THE BOYS' BRIGADE: SEASIDE CAMPS FOR LONDON BOYS.
[To THE EDITOR OF TILE "SPECTATOR."' Sia,—Preparations are now being made fer_ the annual camps of the Boys' Brigade, and it is anticipated that no fewer than 20,000 boys of the.Brigade will spend a week or ten days under canvas by the sea or countryside during the present summer.
For the past thirty years the Boys' Brigade—the pioneer movement for boys—has been carrying on a work on behalf of the nation's boyhood the value of which can hardly be over- estimated. The Brigade numbers 120,000 members, more than half of whom are in the United Kingdom. The boys range from 12 to 18 years of age, and the Brigade is providing a constant stream of well-trained, self-reliant young men, physically fit and mentally alert, alive to their national duties and loyal in their devotion to their King and country. During the winter months the boys receive a regular course a military and physical training, and are taught those habits of discipline and self-control which mean so much for the future of the raco.
The year's training culminates in the summer camp, the aim of which is to combine a healthy holiday with a disciplinary train- ing of the highest vEue. As a holiday the 'camps are ideal; life under canvas appeals to all healthy boys, and the keenness of their enjoyment needs to be seen to be fully appreciated. The camps, however, are more than a holiday, and too much stress cannot be laid upon their educational and moral value. The results of the training are manifest, not only during the camps, in which the conduct of the boys is invariably excellent, but testimony is con- stantly borne by employers, schoolmasters, and officers of his Majesty's Services to the lasting results of the training upon the lives and characters of the boys.
The object of this letter is to appeal to the public for increased support on behalf of the London Camp Fund. The camps are conducted economically, the cost is only 16s. per boy, and the boys themselves pay half. There are 9,000 boys within the London district, of whom 3,200 were able to attend camp last year. A sum of .e3,500 would be sufficient to enable overy boy to attend. Is it too much to hope that this amount may be forth- coming ? We are asking for help for those who are helping them- selves—for boys who work hard all the year round, spending their spare time in fitting themselves for their life's work, who without the camps would have no break year by year from the dull monotony and weary routine of the workshop or office. Contributions will be gratefully received by the Hon. Treasurer or London Secretary, the Boys' Brigade, 34 Paternoster Row, E.C., and cheques should be crossed "Union of London and Smiths Bank."—We are, Sir, &c.,
CURZON,
ALVEESTONE,
JoHN M. MOODY (Maj.-Gen.), President of Loudon Council.
A. F. Burros,
Hon. Treasurer,
ROGEE S. PEACOCK,
Loudon Secretary.
London Office of the Boys' Brigade, .34 Paternoster Bow, E.C.
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