[TO THE EDITOR. OF THE "Srscrxros.1
SIR,—Miss Markham writes from personal experience, cer- tainly not of the movement as a whole. It is not for me to defend the idea; I merely correct her more obvious errors. Girl Scouts should be Guides, a very different idea. We have been specially asked to keep the two movements apart, and do so. The Red Cross armlet is given only to those who pass first-aid and nursing tests. (Does Miss Markham object to the red cross on ambulances P) The object (I do not speak of moral lines, but as Miss Markham does) is to be a feeder to the Territorial Association of Voluntary Aid, and so it can hardly be said to lead nowhere "from the national point of view." As to household arts, second-class test includes fire-lighting, bed-making, and sewing ; first-class, cooking and nursing. The badges of honour include first aid, nursing of sick, cooking, child-nursing, sewing ; and of seventeen only one (telegraphist) is a subject not usually taught to girls. (As a man, I speak subject to correction). But in any case, note that these badge tests are not taken by every Guide like the first and second class. As to" night attacks" I cannot speak, but it is certainly not an essential part of the scheme. For "long pole" read "walking-stick or light staff." Your own comment, Sir, seems as if you were basing your opinion wholly on the letter. Surely it is better to train the six thousand girls who started before the scheme came out according to a fixed scheme than to let them "rot about" I—I am, Sir, &c.,
R. R. H., Scoutmaster.
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