, and of tides, eclipses, meteors, comets, and planets. 4. Plot on at least two nights per month for six months the positions of all naked-eye planets visible between sundown
Scoutcraft 35
id one hour thereafter. The plot of each planet shall contain : least three fixed stars, with their names or designations; )lors of planets and stars are to be recorded as observed by im.
Athletics
To obtain a merit badge for Athletics, a scout must:
1. Write an acceptable article of not less than five hundred ords on how to train for an athletic event.
2. Give the rules for two track and two sld events, and define an amateur.
3. Prepare plans for the holding of an :hletic meet, specifying duties of each re- lired official.
4. Produce evidence of having satisfac- )rily served as an official in an athletic meet, : in a major athletic sport, such as football, iseball, or basketball.
5. Quahfy in ten of the events, according to his weight, in le following schedule:
Under Under Under Over
Events iiolbs. 125 lbs. 140 lbs. 140 lbs.
unning broad jump 12 ft. 13 ft. 14 ft. 15 ft.
Linning high jump 3 ft. 9 in. 4 ft. 4 ft. 3 in. 4 ft. 6 in.
anding broad jump 6 ft. 9 in. 7 ft. 3 in. 7 ft. 9 in. 8 ft. 3 in.
anding high jump 3 ft. 2 in. 3 ft. 4 in. 3 ft. 6 in. 3 ft. 8 in.
II up 6 times 8 times 10 times 12 times
yardswim 17I sec. lyisec. 1 65 sec. 16 sec.
yard swim 39 sec. 38 sec. 37 sec. 36 sec.
yard dash 7i sec. 7I sec. 7 sec. 6| sec.
potato race 27 sec. 26 sec. 25 sec. 24 sec.
b.shot-put 24 ft. 28 ft. 32 ft. 36 ft.
sh up from floor 10 times 12 times 14 times 16 times
)pe climb 18 ft 15 sec. 13 sec. 11 sec. 10 sec.
3-yard d^sh 13 sec. i2g sec. i2§ sec.
Automobiling
To obtain a merit badge for Automobiling, a scout must:
I. Demonstrate ability to start a motor, explaining what
^^g^^^ precautions should be taken.
J^^^^^k^ 2. Take off and put on pneumatic tires.
K^r I '^^^ 3- Know the principles of construction
C^^^^lt^ jS\ •^^d the functions of clutch (two types), L^^^BH^1|I carbureter, valves, magneto, spark plug, sS^y^^^Sw differential, and two different types of IKS^ I \jSw transmission, explaining what special care ^^^SSSi^ ^^ch of these parts requires; and be able to explain three differences between a o- and a four-cvcle motor.
g^mm9m^49^
36 Boy Scouts
4. Know how to put out burning gasoline or oil.
5 . Be able to pass an examination equivalent to that required for a license to operate an automobile in the community in which he lives.
Aviation
To obtain a merit badge for Aviation, a scout must : I. Have a knowledge of the theory of the aeroplane, heli- copter, and ornithopter, and of the spherical and dirigible balloon.
2. Have made a working model of any type of heavier than air machine, that will fly at least twenty-five yards; and have built a box kite that will fly.
3. Have a knowledge of the types and makes of engines used for aeroplanes, the best known makes of aeroplanes, and feats
performed or records made by famous aviators.
4. Have a knowledge of names of famous airships (dirigibles) and some of their records.
5. Understand the difference between aviation and aerosta- tion, and know the types of apparati which come under these two heads.
Bee Keeping
To obtain a merit badge for Bee Keeping, a scout must:
1. Know how to examine a colony of bees, remove the combs, find the queen, and determine the amount of the brood, number of queen cells, and the amount of honey in the hive.
2. Distinguish between the drones, workers, eggs, larvae, pupae, honey, wax, pollen, and propolis; tell how the bees make the honey, and where the wax comes from ; and explain the part played in the life of the colony by the queen, the drones, and the workers.
3. Have had experience in hiving at least one swarm. Ex- plain the construction of the modern hive, especially in regard to the '^Bee spaces."
4. Put foundations in sections and fill supers with sections; and also remove filled supers from the hive and prepare the honey for market.
Scoutcraft 37
5. Write an acceptable article of not more than two hun- ired words on the differences in honeys according to the lowers from which the nectar is obtained.
Bird Study
To obtain a merit badge for Bird Study, a scout must:
1. Produce a Ust of fifty species of wild birds which have 3een personally observed, and positively dentified in the field.
2. Produce a list showing the greatest lumber of species that he has seen in the ield in one week.
3. Produce a list, derived from personal )bservation, of twenty species of birds par- icularly noted for their value to agriculture n the destruction of insects.
4. Produce a list, derived from personal reading, of ten )irds of prey particularly useful in the destruction of rats and nice.
5. Name ten species of birds particularly useful in protecting he trunks of trees from borers, bark-lice, and scale insects.
Describe at least two bird boxes and two food tables that Lave been erected by him, the species of birds that have been ttracted by them, and how many of the birds have nested in hese boxes.
7. State what he has done to protect birds from wicked and .njust slaughter; to promote long, close seasons for vanishing pecies; and to promote the creation of bird preserves and anctuaries.
Blacksmithing
To obtain a merit badge for Blacksmithing, a scout must: I. Make an open link of |-inch stock.
2. Forge a chain hook out of | x J-inch soft steel, or |-inch round iron.
3. Make a bolt of -^-inch stock.
4. Bend and weld three links and form them into a chain, these links to be fastened to the hook of Requirement 2 b}^ a ring, and links and ring to be made out of f -inch round iron.
5. Make a straight lap weld of J x i-inch stock.
38 Boy Scouts
6. Make a cold chisel out of f-inch hexagonal tool steel.
7 . Temper a rock drill.
8. Explain how to harden and temper a cold chisel.
Bugling
To obtain a merit badge for Bugling, a scout must:
I. Sound properly on the bugle the customary United States Army calls.
Business
To obtain a merit badge for Business, a scout must:
1 . Write a satisfactory business and a personal letter.
2. Know simple bookkeeping, or shorthand and typewriting.
3. Keep a complete and actual account of personal receipts and expenditures for six months.
4. Be prepared to answer questions and problems in interest, percentage, and dis- count.
5. Present the certificate of his employ- ers that for the period of six months preced- ing he has put into practice the Scout Oath and Law and shown efficiency in his application to business ; that he has been prompt and regular in his attendance, and has shown due regard for his general appearance by keeping his hair combed, his hands, nails, and teeth clean, his shoes shined, and his clothes clean and orderly.
Camping
To obtain a merit badge for Camping, a scout must: I. Have slept fifty nights in the open or under canvas, at different times.
2. Demonstrate how to put up a tent and ditch it.
3. Have made a bed of wild material, and a fire with rubbing-sticks or flint and steel.
4. State how to choose a camp site and how to prepare it for rain; how to build a latrine (toilet) ; and how to dispose of the
camp garbage and refuse.
5. Know how to construct a raft.
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Carpentry
To obtain a merit badge for Carpentry, a scout must:
1. Know the proper way to drive, set, md clinch a nail and draw a spike with a :law-hammer.
2. Know the use of the rule, square, level, )lumbline, mitre, chalk-line, and bevel.
3. Lay out a rectangle by the use of 6, 8, [Q, and prove it by its diagonals.
4. Know how to lay shingles.
5 . Make an article of furniture for prac- ical use in his home finished in workmanlike manner, all work :o be done without assistance.
I,
Chemistry
To obtain a merit badge for Chemistry, a scout must:
Pass a satisfactory test in elementary general chemistry.
2. Give correct tests for oxygen, hydro- gen, nitrogen, chlorine, and carbon dioxide gases.
3. Tell which gases of Requirement 2 can be used to extinguish fire and explain hovs' it can be accomiplished.
4. Explain why baking soda is used to put out a small fire and why salt is used to throw in the stov^e when the chimney is on fire.
5. Explain the use of analytical weights in chemical analysis. Fell how a quantitative analysis differs from a qualitative malysis.
6. Give three commercial forms of carbon and tell how each s obtained. State what forms, if any, have been prepared irtificially and how.
7. Explain the process of making lime and mortar from lime- stone.
8. Explain the process of making charcoal. Tell what gas s formed by burning of anv form of carbon and what becomes
Dfit.
9. Describe from observation a manufacturing plant which employs chemical process or processes.
40
Boy Scouts
Civics
To obtain a merit badge for Civics, a scout must:
I. State the principal citizenship requirements of a voter in his state, territory, or district.
2. Know the principal features of the naturalization laws of the United states.
3. Know how the President, Vice-Presi- dent, senators, and congressmen of the United States are elected, and give their terms of office.
4. Know the number of judges of the Supreme Court of the United States, how
appointed, and their terms of office.
5. Know the various administrative departments of the Government as represented in the President's Cabinet.
6. Know how the governor, lieutenant-governor, senators, representatives, or assemblymen of his state are elected, and give their terms of office; or, if living in a territory or the Dis- trict of Columbia, know who the corresponding officers are in that territory or district, how elected, and their terms of office.
7. Know whether the judges of the principal courts in his state, territory, or district are appointed or elected, and the length of their terms.
8. Know how the principal officers in his town or city are elected, and for what terms.
9. Know the duties of the various city departments, such as fire, police, board of health, etc.
10. Draw a map giving location of the principal buildings and points of interest within a radius of two miles of his troop headquarters.
II. Give satisfactory evidence that he is familiar with the provisions and history of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
Conservation
To obtain a merit badge for Conserva- tion, a scout must:
1 . Recognize in the forest all important commercial trees in his neighborhood; dis- tinguish the lumber from each, and tell for what purpose each is best suited.
2. Know the principal game birds and animals in his neighborhood, the seasons
Scoutcraft 41
during which they are protected, the methods of protection, and the results.
3. Know the principal natural resources of his town and of his state.
4. Know the principal natural resources of the United States, and have some idea of the history of the development of their use to the present time.
5. Understand what soil conservation, water conservation, conservation of minerals (including mineral fuels), and forest conservation involve; and know what the Government is doing to promote them.
6. Present evidence that he has actually been of some help in making effective the laws of his state for the protection of forests, or birds and animal life.
Cooking
To obtain a merit badge for Cooking, a scout must:
1 . Prove his ability to build a fireplace out of stone or sod or logs; build a fire in the fireplace, and cook the following dishes: camp stew, two vegetables, omelet, and rice pudding.
2. Demonstrate ability to mix dough, and bake bread in an oven; and also to make tea, coffee, and cocoa.
3. Carve properly and serve correctly to people at the table.
Craftsmanship
To obtain a merit badge for Craftsmanship, a scout must: Qualify, unassisted, in the outlined requirements of one kind of craft work.
Craftwork in Metal
I. Design and make some simple object in which the opera- tion of soldering is employed: such as box corners, a desk set, candlestick, ink-well.
2. Design and make some simple object in which the operation of riveting is em- ployed: such as a candlestick, candle shade, Paul Revere lantern, stationery holder.
3. Design and make some simple object in which the operation of sawing or piercing is employed: such as a watch fob, escutch- eon plate, hinges, candle shade.
42 Boy Scouts
4. Design and shape some simple object by beating metal: such as a tray, bowl, spoon, ink-well.
Craftwork in Leather
1. Design and tool some simple object in leather: such as a mat, blotter-pad corners, bill-fold, magazine cover, belt.
2. Know the source and method of preparation of the best grades of leather for craftwork.
Basketry
1. Plan and weave a large reed or rafha basket or tray.
2. Weave a cane seat for a stool, or a rush seat for a chair, or cane a chair.
Pottery
1. Design and build by hand a pottery form: such as a vase, bowl, or ornamental tile to be fired and glazed.
2. Design and throw a pottery form on a potter's wheel to be fired and glazed.
Craftwork in Cement
1. Design and mould in a form a cement window-box or flower-pot, a garden jar, a garden seat, sun-dial, or hitching post.
2. Design and ''build up'' a cylindrical flower-pot, garden vase, or pedestal employing the process of turning or sweeping the form.
Bookbinding:
1. Rebind in boards with leather or cloth some rare old book or a volume of a magazine.
2. Make a scrap-book bound in boards and cover with leather or cloth.
Woodcarving
1. Plan and carve an appropriate design in low relief on some simple object: such as book ends, a tray, a pair of bellows, a chest, a screen, a clock case, a letter opener or a box.
2. State the qualities of hardwood and softwood, and the best woods to use in woodcarving; name, describe, and explain how to sharpen the different kinds of woodcarving tools; and explain methods of handling the grain of the wood in designing.
Scoutcraft
Craftwork in Wood
43
1. Design and construct a small piece of furniture in which mortise and tenon or dowel joints are used: such as a tabouret, a small table, a chair, a footstool, a writing-desk, etc.
2. Make plans or intelligent rough sketch drawing of the piece selected.
Cycling
To obtain a merit badge for Cycling, a scout must:
1 . Ride a bicycle fifty miles in ten hours.
2. Repair a puncture.
3. Take apart and clean a bicycle, and put it together again properly.
4. Know how to make reports, if sent out scouting on a road.
5. Read a map; and report correctly verbal messages.
Dairying
I.
To obtain a merit badge for Dairying, a scout must: Understand the management of dairy cattle.
2. Be able to milk.
3. Understand the sterilization of milk, and care of dairy utensils and appliances.
4. Test at least five covvs for ten days each, with the Babcock test, and make proper reports.
Electricity
To obtain a merit badge for Electricity, a scout must:
1 . Illustrate the experiment by which the laws of electrical attraction and repulsion are shown.
2. Understand the difi-erence between a direct and an alternating current, and show uses to which each is adapted. Give a method of determining which kind flows in a given circuit.
3. Make a simple electro-magnet.
4. Have an elementary knowledge of the construction of simple battery ceils, and of the working of electric bells and telephones.
44 Boy Scouts
5. Be able to replace fuses and to properly splice, solder, and tape rubber-covered wires.
6. Demonstrate how to rescue a person in contact with a live electrical wire, and have a knowledge of the method of resuscitation of a person insensible from shock.
Firemanship
To obtain a merit badge for Firemanship, a scout must: I. Know how to turn in an alarm for fire.
2 . Know how to enter burning buildings.
3. Know how to prevent panics and the spread of fire.
4. Understand the use of hose, — unroll- ing, joining-up, connecting to hydrant, use of nozzle, etc.
5. Understand the use of escapes, lad- ders, and chutes, and know the location of exits in buildings which he frequents.
6. Know how to improvise ropes and nets.
7. Explain what to do in case of panic, understand the fire- man's lift and drag, and how to work in fumes.
8. Understand the use of fire extinguishers; how to rescue animals; how to save property; how to organize a bucket brigade; and how to aid the police in keeping back crowds.
First Aid
To obtain a merit badge for First Aid, a scout must:
1. Be able to tell what to do with an apparently drowned person, and demonstrate the Sylvester and Schaefer methods of artificial respiration.
2. Show how to apply bandages to the head, ankle, and hand.
3. Show how to apply a tourniquet to stop arterial hemorrhage at any point:
(a) on the upper extremity below armpit;
(b) on lower extremity below hip joint.
4. Demonstrate how to arrest venous hemorrhage on any part of the body.
5. Show how to apply a gauze dressing to a wound so that it will not be contaminated — that is, do it in an aseptic manner.
6. Show how to support by splints, etc., a broken arm, or a broken leg so that the patient can bear transportation.
Scoutcraft 45
7. Be able to explain what to do for the bite of a mad dog, a venomous snake, a mosquito, and a scorpion sting.
8. Show how to rescue an individual from contact with an electric wire.
9. Produce satisfactory evidence that he has taken advan- tage of every opportunity to put into actual practice his knowl- edge of first-aid work during a period of at least six months since becoming a First Class Scout.
First Aid to Animals
To obtain a merit badge for First Aid to Animals, a scout must:
1. Have a general knowledge of do- mestic and farm animals.
2. Be able to treat a horse for colic.
3. Describe symptoms and give treat- ment for the following: wounds, fractures and sprains, exhaustion, choking, and lame- ness.
4. Know what to do for horses in harness when they fall on the street.
5. Know what to do when animals are being cruelly mis- treated.
Forestry
To obtain a merit badge for Forestry, a scout must: I. Be able to identify twenty-five kinds of trees when in leaf, or fifteen kinds of deciduous (broad leaf) trees in winter, and tell some of the uses of each.
2. Identify twelve kinds of shrubs.
3. Collect and identify samples of ten kinds of wood and be able to tell some of their uses.
4. Determine the height, and estimate the amount of timber, approximately, in
five trees of different sizes.
5. State laws for transplanting, grafting, spraying, and protecting trees.
6. Tell what are the effects of fires on forests; what are the three general classes of fires, and how to fight each.
46 Boy Scouts
Gardening
To obtain a merit badge for Gardening, a scout must:
1. Do one of the following things:
(a) Operate a garden plot of not less than 20 square feet and show a net profit of not less than $5 on the season's work. Keep an accurate crop report.
(b) Grow -2V acre of potatoes. Select ten hills from which seed potatoes are to be taken. Grade potatoes in three divisions — market, medium, and culls. Manufacture the culls into potato starch
for home use. Keep an accurate crop report of the season's work.
(c) Keep both back and front yard in good condition for the summer vacation of three months, which will in- clude care of garden, flowers, mowing of lawn, keeping the yard free from waste paper, rubbish, etc. Keep an accurate record of the vacation's work.
(d) Build a back-yard trellis, and grow a covering of vines for it in a season's time of not more than four months.
2. Write an account of not less than five hundred words stating how the work was performed.
Handicraft
To obtain a merit badge for Handicraft a scout must:
1. Paint a door.
2 . Whitewash a ceihng.
3 . Repair gas fittings, sash lines, window and door fastenings.
4. Replace gas mantles, washers, and electric light bulbs.
5. Solder.
6. Hang pictures and curtains.
7. Repair blinds.
8. Fix curtains, portiere rods, or blind fixtures.
9. Lay carpets and mend clothing and upholstery. ID. Repair furniture and china.
1 1 . Sharpen knives.
12. Repair gates.
13. Fix screens on windows and doors.
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Horsemanship
To obtain a merit badge for Horsemanship, a scout must:
1. Give the common name for the right and left sides of a horse, and state, using the common name, what side of a horse is habitually ap- proached, and how to act while doing so.
2. State principal temperamental re- quirements of a good horse, also principal external points of a horse, and point out on a live horse thirty important points.
3. Know what defects and blemishes are. State the most common defects and blemishes, and how he would treat them.
4. Explain how^ he would examine a horse for soundness; and state the opinions of horsemen on the degrees of soundness.
5. Give several common diseases of the horse, the symptoms thereof, and the treatment.
6. State fully what he knows of the stable management and the care of a horse.
7. Point out ten important parts of the saddle, and show how he would put it on and remove it.
8. Point out ten important parts of the bridle, and show how he would fit, put it on, and take it off.
9. Illustrate on a horse the correct way of mounting and the correct position in a saddle.
10. Know the aids in riding and how they are used. Illus- trate on a horse how he would move forward, increase or de- crease the gait» halt, back, and change direction.
Interpreting
To obtain a merit badge for Interpreting, a scout must: I . Carry on a simple conversation.
2. Write a simple letter on a subject given by the examiners.
3. Read and translate from sight a pas- sage from a book or newspaper, in French, German, English, Spanish, Italian, or any language that is not of his own country.
Leather Working
To obtain a merit badge for Leather Working, a scout must: I . Have a knowledge of tanning and curing.
48 Boy Scouts
2. Sole and heel a pair of boots, sewed or nailed, and generally repair boots and shoes.
3. Dress a saddle, and repair traces, stirrup leathers, etc., and know the various parts of harness.
Life Saving
To obtain a merit badge for Life Saving, a scout must:
1. Go down from the surface of the water at least seven feet deep and bring up an object twelve inches or more in diameter, weighing not less than ten pounds.
2. Swim twenty yards carrying a person of your own weight:
(a) By a two-hand carry, using feet only for propulsion;
(b) By a one-arm carry, using side stroke.
3. Dressed in trousers, coat, and shoes swim fifty yards, and undress before reaching shore.
4. In deep water, demonstrate three approved methods of releasing death grip.
5. Demonstrate Schaefer (prone pressure) method of resusci- tation.
Machinery
To obtain a merit badge for Machinery, a scout must:
I. Describe the construction of a lathe, planer, or shaper,
drill press, or steam boiler; also the purpose
for which each is intended.
2. Name at least twelve of the principal hand tools used by machinists.
3. Construct a w^ood or metal model illustrating the principles of levers, gears, pulleys, or block and tackle.
Marksmanship
To obtain a merit badge for Marksmanship, a scout must:
1. Know the Boy Scout marksmanship code and agree to follow same. (See footnote i.)
2. Make not less than ^S points standing, out of a possible
Scoutcraft 49
50 points in ten shots; and 42 points prone, out of a possible 50 points in ten shots; or a total score of 80 points out of a possible 100, at a distance of fifty feet from the end of the rifle to the target. (See footnote 2 for con- ditions.)
3. Must produce evidence that all prac- tice and the test have been conducted under a range officer whose appointment has been approved by the National Court of Honor.
(1) The Boy Scout Marksman Code
I hereby promise upon my honor NEVER to
1. Point my gun at any human being under any circumstances.
2. Handle a fire-arm without first examining to make certain it is empty.
3. Load a fire-arm while persons are in front of me.
4. Shoot at or kill a harmless animal or bird for the mere pleasure of killing.
5. Skylark with fire-arms in hand or while engaged in target practice.
6. Engage in aiming and snapping the hammer except with the fire-arm pointed teward the target.
7. Shoot in the open without first taking every precaution for the safety of others.
8. Be unsportsmanlike when engaged in contests of skill with fire-arms.
9. Lay aside a fire-arm without cleaning after being used.
10. Take anything for granted and always bear the above rules in mind.
(2) Conditions
Rifle: Any single-shot, 2 2 -calibre rifle with sightings other than telescopic in front of firing point, weighing not over ten pounds, recommended.
Target: Fifty -foot Junior Marksmanship target, two to five counts. These will be sup- plied through the courtesy^of the National Rifle Association upon application to National Headquarters. .-
Position: Standing: All parts of the body to be free from artificial support.
Prone: Head toward target; forearm and rifle must be free from all artificial support. Use of strap allowed in the prone position only.
Masonry
To obtain a merit badge for Masonry, a scout must: I . Lay a straight wall with a corner.
2. Make mortar and describe process.
3. Use intelligently a plumb-line, level, and trowel.
4. Build a stone oven.
5. Demonstrate a knowledge of the various uses for cement.
6. Build a dry wall.
Mining
To obtain a merit badge for Mining, a scout must:
1 . Identify and describe twenty-five minerals.
2. Define vein, placer, lode, stratum, dip, strike, joint, fault; and identify ten different kinds of rocks.
.50
Boy Scouts
3. vState what metals are mined from placer. State in what general respects placer mining differs from lode or vein mining.
4. Describe how mines are ventilated. Give the conditions that differentiate coal mining from metal mining.
5. Describe systems for mine ventila- tion, safety devices, and rescue methods as taught by the American Red Cross Society.
Music
To obtain a merit badge for Music, a scout must:
1. Be able to play a standard musical instrument satisfac torily, as used in orchestra work.
2. Read at sight simple music required for the fourth grade in musical education.
3. Write a satisfactory essay of not less than five hundred words on the history of American Music.
Painting
To obtain a merit badge for Painting, a scout must:
I. Have a knowledge of how to combine pigments in order
to produce paints in shades and tints of
color.
2. Know how to add positive colors to a base of white lead or of white zinc.
3. Understand the mixing of oils, tur- pentine, etc., to the proper consistency.
4. Paint a porch floor or other surface evenly and without laps.
5. Know how and when to putty up nail holes and uneven surfaces.
6. Present for inspection a panel covered with three coats of paint, which panel must contain a border of molding, the body of the panel to be painted in one color and the molding in an- other.
Pathfinding
To obtain a merit badge for Pathfinding, a scout must: I. In the country, know every lane, bypath, and short cut for a distance of at least two miles in every direction around the local ::,cout headquarters; or in a city, have a general knowledge
Scoutcraft 5 1
of the district within a three-mile radius of the local scout head- quarters, so as to be able to guide people at any time, by day or by night.
2. Know the population of the five prin- cipal neighboring towns, their general direc- tion from his scout headquarters, and be able to give strangers correct directions how to reach them.
3. If in the country, know in a two-mile radius, the approximate number of horses, cattle, sheep, and pigs owned on the five
neighboring farms; or, if in town, know, in a half-mile radius, the location of livery stables, garages, and blacksmith shops. . 4. Know the location of the nearest meat markets, bakeries, groceries, and drug stores.
5. Know the location of the nearest police station, hospital, doctor, fire alarm, fire hydrant, telegraph and telephone offices, and railroad stations.
6. Know something of the history of his place; and know the location of its principal public buildings, such as the town or city hall, post-office, schools and churches.
7. Present a large scale map showing as much as possible 3f the above required information.
Personal Health
To obtain a merit badge for Personal Health, a scout must:
1 . Write a statement on the care of the teeth, and show that lis teeth are in good condition as a result of proper care.
2 . State a principle to govern in eating ; and state in the order )f their importance five rules to govern the care of his health.
3. Present satisfactory evidence that he has not been absent from school or work for a period of at least six months as a result of his failure to observe these rules.
4. Tell the difference in effect of a cold bath and a hot bath.
5. Describe the effects of alcohol and to- bacco on the growing boy.
6. Tell how to care for the feet on a march.
7. Describe a good healthful game and state its merits.
8. Describe the effects of walking as an exercise.
9. Tell the dangers of specialization and overtraining in he various forms of athletics, and the advantages of an all- ound development.
52 Boy Scouts
Photography
To obtain a merit badge for Photography, a scout must: I . Have a knowledge of the use of lenses, of the construction of cameras, of the effect of light upon the sensitive film, and the action of developers.
2. Have a knowledge of several printing processes, and their relative advantages.
3. Take, develop, and print twelve separate subjects, — three interiors, three portraits, three landscapes, and three in- stantaneous '^action photos.''
4. Make a recognizable photograph of any wild bird larger than a robin; or a wild animal in its native haunts; or a fish in the water.
Physical Development
To obtain a merit badge for Physical Development, a scout must:
1 . Produce satisfactory evidence of habitual good posture.
2. Have no remediable physical defects uncorrected.
3. Produce satisfactory evidence of daily practice of hygienic habits and a thorough knowledge of a stand- ard book on hygiene.
4. Pass one test in each of the running, jumping, swimming, rope-climbing (or pull- up) events, according to his weight, in the Athletic Schedule. (See page 35.)
5. Demonstrate proper form in running high jump, hurdle, and shot-put.
6. Make up a daily drill of ten exercises for scouts, giving proper exercise for whole body; present evi- dence of having practised this daily for six months and having taught the same to six or more boys for a period of three months.
7. Demonstrate reasonable efficiency in two outdoor games requiring physical development, and give evidence of having taught at least ten games to a group of boys and know ten more.
Pioneering
To obtain a merit badge for Pioneering, a scout must: I . Tie twelve kinds of knots quickly.
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2. Lash spars properly together for scaffolding.
3. Build a bridge or derrick, (each) cap- able of supporting two hundred pounds in weight.
4. Make a camp kitchen.
5. Build a shack of one kind or another suitable for three occupants.
Plumbing
To obtain a merit badge for Plumbing, a scout must: I. Submit a wiped joint in lead pipe, threaded joints con- necting two pieces of iron pipe with a fitting, a repaired lead pipe, or a repaired iron pipe; and explain how to do all of the above.
2. Be able to repair a Fuller tap and a compression tap.
3. Understand the drainage system of a house, and explain the use of traps and vents.
4. Understand the ordinary hot and cold water system of a house, and explain how to make the system safe from freezing if the house has to be left without fires in the winter.
5. Know the regulations of the local health department with regard to plumbing.
Poultry Keeping
To obtain a merit badge for Poultry Keeping, a scout must:
1. Have a knowledge of incubators, foster-mothers, sanitary fowl houses, coops, and runs.
2. Understand rearing, feeding, killing, and dressing birds for market.
3. Be able to candle and pack eggs for market; describe the differences, in can- dling, which distinguish the bad eggs from the good; and tell how eggs are graded.
4. Raise a brood of not less than ten chickens.
5 . Report his observation and study of the hen, turkey, duck, and goose.
54 Boy Scouts
Printing
jfo obtain a merit badge for Printing, a scout must:
1. Explain the point system, and identify ten sizes of types.
2. Set and correctly space type by hand from manuscript.
3. Set and print a display card or ad- vertising handbill from original copy for use in connection with the local scout work.
4. Print one hundred copies of same on a 10 X 15, or smaller, job press, demonstrat- ing correct methods of washing-up, inking, use of setting pins, use of make-ready, and accurate feeding.
5 . Read and mark proof correctly.
6. Give the grade or kind of paper most suitable for various classes of printing.
Public Health
To obtain a merit badge for Public Health, a scout must:
1. State the chief causes and modes of transmission of each of the following diseases : tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria.
2 . Draw a diagram showing how the house-fly carries disease.
3. Tell what should be done to a house which has been occupied by a person who has had a contag- ious disease.
4. Describe the method used in his com- munity in disposing of garbage.
5 . Tell how a city should protect its milk, meat, and exposed foods. State what are the laws in his community covering this subject, and to what extent they are being enforced.
6. Tell how to plan the sanitary care of a camp.
7. State the reason why school children should undergo 'a medical examination.
8. Tell how he may cooperate with the health authorities in preventing disease.
9. Produce satisfactory evidence that he has rendered ser- vice in some effort recommended by the public health authorities in the interest of Public Health. ,
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Scholarship
To obtain a merit badge for Scholarship, a scout must:
1. Have been in attendance at one school, grammar, high, private, or night school, for a period of at
least one year, since becoming a First Class Scout.
2. Present a certificate from the teacher or principal covering the same period and showing:
(a) That his attendance has been satisfactory;
(b) That his deportment has been above the average ;
(c) That during the school year he has secured a satis- factory average in all of his studies.
Sculpture
To obtain a merit badge for Sculpture, a scout must: I. Make a shaded drawing in pencil or charcoal of a cylin- drical object and a rectangular object grouped together a little below the eye.
2. Model in clay or plasteline two or more examples of Greek or Renaissance ornament, from a cast or model.
3. Make a copy in clay or plasteline in full size, of a part of an antique statue, — as a head, a hand, or a foot.
4. Make a statue ^^in the round" of a head, of life size, from a living model.
5. Make a statue ''in the round " of an animal or a group of animals.
Seamanship
To obtain a merit badge for Seamanship, a scout must :
1. Tie rapidly sixteen different knots.
2. Show proficiency in making a short splice, a long splice, and in covering an eye splice.
3. Use a palm and needle.
4. Fling a rope coil.
5. Row, pole, scull, and steer a boat; also bring a boat properly alongside and make fast.
56 Boy Scouts
6. Box the compass; read a chart; and show use of parallel rules, dividers, and lead line.
7. State direction by the stars and sun.
8. Swim fifty yards with shoes and clothes on.
. 9. Understand the general working of steam and hydraulic winches, and have a knowledge of weather wisdom and of tides.
Signaling
To obtain a merit badge for Signaling, a scout must: I. Send and receive a message in either of the two following systems of signaling: Semaphore, or Inter- national Morse, not fewer than twenty-four letters per minute.
2. Give and receive signals by sound, using the buzzer, sounder, whistle, or bugle.
3. Make correct smoke and fire signals.
4. Make a buzzer outfit, wireless outfit, or a heliograph outfit.
Stalking
To obtain a merit badge for Stalking, a scout must:
1. Know and recognize the tracks of ten different animals or birds to be found in his vicinity. For _ boys living in the city the tracks of do- ~ mestic animals or birds may be counted.
2. Track an animal for one-quarter mile over ordinary ground without snow. In special cases where large wild animals cannot be found, a trail made by '^tracking irons/^ or by a boy on stilts, may be substituted.
3. Make clear, recognizable photographs ~ of live wild animals or birds, and score twenty-five points on the following basis:
(a) Each different species of wild bird, photographed on the nest, or of young birds, to count two points;
(b) Each species of adult wild bird, photographed away from the nest, to count three points;
(c) Each species of small wild animal to count four points;
(d) Each species of wild animal larger than a wood- chuck to count five points.
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Surveying
To obtain a merit badge for Surveying, a scout must:
1 . Map correctly from the country itself the main features of half a mile of road, with 440 yards each side, to a scale of two feet to the mile, and after- ward draw same map from memory.
2. Measure the width of a river.
3. Measure the height of a tree, tele- graph pole, or a church steeple, describing the method adopted.
4. Be able to measure a gradient.
5 . Understand the use of the plane table.
Swimming
To obtain a merit badge for Swimming, a scout must:
1 . Be able to swim one hundred yards.
2. Dive properly from the surface of the water.
3. Demonstrate breast, crawl, and side strokes.
4. Swim on the back fifty feet.
Taxidermy
To obtain a merit badge for Taxidermy, a scout must :
1 . Have a knowledge of the game laws of the U. S. and the state in which he lives.
2. Preserve and mount the skin of a game bird, or animal, killed in sea- son, and without violation of any law.
3. Mount for a rug the pelt of some fur animal.
Life Scout
The life scout badge is awarded to all first-class scouts who have qualified for the merit badges of first aid, physical development, personal health, public health, and life saving or pioneering.
58
Boy Scouts
star Scout
The star scout badge is awarded to the first-class scout who has qualified for ten merit badges, including the five badges of the life scout.
Eagle Scout
The eagle scout badge is awarded to any first-class scout qualifying for twenty-one merit badges. These twenty-one badges shall include first aid, physical development, life saving, per- sonal health, public health, cooking, camping, bird study, pathfinding, pioneering, athletics, and any ten others.
Honor Medals
The various badges previously referred to, awarded to boy scouts for passing the different standard tests, should not be con- fused with the honor medals, which are awarded by the National Court of Honor in recognition of unusual bravery and heroism displayed by scouts in the actual saving of life.
An honor medal is a national honor and is awarded only by the National Council in the following manner: where there is a local council the applicant must be personally ex- amined by a local court of honor, and his recommendation, properly endorsed by the local council, for- warded on the blank form provided for this purpose to the National Court of Honor. Where possible, the statements of three re- liable witnesses should be secured and attached to this form.
Where there is no local council, the same committee which has been authorised to con- duct examinations for merit badges should conduct this investigation and make recom- mendation to the National Court of Honor.
The honor medal is a cross upon which the tenderfoot emblem is superimposed and which is attached to the second-class emblem pin by
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59
chains, making of the whole a first-class scout badge mounted on a ribbon. At the top of the cross is the word "Honor '^ and at the bottom, the words "Boy Scouts of America/^ A scout to whom one of these medals is awarded is entitled to wear the same on the left breast. (See pagei37.)
The bronze medal is mounted on a red ribbon and is awarded to a scout who has actually saved life where risk is involved.
The silver medal is mounted on blue ribbon and is awarded to a scout who saves life with considerable risk to himself.
The gold medal is mounted on white ribbon and is the highest possible award for heroism. It may be granted to a scout who has gravely endangered his own life in actually saving the life of another.
Blanks which will facilitate the presentation of claims for the consideration of the National Court of Honor may be ob- tained upon request to National Headquarters, 200 Fifth Avenue, New York City.
Examinations for Scout Tests
Special care should be exercised to guard against too rapid advancement by scouts, so as to insure thoroughness in their work. This must be especially borne in mind with reference to tests for merit badges.
Boy scout requirements
6o Boy Scouts
The members of the local courts of honor and others who may be duly appointed to conduct examinations should keep in mind that the lists of questions as set forth for the various tests are merely an outline of the scope of the examination to be given and do not restrict the examination to the lists. In no case, how- ever, is the court of honor or other examiner authorized to omit any of the points covered by the list, or accept as an equivalent any examination which does not include each of the questions as set forth in this handbook.
It should further be remembered that the purpose of these examinations is not to secure mere technical compliance with the requirements, but rather to ascertain the scout's general knowl- edge of the subject covered as a result of his own application and study. Practical knowledge rather than book knowledge is desired.
The rule requiring a tenderfoot to remain as such for at least thirty days is to be strictly followed and it is recommended that second-class scouts be required to remain as such for at least sixty days.
A scout should be prepared at any time to submit to an exam- ination reviewing the work for which he has previously received badges. Every examination given for advanced work should include questions of review covering previous tests taken by the applicant. He should also be required to show that he knows and has put into practice the scout oath and law\
Tenderfoot
Tenderfoot scout tests are given by the scout master of the troop in all communities whether there is a local council or not. This does not, however, relieve the local council of the respon- sibility of maintaining standards.
Second Class
In communities where there is a local council, second-class scout tests should be given by the scout commissioner person- ally, whenever practicable, or by a deputy designated by him.
First Class
In communities where there is a local council, first-class scout tests, whenever practicable, should be conducted by the court of honor, or under the personal supervision of the scout commissioner or by a deputy designated by him.
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In all other communities where local councils have not been organized the examination for second-class and first-class scout tests should be given by the scout master of the troop with the cooperation of the troop committee, or by a special committee representing the court of honor w^hich has been selected to conduct examinations for merit badges.
Merit Badges
Examinations for merit badges should be given by the court of honor of the local council.
In communities where a local council has not been organized, a local committee of representative men, including the super- intendent or principal of schools, should be organized to conduct these tests.
Whenever the members of the local court of honor are called upon to conduct an examination in any subject with which they
Electrician
Pathfinder
are not familiar, they should obtain the aid of an expert in such subject to conduct the examination. The qualifications of such expert should be definitely agreed upon by the court of honor in advance of his selection. His certificate is to be accepted only as evidence covering the technical points involved in the exam- ination. This does not relieve the members of the court of honor
62 Boy Scouts
from responsibility of further testing the scout, and satisfying themselves as to his knowledge of the subject for which the merit badge is sought and his right to receive it in accordance with the ofhcial requirements.
The local court of honor having satisfied itself that the appli- cant has met the requirements for a merit badge, must submit in writing to the Court of Honor of the National Council a cer- tificate endorsed by the expert who conducted the examination, and certified to by the members of the local court of honor, showing that they had satisfactory proof that the scout has actually passed the test and is entitled to receive the badge. Blanks are provided by the National Council upon which all claims for merit badges should be made By using these blanks and carefully following the directions thereon, delay and dis- appointment may be avoided. Blanks not properly filled in cannot be accepted by the National Court of Honor.
Patrol Signs
Each troop of boy scouts is named after the place to which it belongs. For example, it is Troop No. i, 2, 3, 4, etc, of New York or Chicago. Each patrol of the troop is named after an animal or bird, but may be given another kind of name if there is a valid reason. In this way, the Twenty-seventh New York Troop, for instance, may have several patrols, which may be respectively the Ox, Wolf, Jackal, Raven, Buffalo, Fox, Panther, and Rattlesnake.
Each scout in a patrol has a number, the patrol leader being No. I, the assistant patrol leader No. 2, and the other scouts the remaining consecutive numbers. Scouts in this way should work in pairs, Nos. 3 and 4 together; 5 and 6 together; 7 and 8 together.
Each scout in a patrol should be able to imitate the call of his patrol animal. That is, the scouts of the Wolf patrol should be able to imitate a wolf. In this way scouts of the same patrol can communicate with each other when in hiding, or in the dark of night. It is not honorable for a scout to use the call of any other patrol except his own.
The patrol leader calls up his patrol at will by sounding his whistle and by giving the call of the patrol.
When the scout makes signs anywhere for others to read he also draws the head of his animal. That is to say, if he were out scouting and wanted to show that a certain road should not be followed by others, he would draw the sign, ^^not to be fol-
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MONGOOSE HAWK WOLF PEEWIT
Squeak ^"Cheep" Cry (same as Eagle) Howl — ''Row-oooo" Whistle — "Tewitt" Brown and Orange — "Kreeee" Pink Yellow and Black Green and White
HOUND CAT JACKAL
Bark — " Bawow-wow '* Cry — " Meeaow " Laughing Cry — " Wah-
Orange Gray and Brown wah-wak-wah-wah"
Gray anp Black
"^ *«IK %— .
RAVEN BUFFALO PEACOCK
Cry — "Kar-kaw" Lowing (same as Bull) — Cry — ''Bee-oik'*
Black "Um-maouw" Green and Blue
Red and White
BULL SEAL OWL
Lowing — '' Um-maouw '* Call — "Hark " Whistle — '' Koot-koot-koo '' Red Red and Black Blve
TIGER LION KANGAROO HORSE
Purr — " Grrrao" Roar — '' Eu-ugh " Call — " Coo-ee " Whinney — " Hee-e-e-e"
Violet Yellow and Red Red and Gray Black and White
64
Boy Scouts
FOX BEAR STAG STORK
Bark — *' Ha-ha" Growl — "Boorrr" Call — "Baow" Cry — "Korrr "
Yellow and Green Brown and Red Violet and Black Blue and White
PANTHER
Tongue in side of mouth -
"Keeook"
Yellow
CURLEW
Whistle — " Curley '• Green
HYENA
Laughing Cry — ' ' Ooowah-oo wah- wah ' ' Yellow and Brown
^ii^n^
RAM
Bleat — *'Ba-a-a"
Brown
WOOD PIGEON
Call — " Book-hooroo "
Blue and Gray
EAGLE
Very shrill cry — " Kreeee " Green and Black
^ 0^
HIPPO Eiss — " Brrussssh " Pink and Black
RATTLESNAKE Rattle a pebble in a small potted meat tin
WILD BOAR
Grunt — " Broof-broof " Gray and Pink
COBRA
Hiss — "Pssst" Orange and Black
CUCKOO
Call — " Cook-koo '^ Gray
'"* OTTER BEAVER
Cry — ' ' Hoi-oi-oick " Slap made by clapping Brown and White hands
Blue and Yellow
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65
BLUE BUFFALO on white ground
FLYING EAGLES BLUE HERONS HORNED
"Yeh-yeh-yeh" "Hrrrr" KINGBIRDS
Black and white on red Blue and green
BLACK BEARS Black on red
AHMEEKS
SILVER FOXES
wed/' across it and add the name of his patrol animal, in der to show w^hich patrol discovered that the road was bad, id by adding his own number at the left of the head to show hicb scout had discovered it.
Each patrol leader carries a small flag on the end of his staff stave with the head of his patrol animal shown on both les. Thus the Tigers of the Tw^enty-seventh New York roop should have the flag shown below.
Badges of Rank
The following devices are used to distinguish the various rank
scouts. For exact positions see diagram.
Tenderfoot: The tenderfoot badge should be worn on the left
66 Boy Scouts
breast pocket of the uniform or by scouts in civilian dress on the coat lapel or left breast pocket.
First and Second Class Badges: The badges of the first and second class scouts are embroidered in yellow and are worn on the left sleeve midway between the elbow and wrist. The metal second and first class badges are only to be worn by scouts who do not have uniforms or by scouts in civilian dress on the coat lapel or left breast pocket. This badge cannot be worn on the uniform.
Scouts winning any of the badges are entitled to place after their names the insignia of the badges won. For instance, if he has successfully passed the signaling and seamanship tests, he signs his name in this manner —
Service Stripes: For each year of service as a boy scout he will be entitled to wear a stripe of dark green braid on the right sleeve only, parallel with and three inches from the edge of the cuff. Three green stripes being changed for one red one. Five years of scouting would be indicated by one red stripe and two green stripes.
Patrol Leaders: The Patrol Leader's insignia consists of two dark green bars, one and one half inches long and three eighths of an inch wide. These should be worn one inch below the troop numerals on the left sleeve.
The Assistant Patrol Leader's insignia consists of one dark green bar only. The Senior Patrol Leader of each troop is entitled to wear below his patrol leader's insignia an additional short bar one inch long, same color.
Patrol Colors: Patrol colors should only be worn on the right shoulder. They are five and one half inches long and three quarters of an inch wide.
Troop Numbers: Members of each troop should wear on the left sleeve a block of red felt one and one half inches below the seam and one and three quarters of an inch in depth on which a white figure one and one quarter inches is placed. This figure indicates the number of the troop in the local council.
Metal Numbers: Where it is desired to wear metal numerals instead of the cloth numerals, the metal numerals should be
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67
orn on the collar. Each local council shall decide which class ■ numerals will be worn in their district and all troops must iopt the same method.
Merit Badges: Merit badges can be worn on the right sleeve ily, in rows of not more than three, parallel with the edge pf
lERIT badge:
SERVICE stripes]. (ORE£N)|j
[TROOP NUMBER-METAL -.pTROOP NUMBER-FELT " [(REDWITH WHITE NUMBERS)
fSCOUT COMMISSIONER
Lblue,(oold wreath)
rA^fSCOUT MASTER(GREEN) r^lASST SCOUT MASTER(RED)
•Ss[PATROL LEADER(GREEN)
:— lASST. PATROL LEADER ^ ^ (GREEN)
SiSENIOR PATROL LEADER (GREEN)
l»'CLASSSCOUT(GILT)
I "CLASS PATROL LEADER
(SILVER)
2-C LASS SCOUT (G 8 LT)
2" CLASS PATROL LEADER
(SILVER)
CHIEF SCOUT AND STAFF
FICIAL DESIGNATION OF CORRECT POSITION FOR WEARING SCOUT BADGES.
le cuff and two inches above the service stripes. It is sug- ?sted that the merit badges be sewed on a false half sleeve that ay be fastened by hooks or snaps, so that it may be worn on le proper occasions, but detached on hikes and at times when earing badges might seem undesirable. Eagle, Star and Life Scout Badges: These should be worn only 1 the left breast above the pocket in the order given from right left.
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Boy Scouts
Scout Master
Honor Medals: Honor medals should be worn only on the left breast above the pocket.
Scout Officials: The in- signia of the Deputy Scout Commissioner, Scout Mas- ter, and Assistant Scout Master is the iirst-class scout's badge reproduced Scout Commissioner in light blue, green, and red respectively, and worn one inch below the troop numerals on the left sleeve. The in- signia of the Scout Commissioner is the first- class badge reproduced in dark blue sur- rounded by a gold wreath.
Other Badges : No other badges are to be worn on the scout uni- form unless presented by the Nation, State, City or some civic organization engaged 'in work for the general good, for services performed or profi- ciency attained in competitive tests.
Chief Scout: The badge of the Chief Scout is the first- class scout badge with a five- pointed star above it embroid- ered in silver.
Chief Scout Surgeon: The badge of the Chief Scout Surgeon is the first-class scout badge with a caduceus above it embroidered in green. (The Chief Scout's stafit wear the badge of rank in the same manner as the Chief Scout.)
Chief Scout Woodsman: The badge of the Chief Scout Woodsman is the first-class scout badge with two crossed axes above it embroidered in green.
Chief Scout Stalker: The badge of the Chief Scout Stalker is the first-class scout badge with an oak leaf above it embroidered in blue.
Chief Scout Director of Health: The badge of the Chief Scout Director of Health is the first-class scout badge with tongues Chief Scout Stalker of fire above it embroidered in red.
Chief Scout
Chief Scout Surgeon
Chief Scout Woodsman
Scoutcraft
69
Chief Scout Director of Health
Chief
Scout Director of Athletics
the United States
Chief Scout Camp Master: The badge of the Chief Scout nr\ Camp Master is the first-
^^^ class scout badge with a
moccasin above it embroid- ered in green.
Chief Scout Director of
:hief Scout Camp Athletics: The badge of
Master the Chief Scout Director
t Athletics is the first-class scout badge with
winged Mercury foot above it embroidered
I green.
Chief Scout Director of Chivalry: he badge of the Chief Scout director of Chivalry is the first- ass scout badge with the scout gn above it embroidered in gold. Chief Scout Citizen: The badge E the Chief Scout Citizen is the
first-class scout badge with flag above it in silver.
Appropriate badges for national and local council- men may be secured from the National Headquar- ters.
National Scout Com- missioner: The badge of the National Scout Com- missioner consists of a old laurel wreath, silver eagle, red, white, nd blue shield, scout badge in gold, and ilver powder-horn.
The Boy Scout Uniform
The scout uniform should be an outward expression of the cout's inward feeling of friendliness to every other scout no latter to what class in society the other scout belongs. It epresents the spirit of true democracy. It definitely identifies he boy as part of the great brotherhood of boys following the cout program in his own country as well as in practically all of he civilized nations of the world.
The uniformintensifies good comradeship ; encourages loyalty to he group, and stimulates a feeling of self-respect which results in le group presenting a much smarter appearance than otherwise.
Chief Scout Citizen
National Scout Commissioner
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Boy Scouts
While it is not necessary for a boy to have a uniform or any other special equipment in order to carry out the boy scout program, it has been found that most boys are eager for the opportunity of having the scout uniform. It is comfortable, wears well, and is in- expensive. It is far better for a troop of scouts to do without a uniform, however, than to under- take to secure the same by soliciting contributions for that purpose. Indeed, it is advisable, when- ever it can be done, for each scout to personally earn the money with which to secure his uniform. This is so even if the boy's parents can well afford to give him the money with which to buy it.
Many troops of scouts have started with little or no equipment and gradu- ally fully equipped them- selves by the individual efforts of the boys.
The official uniform for boy scouts is made up of standard khaki material. This material was selected with the greatest of care. It was submitted to severe tests, and chosen because of its wearing qualities.
The manufacturer of this uniform was chosen be- cause of his ability to main- tain this high standard of quality and furnish the uni- form at a lower price than any other competitor.
The boy scout uniform consists of the following: Hat — olive drab, flat brim, strap around crown; Shirt — khaki, coat style, bellows pockets; Coat —
s»
Scoutcraft 71
shakiy four bellows pockets, standing collar, metal buttons with 5Cout emblem; Shorts, or Breeches — standard khaki material; Belt — olive drab web; Haversack — worn as a knapsack; Shoulder Knots — 5^ inches, worn in colors of patrol on right shoulder; Leggings, Puttees or Stockings — to match uniform.
Numerous imitation uniforms have been placed upon the narket. Boy scouts should be very certain that they are not Deing defrauded when purchasing a uniform. The official uni- ■orm is stamped with the seal of the organization and all of the Duttons bear the patented design of the scout badge.
Before purchasing any part of the uniform, write to National Headquarters for a copy of the latest supply catalog which will jive you prices of all equipment.
KNOTS EVERY SCOUT SHOULD KNOW
By Samuel A. Mofaty Boy Scouts of America
Every scout knows what rope is. From the earliest moment 3f his play life he has used it in connection with most of his ^ames. In camp life and on hikes he will be called upon to use it again and again. It is therefore not essential to describe tiere the formation of rope; its various sizes and strength. The important thing to know is how to use it to the best ad- vantage. To do this an intelligent understanding of the dif- ferent knots and how to tie them is essential. Every day sailors, explorers, mechanics, and mountain-climbers risk their lives on the knots that they tie. Thousands of lives have been sacrificed to ill-made knots. The scout therefore should be prepared in an emergency, or when necessity demands, to tie the right knot in the right way.
There are three qualities to a good knot: i. Rapidity with which it can be tied. 2. Its ability to hold fast when pulled tight, and 3. The readiness with which it can be undone.
The following knots, recommended to scouts, are the most serviceable because they meet the above requirements and will be of great help in scoutcraft. If the tenderfoot will follow closely the various steps indicated in the diagrams, he will have little difficulty in reproducing them at pleasure.
In practising knot tying a short piece of hemp rope may be used. To protect the ends from fraying a scout should know how to ^^whip'' them. The commonest method of ^Svhipping" is as follows:
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Boy Scouts
Lay the end of a piece of twine along the end of the rope. Hold it to the rope with the thumb of your left hand while you wind the standing part around it and the rope until the
end of the twine has been covered. Then with the other end of the twine lay a loop back on the end of the rope and continue winding the twine upon this second end until all is taken up. The end is then pulled back tight and cut off close to the rope.
For the sake of clearness a scout must constantly keep in mind these three principal parts of the rope:
1. The Standing Part — The long unused portion of the rope on which he works;
2. The Bight — The loop formed whenever the rope is turned back upon itself; and,
3. The End — The part he uses in leading. Before proceeding with the tenderfoot re- quirements, a scout should first learn the two primary knots: the overhand and figure- of-eight knots.
The Overhand Knot. Start with the posi- tion shown in the pre- ceding diagram. Back the end around the standing part and up through the bight and draw tight.
The Figiire-of -Eight Knot, Make a bight as before. Then lead the end around back of the standing part and down through the bight.
After these preliminary steps, the prospective tenderfoot may proceed to learn the required knots.
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73
Square or Reef Knot. The com- monest knot for t3dng two ropes together. Frequently used in first aid bandaging. Never slips or jams; easy to untie.
False Reef or Granny. If the ends are not crossed correctly when making the reef knot, the false reef or granny is the result. This knot is always bad.
Sheet Bend or Weav- er's Knot. This knot is used in bending the sheet to the clew of a sail and in t>dng two rope-ends t o- gether.
Make a bight with one rope A B, then pass end C of other rope up through and around the entire bight and bend it under its own standing part.
The Bowline. A noose that neither jams nor slips. Used in lowering a person from a burn- ing building, etc.
Form a small loop on the stand- ing part, leaving the end long enough for the size of the noose required. Pass the end up through the bight, around the standing part and dov/n through the bight again. To tighten, hold noose in position and pull standing part.
Halter, Slip, or Run- ning Knot. A bight is first formed and an overhand knot made with the end around the standing part.
Sheepshank. Used for shortening ropes. Gather up the amount to be shortened, then make a half hitch round each of the bends as shown in the diagram.
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Clove Hitch. Used to fasten one pole to another in fitting up scaffolding; this knot holds snugly; is not liable to slip later- ally.
Hold the standing part in left hand, then pass the rope around the pole; cross the standing part, making a second turn around the pole, and pass the end under the last turn.
The Fisherman^s Bend. Used aboard yachts for bending on the gaff topsail halliards. It consists of two turns around a spar or ring, then a half hitch around the standing part and through the turns on the spar, and another half hitch above it around the standing part.
Timber Hitch. Used in hauUng timber. Pass the end of the rope around the timber. Then lead it around its standing part and bring it back to make two or more turns on its own part. The strain will hold it securely.
Two Half Hitches. Useful because they are easily made and will not slip uiiider any strain.
Their formation is sufficiently in- dicated by the diagram.
Blackwall Hitch. Used to secure a rope to a hook. The standing part when hauled tight holds the end firmly.
Becket Hitch. For joining a cord to a rope. May be easily made from diagram.
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75
The Fisherman^ s Knot. )] Used for tying silkworm gut for fishing purposes. It never slips; is easily unloosed by pulling the two short ends.
The two ropes are laid alongside one another, then with each end an overhand knot is made around the standing part of the other. Pull the standing parts to tighten.
Carrick Bend. Used in uniting hawsers for towing. Is easily untied by pushing the loops in- ward.
Turn the end of one rope A over its standing part B to form a loop. Pass the end of the other rope across the bight thus formed, back of the standing part B over the end A^ then under the bight at C, passing it over its own standing part and under the bight again at D.
The Mariner's Compass
Boxing the compass consists in enumerating the points, beginning with north and working around the circle as follows:
NORTH North by east Norths North-east North-east by north
NORTH-EAST
North-east by east East^ North-east East by north
EAST
East by south
East, South-east South-east by east
SOUTH-EAST
South-east by south South, South-east South by east
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SOUTH
Sauth by west South, South-west South-west by south
SOUTH-WEST
South-west by west West, South-west West by south
WEST
West by north West, North-west North-west by west
NORTH-WEST
North-west by north North, North-west North by west NORTH
CHAPTER II WOODCRAFT
Woodlore
By Ernest Thompson Seton, Chief Scout The Watch for a Compass*
The watch is often used to give the compass point exactly. Thus point the hour-hand to the sun; then, in the morning, half-way between the hour-hand and noon is due south. If afternoon, one must reckon half-way backward.
Thus at 8 A. M., point the hour-hand to the sun and reckon forward half-way to noon; the south is at lo. If at 4 p. m., point the hour-hand at the sun and reckon back half-way. The south is at two o'clock.
The ^ ^half-way'' is because the sun makes a course of twenty- four hours and the clock of but twelve. If we had a rational timepiece of twenty-four hours, it would fit in much better with all nature, and with the hour-hand pointed to the sun would make 12 o'clock, noon, always south.
If you cannot see the sun, get into a clear, open space, hold your knife point upright on your watch dial, and it will cast a faint shadow, showing where the sun really is, unless the clouds are very heavy.
FINDING YOUR LATITUDE BY THE STARS
The use of the stars to the scout is chiefly to guide him by showing the north, but the white man has carried the use a step farther: he makes the Pole-star tell him not only where the north is, but where he himself is. From the Pole-star, he can learn his latitude.
It is reckoned an exploit to take one's latitude from the North Star with a cart-wheel, or with two sticks and a bucket of water.
*From "Boy Scouts of America," by Ernest Thompson Seton. Copyright, 1910, by Doubleday, Page & Company.
77
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Boy Scouts
The first attempt I made was with two sticks and a bucket of water. I arranged the bucket in the daytime, so that it could be filled from rim to rim; that is, it was level, and that gave me the horizon line; next, I fastened my two sticks to- gether at an adjustable angle. Then, laying one stick across the bucket as a base, I raised the other till the two sight notches on its upper edge were in straight line for the Pole-star. The sticks were now fastened at this angle and put away till the morning. On a smooth board — the board is allowable because it can be found either far on the plains when you have your wagon, or on the ship at sea — I mapped out, first a right angle, by the old plan of measuring off a triangle, whose sides were six, eight, and ten inches, and applied the star angle to this. By a process of equal subdivision I got 45 degrees, 22^ degrees, finally 40 degrees, which seemed to be the latitude of my camp; subsequent looking-up showed it to be 41 degrees 10 minutes. Of course, it is hard to imagine that the boys will ever be so placed that it is important for them to take their latitude with home-made implements; but it is also hard to imagine circum- st'ances under which it would be necessary to know that the sun is 92,000,000 miles away. It is very sure, however, that a boy who has once done this has a larger idea of the world and its geography, and it is likely to help him in realizing that
Sundial, or hunter's clock
there is some meaning to the lines and figures on the border of his school maps, and that they are not put there merely to add to his perplexities.
Woodcraft 79
To make a scout's sundial, prepare a smooth board about fifteen inches across, with a circle divided into twenty-four equal parts, and a temporarily hinged pointer, whose upper edge is in the middle of the dial. Place on some dead level, solid post or stump in the open. At night fix the dial so that the twelve o'clock line points exactly to north, as determined by the Pole- star. Then, using two temporary sighting sticks of exactly the same height (so as to permit sighting clear above the edge oi the board), set the pointer exactly pointing to the Pole-star; that is, the same angle as the latitude of- the place, and fix it there im- movably. Then remove the two sighting sticks. As a time- piece, this dial will be found roughly correct for that latitude. The angle of the pointer, or style, must be changed for each latitude.
Building a Log Cabin*
There are as many different kinds of log cabins as of any other architecture. It is best to begin with the simplest. The tools needed are a sharp ax, a crosscut saw^, an inch auger, and a spade. It is possible to get along with nothing but an ax (many settlers had no other tool), but the spade, saw% and auger save much work.
For the site select a high, dry place, in or near the woods, and close to the drinking- w^ater. It should be a sunny place, and with a view, preferably one facing south or east. Clear off and level the ground. Then bring your logs. These are more picturesque with the bark left on, but last longer peeled. Eight feet by twelve feet outside makes a good cabin for three or four boys.
Cut and carry about twelve logs, each ten feet long; and twelve more, each fourteen feet long. The logs should be at least six inches through. Soft wood is preferable, as it is easier to handle; the four ground logs or sills, at least, should be of cedar, chestnut, or other wood that does not rot. Lay two of the fourteen-foot logs on the ground, at the places for the long sides, and seven feet apart. Then across them, at the end, lay two short ones, eleven feet apart. This leaves about a foot pro- jecting from each log. Roll the last two into their resting- places, and flatten them till they set firmly. It is of prime im- portance that each log rest immovably on the one below. Now cut the upper part of each end log, to an edge over each corner (Fig. I.)
*From Country Life in America, May. 1905.
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Next put on two long logs, roll them onto the middle, taking care to change off, so the big end at a given corner may be followed next time by the small end and insure the corner rising evenly. Roll one of these large logs close to where it is to be
^'i '^.
placed, then cut on its upper surface at each end a notch corre- sponding with the ridge on the log it is to ride on. When readv, half a roll drops it into place. The log should be one to three inches above the one under it, and should not touch except at
Woodcraft 8i
the ends. Repeat the process now with the other sides, then the two ends, etc. , always keeping the line of the corner plumb. As the walls rise, it w^ill be found necessary to skid the larger logs; that is, roll them up on two long logs, or skids, leaning against the wall. (Fig. 2.)
When the logs are in place to the height of four and a half feet from the ground, it is time to decide where the door and window are to be; and at that place, while the next long log is lying on top, bottom up, cut out a piece four feet long and four inches deep. Roll this log into place. (Fig. 3.) One more log above this, or certainly two, will make your shanty high enough for boys. Put on final end logs, then tw^o others across the shanty. (Fig. 4.) Roll up the biggest, strongest log of all for the ridge (sometimes two are used side by side); it should lie along the middle of the four cross-pieces shown in Fig. 4.
The two cross-logs, B and C, and the ridge log should be very strong, as the roof is heavy.
Now we are ready to cut the doorway and window.
First, drive in blocks of wood between each of the logs, all the way down from A to the ground, and from B down to Z>, and C to E, (Fig. 5.) Saw down now from A half-way through the ground log F. Then from B down to half-w^ay through the log D; now continue from G, cutting down to half through the ground log. Use the ax to split out the upper half of the ground log between the saw-cuts and also the upper half of the log D.
Hew a flat piece of soft wood, five or six inches wide, about two inches thick, and as long as the height of this doorw^ay. Set it up against the ends of the logs A to F, Bore an auger hole through it into the end of each log (these* holes must not be in line lest they split the jamb), including the top and bottom ones, and drive into each a pin of oak. This holds all safely. Do the same on the other side, H to £, and put a small one down jB, Z>, which is the side of the window.
Now we are ready to finish the roof. Use the ax to level off the corners of the four cross-logs, A and B. (Fig. 6.) Then get a lot of strong poles, about five feet long, and lay them close together along the two sides of the roof till it is covered with poles; putting a very heavy one, or small log, on the outer edge of each, and fastening it down with a pin into the ridge log. Cut two long poles and lay one on each of the lower ends of the roof poles, as at ^, 5, and C (Fig. 7), pinning them to the side logs.
Cover this roof with a foot of hay or straw or grass, and covei
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that again evenly with about four inches of stiff clay. Pack tliis down. It will soon squeeze all that foot of straw down to little more than one inch, and will make a warm and water-tight roof. As the clay is very heavy, it is wise, before going inside, to test the roof by jumping on it. If it gives too much, it will be well to add a center prop.
Now for the door: hew out planks; two should be enough. Fasten these together with two cross-pieces and one angle-piece, using oak pegs instead of nails, if you wish to be truly primitive. For these the holes should be bored part way with a gimlet, and a peg used larger than the hole. The lower end of the back plank is left projecting in a point. (Fig. 8.) This point fits into a hole pecked with a point or bored with an auger into the door-sill.
Bore another hole near the top of the door (^1), and a corre- sponding one through the door-jamb between two logs. Set the door in place. A strip of rawhide leather, a limber willow branch, or a strip of hickory put through the auger hole of the door and wedged into the hole in the jamb, makes a truly wild- wood hinge. A peg in the front jamb prevents the door going too far out, and a string and peg inside answer for a latch.
The window opening may be closed with a glass sash, with a piece of muslin, or with the rawhide of an animal, scraped cleai of hair and stretched on a frame.
It now remains to chink and plaster the place.
Chinking is best done from the inside. Long, triangular strips and blocks of wood are driven in between the logs ana fastened there with oak pins driven into the lower log till noth- ing but small crannies remain. Some cabins are finished with moss plugged into all the crannies, but mud worked into plastei does better.
It should be put on the outside first, and afterward finished from the inside. It is best done really with two plasterers working together, one inside and one out.
This completes the shanty, but a bunk and fireplace are usually added.
The fireplace may be in one corner, or in the middle of the end. It is easiest to make in the former.
Across the corner, peg three angle braces, each about three feet long. These are to prevent the chimney falling forward.
Now begin to build with stone, using mud as mortar, a fire- place this shape. (Fig. 9.) Make the opening about eighteen inches across; carry it up two feet high, drawing it in a little, then lay a long stone across the front, after which build up
Woodcraft 83
the flue behind the corner braces right up to the roof. The top corner-piece carries the rafter that may be cut off to let the flue out. Build the chimney up outside as high as the highest part of the ridge.
But the ideal fireplace is made with the chimney on the outside of the cabin, at the middle of the end farthest from the door. For this you must cut a hole in the end log, like a big, low window, pegging a jamb on the ends as before.
With stones and mud you now build a fireplace inside the shanty, with the big chimney carried up outside, always taking care that there are several inches of mud or stone between the lire and any of the logs.
In country where stone cannot be found, the fireplace is often built of mud, sustained by an outside cribbing of logs.
If the flue is fair size, that is, say one quarter the size of the fireplace opening, it will be sure to draw.
The bunk should be made before the chinks are plastered, as the hammering is apt to loosen the mud.
Cut eight or ten poles a foot longer than you need the bunk; cut the end of each into a flat board and drive these between the long logs at the right height and place for the bunk, support- ing the other end on a cross-piece from a post to the wall. Put a very big pole on the outer side, and all is ready for the bed; most woodsmen make this of small fir boughs.
There are two other well-known ways of cornering the logs — one is simply flattening the logs where they touch. This, as well as the first one, is known in the backwoods of Canada as hog-pen finish. The really skilful woodsmen of the North always dovetail the corners and saw them flush : (Fig. 10.)
Sometimes it is desirable to make a higher gable than that which one ridge log can make. Then it is made thus: (Fig. 11.)
This is as much slope as a clay roof should have; with any more, the clay would wash off.
This is the simplest way to build a log cabin, but it illustrates all the main principles of log building. Shingle roofs and gables, broad piazzas outside, and modern fitting inside, are often added nowadays in summer camps, but it must be clear that the more towny you make the cabin, the less woodsy it is, and less likely to be the complete rest and change that is desired.
For fuller instructions, see ^^Log Cabins and Cottages," by Wm. S. Wicks, 1900. (Pub. Forest and Stream^ N. Y.)
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Also, '^The Jack of All Trades/' by Dan C. Beard, Scribner's; and ^^ Field and Forest Handy Book."
Measuring Distances*
The height of a tree is easily measured when on a level, open place, by measuring the length of its shadow, then comparing that with your own shadow, or that of a ten-foot pole.
Thus, the ten-foot pole is casting a fifteen-foot shadow, and the tree's shadow is one hundred and fifty feet long; apply the simple rule of three.
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15 ' ISO
But it is seldom so easy, and the good old rule of the triangle can be safely counted on. Get a hundred or more feet from your tree, on open ground, as nearly as possible on the level of its base. Set up a ten-foot pole (A 5, page 85). Then mark the spot where the exact line from the top of the tree over the top of the pole touches the ground (C). Now measure the dis- tance from that spot (C) to the foot of the ten-foot pole (B) ; suppose it is twenty feet. Measure also the distance from that ^ spot (C) to the base of the tree (D) ; suppose it is one
hundred and twenty feet, then your problem is:
10 :: 120 : .t = 6o
i. e., if at that angle twenty feet from the eye gives ten feet elevation, one hundred and twenty feet must give sixty.
To make a right angle, make a triangle whose sides are exactly six, eight, and ^ ten feet or inches each (or multiples
v^ of these). The angle opposite the
ten must be a true right angle. There are many ways of measuring distance across rivers, etc., without cross- ing. The simplest, per- haps, is by the equilat- eral triangle. Cut V three poles of ex-
^ actly equal length;
^ peg them together
rj. , • u. 1 J • 1 . 1 into a triangle. Lay
To make a right angle and isosceles tnangle ^ -^
*See "Two LitUe Savages," 1903.
Woodcraft
8s
this on the bank of the river so one side points to some point on the opposite bank. Drive in three pegs to mark the exact points of this triangle (^,5,C). Then move it along the bank until you find a place {F,E,G) where its base is on line with the two pegs, where the base used to be, and one side in line with the point across the river (Z)). The width of the river is seven eighths of the base of this great triangle.
Methods by
(i) Equilateral Triangle: (2) Isosceles Triangle
Another method is by the isosceles triangle. Take a right- angled triangle as above, with sides six, eight, and ten feet (AjBjC)] then, after firmly fixing the right angle, cut down the
8. vA.'..'.. .^ ^^^^^ _Lrt^^
-iivvt<>«>/s
Measuring height of tree
eight-foot side to six feet, and saw off the ten-foot side to fit. Place this with the side D B on the river bank in line with the sight object (X) across. Put three pegs to mark the three
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corner places. Then take the triangle along the bank in the direction of C until C D' are in line with the sight object.
tie
To climb a tree that is too thick — Place a small tree against it.
while B' C is in line with the pegs 5 C Then the length of the long base B C will equal the distance from J5 to X.
To measure the space between two distant objects, D and E, Line ^ ^ on one, then move this right-angled tri- angle until F G is lined on the other, with B G in line with G H. B G equals the space be- tween D and E then.
If the distance is considerable, it may be measured sometimes by sound. Thus, when a gun is fired, a man is chopping, or a dog barking, count the sec- onds between the sight and the hearing of the sound, and multiply by eleven hundred feet, which is the distance sound travels in a sec- ond.
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Occasionally, the distance of an upright bank, cliff, or build- ing can be measured by the echo. Half the seconds between shout and echo multiplied by eleven hundred gives the distance in feet.
The usual way to estimate long distances is by the time they take to cover. Thus, a good canoe on dead water goes four or five miles an hour. A man afoot walks three and a half miles an hour on good roads. A packtrain goes two and a half miles an hour, or perhaps one and a half on the mountain trails.
A man^s thumb is an inch wide.
Span of thumb and longest finger, nine inches.
Brisk walking pace is one yard for men.
What to Do When Lost in the Woods*
^'Did you ever get lost in the woods?" I once asked a com- pany of twenty campers. Some answered, ^' Yes; once or twice." Others said, "Many a time." Only two said, "No, never." Then I said, turning to the two, "I know that all the others here have had plenty of experience, and that you two are the tenderfeet, and never lived in the woods."
It is quite certain to come sooner or later; if you go camping, you will get lost in the woods. Hunters, Indians, yes, birds and beasts, get lost at times. You can avoid it for long by always taking your bearings and noting the landscape before leaving the camp, and this you should always do; but still you will get lost some time, and it is well to be ready for it by carry- ing matches, knife, and compass.
When you do miss your way, the first thing to remember is, like the Indian, " You are not lost; it is the teepee that is lost." It isn't serious. It cannot be so unless you do something foolish.
The first and most natural thing to do is to get on a hill, up a tree, or other high lookout, and seek for some landmark near camp. Youmay be sure of this much:
You are not nearly so far from camp as you think you are.
Your friends will soon find you.
You can help them best by signaling.
The worst thing you can do is to get frightened. The truly dangerous enemy is not the cold or the hunger so much as the fear. It is fear that robs the wanderer of his judgment and of his limb power; it is fear that turns the passing experience into a final tragedy. Only keep cool and all will be well.
*Ladies^ Home Journal, October, 1902.
88 Boy Scouts
If there is snow on the ground, you can follow your back track.
If you see no landmark, look for the smoke of the fire. Shout from time to time, and wait; for though you have been away for hours it is quite possible you are within earshot of your friends. If you happen to have a gun, fire it off three times in quick succession on your high lookout ; then wait and listen. Do this several times and wait plenty long enough — perhaps an hour. If this brings no help, send up a distress signal — that is, make three smoke fires by smothering three bright fires with green leaves and rotten wood, and keep them at least fifty feet apart, or the wind will confuse them. Three shots or three smokes are usually understood to mean ^^I am in trouble. ^^ Those in camp on seeing this should send up one smoke, which means '^Camp is here.'^
If you have a dog or a horse with you, you may depend upon it he can bring you out all right; but usually you will have to rely on yourself. The simplest plan, when there is fresh snow and no wind, is to follow your own track back. No matter how far around or how crooked it may be, it will certainly bring you out safely.
If you are sure of the general direction to the camp and deter- mined to keep moving, leave a note pinned on a tree if you have paper; if not, write with charcoal on a piece of wood, and also make a good smoke, so that you can come back to this spot if you choose. But make certain that the fire cannot run, by clearing the ground around it and by banking it around with sods. And mark your course by breaking or cutting a twig every fifty feet. You can keep straight by the sun, the moon, or the stars, but when they are unseen you must be guided by the compass. I do not believe much in guidance by what are called nature's compass signs. It is usual to say,' for example, that the north side of the tree has the most moss, or the south, side the most limbs, etc. While these are true in general, there are so many exceptions that when alarmed and in doubt as to which is north, one is not in a frame qf mind to decide with certainty on such fine points.
^ If a strong west wind, for example, was blowing when you left camp, and has blown ever since, you can be pretty sure it is still a west wind; but the only safe and certain natural com- pass guides are the sun, moon, and stars.
The Pole or North Star, and the Great Bear (also called the Dipper and the Pointers), should be known to every boy as they are to every Indian. The Pointers always point out the
Woodcraft 89
Pole-star. Of course^ they go around it once in twenty-four hours, so this makes a kind of clock.
The stars, then, will enable you to keep straight if you travel. But thick woods, fog, or clouds are apt to come up, and without something to guide you, you are sure to go around in a circle.
Old woodsmen commonly follow down the streams. These are certaiji to bring you. out somewhere ; but the very worst traveling is along the edges of the streams, and they take you a long w^ay around. All things considered, it is usually best to stay right where you are, especially if in a wild country where there is no chance of finding a farmhouse. Make yourself comfortable for the night by gathering plenty of good wood while it is daylight, and building a wind screen on three sides, with the fire in front, and something to keep you off the ground. Do not worry, but keep up a good fire; and when day comes re- new your three smokes and wait. A good fire is the best friend of a lost man.
I have been lost a number of times, but always got out with- out serious trouble, because I kept cool. The worst losing I ever got was after I had been so long in the West that I qualified to act as a professional guide, and was engaged by a lot of Eastern farmers looking for land locations.
This was in the October of 1883 on the Upper Assiniboine. The main body of the farmers had remained behind. I had gone ahead with two of them. I took them over hundreds of miles of wild country. As we went northward the country improved. We were traveling with oxen, and it was our cus- tom to let them graze for two hours at noon. One warm day, while the oxen were feeding, we went in our shirt sleeves to a distant butte that promised a lookout. We forgot about the lateness till the sun got low. Even then I could have got back to camp, but clouds came up and darkness fell quickly. Knowing the general direction I kept on, and after half an hour's tramp we came to a canon I had never seen before. I got out my compass and a match and found that I had been circling, as one is sure to do in the dark. I corrected the course and led off again. After another brief turn I struck another match and learned from the compass that I was again circling. This was discouraging, but with corrected course we again tramped. I was leading, and suddenly the dark ground ten feet ahead of me turned gray. I could not make it out, so went cautiously nearer. I lay down, reached forth, and then slowly made sure that we were on the edge of a steep precipice. I backed off,
90 Boy Scouts
and frankly told the men I did not know where we were. I got out my match box and compass and found I had but one match left.
^^Any of you got any matches?" I asked. ^^No; left 'em all in our coats," was their answer.
^^Well," said I, ^^I have one. Shall I use it to get a new course from the compass, or shall we make a fire and stay here till morning?"
All voted to camp for the night. There was now a cold rain. We groped into a hollow where we got some dead wood, and by using our knives got some dry chips from the inside of a log. When all was ready we gathered close around, and I got out the one match. I was about to strike it when the younger of the men said:
^^Say, Seton, you are not a smoker; Jack is. Hadn't you better give him that match? "
There was sense in this. I have never in my life smoked. Jack was an old stager and an adept with matches. I handed it to him. ^' Rrrp-fizz" — and in a minute we had a fire.
With the help of the firelight we now found plenty of dead wood; we made three blazing fires side by side, and after an hour we removed the center one, then raked away all the hot ashes, and all lay down together on the warm ground. When the morning came the rain ceased. We stretched our stiffened limbs and made for camp. Yes, there it was in plain view two miles away across a fearful cation. Three steps more on that gloomy night and we should have been over the edge of that canon and dashed to the bottom.
How to Make Fire by Rubbing Sticks
^^How do the Indians make a fire without matches?" asked a boy who loved to '^play Indian." Most of us have heard the answer to this. ^^The Indians use a flint and steel, as our own fathers and mothers did one hundred years ago, and before they had flint and steel they used rubbing-sticks." We have all read about bringing fire out of two sticks by rubbing them together. I tried it once for an hour, and I know now I never would have got it in a thousand years as I was doing it. Others have had the same experience; consequently, most persons look upon this as a sort of fairy tale, or, if they believe it to be true, they think it so difficult as to be worth no second thought. All scouts, I find, are surprised and greatly interested to learn that not only is it possible, but it is easy to make a friction
Woodcraft 91
fire, if you know how; and hopeless, if you don^t. I have taught many boys and men (including some Indians) to do it, and some have grown so expert that they make it nearly as quickly as with an old-fashioned sulphur match. When I first learned from Walter Hough, who learned from the Indians, it took me from five to ten minutes to get a blazing fire — not half an hour, as some books have it. But later I got it down to a minute, then to thirty-one seconds from the time of taking up the rub- bing-sticks to having a fine blaze, the time in getting the first spark being about six seconds.
My early efforts were inspired by book accounts of Indian methods, but, unfortunately, I have never yet seen a book ac- count that was accurate enough to guide any one successfully in the art of fire-making. All omit one or other of the absolute essentials, or dwell on some triviality. The impression they leave on those who know is that the writers did not.
The surest and easiest method of making friction fire is by use of the bow-drill. Two sticks, two tools and some tinder are needed.
The two sticks are the drill and the fire-board, or fire-block. The books generally tell us that these must be different kinds of wood. This is a mistake. I have uniformly gotten the best results with two pieces of the same kind — all the better, indeed, if they are parts of the same stick.
What Kind of Wood
This is a very important question, as woods that are too hard, too soft, too wet, too oily, too gummy, or too resinous will not produce fire. The wood should be soft enough to wear away, else it produces no punk, and hard enough to wear slowly, or the heat is not enough to light the punk, and, of course, it should be highly inflammable. Those that I have had the best luck with are balsam fir, Cottonwood roots, tamarack, European larch, red cedar, white cedar, Oregon cedar, basswood, cy- press, and sometimes second-growth white pine. It should always be a dry, sound stick, brash, but not in the least punky.
In each part of the country there seems to be a kind of wood well suited for fire-making. The Eastern Indians used cedar; the Northern Indians, cedar or balsam fir; the plains Indians used Cottonwood or sage-brush roots.
Perhaps the most reliable of all is dry and seasoned balsam fir, either the species in the North woods or in the Rockies will do. It gives a fine big spark or coal in about seven seconds.
92
Boy Scouts
When in the grinding the dust that runs out of the notch is coarse and brown, it means that the wood is too soft; when it is very fine and scanty it means that the wood is too hard.
THE RUBBINQ=STICKS FOR FIRE=MAKINQ
1. The simplest kind of bow; a bent stick with a stout leather thong fastened at each end. It is about 27 inches long and f inch thick.
2. A more elaborate bow with a hole at each end for the thong. At the handle end it goes through a disc of wood. This is to tighten the thong by pressure of the hand against the disc while using.
3. Simplest kind of drill-socket; a pine or hemlock knot with a shallow hole or pit in it. 3<z is under view of same. It is about 4J inches long.
4. A more elaborate drill-socket; a pebble cemented with gum in a wooden holder. 4a is under view of same.
5. A very elaborate drill- socket; it is made of tulip wood, carved to represent the Thunderbird. It has eyes of green felspar cemented in with resin. On the under side (5a) is seen, in the middle, a soapstone socket let into the wood and fastened with pine gum, and on the head a hole kept filled with grease, to grease the top of the drill before use.
6. The drill; 12 to 18 inches long and about f inch thick; it is roughly eight- sided so the thong will not slip, and pointed at each end. The best wood for the drill is old, dry brash, but not punky, balsam fir or cottonwood roots; but basswood, white cedar, red cedar, tamarack, and sometimes even white pine, will do.
7. Fire-board or block; about f inch thick and any length handy; a is notch with pit just begun, h shows the pit after once using and in good trim for second time, c shows the pit bored through and now useless; the notch is J inch wide and | inch deep.
8. Shows the way of using the sticks. The block (a) is held down with one foot, the end of the drill {h) is put in the pit, the drill-socket (c) is held on top in left hand, one end of the bow {d) is held in the right hand, while the bow is drawn back and forth.
9. Is a little wooden fire-pan, not essential but convenient; its thin edge is put under the notch to catch the powder that falls
Woodcraft 93
I have made many experiments to determine whether there is anything in the idea that it is better to have the block and the drill of different woods.
But no hybrid combination was so successful as ''two of a kind."
The drill and the bow and socket are fully described in the illustration.
The preparing of the fire-board is one of the most important things. At the edge, cut a notch half an inch wide and about three fourths of an inch deep; at the top of this notch make c: pit or shallow hole, and the board is ready. The importance of this notch is such that it is useless to try fire-making without it.
While these are the essentials, it is well to get ready, also, some tinder. I have tried a great many different kinds of lint and punk, including a number that were artificially prepared, soaked with saltpetre or other combustibles. But these are not really fair play. The true woodcrafter limits himself to the things that he can get in the woods, and in all my recent fire-making I have contented myself with the tinder used foi ages by the red men: that is, cedar wood finely shredded be- tween two stones. Some use the fringes that grow on birch, im- proving it by rubbing in powdered charcoal.
Now that he has the tools and material ready, it will be ar, easy matter for the matchless castaway to produce a fire.
Pass the leather thong once around the drill — and thi: should make the thong taut — put the lower point of the drill in the pit at the top of the notch in the fire-board, and hold the socket with the left hand on top of the drill. The notch of th^ fire-board should be resting on a chip or thin w^ooden tray. Hold the bow by the handle end in the right hand, steady thf^ board under the left foot, and the left arm against the^ left knee. Now draw the bow back and forth with steady even strokes, its full length. This causes the drill to turn ir. the pit and bore into the wood; ground-up wood runs out o» the side of the notch, falling on the chip or tray. At first it is brown; in two or three seconds it turns black, and then smokes; in five or six seconds it is giving off a cloud of smoke. A few more vigorous strokes of the bow, and now it will be found that smoke still comes from the pile of black wood-dust on the chip. Fan this gently with the hand; the smoke increases, and in a few seconds you see a glowing coal in the middle of the dust. (There are never any visible flying sparks.)
Now take a liberal pinch of the cedar tinder — about a teaspoonful; wrap this in some bark fibre or shredded rope to
94 Boy Scouts
keep it from blowing away. Hold it down on the coal, and, lifting tray and all, blow or fan it until in a few seconds it blazes. Carefully pile over it the shreds of birch bark or splinters of fat pine prepared beforehand, and the fire is made.
If you have the right wood and still cannot get the fire, it is likely because you do not hold the drill steady, or have not cut the side notch quite into the middle point of the little fire pit.
The advantages of learning this method are threefold:
First. Fire-making by friction is an interesting experiment m woodcraft.
Second. A boy is better equipped having learned it. He can never afterward freeze to death for lack of matches if he has wood and an old shoelace.
Third. For the very reason that it is difficult, compared with matches, it tends to prevent the boys making unnecessary fires, and thus reduces the danger of their setting the woods ablaze or of smoking the forbidden cigarette.
There is such a fascination in making the rubbing-stick fire that one of my Western cooks, becoming an expert, gave up the use of matches for a time, and lit his morning fire vs^ith the fire- drill, and, indeed, he did not find it much slower than the usual way.
Walter Hough told me a story of an Apache Indian who scoffed at the matches of white men, and claimed that he could light a fire with rubbing-sticks faster than Hough could with matches. So each made ready. They were waiting for the word ^^go'^ when the Indian said:
^' Wait. I see if him right.'' He gave a few strokes with the drill, and called — ^^Stop — stop — him no good.'' He re- arranged the sticks, and tried a few more strokes. Just as Mr. Hough was going to strike the match, he said: ^^Stop — stop — him no good." He did this three times before he called ^' Ready." Then the w^ord ^'Go" was given. The white man struck the slow, sizzling match. The Indian gave half a dozen twirls to the drill — the smoke burst forth. He covered it with the tinder, fanned a few seconds, then a bright flame arose just before the white man got his twigs ablaze. So the Indian won, but it was by an Indian trick; for the three times when he pretended to be trying it, he was really warming up the wood — that is, doing a large part of the work. I am afraid that, deft as he was, he would have lost in a fair race. Yet this incident shows at least that, in point of speed, the old rubbing-sticks are not very far behind the matches, as one might have supposed.
Woodcraft 95
It is, indeed, a wonder that the soldiers at West Point are not taught this simple trick, when it is so easily learned, and might some day be the one thing to save the lives of many of them.
Archery
No woodcraft education is complete without a knowledge of archery. It is a pity that this noble sport has fallen into dis- use. We shall find it essential to some of our best games.
The modern hunting gun is an irresistible weapon of wholesale murder, and is just as deadly no matter who pulls the trigger. It spreads terror as well as death by its loud discharge, and it leaves little clew as to who is responsible for the shot. Its deadly range is so fearfully great as to put all game at the mercy of the clumsiest tyro. Woodcraft, the oldest of all sciences and one of the best, has steadily declined since the coming of the gun, and it is entirely due to this same unbridled power that America has lost so many of her fine game animals.
The bow is a far less destructive v/eapon, and to succeed at all in the chase the bowman must be a double-read forester. The bow is silent and it sends the arrow with exactly the same power that the bowman's arm puts into it — no more, no less — so it is really his own power that speeds the arrow. There is no cjuestion as to which hunter has the right to the game or is responsible for the shot when the arrow is there to tell. The gun stands for little skill, irresistible force supplied from an outside source, overwhelming, unfair odds, and sure death to the victim. The bow, on the other hand, stands for all that is clever and fine in woodcraft; so, no guns or fire-arms of any kind are allowed in our boy scout camp.
The Indian's bow was short, because, though less efficient, it was easier to carry than a long one. Yet it did not lack power. It is said that the arrowhead sometimes appeared on the far side of the buffalo it was fired into, and there is a tradition that Wah-na-tah, a Sioux chief, once shot his arrow through a cow buffalo and killed her calf that was running at the other side.
But the long bow is more effective than the short one. The old English bowmen, the best the world has ever seen, always shot with the long bow.
The finest bows and arrows are those made by the profes- sional makers, but there is no reason why each boy should not make his own.
According to several authorities the best bow woods are mul- berry, osage-orange, sassafras. Southern cedar, black locust,
96 Boy Scouts
apple, black walnut, slippery elm, ironwood, mountain ash, hickory, California yew, and hemlock.
Take a perfectly sound, straight, well-seasoned stick five or six feet long (your bow should be about as long as yourself); mark off a five-inch space in the middle for the handle; leave this round and a full inch thick; shave down the rest, flat on one side for the front, and round on the other for the back, until it is about one inch wide and three fourths of an inch thick next the handle, tapering to about one half that at the ends, which are then ^'nocked,'' nicked, or notched as shown in Cut I. These notches are for the string, which is to be put on early. Draw the bow now, flat side out, not more than the proper distance, and note carefully which end bends the most; then shave down the other side until it bends evenly. The middle scarcely bends at all. The perfect shape, when bent, is shown in Cut 11. Trim the bow down to your strength and finish smoothly with sand-paper and glass. It should be straight when unstrung, and unstrung when not in use. Fancy curved bows are weak affairs. The bow for our boy should require a power of fifteen or twenty pounds (shown on a spring balance) to draw the string twenty-three inches from the bow; not more. The best string is of hemp or linen; it should be about five inches from the middle of the bow when strung (Cut II). The notches for the string should be two thirds the depth of the string. If you have not a bought string make one of strong, unbleached linen thread twisted together. At one end the string, which is heaviest at the ends, should be fast knotted to the bow notch (Cut V) ; at the other it should have a loop as shown in Cut IV. In the middle it should be lashed with fine silk and wax for five inches, and the exact place marked where the arrow fits it.
The arrow is more important than the bow. Any one can make a bow; few can make an arrow, for, as a Seminole Indian expressed it to Maurice Thompson, ^^ Any stick do for bow; good arrow much heap work, ugh.'' Hiawatha went all the way to Dakota to see the famous arrow maker. In England when the bow was the gun of the country, the bow maker was called a ^^bowyer," and the arrow maker a ^^fletcher" (from the Norman fleche, an arrow). So when men began to use surnames those who excelled in arrow making were proud to be called the '' Fletchers " ; but to make a good bow was not a notable achieve- ment, hence few took ^^ Bowyer " as their name.
The first thing about an arrow is that it must be perfectly straight. '' Straight as an arrow" refers to the arrow itself, not to its flight; that ;s always curved.
Woodcraft
97
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^8 Boy Scouts
The Ind'^^^ ^^^ turquoise blue. The Indian was as much
viburnur-'^y preference for the quill work as I was by his for
^,,^^.n print.
^^^ standard target for men is four feet across with a nine-
41. bull's-eye, and around that four rings, each four and three quarter inches wide. The bull's-eye counts nine, the other rings seven, five, three, one. The bought targets are made of straw, but a good target may be made of a box filled with sods, or a bank covered with sacking on which are painted the usual rings.
Now comes the most ^ The archer's
important point of all — S^^P
how to shoot. There are several ways of holding an arrow, but only one good one. Most boys know the ordinary finger and thumb pinch, or grip. This is all very well for a toy bow, but a hunter's bow cannot be drawn that way. No one has strength enough in his fingers for it. The true archer's grip of the arrow is shown in the cut. The thumb and little finger have nothing to do with it.
As in golf and all such things, there is a right '4'orm." You attend to your end of the arrow's flight and the other will take care of itself.
Stand perfectly straight. Plant your feet with the centers of the two heels in line with the target. (Cut, page 98.) Grasp the bow in the middle with the left hand and place the arrow on the string at the left side of the bow. Hold the bow plumb, and draw as above till the notch of the arrow is right under your eye, and the head of the arrow back to the bow. The righv elbow must be in the same line with the arrow. Let go the arrow by straightening the fingers a little, turning the hand out- ward at the bottom and drawing it back one inch. Always do this in exactly the same way and your shooting will be even. Your left hand should not move a hair's breadth until the arrow strikes the target.
To begin shooting put the target very near, within fifteen or twenty yards; but the proper shooting distance when the archer is in good practice is forty yards for a four-foot target and thirty yards for a three-foot target. A good shot, shooting twelve arrows at this, should score fifty.
Woodcraft loi
The Indians generally used their bows at short range, so that it was easy to hit the mark. Rapid firing was important. In their archery competitions, therefore, the prize was given to the one who could have the most arrows in the air at once. Their record, according to Catlin, was eight.
The Stars
As Seen with the Naked Eye
The chief works referred to in this are C. Flammarion^s ''Popular Astronomy^' (Gore's translation), and Garrett P. Serviss's '^ Astronomy with an Opera Glass." (Those who wish to go farther a-sky are referred to these books.)
Whether he expects to use them as guides or not, every boy should learn the principal constellations and the important stars. A non-scientific friend said to me once: *'I am always glad that I learned the principal star groups when I was young. I have never forgotten them, and no matter in what strange country I find myself, I can always look up at night, and see the old familiar stars that shone on me in my home in my own country.''
All American boys know the Dipper or Great Bear. This is, perhaps, the most important star group in our sky, because of its size, peculiar form, the fact that it never sets in our latitude, and that two of its stars, sometimes called the Pointers, always point out the Pole-star. It is called the Dipper because it is shaped like a dipper with a long, bent handle. Why it is called the Great Bear is not so easy to explain. The classical legend has it that the nymph Calisto, having violated her vow, was changed by Diana into a bear, which, after death, was immor- talized in the sky by Zeus. Another suggestion is that the ear- liest astronomers, the Chaldeans, called these stars ''the shining ones," and their word happened to be very like the Greek arktos (a bear). Another explanation (I do not know who is authority for either) is that vessels in olden days were named for animals, etc. They bore at the prow the carved effigy of the namesake, and if the Great Bear, for example, made several very happy voyages by setting out when a certain constellation was in the ascendant, that constellation might become known as the Great Beards constellation. Certainly, there is nothing in its shape to justify the name. Very few of the constellations, indeed, are like the thing they are called after. Their names were usually
I02 Boy Scouts
given for some fanciful association with the namesake, rather than for resemblance to it.
The Pole-star is really the most important of the stars in our sky; it marks the north at all times; all the other stars seem to swing around it once in twenty-four hours. It is in the end of the Little Bear's tail. But the Pole-star, or Polaris, is not a very bright one, and it would be hard to identify but for the help of the Dipper, or Pointers.
The outside (Alpha and Beta) of the Dipper points nearly to Polaris, at a distance equal to five times the space that separates these two stars of the Dipper's outer side.
Various Indians call the Pole-star the ^^Home Star," and ''The Star That Never Moves/' and the Dipper they call the ''Broken Back."
The last star but one in the Dipper, away from the pole — that is, the star at the bend of the handle — is known to astron- . omers as Mizar, one of the Horses. Just above it, and tucked close in, is a smaller star known to astronomers as iVlcor, or