THE HONOUR OF A SCOUT.
TO THE EDITOR OF THE "SPECTATOR."'
Sia,—Having read with interest an able article on the above in the Spectator of April 19th, I as a Scoutmaster in a country village should like to bring to notice a point regarding this great movement which may have been overlooked,- and which may help to forward it. It is agreed that it is not the boys to train that are lacking; many lads have formed themselves into " Lone Patrols " in out-of-the-way districts, teaching themselves to the best of their ability what honour is ; waiting and struggling in the hope that someone will come along and lead them. Often they wait in vain ; those who could lead cannot give the time, or, I regret to say, won't. A Boy Scout has.possibly not only one ideal, the result of the teaching of the Scout Law, but many, and an ideal Scoutmaster may be one. It-may have been noticed that the Chief Scout was a bachelor when he organized this great movement; all the great work that was carried out by him was done when a bachelor, without the tips and the time which married men are in. duty bound to give to their homes. Often has the writer asked young married men to take up the work, but in nearly all cases their inability to do so has been. that they cannot devote the time, which by right belongs , to their homes, to help the boys. So, then, it appears to be a bachelor's work principally. Take the case of a working village boy. Unlike the town lad, he seldom, if ever, gets a half day's holiday; his scouting there- fore must be done in the evenings, and only those who are willing to give up their evenings (not one or two but three or four) can help the boys to the best. We know the boys are there ; so also are the Scoutmasters, if many young public- school and University men who are bachelors would give up some of the time spent in various ways to learn something of the Scout Law themselves. It is:not to be understood from the foregoing that married men are no help, far from it ; they are the greatest help and counsel to the bachelor Scoutmaster. Cases are endless of the impression scouting has on boys, and I for one can 'say the joy it is, as a Scoutmaster in a poor village, to notice this difference. I can assure young men that the work will give them some of the happiest hours of their liveS, and will, for the good of all, give them an enlarged outlook on life generally. Let them not enter on the work lightlyit is not too easy ; but disappointments should make them keener. The young bachelor is the one to help this movement.—I am, Sir, &c.,
A VILLAGE SCOUTMASTER.
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