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*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK BOY SCOUTS HANDBOOK ***
Transcriber's note:
Page numbers in this book are indicated by numbers enclosed
in curly braces, e.g. {99}. They have been located where page
breaks occurred in the original book.
SIGMUND EISNER
Shredded Wheat
_Published for_
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
200 FIFTH AVENUE
NEW YORK
GARDEN CITY, NEW YORK
DOUBLEDAY, PAGE & COMPANY
1911
COPYRIGHT 1911
BY BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA
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is a member of ________ Patrol, of Troop No. _____
________________
Scout Master
SCOUT HISTORY
Qualified as Tenderfoot ________ 191_
{v}
PREFACE
The Boy Scout Movement has become almost universal, and wherever
organized its leaders are glad, as we are, to acknowledge the debt we
all owe to Lieut.-Gen. Sir Robert S. S. Baden-Powell, who has done so
much to make the movement of interest to boys of all nations.
In the various cities, towns, and villages, the welfare of the boy
scouts is cared for by local councils, and these councils, like the
National Council are composed of men who are seeking for the boys of
the community the very best things.
In order that the work of the boy scouts throughout America may be
uniform and intelligent, the National Council has prepared its
"Official Handbook," the purpose of which is to furnish to the patrols
of the boy scouts advice in practical methods, as well as inspiring
information.
The work of preparing this handbook has enlisted the services of men
eminently fitted for such work, for each is an expert in his own
department, and the Editorial Board feels that the organization is to
be congratulated in that such men have been found willing to give
their time and ripe experience to this movement. It would be
impossible adequately to thank all who by advice and friendly
criticism have helped in the preparation of the book, or even to
mention their names, but to the authors whose names are attached to
the various chapters, we acknowledge an especial obligation. Without
their friendly help this book could not be. We wish especially to
express our appreciation of the helpful suggestions made by Daniel
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Carter Beard.
We have carefully examined and approved all the material which goes to
make up {vi} the manual, and have 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. Our hope
is that the information needed for successful work with boy scouts
will be found within the pages of this book.
It has been deemed wise to publish all material especially for the aid
of scout masters in a separate volume to be known as "The Scout
Masters' Manual."
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.
{vii}
Edward Bok
Colonel Peter S. Bomus
Hon. Charles J. Bonaparte
William D. Boyce
H. S. Braucher
Roeliff Brinkerhoff
Dr. Elmer E. Brown
Luther Burbank
Dr. Richard C. Cabot
Rev. S. Parkes Cadman
Arthur A. Carey
E. C. Carter
Richard B. Carter
W. D. Champlin
Thomas Chew
Winston Churchill
G. A. Clark
P. P. Claxton
Randall J. Condon
C. M. Connolly
Ernest K. Coulter
Dr. C. Ward Crampton
George H. Dalrymple
Dr. George S. Davis
E. B. DeGroot
Judge William H. De Lacy
William C. Demorest
Dr. Edward T. Devine
Admiral George Dewey
Gov. John A. Diz
Myron E. Douglas
Benjamin L. Dulaney
Hon. T. C. Du Pont
Dr. George W. Ehler
Griffith Ogden Ellis
Robert Erskine Ely
Henry P. Emerson
Hon. John J. Esch
J. W. Everman
Eberhard Faber
Dr. George J. Fisher
Horace Fletcher
Homer Folks
Dr. William Byron Forbush
Dr. Lee K. Frankel
Robert Ives Gammell
Hon. James R. Garfield
Hamlin Garland
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Robert Garrett
William H. Gay
Bishop David H. Greer
Jesse A. Gregg
George B. Grinnell
S. R. Guggenheim
Luther Halsey Gulick, M. D.
Dr. G. Stanley Hall
Dr. Winfield Scott Hall
Lee F. Hanmer
Dr. Hastings H. Hart
Hon. W. M. Hays
Prof. C. R. Henderson
Clark W. Hetherington
George W. Hinckley
Allen Hoben
Hon. R. P. Hobson
Rev. R. W. Hogue
John Sherman Hoyt
C. R. H. Jackson
Prof. Jeremiah W. Jenks
G. E. Johnson
Dr. David Starr Jordan
Mayor William S. Jordan
Otto Herman Kahn
Dr. William J. Kerby
Charles H. Kip
Dr. J. H. Kirkland
Judge Henry E. Klamroth
Rev. Walter Laidlow
Charles R. Lamb
Joseph Lee
Samuel McC. Lindsay
Judge Ben B. Lindsey
Colin H. Livingstone
Col. Frank L. Locke
Hon. Nicholas Longworth
Hon. Frank O. Lowden
Hon. Lee McClung
William McCormick
{ix}
{x}
A MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF SCOUT
TO THE BOY SCOUTS OF 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 brilliant flower; he used
to tremble with excitement and intensity of interest when some new
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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 this also it did: 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 imagination, 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 {xi} quadrupeds,
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 anatomist than of a hunter and camper, and his
craving for light on the insects was 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.
"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 riding, swimming, tramping, trailing,
photography, first aid, camping, handicraft, loyalty, obedience,
courtesy, thrift, courage, and kindness.
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Do you believe in loyalty, courage, and kindness? Would {xii} you like
to form habits that will surely make your success in life?
{xiii}
CONTENTS
PAGE
Boy Scout Certificate iii
Preface v
Officers and Members of the National Council vii
CHAPTER I.
Scoutcraft 3
AIM OF SCOUT MOVEMENT John L. Alexander
CHAPTER II.
Woodcraft 57
WOODLORE Ernest Thompson Seton
CHAPTER III.
Campcraft 145
HIKING AND OVER-NIGHT CAMPS H. W. Gibson
{xiv}
CHAPTER IV.
Tracks, Trailing, and Signaling Ernest Thompson Seton 187
CHAPTER V.
Health and Endurance George J. Fisher, M.D. 219
CHAPTER VI.
Chivalry John L. Alexander 237
CHAPTER VII.
First Aid and Life Saving Major Charles Lynch 255
CHAPTER VIII.
Games and Athletic Standards 291
CHAPTER IX.
Patriotism and Citizenship Waldo H. Sherman 323
APPENDIX.
EQUIPMENT 359
BOOKS FOR REFERENCE 369
INDEX 393
ADVERTISEMENTS
{3}
CHAPTER I
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SCOUTCRAFT
_This chapter is the result of the work of the Committee on Scout Oath,
Scout Law, Tenderfoot, Second-class and First-class Requirements; the
Committee on Badges, Awards, and Equipment; the Committee on Permanent
Organization and Field Supervision, and John L. Alexander and Samuel
A. Moffat_.
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, {4} guarding
the men, women, and children in the stockade, was also a scout. Should
he fall asleep, or lose control of his faculties, 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 people beyond the Alleghanies and the Rockies.
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 everything behind them, comfort and peace, in order
to push forward into the wilderness beyond. And much of this they did
because they felt it to be their duty.
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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 Livingstone, the great
explorer, that made him what he was, and that has marked the career of
all good scouts.
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.
{5}
But woodcraft means more than this. It means not only the following of
tracks and other signs, but it means to be able to read them. To tell
how fast the animal which made the tracks was going; to tell whether
he was frightened, suspicious, or otherwise.
Woodcraft also enables the scout to find his way, no matter where he
is. It teaches him the various kinds of wild fruit, roots, nuts, etc.,
which are good for food, or are the favorite food of animals.
{6}
Through woodcraft then, a boy may train his eye, and be able to
observe things that otherwise would pass unnoticed. In this way he may
be able to save animals from pain, as a horse from an ill-fitting
harness. He may also be able to see little things which may give him
the clew to great things and so be able to prevent harm and crime.
Besides woodcraft one must know something of camp life. One of the
chief characteristics of the scout is to be able to live in the open,
know how to put up tents, build huts, throw up a lean-to for shelter,
or make a dugout in the ground, how to build a fire, how to procure
and cook food, how to bind logs together so as to construct bridges
and rafts, and how to find his way by night as well as by day in a
strange country.
Living in the open in this way, and making friends of the trees, the
streams, the mountains, and the stars, gives a scout a great deal of
confidence and makes him love the natural life around him.
To be able to tell the difference between the trees by their bark and
leaves is a source of pleasure; to be able to make a {7} bed out of
rough timber, or weave a mattress or mat out of grass to sleep on is a
joy. And all of these things a good scout should know.
When he gets up in the morning he may tie a knot in his 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; 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 water to
a thirsty horse; or deeds similar to these.
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.
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 exercise, playing
games, running, and walking. It means that he must sleep enough hours
to give him the necessary strength, and if possible to sleep very much
in the open, or at least {8} with the windows of his bedroom open both
summer and winter.
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 himself to endure hardships.
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 established 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 national heroes
stretched out their hands, north and south, east and west, to make one
great united country.
Scout Virtues
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
which the Boy Scouts of America stand. One of these is obedience. 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 will have no thought but to obey the orders of
his officers. He 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.
For this same reason he should never look down upon anyone who may be
poorer than himself, or envy anyone richer than himself. A scout's
self-respect will cause him to value his own 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.
The most important scout virtue is that of honor. Indeed, this is the
basis of all scout virtues and is closely allied 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.
{10}
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
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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 real 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.
The National Council holds one meeting annually at which it elects the
officers and the members of the Executive Board. It copyrights badges
and other scout designs, arranges for their manufacture and
distribution, selects designs for uniforms and scout equipment, issues
scout commissioners' and scout masters' certificates, and grants
charters for local councils.
{11}
The scout master is the adult leader of a troop, and must be at least
twenty-one years of age. He should have a deep interest in boys, be
genuine in his own life, have the ability to lead, and command the
boys' respect and obedience. He need not be an expert at scoutcraft; a
good scout master will discover experts for the various activities.
His certificate is granted upon the recommendation of the local
council.
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An assistant scout master should be eighteen years of age or over. His
certificate is granted by the National Council upon the recommendation
of the scout master of his troop and the local council.
The Chief Scout is elected annually by the National Council and has a
staff of deputies each of whom is chairman of a committee of
scoutcraft. These deputies are as follows:
Chief Scout Surgeon.
Chief Scout Director of Health.
Chief Scout Woodsman.
Chief Scout Athletic Director.
Chief Scout Stalker.
Chief Scout Citizen.
Chief Scout Master.
Chief Scout Director of Chivalry.
Chief Scout Camp Master.
Eagle Scout.
Star Scout.
Life Scout.
First-class Scout.
Second-class Scout.
Tenderfoot.
The easiest way to become a boy scout is to join a patrol that has
already been started. This patrol may be in {12} a Sunday School,
Boys' Brigade, Boys' Club, Young Men's Christian Association, Young
Men's Hebrew Association, Young Men's Catholic Association, or any
other organization to which you may belong. If there is no patrol near
you, get some man interested enough to start one by giving him all the
information.
A patrol consists of eight boys, one of whom becomes the patrol leader
and another the assistant patrol leader.
A troop consists of three or more patrols, and the leader of the troop
is called a scout master. There can be no patrols or troops of boy
scouts without this scout master.
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 be prepared in mind, by
having disciplined himself to be obedient, 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.
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 arrowhead part is worn by the tenderfoot. The scroll part only is
worn by the second-class scout. The badge worn by the first-class
scout is the whole badge.
The official badges of the Boy Scouts of America are issued by the
National Council and may be secured only from the National
Headquarters. These badges are protected by the U. S. Patent Laws
(letters of patent numbers 41412 and 41532) and anyone infringing
these patents is liable to prosecution at law.
In order to protect the Boy Scout Movement and those who have
qualified to receive badges designating the various degrees in
scoutcraft, it is desired that all interested cooperate with the
National Headquarters in safeguarding the sale and distribution of
these badges. This may be done by observing the following rules:
2. All orders for badges should be sent in by the scout master with a
certificate from the local council that these requirements have been
complied with. Blanks for this purpose may be secured on application
to the National Headquarters.
Where no local council has been formed, application for badges should
be sent direct to Headquarters, signed by the registered scout master
of the troop, giving his official number.
These badges are seven eighths of an inch wide and are made either for
the button-hole or with safety-pin clasp. Price 5 cents.
These badges are woven in blue, green, and red silk, and are to be
worn on the sleeve of coat or shirt. Price 25 cents.
{14}
_Buttons_--The official buttons worn on the scout uniforms sell for 10
cents per set for shirt and 15 cents per set for coat.
When the three fingers thus held are raised to the forehead, it is the
scout salute. The scout always salutes an officer.
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.
2. A scout is loyal.
4. A scout is friendly.
5. A scout is courteous.
6. A scout is kind.
7. A scout is obedient.
He obeys his parents, scout master, patrol leader, and all other
duly constituted authorities.
8. A scout is cheerful.
9. A scout is thrifty.
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He keeps clean in body and thought, stands for clean speech, clean
sport, clean habits, and travels with a clean crowd.
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.
2. Know the composition and history of the national flag and the
customary forms of respect due to it.
{17}
_Second-class Scout_
To become a second-class scout, a tenderfoot must pass, to the
satisfaction of the recognized local scout authorities, the following
tests:
_First-class Scout_
4. Make a round trip alone (or with another scout) to a point {18} at
least seven miles away, 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, apoplexy,
sunstroke, heat exhaustion, and freezing; know treatment for sunburn,
ivy poisoning, bites and stings, nosebleed, earache, toothache,
inflammation or grit in eye, cramp or stomach ache and chills;
demonstrate artificial respiration.
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 compass direction without the help of the
compass.
8. Use properly an axe 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 animals by their form, color,
call, tracks, or habits; find the North Star, and name and describe at
least three constellations of stars.
11. Furnish satisfactory evidence that he has put into practice in his
daily life the principles of the scout oath and law.
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12. Enlist a boy trained by himself in the requirements of a
tenderfoot.
{19}
Patrol Signs
Each troop of boy scouts is named after the place to which it belongs.
For example, it is Troop No. 1, 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. 1,
the assistant patrol leader No. 2, and the other scouts the remaining
consecutive numbers. Scouts in this way should {22} work in pairs,
Nos. 3 and 4 together; 5 and 6 together; 7 and. 8 together.
{20}
HAWK
Cry (same as Eagle)--"Kreeee"
PINK
WOLF
Howl-"How-oooo"
YELLOW AND BLACK
PEEWIT
Whistle-"Tewitt"
GREEN AND WHITE
HOUND
Bark "Bawow-wow"
ORANGE
CAT
Cry--"Meeaow"
GRAY AND BROWN
JACKAL
Laughing Cry-"Wahwah-wah-wah-wah."
GRAY AND BLACK
RAVEN
Cry-"Kar-kaw"
BLACK
BUFFALO
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Lowing (same as Bull) "Um-maouw"
RED AND WHITE
PEACOCK
Cry-"Bee-oik"
GREEN AND BLUE
BULL
Lowing-"Um-maouw"
RED
SEAL
Call-"Hark"
RED AND BLACK
OWL
Whistle "Koot-koot-koo"
BLUE
TIGER
Purr-"Grrrao"
VIOLET
LION
Roar-"Eu-Ugh"
YELLOW AND RED
KANGAROO
Call-"Coo-ee"
RED AND GRAY
HORSE
Whinney-"Hee-e-e-e"
BLACK AND WHITE
{21}
FOX
Bark-"Ha-ha"
YELLOW AND GREEN
BEAR
Growl-"Boorrr"
BROWN AND RED
STAG
Call-"Baow"
VIOLET AND BLACK
STORK
Cry-"Korrr"
BLUE AND WHITE
PANTHER
Tongue in side of mouth--"Keeook"
YELLOW
CURLEW
Whistle--"Curley"
GREEN
HYENA
Laughing Cry-"Ooowah-oowah-wah"
YELLOW AND BROWN
RAM
Bleat--"Ba-a-a"
BROWN
WOOD PIGEON
Call--"Book-hooroo"
BLUE AND GRAY
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EAGLE
Very shrill cry--"Kreeee"
GREEN AND BLACK
HIPPO
Hiss-"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
Cry--"Hoi-oi-oick"
BROWN AND WHITE
BEAVER
Slap made by clapping bands
BLUE AND YELLOW
{22 continued}
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 followed," across it and add the
name of his patrol animal, in order to show which patrol discovered
that the road was bad, and by adding his own number at the left of the
head to show which scout had discovered it.
FLYING EAGLES
"Yeh-yeh-yeh"
Black and white on red
BLUE HERONS
"Hrrrr"
Blue and green
HORNED KINGBIRDS
SINAWA
Black on red
BLACKBEARS
Black on red
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AHMEEKS
SILVER FOXES
RED TRAILERS
MOON BAND
Yellow on blue
OWNEOKES
BLAZING ARROW
Each patrol leader carries a small flag on the end of his staff {23} or
stave with the head of his patrol animal shown on both sides. Thus the
Tigers of the Twenty-seventh New York Troop should have the flag shown
below.
When a boy has become a first-class scout he may qualify for the merit
badges.
_The examination for these badges should be given by the Court of Honor
of the local council. This examination must not be given any boy who
is not qualified as a first-class scout. After the boy has passed the
examination, the local council may secure the merit badge for him by
presenting the facts to the National Council. These badges are
intended to stimulate the boy'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_.
Scouts winning any of the following 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--
{24}
Agriculture
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5. Have a practical knowledge of plowing, cultivating, drilling,
hedging, and draining.
Angling
2. Make a bait rod of three joints, straight and sound, 14 oz. or less
in weight, 10 feet or less in length, to stand a strain of 1-1/2 lbs.
at the tip, 13 lbs. at the grip.
3. Make a jointed fly-rod 8-10 feet long, 4-8 ozs. in weight, capable
of casting a fly sixty feet.
5. Give the history of the young of any species of wild fish from the
time of hatching until the adult stage is reached.
Archery
1. Make a bow and arrow which will shoot a distance of one hundred
feet with fair precision.
2. Make a total score of 350 with 60 shots in one or {25} two meets,
using standard four-foot target at forty yards or three-foot target at
thirty yards.
Architecture
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Art
2. Draw in outline two books a little below the eye, one book to be
open; also a table or chair.
3. Make in outline an Egyptian ornament.
Astronomy
{26}
2. Point out and name six principal constellations; find the North by
means of other stars than the Pole-star in case of that star being
obscured by clouds, and tell the hour of the night by the stars and
moon.
Athletics
2. Give the rules for one track and one field event.
3. Make the required athletic standard according to his weight,
classifications and conditions as stated in chapter eight.
Automobiling
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1. Demonstrate how to start a motor, explaining what precautions
should be taken.
Aviation
Bee Farming
Blacksmithing
[Illustration: Anvil insignia. (tr)]
2. Make a horseshoe.
Bugling
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Business
{28}
Camping
4. State how to choose a camp site and how to prepare for rain; how to
build a latrine (toilet) and how to dispose of the camp garbage and
refuse.
Carpentry
2. Know the different kinds of chisels, planes and saws, and how to
sharpen and use them.
3. Know the use of the rule, square, level, plumb-line and mitre.
4. Know how to use compasses for scribing both regular and irregular
lines.
Chemistry
{29}
Civics
7. Know whether the judges of the principal courts in his state 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.
Conservation
[Illustration: Sunset over forest insignia. (tr)]
4. Know where the great coal fields are situated and whether the use
of coal is increasing, and if so at what rate. Tell what are the great
sources of waste of coal, in the mines, and in its use, and how they
can be reduced.
5. Know the principal game birds and animals in his neighborhood, the
seasons during which they are protected, the methods of protection,
and the results. Recognize the track of any two of the following:
rabbit, fox, deer, squirrel, wild turkey, ruffed grouse and quail.
Cooking
Craftsmanship
Cycling
2. Repair a puncture.
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3. Take apart and clean bicycle and put together again properly.
Dairying
2. Be able to milk.
3. Understand the sterilization of milk, and care of dairy utensils
and appliances.
{32}
4. Test at least five cows for ten days each, with the Babcock test,
and make proper reports.
Electricity
2. Name three uses of the direct current, and tell how it differs from
the alternating current.
Firemanship
[Illustration: Fire hose nozzle insignia. (tr)]
5. Understand the use of escapes, ladders, and chutes, and know the
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location of exits in buildings which he frequents.
First Aid
{33}
Forestry
{34}
Gardening
1. Dig and care for during the season a piece of ground containing not
less than 144 square feet.
Handicraft
2. Whitewash a ceiling.
5. Solder.
Horsemanship
3. Know how to water and feed and to what amount, and how to groom a
horse properly.
{35}
10. Be able to judge as to the weight, height, and age of horses; know
three breeds and their general characteristics.
Interpreting
Invention
Leather Working
Life Saving
1. Be able to dive into from seven to ten feet of water and bring from
bottom to surface a loose bag of sand weighing five pounds.
3. Swim fifty yards with clothes on (shirt, long trousers, and shoes
as minimum).
Machinery
[Illustration: Pipewrench insignia. (tr)]
Marksmanship
Masonry
[Illustration: Trowel insignia. (tr)]
{37}
Mining
[Illustration: Shovel insignia. (tr)]
2. Know, name and describe the fourteen great divisions of the earth's
crust (according to Geikie).
Music
Ornithology
3. Have made a good clear photograph of some wild bird, the bird image
to be over one half inch in length on the negative.
{38}
5. Have daily notes on the nesting of a pair of wild birds from the
time the first egg is laid until the young have left the nest.
6. Have attracted at least three kinds of birds, exclusive of the
English sparrow, to a "lunch counter" which he has supplied.
Painting
Pathfinding
1. Know every lane, by-path, and short cut for a distance of at least
two miles in every direction around the local scouts' headquarters in
the country.
2. Have a general knowledge of the district within a five mile radius
of his local headquarters, so as to be able to guide people at any
time, by day or night.
{39}
Personal Health
Photography
[Illustration: Camera and tripod insignia. (tr)]
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To obtain a merit badge for Photography a scout must
Pioneering
{40}
2. Tie six knots of knots quickly.
Plumbing
Poultry Farming
5. Report his observation and study of the hen, turkey, duck, and
goose.
Printing
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1. Know the names of ten different kinds of type and ten sizes of
paper.
2. Be able to compose by hand or machines.
Public Health
1. State what the chief causes of each of the following disease are:
tuberculosis, typhoid, malaria.
{41}
6. Tell how a city should protect its foods; milk, meat, and exposed
foods.
Scholarship
NOTE: The requirements for the merit badge for Scholarship had not
been decided upon when this book was published. Information about same
may be secured upon application to National Headquarters.
Sculpture
Seamanship
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1. Be able to tie rapidly six different knots.
2. Splice ropes.
6. Know how to box the compass, read a chart, and show use of parallel
rules and dividers.
7. Be able to state direction by the stars and sun.
{42}
Signaling
Stalking
Surveying
Swimming
{43}
Taxidermy
Life Scout
The life scout badge will be given to all first-class scouts who have
qualified for the following five-merit badges: first aid, athletics,
life-saving, personal health, and public health.
Star Scout
The star scout badge will be given to the first-class scout who has
qualified for ten merit badges. The ten include the list of badges
under life scout.
Eagle Scout
{44}
Honor Medals
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Bronze medal. Cross in bronze with first-class scout badge
superimposed upon it and suspended from a bar by a red ribbon. This is
awarded to a scout who has saved life.
_The Local Court of Honor may at any time invite experts to share in
their examinations and recommendations_.
When the National Court of Honor has passed upon the application, the
proper medal will be awarded.
Badges of Rank
Patrol Leader
Patrol Leader: The patrol leader's arm badge consists of two bars,
1-1/2-inches long and 3/8-inch wide, of white braid worn on the sleeve
below the left shoulder. In addition he may {45} wear all oxidized silver
tenderfoot, second-class or first-class scout badge according to his
rank. The assistant patrol leader wears one bar.
Chief Scout: The badge of the Chief Scout is the first-class scout
badge with a five-pointed star above it embroidered in silver.
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 {46} tongues of fire
above it embroidered in red.
Chief Scout Camp Master: The badge of the Chief Scout Camp Master is
the first-class scout badge with a moccasin above it embroidered in
green:
Chief Scout Citizen: The badge of the Chief Scout Citizen is the
first-class scout badge with the United States flag above it in
silver.
Equipment
Every effort is made to have all parts of the uniform and equipment
available to scouts through local dealers. If such arrangements have
not been made in a community, the National Headquarters will be glad
to help in making such an arrangement. Many scout masters prefer to
order uniforms and other supplies direct from National Headquarters.
In order to cover the expense involved in handling these supplies, the
manufacturers have agreed to allow National Headquarters the same
trade discount allowed to local dealers. Trade through National
Headquarters if sufficiently large will help to meet a part of the
current expenses of the National Organization. Any combination desired
may be made from this list. A fairly complete equipment may be secured
at the very nominal sum of $2.15. For instance, the Summer equipment
which consists of: Hat, 50 cents; Shirt, 75 cents; Shorts, 50 cents;
Belt, 40 cents.
{48}
[Illustration: Whipping.]
Lay the end of a piece of twine along the end of the rope. {49} 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:
Start with the position shown in the preceding diagram. Back the end
around the standing part and up through the bight and draw tight.
{50}
[Illustration: Reef knot.]
_Square or Reef Knot_. The commonest knot for tying 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
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making the reef knot, the false reef or granny is the result. This
knot is always bad.
_Sheet Bend or Weaver's Knot_. This knot is used in bending the sheet to
the clew of a sail and in tying two rope-ends together.
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 burning building, etc.
Form a small loop on the standing 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 down through the bight again. To tighten,
hold noose in position and pull standing part.
{51}
_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.
_Two Half Hitches_. Useful because they are easily made and will not
slip under any strain. Their formation is sufficiently indicated by
the diagram.
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[Illustration: Blackwall hitch knot.]
{52}
_The Fisherman's Knot_. Used for tying silk-worm 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.
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.
{53}
South, South-east
South by East
South
South 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
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West, North-west
North-west by West
North-west
North-west by North
North, North-west
North by West
North
NOTES
{54}
Notes
{55}
Notes
{56}
Notes
{57}
CHAPTER II
WOODCRAFT
Woodlore
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 10. If at 4 P. M., point the
hour-hand at the sun and reckon back half-way. The south is at two
o'clock.
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.
{58}
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 together 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, 22-1/2 degrees, finally 40 degrees, which seemed to
be the latitude of my camp; subsequent looking-up showed it to be 41
degrees 10 minutes.
{59}
For the site select a high, dry place, in or near the woods, and close
to the drinking-water. 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,
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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 projecting from each log. Roll the last two into
their resting places, and flatten them till they sit firmly. It is of
prime importance 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.
1.)
{60}
Next put on two long logs, roll them onto the middle, taking care to
change off, so the big end at a given comer 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 placed, then cut on its
upper surface at each end a notch corresponding with the ridge on the
log it is to ride on. When ready, 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 {61} 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 will 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 two
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 D, and C to E. (Fig. 5.)
Saw down now from A half-way through the ground log F. Then from B
down to half-way 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 doorway. 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 E, and put a small one down B, D, which is the side of the
window.
Now we are ready to finish the roof. Use the ax to bevel 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 A, B, and C (Fig.
7), pinning them to the side logs.
Cover this roof with a foot of hay or straw or grass, and cover {62}
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that again evenly with about four inches of stiff clay. Pack this
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 centre
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 (A), and a corresponding
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 clear of hair and
stretched on a frame.
Chinking is best done from the inside. Long triangular strips and
blocks of wood are driven in between the logs and fastened there with
oak pins driven into the lower log till nothing but small crannies
remain. Some cabins are finished with moss plugged into all the
crannies, but mud worked into plaster does better.
It should be put on the outside first, and afterward finished form 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.
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 fireplace 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 {63} 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 fire and any of the 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.
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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, supporting the other end on a
crosspiece 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 comers 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.
Measuring Distances
(See "Two Little Savages," 1903.)
15 : 150 :: 10 : x = 100
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 B, page 65). 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 distance 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:
20 : 10 :: 120 : x = 60
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 of these). The angle
opposite the ten must be a true right angle.
There are many ways of measuring distance across rivers, etc., without
crossing. The simplest, perhaps, is by the equilateral triangle. Cut
three poles of exactly equal length; peg them together into a
triangle. Lay {65} this on the bank of the river so one side points to
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some point on the opposite bank. Drive in three pegs to mark the exact
points of this triangle (A,B,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 (D). The width of the river is seven eighths of the base of
this great triangle.
{67}
The usual way to estimate long distances is by the time they take to
cover. Thus, a good canoe on dead water goes four to 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.
Span of thumb and longest finger, nine inches. Brisk walking pace is
one yard for men.
"Did you ever get lost in the woods?" I once asked a company 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,
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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 carrying 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.
You are not nearly so far from camp as you think you are. Your friends
will soon find you.
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.
{68}
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 twice 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 two smoke fires by smothering two
bright fires with green leaves and rotten wood, and keep them at least
fifty feet apart, or the wind will confuse them. Two shots or two
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 determined 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
of 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 compass 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 {69} Pole-star. Of course,
they go around it once in twenty-four hours, so this makes a kind of
clock.
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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 are sure to go around in a circle.
Old woodsmen commonly follow down the streams. These are certain to
bring you out somewhere; but the very worst traveling is along the
edges of the streams, and they take you a long way 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 farm house.
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 renew your two
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 without 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 Assiniboin. 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 custom 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 canyon 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, {70} 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 centre 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 canyon. Three steps more on
that gloomy night and we should have been over the edge of that canyon
and dashed to the bottom.
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"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, it is easy, to make a friction {71} 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 rubbing-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 account that was
accurate enough to guide anyone 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 two sticks are the drill and the fire-board, or fire-block. The
books generally tell us that these must be of 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.
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, cypress, 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.
{72}
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.
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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 5/8 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. 3a is under view of same. It is about 4-1/2
inches long.
7. Fire-board or block; about 3/4 inch thick and any length handy; a
is notch with pit just begun, b 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 1/2 inch wide and 3/4 inch deep.
8. Shows the way of using the sticks. The block (a) is held down with
one foot, the end of the drill (b) 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.
{73}
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 for ages by the red men: that is, cedar wood
finely shredded between two stones. Some use the fringes that grow on
birch, improving it by rubbing in powdered charcoal.
Now that he has the tools and material ready, it will be an easy
matter for the matchless castaway to produce a fire.
Pass the leather thong once around the drill--and this should make the
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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 the fire-board should be resting on a
chip or thin wooden tray. Hold the bow by the handle end in the right
hand, steady the 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 in the pit and
bore into the wood; ground-up wood runs out of 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.)
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.
"Wait. I see if him right." He gave a few strokes with the drill, and
called--"Stop--stop him no good." He rearranged 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 word "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.
{75}
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.
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Archery
The bow is a far less destructive weapon, 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 question 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 arrow head 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 professional makers,
but there is no reason why each boy should not make his own.
The arrow is more important than the bow. Anyone 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 achievement, 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 is always curved.
{77}
IV. The loop that is used on the upper end of the bow.
V. The timber hitch always used on the lower end or notch of the bow.
VI. A turkey feather with split midrib, all ready to lash on.
VII. End view of arrow, showing notch and arrangement of three feathers.
X. Sanger war arrow with nail point and extra long feathers;
it also is 25 inches long.
XII. The "bracer" or arm guard of heavy leather for left arm with
two laces to tie it on. It is six inches long.
{78}
Turkey and goose wing feathers are the best that grow in our country
for arrow feathers. The Indians mostly use turkey. With a sharp knife
cut a strip of the midrib on which is the vane of the feather; make
three pieces, each two to three inches long. White men glue these on
to the arrow. The Indians leave the midrib projecting at each end and
by these lash the {79} feathers without gluing. The lashed feathers
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stand the weather better than those glued, but do not fly so well. The
Indians use sharp flint arrow heads for war and for big game, but for
birds and small game they make arrow heads with a knob of hard wood or
the knuckle bone of some small animal. The best arrow heads for our
purpose are like the ferrule of an umbrella top; they receive the end
of the shaft into them and keep it from splitting.
One of the best arrows I ever shot with was twenty-eight inches long,
five sixteenths of an inch thick, had a ferrule head and very small
feathers.
There are four other things required by our archer: A smooth, hard
arm-guard, or bracer, usually of hard leather. The Indians who use one
make it of wood, grass, or rawhide. In photographs of famous Indians
you may often see this on the left wrist, and will remember that it
was there as a protection from the blow of the bow cord. Some archers
can shoot with the wrist bent so as to need no guard. The three middle
fingers of the right hand also need protection. An old leather glove,
with thumb and little finger cut away, will do very well for this,
though the ready-made tips at the archery stores are more convenient.
Some archers who practise all their lives can shoot without protecting
the fingers.
The bow case and quiver are important. Any kind of a cover that will
keep them from the rain, and hang on your back, will do, but there are
many little things that help to make them handy. When the cover is off
the arrows should project three or four inches so that they may be
more easily drawn out. The Indians often carried very beautiful
quivers of buckskin ornamented with quills and beads.
One day out West I saw an Omaha brave with a bow case and quiver
covered with very odd material--a piece of common red and white cotton
print. When allowed to examine it, I felt some other material
underneath the print. After a little dickering he sold me bow, arrows,
quiver, and all for a couple of dollars. I then ripped open the print
and found my first suspicions confirmed; for, underneath, the quiver
was of buckskin, beautifully embroidered with red feathers and
porcupine {80} quills of deep red and turquoise blue. The Indian was as
much puzzled by my preference for the quill work as I was by his for
the cotton print.
The standard target for men is four feet across with a nine-inch
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 important point of all--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 "form." 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 centres of the two
heels in line with the target. (Cut page 78.) Grasp the bow in the
middle with the left hand and place the arrow on the string at the
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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 right elbow must be in the same line with the
arrow. Let go the arrow by straightening the fingers a little, turning
the hand outward 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.
{81}
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
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, and the fact that it never sets in our latitude, and last, that
it always points out the Pole-star, and, for this reason, it is
sometimes known as the Pointers. 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 immortalized in the sky by Zeus.
Another suggestion is that the earliest 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 Bear's
constellation. Certainly, there is nothing in its shape to justify the
name. Very few of the constellations, indeed, are like the thing they
are {82} called after. Their names were usually 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; it alone is fixed in the heavens: 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.
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The outside (Alpha and Beta) of the Dipper points nearly to Polaris,
at a distance equal to three and one half 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 astronomers as Mizar, one
of the Horses; Just above it, and tucked close in, is a smaller star
known to astronomers as Alcor, or the Rider. The Indians call these
two the "Old Squaw and the Pappoose on Her Back." In the old world,
from very ancient times, these have been used as tests of eyesight. To
be able to see Alcor with the naked eye means that one has excellent
eyesight. So also on the plains, the old folks would ask the children
at night, "Can you see the pappoose on the old squaw's back?" And when
the youngster saw it, and proved that he did by a right description,
they rejoiced that he had the eyesight which is the first requisite of
a good hunter.
The time in going around is not exactly twenty-four hours, so that the
position of the Pointers varies with the seasons, but, as a rule, this
for woodcraft purposes is near enough. The bowl of the Dipper swings
one and one half times the width of the opening (i.e., fifteen
degrees) in one hour. If it went a quarter of the circle, that would
mean you had slept a quarter of a day, or six hours.
{83}
Orion
Orion (O-ri-on), with its striking array of brilliant stars,
Betelguese, Rigel, the Three Kings, etc., is generally admitted to be
the finest constellation in the heavens.
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Orion was the hunter giant who went to Heaven when he died, and now
marches around the great dome, but is seen only in the winter,
because, during the summer, he passes over during daytime. Thus he is
still the hunter's constellation. The three stars of his belt are
called the "Three Kings."
{84}
Pleiades
Serviss tells us that the Pleiades have a supposed connection with the
Great Pyramid, because "about 2170 B. C., when the beginning of spring
coincided with the culmination of the Pleiades at midnight; that
wonderful group of stars was visible {85} just at midnight, through the
mysterious southward-pointing passage of the Pyramid."
The Moon
The moon is one fifth the diameter of the earth, about one fiftieth of
the bulk, and is about a quarter million miles away. Its course, while
very irregular, is nearly the same as the apparent course of the sun.
But "in winter the full moon is at an altitude in the sky near the
limit attained by the sun in summer, . . . and even, at certain times,
five degrees higher. It is the contrary in summer, a season when the
moon remains very low" (F.).
The moon goes around the earth in 27-1/4 days. It loses nearly three
fourths of an hour each night; that is, it rises that much later.
BIRDCRAFT
Any boy who cares enough for out-doors to be a scout is sure to want a
good acquaintance with the birds. Even dull people cannot help taking
notice of our "little brothers of the air," on account of their
beauty, their songs, and their wondrous flight. But most folks never
take the trouble to try and learn the names of any except a few common
birds. Scouts whose eyes are sharp and ears are keen will find the
study of birds a fascinating sport, which may prove to be the best fun
that the woods provide.
SIZE:
Smaller than wren
Between wren and sparrow
Between sparrow and robin
Between robin and crow
Larger than crow
SEEN
Near ground or high up
In heavy woods
Bushy places
Orchard
Garden
Swamp
Open country
Near water
Name ______________________
Order ______________________ Family _______________________
Genus_______________________ Species ______________________
{87}
Careful Observation
Notice particularly the "range" of the birds in your reference book,
and eliminate all those not stated as occurring in your territory.
Notice too, dates of the birds' coming and going, and do not expect to
find species at any other time of year than within the dates
mentioned. By thus narrowing down the possibilities the task is much
simplified. As a final resort, the National Association of Audubon
Societies stands ready to help all scouts who are positively
"stumped," and if the descriptive slips are mailed with return
envelopes to the secretary of the association, 1974 Broadway, New York
City, an identification will be made, if the information furnished
renders it in any way possible.
The next time you see a bird that you have once identified, you will
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probably remember its name, and in this way you will be surprised to
find how rapidly your bird acquaintance will grow. After a time even
the flight of a bird or its song will be enough to reveal an old
acquaintance, just as you can often recognize a boy friend by his walk
or the sound of his voice, without seeing his face. And what a new joy
in life there is for anybody that really knows the birds about him. He
can pick from the medley of bird songs the notes of the individual
singers; he knows when to look for old friends of the year before; no
countryside is ever lonely for him, for he finds birds everywhere and
knows that any moment he may make some rare discovery or see a bird
before unknown to him.
Bird Lists
88 Boy Scouts
Nesting Season
How to Photograph
From such a hiding place, photographs can often be secured of timid
birds at their nests. In attempting to take photographs it must be
remembered that cameras of the pocket variety or fixed box type are
almost useless. Most of them cannot be worked without special
attachments at closer range than six feet, and, even if the focus is
correctly guessed, the image is apt to be very small. In this work it
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is far better to invest in a cheap camera (second-hand if need be)
with which one can obtain a definite image on the ground glass where
the plate or film is to be. Focus the camera on some spot where it is
expected the bird will come; usually this is on the nest or young,
sometimes it is the food, a favorite perch, or some form of decoy. The
next requisite is patience. If the coveted opportunity arrives, set
off the shutter by hand in the {90} blind, or, where this is not
possible, by means of a long thread, after carefully hiding the camera
with boughs, leaves, sods, etc.
How to Know
13. The young. (Food and care of, time in the nest, notes, actions,
flight, etc.)
So varied is a bird's life that there is still plenty to be learned
about even our common birds. It is quite possible for a scout to
discover some facts that have never yet been published in books.
How best to feed the birds is almost an art in itself. A winter lunch
counter spread with suet, nuts, hemp seed, meat, and crumbs will
attract nuthatches, chickadees, downy and hairy woodpeckers, creepers,
blue jays, etc. Canary seed, buckwheat, oats and hay-chaff scattered
on the ground beneath will provide an irresistible banquet for other
feathered boarders. A feeding place of this sort can be arranged for
convenient observation from a window, and afford no end of diversion
and instruction. But whether close to home or far afield, the great
secret of success in such work is regularity. Begin to put the food
out early in November, and let the birds get to know that they are
always sure to find a supply of dainties in a certain spot, and the
news will soon spread among them. In wintry weather, especially, it is
amazing what can be accomplished by feeding the birds regularly, and
at least the following birds have been induced to feed from the human
hand: chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, red-breasted nuthatch, brown
creeper, Carolina wren, cardinal, evening grosbeak, tufted titmouse,
Canada jay, Florida jay, Oregon jay, and redpoll. Even in spring
untiring patience has resulted in the gratification of this supreme
ambition of the bird-lover, and bluebird, robin, cat-bird: chipping
sparrow, oven-bird, brown thrasher and yellow-throated vireo have been
known to feed from the hand of a trusted friend, even with plenty of
food all around. What scout can add to this list?
Many a boy thinks that just because a bird is alive and moves it is a
proper target for his air rifle or his sling shot. {93} Let us be
thankful that there has now arisen a new class of boys, the scouts,
who, like the knights of old, are champions of the defenceless, even
the birds. Scouts are the birds' police, and wo betide the lad who is
caught with a nest and eggs, or the limp corpse of some feathered
songster that he has slaughtered. Scouts know that there is no value
in birds that are shot, except a few scientific specimens collected by
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trained museum experts. Scouts will not commend a farmer for shooting
a hawk or an owl as a harmful bird, even though it were seen to
capture a young chicken. They will post themselves on the subject and
find that most hawks and owls feed chiefly on field mice and large
insects injurious to the farmer's crops, and that thus, in spite of an
occasional toll on the poultry, they are as a whole of tremendous
value. The way the birds help mankind is little short of a marvel. A
band of nuthatches worked all winter in a pear orchard near Rochester
and rid the trees of a certain insect that had entirely destroyed the
crop of the previous summer. A pair of rose-breasted grosbeaks were
seen to feed their nest of youngsters four hundred and twenty-six
times in a day, each time with a billful of potato-bugs or other
insects. A professor in Washington counted two hundred and fifty tent
caterpillars in the stomach of a dead yellow-billed cuckoo, and, what
appeals to us even more, five hundred bloodthirsty mosquitoes inside
of one night-hawk.
It must not be forgotten that large city parks are among the best
places for observing birds. As an example of what can be accomplished,
even with limited opportunities, there was a boy who happened to know
where some owls roosted. {94} Now all owls swallow their prey whole,
and in digesting this food they disgorge the skulls, bones, fur, and
feathers in the form of hard dry pellets. This boy used to go out on
Saturday or Sunday afternoon and bring home his pockets full of
pellets, and then in the evening he would break them apart. In this
way he learned exactly what the owls had been eating (without killing
them) and he even discovered the skulls of certain field mice that
naturalists had never known existed in that region. He let the owl be
his collector.
Patrol Work
_By Dr. William Healey Dall, of the United States Geological Survey_
Among the shy and retiring animals which inhabit our woods and waters,
or the borders of the sea, without making themselves conspicuous to
man except when he seeks the larger ones for food, are the mollusca,
usually confounded with crabs and crayfish under the popular name of
"shellfish," except the few which have no external shell, which are
generally called slugs. Hardly any part of the world (except deserts)
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is without them, but, shy as they are, it takes pretty sharp eyes to
find them. Some come out of their hiding places {95} only at night,
and nearly all our American kinds live under cover of some sort.
The principal fresh-water snails are the pond snail (_Lymnaea_; see
Fig. 3); the _Physa_ (see Fig. 6), which is remarkable for having the
coil turned to the left instead of the right; and the orb-snail,
(_Planorbis_: see Fig. 4) which has its coil flat. All of {96} these
lay minute eggs in a mass of transparent jelly, and are to be found on
lily pads and other water plants, or crawling on the bottom, while the
mussels bury themselves more or less in the mud or lie on the gravelly
bottom of streams. There is also a very numerous tribe of small
bivalve shells, varying from half an inch to very minute in size,
which are also mud lovers and are known as Sphaerium or Pisidium,
having no "common" English names, since only those who hunt for them
know of their existence.
On the seashore everybody knows the mussel (Mytilus: see Fig. 5), the
soft clam, the round clam, and the oyster, as these are sought for
food; but there is a multitude of smaller bivalves which are not so
well known. The sea-snails best known on the coast north of Chesapeake
Bay are the whelk (Buccinum: see Fig. 2), the sand snail or Natica,
which bores the round holes often found in clam shells on the beach,
in order to suck the juices of its neighbors, and the various kinds of
periwinkles (rock snails or Littorina) found by the millions on the
rocks between tides. These, as well as the limpets, small boat-shaped
or slipper-shaped conical shells found in similar places, are
vegetable feeders. Altogether, there are several hundred kinds found
on the seashore and the water near the shore, and a collection of them
will not only contain many curious, pretty, and interesting things,
but will have the advantage of requiring no preservative to keep them
in good condition after the animal has been taken out.
Books which may help the collector to identify the shells he may find
are:
For the American Marine Shells: Bulletin No. 37. Published by the
United States National Museum, at Washington.
On the Pacific Coast the "West Coast Shells," by Prof. Josiah Keep of
Mills College, will be found very useful.
REPTILES
The crocodiles resemble lizards in shape, but are very much larger and
live only in the tropics and the adjacent regions of the temperate
zone. To this order belongs our North American alligator, which
inhabits the states bordering the Gulf of Mexico and the coast country
along the Atlantic Ocean as far north as North Carolina. They are
hunted for their skin, which furnishes an excellent leather for
traveling bags, purses, etc., and because of the incessant pursuit are
now becoming quite rare in many localities where formerly they were
numerous. The American crocodile, very much like the one occurring in
the river Nile, is also found at the extreme southern end of Florida.
The turtles are easily recognized by the bony covering which encases
their body, and into which most species can withdraw their heads and
legs for protection. This bony box is usually covered with horny
plates, but in a large group, the so-called soft-shell turtles, the
outer covering is a soft skin, thus forming a {98} notable exception
to the rule that reptiles are characterized by being covered with
scales or plates. While most of the turtles live in fresh water or on
land, a few species pass their lives in the open ocean, only coming
ashore during the breeding season to deposit their eggs. Some of these
marine turtles grow to an enormous size, sometimes reaching a weight
of over eight hundred pounds. One of them is much sought for on
account of the delicacy of its flesh; another because of the thickness
and beauty of its horny plates which furnish the so-called
tortoise-shell, an important article of commerce. Turtles appear to
reach a very old age, specimens having been known to have lived
several hundred years. The box tortoise of our woods, the musk
turtles, the snapping turtles are familiar examples of this order,
while the terrapin, which lives in brackish ponds and swamps along our
sea-coasts, is famous as a table delicacy.
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The snakes form the last group of the reptiles. Universally legless,
though some of the boas and pythons have distinct outer rudiments of
hind limbs, they are not easily mistaken. And it is perhaps well so,
for unless one is an expert at distinguishing between the poisonous
and the harmless kind it is just as well to keep at a respectful
distance from them. It is safest not to interfere with them,
especially as those that are not poisonous are usually very useful in
destroying rats and mice and other vermin, except perhaps those living
in trees and feeding on eggs and young birds, which certainly do not
deserve our protection. Of course the rattlesnake is not to be
mistaken. The horny appendix to its tail, with which it sounds the
warning of its presence, is enough to distinguish it. It should here
be explained that both lizards and snakes at various intervals shed
the outer layer of their skin, the so-called epidermis. This
transparent layer, after a certain length of time, loosens and is
usually stripped off whole by the animal crawling out of it and
turning it inside out, as a tight glove is turned. Now, at the end of
a rattlesnake's tail there is a horny cap which is {100} called the
button, and being narrowed at the base and more strongly built than
the rest of the epidermis it is not shed with the rest of the skin,
but remains attached.
Thus for each shedding a new joint or ring is added to the rattle. How
often the shedding takes place depends on various circumstances and
may occur an uncertain number of times each year. Such a rattle,
loose-jointed as it is, is rather brittle and the tip of the sounding
instrument is easily broken and lost. It will therefore be easily
understood that the common notion that a rattlesnake's age can be told
by the number of the rings in its rattle is absolutely erroneous.
Another equally common and equally erroneous notion relates to the
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tongue of the snake, which the ignorant often term its "sting" and
which they believe to be the death-dealing instrument. Of course, the
soft, forked tongue which constantly darts out and in of the snake's
mouth is perfectly harmless. It serves rather as a "feeler" than as a
taste organ. The wound is inflicted by a pair of large, curved, teeth
or fangs, in the upper jaw. These fangs are hollow and connected by a
duct with the gland on the side of the head, in which the poison is
formed. Pressure on this gland at the time of the strike--for our
poisonous snakes strike rather than bite--squirts the poison into the
wound like a hypodermic syringe. The fangs when shed or damaged are
replaced within a short time with new ones, so that a poisonous snake
can only be made harmless for a short period by breaking them off.
Only in exceptional cases need snake bites prove fatal. It is
estimated that in North America only about two persons in a hundred
bitten are killed by the poison, though many more die from
carelessness or bad treatment, the worst of which is the filling up
with whiskey, which aids the poison rather than counteracts it. The
essential things in case of snake bite are: (1) keeping one's wits;
(2) tying a string, or the like, tightly around the wounded limb
between the wound and the heart, and loosening it about once in
fifteen minutes, so as to admit the poison slowly into the
circulation; (3) making the wound bleed freely by enlarging it with a
knife or otherwise; (4) if permanganate of potash be handy it should
at once be applied to the {101} wound; (5) treat the wound as
antiseptically as it is possible with the means at hand and hurry to a
doctor.
[Illustration: Copperhead]
The danger depends greatly on the amount of the poison injected, hence
upon the size of the snake. It is for this reason that the big Florida
rattlesnakes which grow to six feet and over are more to be feared
than are other poisonous snakes. Of these, we have in our country,
besides the rattlesnakes, the water moccasin, or cotton mouth, the
copperhead, and the coral snake. The latter is a bright-colored snake
of red, yellow, and black rings found in the South, but it is usually
small, and not aggressive, so that but few cases of poisoning are
known. The other two are common enough, the former from Norfolk, Va.,
south, the other all over the eastern country from Texas to
Massachusetts. They are usually confounded, however, with two
perfectly harmless snakes, the cotton mouth with the common water
snake, the copperhead with the so-called spreading adder, but as
their differences have to be learned from actual inspection and are
very hard to express in a description which would help to identify
living specimens, it is wisest to keep away from all of them.
[Illustration: Chrysalis]
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Butterflies
Nearly all insects go through several different stages. The young bird
is very much like its parent, so is the young squirrel or a young
snake or a {102} young fish or a young snail; but with most of the
insects the young is very different from its parents. All butterflies
and moths lay eggs, and these hatch into caterpillars which when full
grown transform to what are called pupae or chrysalids--nearly
motionless objects with all of the parts soldered together under an
enveloping sheath. With some of the moths, the pupae are surrounded by
silk cocoons spun by the caterpillars just before finally transforming
to pupae. With all butterflies the chrysalids are naked, except with
one species which occurs in Central America in which there is a common
silk cocoon. With the moths, the larger part spin cocoons, but some of
them, like the owlet moths whose larvae are the cutworms, have naked
pupre, usually under the surface of the ground. It is not difficult to
study the transformations of the butterflies and moths, and it is
always very interesting to feed a caterpillar until it transforms, in
order to see what kind of a butterfly or moth comes out of the
chrysalis.
Take the monarch butterfly, for example: This is a large,
reddish-brown butterfly, a strong flier, which is seen often flying
about in the spring and again in the late summer and autumn. This is
one of the most remarkable butterflies in America. It is found all
over the United States. It is one of the strongest fliers that we
know. It passes the winter in the Southern states as an adult
butterfly, probably hidden away in cracks under the bark of trees or
elsewhere. When spring comes the butterflies come out and begin to fly
toward the north. Wherever they find the milk-weed plant they stop and
lay some eggs on the leaves. The caterpillars issue from the eggs,
feed on the milkweed, transform to chrysalids; then the butterflies
issue and continue the northward flight, stopping to lay eggs farther
north on other milkweeds. By the end of June or July some of these
Southern butterflies have found their way north into Canada and begin
the return flight southward. Along in early August they will be seen
at the summer resorts in the Catskill Mountains, and by the end of
October they will have traveled far down into the Southern states
where they pass the winter.
Moths
Instead of six hundred and fifty-two, there are fifty-nine hundred and
seventy in Doctor Dyar's big catalogue. Perhaps the most interesting
of these caterpillars are the big native silk-worms, like those of the
cecropia moth, the luna moth, the polyphemus moth, or the promethia
moth. These caterpillars are very large and are to be found feeding
upon the leaves of different trees, and all spin strong silken
cocoons. People have tried to reel these cocoons, thinking that they
might be able to use the silk to make silk cloth as with the domestic
silk-worm of commerce, but they have been unable to reel them
properly. The polyphemus moth, for example, has been experimented with
a great deal. It is found over a greater part of the United States,
and its caterpillar feeds upon a great variety of trees and shrubs
such as oak, Butternut, hickory, basswood, elm, maple, birch,
chestnut, sycamore, and many others. The caterpillar is light green
and has raised lines of silvery white on the side. It grows to a very
large size and spins a dense, hard cocoon, usually attached to leaves.
There {104} are two generations in the Southern states, and one in the
Northern states. The moth which comes out of the cocoon has a wing
spread of fully five inches. It is reddish-gray or somewhat buff in
color with darker bands near the edge of the wings, which themselves
are pinkish on the outside, and with a large clear spot near the
centre of the forewing and a regular eyespot (clear in part and blue
in the rest) in the centre of the hind wing.
One wishing to know about butterflies and moths should consult a book
entitled, "How to Know the Butterflies," by Prof. J. H. Comstock of
Cornell University and his wife, Mrs. Comstock, published by D.
Appleton & Co., of New York, or, "The Butterfly Book," by Dr. W. J.
Holland of Pittsburg, published by Doubleday, Page & Co., of New York,
and "The Moth Book," also by Doctor Holland, and published by the same
firm.
Other Insects
There are many more different kinds of insects than there are of
flowering plants, and if we were to add together all of the different
kinds of birds, mammals, reptiles, fishes, crabs, mollusks, and all of
the lower forms of animal life, they would not all together amount to
so many different kinds as there are insects. This makes the
classification of insects quite complicated. There are eighteen or
nineteen main orders, and each one is subdivided almost indefinitely.
There is not one of these that is not full of interest. The habits of
ants, for example, living in communities by themselves, afford a
tremendous opportunity for interesting observation. A good book about
them has been recently written by Dr. W. M. Wheeler, of Harvard,
entitled "Ants, their Structure, Development, and Behavior," published
by the Columbia University Press, New York.
{105}
Many insects live in the water, and to follow their life histories in
small home-made aquaria is one of the most interesting occupations one
could have, and there is a lot to be learned about these insects. Go
to any stagnant pool and you will find it swarming with animal life:
Larvae or "wigglers" of mosquitoes, and a number of other aquatic
insects will be found, feeding upon these wigglers. Water bugs of
different kinds will be found and the life histories of most of these
were until quite recently almost unknown.
The wasps also will bear study. Here, too, there is a great variety,
some of them building the paper nests known to every one, others
burrowing into the surface of the ground and storing up in these
burrows grasshoppers and other insects for food for their young which
are grub-like in form; others still burrowing into the twigs of
bushes, and others making mud nests attached to the trunks of trees or
to the clapboards of houses or outbuildings.
FISHES
There is no more fascinating and profitable study than the fish life
of the lakes, ponds, rivers, brooks, bays, estuaries, and coasts of
the United States; and no more important service can be rendered our
American boys than to teach them to become familiar with our native
food and game fishes, to realize their needs, and by example and
precept to {106} endeavor to secure for the fishes fair consideration and
treatment.
Classes of Fish
Migratory Fish
The migratory fishes fall into two groups, the anadromous and the
catadtomous. The anadromous fishes pass most of their lives in the
sea, run up stream only for the purpose of spawning, and constitute
the most valuable of our river fishes. In this group are the shads and
the alewives or river herrings, the white perch, the striped bass or
rock fish, some {107} of the sturgeons, and the Atlantic salmon, all
of which go back to sea after spawning, and the Pacific salmons (five
species), all of which die after spawning. Of the catadromous fishes
there is a single example in our waters--the common eel. It spends
most of its life in the fresh waters and sometimes becomes permanently
landlocked there, and runs down to the sea to spawn, laying its eggs
off shore in deep water.
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Marine Fish
The marine fishes that are found in the coastal waters of the United
States number many hundred species, some of them of great value as
food. Among the most important are cod, haddock, hake, halibut,
Flounder, herring, bluefish, mackeral, weakfish or squeteague, mullet,
snapper, drum, and rock fishes.
Studying Fish
Identification of Specimens
When fishes cannot be identified in the field, the larger ones may be
sketched and notes taken on their color, while the smaller ones may be
preserved with salt, formalin, or any kind of spirits. Specimens and
drawings may be forwarded for identification to the zoological
department of the local state university, to the state fish
commission, to the Bureau of Fisheries, Washington, D. C., or to the
United States National Museum in the same city.
{109}
Angling
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This most delightful of outdoor pastimes requires for its enjoyment no
elaborate or expensive paraphernalia: a rod cut on the spot, a cork
float, an ordinary hook baited with angleworm, grasshopper, grub,
may-fly, or any of a dozen other handy lures, will answer for most
occasions. At the same time, the joys of fishing will often be
increased if one possesses and learns how to use a light, jointed rod,
with reel, fine line, and artificial baits. The necessary equipment
for scientific angling is so light and compact that it should form a
part of the outfit of every one who spends much time in the open air.
(1) All cases noticed where fish are being killed by dynamite,
poisons, or other illegal and improper means.
Aquarium
Every boy should have an aquarium. The aquarium will give ten times as
much pleasure as annoyance, and the longer time you have one
undisturbed the greater will be its revelations.
A simple tank can be made from a large water bottle or demijohn. File
a line around the top and carefully break it off. For the back yard,
cut a paint barrel in two or coat a tub inside with spar varnish.
Anything that will hold a few gallons of water, two inches of clean
sand, and some water plants will be a suitable home for fish and other
creatures. A boy handy with tools can make a frame, and with plate
glass and proper cement construct a large tank.
{110}
Starting the Aquarium
You can balance your aquarium by plenty of plants. As they grow they
give off oxygen which purifies the water and is breathed by the fish.
The water need not be changed for years. The swamps and slow streams
afford great numbers of plants. If you know the plants get pond weeds,
Canadian water weed, ludwigia, willow moss, or tape grass. (Look in
the dictionary for official names of the plants or get special books
from the library.) Take some tape grass (vallisneria) to your teacher
or doctor and ask him to show you under his microscope how the sap
flows and the green coloring matter is deposited. The simplest form of
vegetation is algae which grows on the sides of the tank. Lest this
grow too thick, put in a few snails. Watch the snails' eggs develop in
clusters. Buy if you cannot find banded swamp snails that give birth
to their young instead of laying eggs.
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Any pond or stream will furnish fish that are beautiful or interesting
to watch, e.g., killies, sunfish, cat-fish, carp, shiners, blacknosed
dace, minnows--the mud minnow that seems to stand on his
tail--darters, etc. If you get your supply from dealers, buy gold
fish, of which there are several varieties, fan-tailed, comets, fringe
tails and telescope eyed. Mirror carp are lively. Paradise fish are as
beautiful as butterflies.
Fish Nests
Every one knows something of birds' nests. Did you ever watch
sticklebacks build their barrel-like nest, or the Paradise fish his
floating nest, and the father fish take all the care of the young? Did
you ever see the newt roll her eggs in small leaves, or the caddis fly
make a case of bits of stick, leaves, and sand? For a real marvel
watch a pair of diving spiders weave their balloon-like nest under
water and actually carry air down to fill it, so that the young may be
dry though submerged.
{111}
Fish Food
Fish require very little food other than the minute creatures that
develop in the water.
The dealers supply proper foods for aquaria, or you can prepare your
own. Fine vermicelli is good for gold fish, scraped lean beef is just
what the sunfish and Paradise fish want. Ant eggs suit many fish, and
powdered dog biscuit will fill many mouths. It is evident that an
article so brief as this is only suggestive. The libraries contain
many books of which two are recommended:
"Home Aquarium and How to Care For It." By Eugene Smith, 1902.
Published by Dutton, New York.
"Book of Aquaria." By Bateman and Bennett, 1890. Published by L.
Upcott Gill, 170 Strand, W. C., London.
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Igneous rocks, while still molten, have been forced into other rocks
from below, or poured out on the surface from volcanoes. They are
chiefly made of crystals of various minerals, such as quartz, felspar,
mica, and pyrite. Granite often contains large crystals of felspar or
mica. Some igneous rocks, especially lavas, are glassy; others are so
fine grained that the crystals cannot be seen.
In places one may find veins filling cracks in the rocks, and {113}
made of material deposited from solution in water. Many valuable
minerals and ores occur in such veins, and fine specimens can
sometimes be obtained from them.
{112}
[Illustration: Wearing the soft and hard beds by rain and wind]
{113 continued}
[Illustration: Wave-cut cliff with beach and spit built by waves and
currents]
Along the coast the waves, with the pebbles washed about, are wearing
away the land and spreading out its materials in new beds elsewhere.
The shore is being cut back in some places and built out in others.
Rivers bring down sand and mud and build deltas or bars at their
mouths.
Volcanoes pour out melted rock on the surface, and much fine material
is blown out in eruptions. Swamps are filled {115} by dead vegetable
matter and by sand and mud washed in. These materials form new rocks
and build up the surface. Thus the two processes, the wearing down in
some places and the building up in others, are tending to bring the
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surface to a uniform level. Another process, so slow that it can be
observed only through long periods of time, tends to deform the
earth's crust and to make the surface more irregular. In times past,
layers of rock once horizontal have been bent and folded into great
arches and troughs, and large areas of the earth's surface have been
raised high above sea-level.
At almost any rock outcrop the result of {116} the breaking-up process
may be seen; the outer portion is softer, more easily broken, and of
different color from the fresh rock, as shown by breaking open a large
piece. The wearing away of the land surface is well shown in rain
gullies, and the carrying along and depositing of sand and gravel may
be seen in almost any stream. In the Northern states and Canada, which
at one time were covered by a great sheet of ice, moving southward and
grinding off the surface over which it passed, most of the rock
outcrops are smoothly rounded and many show scratches made by pebbles
dragged along by the ice. The hills too have {117} smoother and rounder
outlines, as compared with those farther south where the land has been
carved only by rain and streams. Along the coast the wearing away of
the land by waves is shown at cliffs, found where the coast is high,
and by the abundant pebbles on the beaches, which are built of
material torn from the land by the waves. Sand bars and tidal flats
show the deposition of material brought by streams and spread out by
currents. Sand dunes and barrens illustrate the carrying and spreading
out of fine material by the wind.
In many regions the beds of sedimentary rocks, which must have been
nearly horizontal when formed, are now found sloping at various angles
or standing on edge, the result of slow deforming of these beds at an
earlier time. As some beds are more easily worn away than others, the
hills and valleys in such regions owe their form and position largely
to the different extent to which the harder and softer beds have been
worn down by weather and by streams. The irregular line of many coasts
is likewise due to the different hardness of the rocks along the
shore.
The appearance of the blossoms and fruits of the fields and forests in
any locality note the advent and progress of the seasons more
accurately than does the calendar. Plants and seeds which have lain
asleep during the winter are awakened not by the birth of a month, but
by the return of heat and moisture in proper proportions. This may be
early one year and late another, but, no matter what the calendar
says, the plants respond to the call and give evidence of spring,
summer, or autumn as the case may be. The surface of the earth is not
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flat. We have valleys and we have mountains; we have torrid and we
have temperate zones. The plant life of the world has been adjusted to
these varied conditions, and as a result we have plants with certain
characteristics growing in the tropics at sea-level, but a very
different class of plants with {118} different habits and
characteristics inhabiting the elevated regions of this same zone. It
must be remembered that even under the tropics some of the highest
mountains carry a perpetual snow-cap. There is therefore all possible
gradations of climate from sea-level to the top of such mountains,
even at the equator, and plant life is as a result as varied as is
climate. Each zone, whether determined by latitude or by altitude,
possesses a distinctive flora.
But altitude and latitude are not the only factors which have been
instrumental in determining the plants found in any particular
locality. This old earth of ours has not always been as we see her
to-day. The nature we know and observe is quite different from that
which existed in earlier ages of the earth's history. The plants, the
trees, and the flowers that existed upon the earth during the age when
our coal was being deposited were very different from those we now
have. There has been a change, but, strange as it may seem, there are
in some places upon the earth to-day some of the same species of
plants which were abundant during the coal-forming periods. These are
among the oldest representatives of the plant world now extant. Then
we are told that there was a period when the north temperate zone was
covered with a great ice field which crowded down as far as southern
Pennsylvania and central Ohio. This naturally brought about a profound
change in the location and character of the plants of this region.
There are in the Black Hills of Dakota species of plants which have no
relatives anywhere in the prairie region, and no means is known by
which these representatives of a Rocky Mountain family could find
their way into the Black Hills, save that, previous to the ice age,
this species was generally scattered over the territory, and that,
during the ice age, the species was perpetuated in the hills, but was
killed out between there and the Rocky Mountains where it is found in
abundance. These are some of the natural reasons for the existence of
varied plants in different localities. They are sufficient to explain
the reason for the existence of local floras.
But nature has provided untold ways for the perpetuation as well as
the dispersal of plants for the purpose of, so far as possible,
enabling the plants of the world to take possession of all parts of
the earth's surface. If this adjustment were complete, the plants
would be practically alike all over the surface of the earth, but we
have already explained why this cannot be and why we have a different
flora in each zone, whether it be marked by lines of latitude or
height of {120} the mountains. Plants are perpetuated by seeds, by
bulbs, and by woody parts. Some seeds are highly perishable and must
be sown as soon as ripe; others remain years without losing their
power to produce plants. Some grow as soon as they come in contact
with the soil; others must fall, be buried and frozen before they will
germinate. Some plants are perpetuated by bulbs, tubers, or roots in
which a supply of food material is stored away to carry the plant over
a period when its above-ground parts cannot thrive owing to frost or
drought. Upon the return of favorable conditions, these resting parts
throw out shoots and again make the round of growth, usually producing
both seeds and underground parts for the preservation of the species.
There are both wild and cultivated plants in nearly all sections which
illustrate these methods of preservation. Besides plants which have
bulbs, tubers, or perennial roots, we have the large, woody plants
which live many years and so perpetuate themselves, not only as
individuals the same as plants with perennial roots; but they, too, as
a rule, produce seed for the multiplication of their kind.
{119}
{120 continued}
The agencies which serve to spread plants about over the earth's
surface are very varied and interesting. Nature has provided seeds
with many appendages which assist in their dispersal. Some seeds have
wings, and some parachutes to take advantage of the wind. Some seeds
are provided with hooks and stickers by which they become attached to
the fur of animals and are in this way enabled to steal a free ride.
Other seeds are provided with edible coverings which attract birds,
but the seeds themselves are hard and not digestible; the fruit is
eaten and the seeds rejected and so plants are scattered. Besides
these methods of perpetuation and dispersal, some plants are
perpetuated as well as dispersed by vegetative reproduction, i. e., by
cuttings as in the case of willows; by runners as in the case of the
strawberry; and by stolons as with the black raspberry. (For further
information on this point see Bailey's "Lessons with Plants.")
In the north temperate zone the moss if any will be found growing upon
the north side of the tree trunk. Each hundred feet of elevation in a
given latitude makes from one to two days difference in time of
blooming of plants. The character of the vegetation of a region is an
index to its climate. Certain plants are adapted to frigid regions,
others to temperate, and still others to tropical areas. Some plants
are adapted to humid sections, while others are admirably adjusted to
desert conditions. A knowledge of these differences in plants will be
of the greatest value to the scout, and if this is supplemented by
information about the value and uses of the various plant products
many hardships can be avoided. Many plants produce valuable juices,
gums, and resins, while others yield us valuable timber for building
and cabinet uses.
Bibliography
For the botany of the Northeastern United States use:
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"Flora of the Southern United States." A. W. Chapman.
For the wild flowers outside of those already mentioned for the
Southern United States and the Rocky Mountain region use:
{122}
For the ferns and grasses it will be found worth while to consult:
"The Grasses, Sedges, and Rushes of the North United States." Edward
Knobel.
For the study of the monarchs of our forests the following books will
all be found exceedingly useful:
Bright colors on the cap also mean nothing; many gorgeous toadstools
are wholesome food. But the color of the pores {123} means a great
deal, and this is determined by laying the fungus cap gills down on
gray paper for six or eight hours under a glass.
Poisonous Toadstools
Of all the poisonous kinds the deadliest are the Amanitas. Not only
are they widespread and abundant, but they are unhappily much like the
ordinary table mushrooms. They have however one or two strong marks:
Their stalk always grows out of a "poison cup" which shows either as a
cup or as a bulb; they have white or yellow gills, and white spores.
The worst of these are:
One and one half to five inches across the cup; three to seven inches
high; white, green, yellowish olive, or grayish brown; {124} smooth but
sticky when moist; gills white; spores white; on the stem is an
annulus or ring just below the cap.
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[Illustration: Hated amanita]
There are over a score more of amanitas varying in size and color, but
all have the general style of mushrooms, and the label marks of
poison, viz., white or yellow gills, a poison cup, and white spores.
[Illustration: Mushrooms]
WHOLESOME TOADSTOOLS
Known at once by its general shape and smell, its pink or brown gills,
white flesh, brown spores and solid stem.
Coprinus
Also belonging to the gilled or true mushroom family are the ink-caps
of the genus.
They grow on dung piles and rich ground. They spring up over night and
perish in a day. In the last stage the gills turn as black as ink.
One and a half to three inches high; greenish with brown hollows.
There are several kindred species of various colors. This is known by
the cylindrical shape of its cap. Wash, slice, and stew.
[Illustration: Morel]
Puffballs (_Lycoperdaceae_)
The next important and safe group are the puffballs before they begin
to puff. All our puffballs when young and solid white inside are good,
wholesome food. Some of them, like the brain puffball or the giant
puffball, are occasionally a foot in diameter, and yield flesh enough
to feed a dozen persons.
They are well known to all who live in the country, their smooth
rounded exterior, without special features except the {127} roots, and
their solid white interior are easily remembered. Peel, slice, and
fry.
Bibliography
A noble evergreen tree, up to 175 feet high. This is the famous pine
of New England, the lumberman's prize. Its leaves are in bunches of
five, and are 3 to 5 inches long; cones 4 to 6 inches long. Wood pale,
soft, straight-grained, easily split. Newfoundland to Manitoba and
south to Illinois.
[Illustration: Hemlock]
{128}
There are many different kinds of pines. They are best distinguished
by their cones.
[Illustration: Cottonwood]
[Illustration: Shagbark]
[Illustration: Walnut]
Small and rare in the Northeast, but abundant and large {129} in West;
even 150 feet high. Leaves 3 to 6 inches long. Found from Quebec to
Florida and west to the mountains.
A tall forest tree up to 120 feet high. Known at once by the great
angular slabs of bark hanging partly detached from its main trunk,
forced off by the growth of wood, but too tough to fall. Its leaves
are 8 to 14 inches long, with 5 to 7 broad leaflets.
[Illustration: Beech]
A grand forest tree, over 100 up to 150 feet high. Wood pale, strong,
tough, fine-grained, durable and heavy, valuable timber. Called white
from pale color of bark and wood. Leaves 5 to 9 inches long. Acorns
ripen in one season. Maine to Minnesota, Florida and Texas.
[Illustration: Chestnut]
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One of the largest of our trees; up to 140 feet high; commonly hollow.
Little use for weather work. Famous for shedding {132} its bark as well as
its leaves; leaves 4 to 9 inches long. Canada to Gulf.
[Illustration: Sycamore]
A fine, tall tree, often over 100 feet high. Noted for its flaming
crimson foliage in fall, as well as its red leaf stalks, flowers, and
fruit, earlier. Leaves 2 to 6 inches long. Like all the maples it
produces sugar, though in this case not much. Western North America.
Every scout ought to know the principal wild animals that are found in
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North America. He need not know them as a naturalist, but as a hunter,
as a camper. Here is a brief account of twenty-four of them, and those
who wish to know more will find the fullest possible account in "Life
Histories of North America," by E. T. Seton. (Scribners, 1909.) These
two volumes are found in all large libraries.
[Illustration: Elk]
This is smaller than the moose. It stands four to five feet at the
shoulder and weighs four hundred to eight hundred pounds. It is known
by its rounded horns and the patch of yellowish-white on the rump and
tail. At one time this splendid animal was found throughout temperate
America from the Atlantic to the Pacific, north to Massachusetts, the
Ottawa River, the Peace River, and British Columbia; and south to
Georgia, Texas, and southern California. It is now exterminated except
in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta; Vancouver Island, Washington,
Wyoming and a few localities in the mountain states and in parks where
it has been reintroduced.
{134}
The elk of Washington is very dark in color; that of the
Southwest is very pale and small.
[Illustration: Moose]
This is the commonest deer of the hill country in the centre of the
continent. It is found in the mountains from Mexico to British
Columbia and northeasterly Saskatchewan and the Lake of the Woods. It
is known by its {135} double-forked horns, its large ears, the dark
patch on the forehead, the rest of the face being whitish. Also by its
tail which is white with a black bunch on the end. This is a larger
deer than the White-tail. There are several varieties of it in the
South and West.
This is the largest of the deer tribe. It stands five and a half to
six and a half feet at the withers and weighs eight hundred to one
thousand pounds. It is readily distinguished by its flat horns and
pendulous, hairy muzzle. It is found in all the heavily timbered
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regions of Canada and Alaska and enters the United States in Maine,
Adirondacks, Minnesota, Montana, Idaho, and northwestern Wyoming.
Those from Alaska are of gigantic stature.
In all our deer the antlers are grown and shed each year, reaching
perfection in autumn for the mating season. They are found in the
males only, except in the caribou, in which species the females also
have small horns.
[Illustration: Antelope]
Formerly the antelope abounded on all the high plains from Manitoba to
Mexico and west to Oregon and California. It is now reduced to a few
straggling bands in the central and wildest parts of the region.
The mountain goat is known at once by its pure white coat of wool and
hair, its black horns, and peculiar shape. It is {136} above the size
of a common deer; that is, a full grown male weighs two hundred and
fifty to three hundred pounds; the female a third less. It is famous
for its wonderful power as a rock climber and mountaineer. It is found
in the higher Rockies, chiefly above timber lines, from central Idaho
to Alaska.
[Illustration: Goat]
[Illustration: Woodchuck]
[Illustration: Beaver]
It is found in all the wooded parts of Canada from the Rockies to the
Atlantic and south in the eastern states to about 40 degrees latitude.
[Illustration: Muskrat]
The jack-rabbit, famous for its speed and its ears, is known by its
size, which about doubles that of a common rabbit and the jet black
stripe running from its back into its tail. It is found on the plains
from Nebraska to Oregon and south to Mexico. There are several
different varieties.
The cottontails do not turn white in winter. They are found in most
parts of the United States, entering Canada only in the Ontario
peninsula and southern Saskatchewan.
[Illustration: Cottontail]
The cougar has been called the American lion; it is the largest cat in
the western world except the jaguar or American {138} tiger. It is
known by its unspotted brown coat, its long, heavy tail, and its size.
A male cougar weighs one hundred and fifty to two hundred pounds; a
few have been taken over that. The females are a third smaller. The
young in first coat have black spots.
The cougar never attacks man but preys on deer, horses, calves, etc.
There are several different forms; one or other of these is (or was)
found from Ottawa, Minnesota, and Vancouver Island to Patagonia.
[Illustration: Cougar]
[Illustration: Lynx]
The fox is about four feet from snout to tail tip; of this the tail is
sixteen inches or more; it stands about fifteen inches at the
shoulder. It rarely weighs over fifteen pounds and sometimes barely
ten. The fox is known by its bright, sandy-red coat, black ears and
paws, its white throat, and the white tip at the end of the tail. At a
distance the fox's ears and tail look very large. The silver or black
fox is a mere color freak with black coat and white tail tip. Red
foxes are found throughout the heavily timbered parts of North America
north of latitude thirty-five degrees.
The wolf is simply a big wild dog with exceptionally strong jaws and
general gray color, becoming dirty white on the under part. The wolf
is found in all parts of North America, except where settlement has
driven it out, and varies in color with locality. The Florida wolves
are black, Texan wolves are reddish, and Arctic wolves are white.
Wolves weigh from {139} seventy-five to one hundred and twenty pounds
and are distinguishable from coyotes by the heavy muzzle and jaws,
greater size, and comparatively small tail, which is often held aloft.
Wolves nowadays rarely molest man.
The common coyote is like a small and delicate edition of the gray
wolf. It is much smaller, weighing only twenty to thirty pounds, and
is distinguished by its sharp, fox-like muzzle and large bushy tail,
which is rarely raised to the level. In color it is much like the
ordinary gray wolf but usually more tinged with yellow. It is found in
all the interior country from Wisconsin to Oregon and from Mexico to
Great Slave Lake. There are several different varieties. It never
attacks man.
The otter is a large water weasel with close, dense, shiny fur and
webbed feet. It is known by its color--dark brown above shaded into
dark gray below and white on the cheeks without any markings--and by
its size. It is about forty inches long and weighs about twenty
pounds. It is found throughout North America within the limit of
trees. Its fur is very valuable. It feeds on fish.
[Illustration: Otter]
[Illustration: Weasel]
The common weasel of New England is about the size of a big rat; that
is, it is sixteen inches long and all brown with the exception of
white chin, throat, breast, and paws, and black tip to the tail. In
winter it turns white except the tail tip; that does not change.
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The mink is simply a water weasel. It is known by its size, larger
than that of a common weasel, as it is twenty-four inches long of
which the tail is seven inches; also by its deep brown color all over
except the throat and chin which are pure white. Its fur is brown,
harder and glossier than that of the marten, and worth about a quarter
as much. It does not turn white in the winter. One form or another of
mink is found over all the unarid parts of North America from the
north limit of trees to the Gulf of Mexico.
[Illustration: Mink]
[Illustration: Skunk]
[Illustration: Badger]
The skunk is known at once by its black coat with white stripes, its
immense bushy tail tipped with white, and its size, nearly that of a
cat. It weighs three to seven pounds. It ranges from Virginia to
Hudson Bay. In the Northwest is a larger kind weighing twice as much
and with black tip to tail. Various kinds range over the continent
south of latitude 55 degrees. It is harmless and beautiful. The smell
gun for which it is famous is a liquid musk; this is never used except
in the extreme of self-defence.
The 'coon looks like a small gray bear with a bushy ringed tail and a
large black patch on each eye. Its paws look like hands, and it has
the full number of five fingers or toes on each extremity. It is found
in all wooded regions from Manitoba south to Mexico and from Atlantic
to Pacific, except the desert and Rocky Mountain region.
[Illustration: Racoon]
[Illustration: Opossum]
NOTES
{143}
Notes
{144}
Notes
{145}
CHAPTER III
CAMPCRAFT
(In treating of camping there has been an intentional omission of the
long-term camp. This is treated extensively in the books of reference
given at the close of this chapter.)
Before starting on a hike, study carefully the road maps, and take
them with you on the walk for frequent reference. The best maps are
those of the United States Geological Survey, costing five cents each.
The map is published in atlas sheets, each sheet representing a small,
quadrangular district. Send to the superintendent of documents at
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Washington, D. C., for a list.
For tramping the boy needs the right kind of a shoe, or the trip will
be a miserable failure. A light-soled or a light-built shoe is not
suited for mountain work or even for an ordinary hike. The feet will
blister and become "road weary." The shoe must be neither too big, too
small, nor too heavy, and be amply broad to give the toes plenty of
room. The shoe should be water-tight. A medium weight, high-topped
lace shoe is about right. Bathing the feet at the springs and streams
along the road will be refreshing, if not indulged in too frequently.
{146} See Chapter on "Health and Endurance" for care of the feet and
proper way of walking.
It is well to carry a spare shirt hanging down the back with the
sleeves tied around the neck. Change when the shirt you are wearing
becomes too wet with perspiration.
The most practical and inexpensive pack is the one made for the Boy
Scouts of America. (Price 60 cents.) It is about 14 x 20 inches
square, and 6 inches thick, made of water-proof canvas with
shoulder-straps, and will easily hold everything needed for a tramping
trip.
A few simple remedies for bruises, cuts, etc., should be taken along
by the leader. You may not need them and some may poke fun at them,
but, as the old lady said, "You can't always sometimes tell." The
amount and kind of provisions must be determined by the locality and
habitation.
The Lean-to
Reach the place where you are going to spend the night in plenty of
time to build your lean-to, and make your bed for {147} the night.
Select your camping spot with reference to water, wood, drainage, and
material for your lean-to. Choose a dry, level place, the ground just
sloping enough to insure the water running away from your lean-to in
case of rain. In building your lean-to look for a couple of good trees
standing from eight to ten feet apart with branches from six to eight
feet above the ground. By studying the illustration (No. 1) you will
be able to build a very serviceable shack, affording protection from
the dews and rain. While two or more boys are building the shack,
another should be gathering firewood and preparing the meal, while
another should be cutting and bringing in as many soft, thick tips of
trees as possible, for the roof of the shack and the beds.
The Bed
On the floor of your lean-to lay a thick layer of the fans or branches
of a balsam or hemlock, with the convex side up, and the butts of the
stems toward the foot of the bed. Now thatch this over with more fans
by thrusting the butt ends through the first layer at a slight angle
toward the head of the bed, so that the soft tips will curve toward
the foot of the bed, and be sure to make the head of your bed away
from the opening of the lean-to and the foot toward the opening. Over
this bed spread your rubber blankets or ponchos with rubber side down,
your sleeping blanket on top, and you will be surprised how soft,
springy, and fragrant a bed you have, upon which to rest your "weary
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frame" and sing with the poet:
{148}
Hot-Stone Wrinkle
If the night bids fair to be cold, place a number of stones about six
or eight inches in diameter near the fire, so that they will get hot.
These can then be placed at the feet, back, etc., as needed, and will
be found good "bed warmers." When a stone loses its heat, it is
replaced near the fire and a hot one taken. If too hot, wrap the stone
in a shirt or sweater or wait for it to cool off.
Observation Practice
Many boys have excellent eyes, but see not, and good ears but hear
not, all because they have not been trained to observe or to hear
quickly. A good method of teaching observation while on a hike or
tramp is to have each boy jot down in a small note-book or diary of
the trip, the different kinds of trees, birds, animals, tracks, nature
of roads, fences, peculiar rock formation, smells of plants, etc., and
thus be able to tell what he saw or heard to the boys upon his return
to the permanent camp or to his home.
Camp Lamp
A very convenient lamp to use on a hike is the Baldwin Camp Lamp made
by John Simmons Co., 13 Franklin Street, New York City. It weighs only
five ounces when full; is charged with carbide and is but 4-3/4 inches
high. It projects a strong light 150 feet through the woods. A stiff
wind will not blow it out. It can be worn comfortably in your hat or
belt.
Handy Articles
Another way: Place the green logs side by side, closer together at one
end than the other. Build the fire between. On the logs over the fire
you can rest a frying-pan, kettle, etc. To start the fire have some
light, dry wood split up fine. When sticks begin to blaze, add a few
more of larger size and continue until you have a good fire. To
prevent the re-kindling of the fire after it is apparently out, pour
water over it and soak the earth for the space of two or three feet
around it. This is very important, for many forest fires have started
through failure to observe this caution.
COOKING RECEIPTS
Cooking for Hikes and Over-night Camps
The following tested receipts are given for those who go on hikes and
over-night camps:
Griddle-cakes
Beat one egg, tablespoonful of sugar, one cup diluted condensed milk
or new milk. Mix enough self-raising flour to {150} make a thick cream
batter. Grease the griddle with rind or slices of bacon for each batch
of cakes. Be sure to have the griddle hot.
Bacon
Slice bacon quite thin; remove the rind, which makes slices curl up.
Fry on griddle or put on a sharp end of a stick and hold over the hot
coals, or better yet remove the griddle, and put on a clean, flat rock
in its place. When hot lay the slices of bacon on the rock and broil.
Keep turning so as to brown on both sides.
Roast Potatoes
Wash and dry potatoes thoroughly, bury them deep in a good bed of
coals, cover them with hot coals until well done. It will take about
forty minutes for them to bake. Then pass a sharpened hard-wood sliver
through them from end to end, and let the steam escape and use
immediately as a roast potato soon becomes soggy and bitter.
Clean well. Small fish should be fried whole with the back bone
severed to prevent curling up; large fish should be cut into pieces,
and ribs loosened from back bone so as to lie flat in pan. Rub the
pieces in corn meal or powdered crumbs, thinly and evenly (that browns
them), fry in plenty of hot fat to a golden brown, sprinkling lightly
with salt just as the color turns. If fish has not been wiped dry it
will absorb too much grease. If the frying fat is not very hot when
fish are put in, they will be soggy with it.
Frogs' Legs
Eggs
Scrambled: First stir the eggs up and after putting some butter in the
frying-pan, stir the eggs in it after adding a little condensed milk.
Coffee
Cocoa
Allow a teaspoonful of cocoa for every cup of boiling water. Mix the
powdered cocoa with water or boiled milk, with sugar to taste. Boil
two or three minutes.
These receipts have been tried out. Biscuit and bread making have been
purposely omitted. Take bread and crackers with you from camp.
"Amateur" biscuits are not conducive to good digestion or happiness.
Pack butter in small jar: cocoa, sugar, and coffee in small cans or
heavy paper; also salt and pepper. Wrap bread in a moist cloth to
prevent drying up; {152} bacon and dried or chipped beef in wax paper.
Pickles can be purchased put up in small bottles. Use the empty bottle
as candle-stick.
Breakfast
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Griddle-Cakes, Fried Bacon and Potatoes, Bread, Coffee, Preserves
Dinner
Creamed Salmon on Toast, Baked Potatoes, Bread, Pickles, Fruit
Supper
Fried Eggs, Creamed or Chipped Beef, Cheese, Bread, Cocoa
_Utensils_
Small griddle
Small stew pan
Small coffee-pot
Large spoon
Plate and cup
Matches and candle.
Dish Washing
First fill the frying-pan with water, place over the fire, and let it
boil. Pour out water and you will find the pan has practically cleaned
itself. Clean the griddle with sand and water. Greasy knives and forks
may be cleaned by jabbing {153} them into the ground. After all grease
is gotten rid of, wash in hot water and dry with cloth. Don't use the
cloth first and get it greasy.
Leadership
_Order of Business_
1. Opening Council
2. Roll-call
3. Record of last council
4. Reports of scouts
5. Left over business
6. Complaints
7. Honors
8. New scouts
9. New business
10. Challenges
11. Social doings, songs, dances, stories
12. Closing Council (devotional services when desired) 8:45 lights out
{154}
Water Supply
Sanitation
A most important matter when in camp, and away from modern
conveniences is that of sanitation. This includes not {155} only care
as to personal cleanliness, but also as to the water supply and the
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proper disposal of all refuse through burial or burning. Carelessness
in these matters has been the cause of serious illness to entire camps
and brought about many deaths. In many instances the loss of life in
the armies has been greater through disease in the camp than on the
battlefields.
General Hints
Wash in cold water, very soapy, hang them up dripping wet, and they
will not shrink.
If you keep your head from getting hot and your feet dry there will be
little danger of sickness.
If your head gets too hot put green leaves inside of your hat.
If your throat is parched, and you cannot get water, put a pebble in
your mouth. This will start the saliva and quench the thirst.
Water Hints
If you work your hands like paddles and kick your feet, you can stay
above water for some time even with your clothes on. It requires a
little courage and enough strength not to lose your head.
{156}
Many boy swimmers make the mistake of going into the water too soon
after eating. The stomach and digestive organs are busy preparing the
food for the blood and body. Suddenly they are called upon to care for
the work of the swimmer. The change is too quick for the organs, the
process of digestion stops, congestion is apt to follow, and then
paralyzing cramps.
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The rule in most camps regarding entering the water is as follows: "No
one of the party shall enter the water for swimming or bathing except
at the time and place designated, and in the presence of a leader."
Laxity in the observance of this rule will result disastrously.
Clouds
Rains
{157}
Clear
The way to find which way the wind is blowing is to throw up little
bits of dry grass, or to hold up a handful of light dust and let it
fall, or to suck your thumb, wet it all around and let the wind blow
over it, and the cold side of it will then tell you which way the wind
is blowing.
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Weather Flags
A set of flag signals run up each day will create interest. The flags
are easily made or may be purchased.
If you have lost your bearings, and it is a cloudy day, put the point
of your knife blade on your thumb nail, and turn the blade around
until the full shadow of the blade is on the nail. This will tell you
where the sun is, and decide in which direction the camp is.
Face the sun in the morning, spread out your arms straight {158} from
body. Before you is the east; behind you is the west; to your right is
the south; the left hand is the north. Grass turns with the sun.
Remember this when finding your way at night.
There are ways and ways of building a camp fire. An old Indian saying
runs, "White man heap fool, make um big fire--can't git near! Injun
make um little fire--git close! Ugh! good!"
Never build a large camp fire too near the tent or inflammable pine
trees. Better build it in the open.
"A fire is never out," says Chief Forester H. S. Graves, "until the
last spark is extinguished. Often a log or snag will smolder unnoticed
after the flames have apparently been conquered only to break out
afresh with a rising wind."
Be sure to get a copy of the laws of your state regarding forest
fires, and if a permit is necessary to build a fire, secure it, before
building the fire.
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Kephart, in his book on "Camping and Woodcraft" (p. 28), says: "When
there is nothing dry to strike it on, jerk the head {160} of the match
forward through the teeth. Or, face the wind. Cup your hands back
toward the wind, remove the right hand just long enough to strike the
match on something very close by, then instantly resume former
position. Flame of match will run up stick instead of blowing away
from it."
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{159}
FOREST FIRES!
The great annual destruction of forests by fire is an injury to all
persons and industries. The welfare of every community is dependent
upon a cheap and plentiful supply of timber, and a forest cover is the
most effective means of preventing floods and maintaining a regular
flow of streams used for irrigation and other useful purposes.
To prevent forest fires Congress passed the law approved May 5, 1900,
which--
This law, for offenses against which officers of the FOREST SERVICE
can arrest without warrant, provides as maximum punishment--
It also provides that the money from such fines shall be paid to the
school fund of the county in which the offense is committed.
THE EXERCISE OF CARE WITH SMALL FIRES IS THE BEST PREVENTIVE OF LARGE
ONES. Therefore all persons are requested--
JAMES WILSON,
Secretary of Agriculture
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{160 continued}
"I cannot conceive of a camp that does not have a big fire. Our city
houses do not have it, not even a fireplace. The fireplace is one of
the greatest schools the imagination has ever had or can ever have. It
is moral, and it always has a tremendous stimulus to the imagination,
and that is why stories and fire go together. You cannot tell a good
story unless you tell it before a fire. You cannot have a complete
fire unless you have a good story-teller along!
"Anyone who has witnessed a real camp fire and participated in its fun
as well as seriousness will never forget it. The huge fire shooting up
its tongue of flame into the darkness of the night, the perfect shower
of golden rain, the company of happy {161} boys, and the great dark
background of piny woods, the weird light over all, the singing, the
yells, the stories, the fun, and then the serious word at the close,
is a happy experience long to be remembered."
Camp-fire Stunts
College songs always appeal to boys. Let some leader start up a song
in a natural way, and soon you will have a chorus of unexpected melody
and harmony. As the fire dies down, let the songs be of a more quiet
type like "My Old Kentucky Home," and ballads of similar nature.
When the embers are glowing is the time for toasting marshmallows. Get
a long stick sharpened to a point, fasten a marshmallow on the end,
hold it over the embers, not in the blaze, until the marsh-mallow
expands. Oh, the deliciousness of it! Ever tasted one? Before roasting
corn on the cob, tie the end of the husk firmly with string or cord;
soak in water for about an hour; then put into the hot embers. The
water prevents the corn from burning and the firmly tied husks enable
the corn to be steamed and the real corn flavor is thus retained. In
about twenty minutes the corn may be taken from the fire and eaten.
Have a bowl of melted butter and salt at hand. Also a pastry brush to
spread the melted butter upon the corn. Try it.
Story Telling
For an example of a good story to be told around the camp fire this
excellent tale by Prof. F. M. Burr is printed by permission:
In the olden time, when the woods covered all the earth except the
deserts and the river bottoms, and men lived on the fruits and berries
they found and the wild animals which they could shoot or snare, when
they dressed in skins and lived in caves, there was little time for
thought. But as men grew stronger and more cunning and learned how to
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live together, they had more time to think and more mind to think
with.
Men had learned many things. They had learned that cold weather
followed hot; and spring, winter; and that the sun got up in the
morning and went to bed at night. They said that the great water was
kindly when the sun shone, but when the sun hid its face and the wind
blew upon it, it grew black and angry and upset their canoes. They
found that knocking flints together or rubbing dry sticks would light
the dry moss and that the {162} flames which would bring back summer in the
midst of winter and day in the midst of night were hungry and must be
fed, and when they escaped devoured the woods and only the water could
stop them.
These and many other things men learned, but no one knew why it all
was or how it came to be. Man began to wonder, and that was the
beginning of the path which led to the Great Spirit.
In the ages when men began to wonder there was born a boy whose name
was Wo, which meant in the language of his time, "Whence." As he lay
in his mother's arms she loved him and wondered: "His body is of my
body, but from whence comes the life--the spirit which is like mine
and yet not like it?" And his father seeing the wonder in the mother's
eyes, said, "Whence came he from?" And there was no one to answer, and
so they called him Wo to remind them that they knew not from whence he
came.
As Wo grew up, he was stronger and swifter of foot than any of his
tribe. He became a mighty hunter. He knew the ways of all the wild
things and could read the signs of the seasons. As he grew older they
made him a chief and listened while he spoke at the council board, but
Wo was not satisfied. His name was a question and questioning filled
his mind.
"Whence did he come? Whither was he going? Why did the sun rise and
set? Why did life burst into leaf and flower with the coming of
spring? Why did the child become a man and the man grow old and die?"
He went out among his fellows silent and absorbed, always looking for
the unseen and listening for the unspoken. He sat so long silent at
the council board that the elders questioned him. To their questioning
he replied like one awakening from a dream:
"Our fathers since the beginning have trailed the beasts of the woods.
There is none so cunning as the fox, but we can trail him to his lair.
Though we are weaker than the great bear and buffalo, yet by our
wisdom we overcome them. The deer is more swift of foot, but by craft
we overtake him. We cannot fly like a bird, but we snare the winged
one with a hair. We have made ourselves many cunning inventions by
which the beasts, the trees, the wind, the water and the fire become
our servants.
"Then we speak great swelling words: 'How great and wise we are! There
is none like us in the air, in the wood, or in the water!'
"But the words are false. Our pride is like that of a partridge
drumming on his log in the wood before the fox leaps upon him. Our
sight is like that of the mole burrowing under the ground. Our wisdom
is like a drop of dew upon the grass. Our ignorance is like the great
water which no eye can measure.
"Our life is like a bird coming out of the dark, fluttering for a
heart-beat in the tepee and then going forth into the dark again. No
one can tell whence it comes or whither it goes. I have asked the wise
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men and they cannot answer. I have listened to the voice of the trees
and wind and water, but I do not know their tongue; I have questioned
the sun and the moon and the stars, but they are silent.
"But to-day in the silence before the darkness gives place to light, I
seemed to hear a still small voice within my breast, saying to me,
'Wo, the {163} questioner, rise up like the stag from his lair; away,
alone, to the mountain of the sun. There thou shalt find that which
thou seekest.' I go, but if I fail by the trail another will take it
up. If I find the answer I will return."
Waiting for none, Wo left the council of his tribe and went his way
toward the mountain of the sun. For six days he made his way through
the trackless woods, guided by the sun by day and the stars by night.
On the seventh day he came to the great mountain--the mountain of the
sun, on whose top, according to the tradition of his tribe, the sun
rested each night. All day long he climbed saying to himself, "I will
sleep tonight in the teepee of the sun, and he will tell me whence I
come and whither I go."
But as he climbed the sun seemed to climb higher and higher; and, as
he neared the top, a cold cloud settled like a night bird on the
mountain. Chilled and faint with hunger and fatigue, Wo struggled on.
Just at sunset he reached the top of the mountain, but it was not the
mountain of the sun, for many days' journey to the west the sun was
sinking in the Great Water.
A bitter cry broke from Wo's parched lips. His long trail was useless.
There was no answer to his questions. The sun journeyed farther and
faster than men dreamed, and of wood and waste and water there was no
end. Overcome with misery and weakness he fell upon a bed of moss with
his back toward the sunset and the unknown.
And Wo slept, although it was unlike any sleep he had ever known
before, and as he slept he dreamed. He was alone upon the mountain
waiting for the answer. A cloud covered the mountain but all was
silent. A mighty wind rent the cloud and rushed roaring through the
crags, but there was no voice in the wind. Thunder pealed, lightning
flashed, but he whom Wo sought was not there.
In the hush that followed up the storm Wo heard a voice, low and
quiet, but in it all the sounds of earth and sky seemed to mingle--the
song of the bird, the whispering of the trees, and the murmuring of
the brook.
"Thy body is of the earth and to earth returns; thy spirit is mine; it
is given thee for a space to make according to thy will; then it
returns to me better or worse for thy making.
"Thou hast found me because thy heart was pure, and thy search for me
tireless. Go back to thy tribe and be to them the voice of the Great
Spirit. From henceforth I will speak to thee, and the seekers that
come after thee in a thousand voices and appear in a thousand shapes.
I will speak in the voices of the woods and streams and of those you
love. I will appear to you in the sun by day and the stars by night.
When thy people and mine are in need and wish for the will of the
Great Spirit, then shall my spirit brood over thine and the words that
thou shalt speak shall be my words."
And Wo awoke, facing the east and the rising sun. His body was warmed
by its rays. A great gladness filled his soul. He had sought and found
and prayer came to him like the song to the bird.
"O Great Spirit, father of my spirit, the sun is thy messenger, but
thou art brighter than the sun. Drive thou the darkness before me. Be
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thou the light of my spirit." As Wo went down the mountain and took
the journey back to the home of his people, his face shone, and the
light never seemed to leave it, so that men called him "He of the
shining face."
{164}
When Wo came back to his tribe, all who saw his face knew that he had
found the answer, and they gathered again about the council fire to
hear. As Wo stood up and looked into the eager faces in the circle of
the fire, he remembered that the Great Spirit had given him no message
and for a moment he was dumb. Then the words of the Great Spirit came
to him again. "When thy people and mine shall need to know my will, my
spirit shall brood over thine and the words that thou shalt speak
shall be my words." Looking into the eager faces of longing and
questioning, his Spirit moved within him and he spoke:
"I went, I sought, I found the Great Spirit who dwells in the earth as
your spirits dwell in your bodies. It is from Him the spirit comes. We
are His children. He cares for us more than a mother for the child on
her breast, or the father for the son that is his pride. His love is
like the air we breathe: it is about us; it is within us.
"The sun is the sign of His brightness, the sky of His greatness and
mother-love and father-love, and the love of man and woman are the
signs of His love. We are but His children; we cannot enter into the
council of the Great Chief until we have been proved, but this is His
will, that we love one another as He loves us; that we bury forever
the hatchet of hate, that no man shall take what is not his own and
the strong shall help the weak."
The chiefs did not wholly understand the words of Wo, but they took a
hatchet and buried it by the fire saying, "Thus bury we hate between
man and his brother," and they took an acorn and put it in the earth
saying, "Thus plant we the love of the strong for the weak." And it
became the custom of the tribe that the great council in the spring
should bury the hatchet and plant the acorn. Every morning the tribe
gathered to greet the rising sun, and with right hand raised and left
upon their hearts prayed: "Great Spirit hear us; guide us to-day; make
our wills Thy will, our ways Thy way."
And the tribe grew stronger and greater and wiser than all the other
tribes--but that is another story.
_By H. J. Holden_
The accompanying sketches show a few of the many different tents which
may be made from any available piece of cloth or canvas. The material
need not be cut, nor its usefulness for other purposes impaired,
except that rings or tapes are attached at various points as
indicated. For each tent the sketches show a front elevation, with a
ground plan, or a side view; also a view of the material laid flat,
with dotted lines to indicate where creases or folds will occur.
Models may be made from stiff paper and will prove as interesting to
the kindergartner in geometry as to the old campaigner in camping. In
most of the tents a ring for suspension is fastened at the centre of
one side. This may be supported by a pole or hung by means {165} of a
rope from any convenient fastening; both methods are shown in the
sketches. Guy ropes are required for a few of the different models,
but most of them are pegged down to the ground.
After making paper models, find a stack cover, a tarpaulin, a tent
fly, an awning, or buy some wide cotton cloth, say 90-inch. All the
shapes may be repeatedly made from the same piece of material, if the
rings for changes are left attached. In Nos. 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, a
portion of the canvas is not used and may be turned under to serve as
sod-cloth, or rolled up out of the way. If your material is a large
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piece, more pegs and guy lines will be required than is indicated in
the sketches. The suspension ring, 1-1/2 inches or 2 inches in
diameter, should be well fastened, with sufficient reinforcement to
prevent tearing out; 1-inch rings fastened with liberal lengths of
tape are large enough for the pegs and guy lines. Also reinforce along
the lines of the strain from peg to pole.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Fig. 1.--A square of material hung by one corner, from any convenient
support, in a manner to make a comfortable shelter; it will shed rain
and reflect heat. This square makes a good fly or a good ground cloth
for any of the tents.
[Illustration: Fig. 1. Tent from a square of canvas. A 7 x 7 sheet is
ample for a one-man shelter; 9 x 9 will house two.]
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Fig. 2.--A rectangle equal to two squares. A shelter roomy and warm,
with part of one side open toward the fire.
[Illustration: Fig. 2. Rectangle tent.]
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{166}
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Fig. 4.--Same in plan as No.3, but has a triangular front and only one
point of suspension.
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{167}
Fig 5.--Uses all the cloth, has a triangular ground plan, a square
front opening, plenty of head room at the back and requires two or
more guy lines. This shelter resembles a "toque."
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Fig. 6.--Square or "miner's" tent. Two corners are turned under. This
tent is enclosed on all sides, with a door in front.
[Illustration: Fig. 6. Miner's tent.]
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Fig. 7.--Conical tent or "wigwam," entirely enclosed, with door in
front. Two corners of the canvas are turned under.
[Illustration: Fig. 7. Conical tent, or wigwam/]
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Fig. 8.--Has a wall on one side and is called a "canoe tent" in some
catalogues. It requires two or more guy lines and is shown with a pole
support. The front has a triangular opening.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------
{168}
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There are other shapes and combinations, but perhaps these sketches
are enough in the line of suggestion.
The diagram Fig. 12 shows a method for laying out, on your cloth, the
location of all the rings to make the tents and shelters. No
dimensions are given and none is required. The diagram is good for any
size. Most of the fastenings are found on radial lines, which are
spaced to divide a semi-circle into eight equal {169} angles, 22-1/2
degrees each; these intersect other construction lines and locate the
necessary loops and rings. Figures are given at each ring which refer
back to the sketch numbers.
[Illustration: Fig. 12. Showing how ten different tents can be made
with but one piece of canvas.]
{170}
Waterproofing a Tent
Dissolve half a pound of alum in two quarts of boiling water; then add
two gallons of pure cold water. In this solution place the material
and let it remain for a day. Dissolve a quarter of a pound of sugar of
lead in two quarts boiling water, then add two gallons of cold water.
Take the material from the alum solution, wring it lightly, place in
the second solution and leave for five or six hours; then wring out
again lightly and allow it to dry.
To make an open outing tent, get thirteen yards of 8 oz. duck canvas,
which can be bought at any department store or dry goods store for
seventeen or eighteen cents a yard. This makes your total expense
$2.21 for your tent. Layout the strip of canvas on the floor and cut
one end square; measure up 8 inches along the edge and draw a line to
the other corner. {171} From this corner layoff 7 ft. 8 in. along the
edge and on the opposite side, layoff 5 ft. 9 in. beginning at the end
of your 8-in. measurement. Now take a ruler and draw another diagonal
across the canvas at the ends of these measurements and you have the
first gore of your tent. Cut it across, turn the gore over, lay it
down on the strip so as to measure off another one exactly like it.
This is the corresponding gore for the other side of the tent. To make
the second pair of gores, layoff 5 ft. 9 in. along one side of the
remaining strip of canvas beginning at the pointed end, and 3 ft. 10
in. on the other side. Join these points with a diagonal and you have
a second gore, a duplicate of which is then cut by using it as a
pattern, reversing and laying it down on the strip of canvas. To make
the third gore, layoff 3 ft. 10 in, on one edge of your strip
beginning at the point, and 1 ft. 11 in. on the other side. Draw a
diagonal across and you have the third gore.
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You have now used up all but two yards of your canvas, plus a little
left-over piece of about two feet long. Out of this little left-over
piece make a triangle 1 ft. 11 in. on the side, which will form the
back triangle of your tent. Now pin your three gores together to make
the side of your tent, just as in the illustrations, and pin the two
sides together along the ridge. Then sew this tent up. Sew in the
little back triangle and hem all around the edges. Leave a hole at the
peak of the little triangle through which the ridge pole must go.
{172}
To set it up, cut three small saplings, one of which should be twelve
feet long and the other two, ten feet long. Tie these two together at
the ends making what the sailors call a "shears." Take the twelve-foot
pole and run it down the ridge inside the tent, and out through the
hole in the back. Now raise the ridge pole with one end stuck in the
ground and the front end resting on the two shear poles and tie all
three of them together. At the end of each seam along the hem you must
work in a little eyelet hole for a short piece of twine to tie to the
tent pegs. Stretch out the back triangle, pegging it down at the two
corners on the ground, and then peg out each hole along the foot until
the entire tent stretches out taut as in our illustrations. Three feet
from the peak along the front edge you must have another eyelet hole
with a little piece of twine and you tie this out to the shear pole on
each side which gives the tent the peculiar gambrel roof which it has,
and which has the advantage of giving you lots more room inside than
the straight tent would. You now have what is known as the "open"
forester tent.
To make a good night fire in front of the tent, drive two stout stakes
three feet long in the ground about three feet from the mouth of the
tent; pile four logs one on top of the other against these stakes or
take a large flat stone and rest it against it. Make two log andirons
for each side of the fire and build your fire in the space between
them. It will give you a fine cheerful fire and all the heat will be
reflected by the back logs into the tent, making it warm and cheerful.
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Inside you can put your browse bags stuffed with balsam browse; or
pile up a mountain of dry leaves over which you can stretch your
blankets. Pile all the duffle way back in the peak against the little
back triangle where it will surely keep dry and will form a sort of
back for your pillows. You will find the forester tent lighter and
warmer than the ordinary lean-to, as it reflects the heat better.
After a couple of weeks in it you will come home with your lungs so
full of ozone that it will be impossible to sleep in an ordinary room
without feeling smothered.
The birch-bark canoe is the boat of the North American Indians, and
our modern canvas canoes are made, with some {174} variations, on the
Indian model. With the possible exception of the Venetian gondola, the
motion of a canoe is more graceful than that of any other boat
propelled by hand; it should be continuous and gliding, and so silent
that it may be brought up in the night to an animal or enemy, Indian
fashion, without making any sound, and so take them by surprise.
175 Campcraft
For the purpose of sailing in a canoe the Lateen rig is the safest,
most easily handled, and the best all-round sailing outfit. For a
seventeen-foot canoe a sail having forty square feet of surface is to
be recommended, and, in all except very high winds, this can be
handled by one man.
The paddle is used as a rudder and may be held by the sailor, but a
better plan is to have two paddles, one over each side, made fast to
the gunwale or the brace. The sailor can then grasp either one as he
goes about and there is no danger of losing the paddles overboard. In
sailing, the sailor sits on the bottom, on the opposite side from the
sail, except in a high wind, when he sits on the gunwale where he can
the better balance the sail with his weight. The combination of sail,
leeboards, and the balancing weight of the sailor, will render the
canoe stiff and safe, with proper care, in any wind less than a gale.
A crew may consist of two or three in a seventeen foot canoe.
{179}
[Illustration: This diagram illustrates some of the angles formed by
the boom and the keel line of the boat in different positions.]
{180 continued}
Row-boats
There is a certain caution in the use of boats which you will always
find among sailors and fishermen and all persons who are using them
constantly. Such a person instinctively steps into the middle of the
boat when getting in, and always sits in the middle of the thwart or
seat. This is a matter of instinct with seafaring people, and so is
the habit of never fooling in a boat. Only landlubbers will try to
stand up in a small boat while in motion; and, as for the man who
rocks a boat "for fun," he is like the man "who didn't know the gun
was loaded."
Rowing
Turning
To turn your boat to the right, when pulling, you row only with the
left oar; or, if you wish to make a sharp turn "pull" with the left
oar and "back water" with the right. To turn your boat to the left the
action of the oars is reversed.
Feathering
To prevent the momentum of the boat from being checked by the wind
blowing on the blades of the oars, the blades must be turned into a
horizontal position as they leave the water. In "pulling" this is done
by turning the hands backward at {181} the wrist, and in backing water
it is done by turning the hands forward at the wrist.
Sculling
Steering
Coming Alongside
Keeping Stroke
When two or more are rowing together the length and speed of the
stroke are set by the man sitting nearest the stern.
Rough Weather
Going Ashore
When going ashore always leave your oars lying flat on the thwarts on
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either side of your boat.
The Salute
{182}
Direction of Wind
Of course, you will see that, if you should forget which way the wind
is blowing, you could not possibly know the right position for your
sail; and this is one of the first requirements for a beginner. It is
quite easy to become confused with regard to the direction of the
wind, and therefore every boat should be provided with a small flag or
fly at its mast-head and you should keep watching it at every turn of
the boat until the habit {183} has become instinctive. It is
convenient to remember that the fly should always point as nearly as
possible to the end of the gaff, except when you are sailing free or
before the wind.
Close to Wind
Sailing with the boat pointing as nearly as possible against the wind
is called sailing close to the wind; when you have turned your bow to
the right or left so that the wind strikes both boat and sail at right
angles you are sailing with the wind abeam; as you let out your sheet
so that the boom makes a larger angle with an imaginary line running
from the mast to the middle of the stern you are sailing off the wind;
and, when your sail stands at right angles to this same line, you are
sailing free or before the wind.
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Before the Wind
Reefing
If you find that the wind is too strong for your boat, and that you
are carrying too much sail, you can let her come up into the wind and
take in one or two reefs. This is done by letting out both the throat
and peak halliards enough to give sufficient slack of sail, then by
hauling the sail out toward the end of the boom, and afterward by
rolling the sail up and tying the points under and around it, but not
around the boom. Always use a square or reef knot in tying your reef
points. In case of a squall or a strong puff of wind, remember that
you can always ease the pressure on your sail by turning the bow into
the wind, and if for any reason you wish to shorten suddenly you can
drop your peak by loosening the peak halliards.
Ready About
Before "going about," or turning your bow so that the wind will strike
the other side of the sail at its mast end, the man {184} at the helm
should always give warning by singing out the words, "ready about."
"Going about" is just the opposite of jibbing.
Right of Way
When sailing through high waves, always try as far as possible to head
into them directly at right angles. Always steer as steadily as
possible. If you are careful to keep the boat on her course and do not
let your mind wander, only a slight motion of the tiller from side to
side will be necessary.
While the "fly" or "pennant" is carried at the top of the mast, the
flag is carried at the peak or upper corner of the sail at the end of
the gaff. The salute consists of tipping or slightly lowering the flag
and raising it again into position.
{185}
Notes
{186}
Notes
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{187}
CHAPTER IV
"I wish I could go West and join the Indians so that I should have no
lessons to learn," said an unhappy small boy who could discover no
atom of sense or purpose in any one of the three R's.
"You never made a greater mistake," said the scribe. "For the young
Indians have many hard lessons from their earliest day--hard lessons
and hard punishments. With them the dread penalty of failure is 'go
hungry till you win,' and no harder task have they than their reading
lesson. Not twenty-six characters are to be learned in this exercise,
but one thousand; not clear straight print are they, but dim,
washed-out, crooked traces; not in-doors on comfortable chairs, with a
patient teacher always near, but out in the forest, often alone and in
every kind of weather, they slowly decipher their letters and read
sentences of the oldest writing on earth--a style so old that the
hieroglyphs of Egypt, the cylinders of Nippur, and the drawings of the
cave men are as things of to-day in comparison--the one universal
script--the tracks in the dust, mud, or snow.
"These are the inscriptions that every hunter must learn to read
infallibly, and be they strong or faint, straight or crooked, simple
or overwritten with many a puzzling, diverse phrase, he must decipher
and follow them swiftly, unerringly if there is to be a successful
ending to the hunt which provides his daily food.
It is a remarkable fact that there are always more wild animals about
than any but the expert has an idea of. For {188} example, there are,
within twenty miles of New York City, fully fifty different kinds--not
counting birds, reptiles, or fishes--one quarter of which at least are
abundant. Or more particularly within the limits of Greater New York
there are at least a dozen species of wild beasts, half of which are
quite common.
"Then how is it that we never see any?" is the first question of the
incredulous. The answer is: Long ago the beasts learned the dire
lesson--man is our worst enemy; shun him at any price. And the
simplest way to do this is to come out only at night. Man is a daytime
creature; he is blind in the soft half-light that most beasts prefer.
While many animals have always limited their activity to the hours of
twilight and gloom, there are not a few that moved about in daytime,
but have given up that portion of their working day in order to avoid
the arch enemy.
Thus they can flourish under our noses and eat at our tables, without
our knowledge or consent. They come and go at will, and the world
knows nothing of them; their presence might long go unsuspected but
for one thing, well known to the hunter, the trapper, and the
naturalist: wherever the wild four-foot goes, it leaves behind a
record of its visit, its name, the direction whence it came, the time,
the thing it did or tried to do, with the time and direction of
departure. These it puts down in the ancient script. Each of these
dotted lines, called the trail, is a wonderful, unfinished record of
the creature's life during the time it made the same, and it needs
only the patient work of the naturalist to decipher that record and
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from it learn much about the animal that made it, without that animal
ever having been seen.
{189}
{190 continued}
The ideal time for tracking, and almost the only time for most folk,
is when the ground is white. After the first snow the student walks
forth and begins at once to realize the wonders of the trail. A score
of creatures of whose existence, maybe, he did not know, are now
revealed about him, and the reading of their autographs becomes easy.
Never lose the chance of the first snow if you wish to become a
trailer. Nevertheless, remember that the first morning after a night's
snow fall is not so good as the second. Most creatures "lie up" during
the storm; the snow hides the tracks of those that do go forth; and
some actually go into a "cold sleep" for a day or two after a heavy
downfall. But a calm, mild night following a storm is sure to offer
abundant and ideal opportunity for beginning the study of the trail.
How to Learn
Here are some of the important facts to keep in view, when you set
forth to master the rudiments:
_First_.--No two animals leave the same trail; not only each kind but
each individual, and each individual at each stage of its life, leaves
a trail as distinctive as the creature's appearance, and it is obvious
that in that they differ among themselves just as we do, because the
young know their mothers, the mothers know their young, and the old
ones know their mates, when scent is clearly out of the question.
Another simple evidence of this is the well known fact that no two
human beings have the same thumb mark; all living creatures have
corresponding peculiarities, and all use these parts in making the
trail.
These facts are well known to every hunter. Most savages are hunters,
and one of the early lessons of the Indian boy is to know the tracks
of the different beasts about him. These are the letters of the old,
old writing.
A First Try
Let us go forth into the woods in one of the North-eastern states when
there is a good tracking snow, and learn a few of these letters of the
wood alphabet.
Two at least are sure to be seen--the track of the blarina and of the
deer mouse. They are shown on the same scale in Figs. 1 and 2, page
198.
In Fig. 3 is the track of the meadow mouse. This is not unlike that of
the blarina, because it walks, being a ground animal, while the deer
mouse more often bounds. The delicate lace traceries of the masked
shrew, shown in Fig. 4, are almost invisible unless the sun be low;
they are difficult to draw, and impossible to photograph or cast
satisfactorily but the sketch gives enough to recognize them by.
The meadow mouse belongs to the rank grass in the lowland {192} near
the brook, and passing it toward the open, running, water we may see
the curious track of the muskrat; its five-toed hind foot, its
four-toed front foot, and its long keeled tail, are plainly on record.
When he goes slowly the tail mark is nearly straight; when he goes
fast it is wavy in proportion to his pace. Page 193.
The muskrat is a valiant beast; he never dies without fighting to the
last, but he is in dread of another brookland creature whose trail is
here--the mink. Individual tracks of this animal are shown in No. 1,
page 161. Here he was bounding; the forefeet are together, the
hindfeet track ahead, and tail mark shows, and but four toes in each
track, though the creature has five on each foot. He is a dreaded
enemy of poor Molly Cottontail, and more than once I have seen the
records of his relentless pursuit. One of these fits in admirably as
an illustration of our present study.
"Largely because you do not study tracks," was the reply. "Look at
your feet now. There is a whole history to be read."
"I see some marks," he replied, "that might have been made by some
animal." "That is the track of a cottontail," was the answer. "Now,
let us read the chapter of his life. See, he went in a general
straight course as though making some well-known haunt, his easy pace,
with eight or ten inches between each set of tracks, shows unalarm.
But see here, joining on, is something else."
"Not at all, this new track is smaller, the forefeet are more or less
paired, showing that the creature can climb a tree; there is a
suggestion of toe pads and there is a mark telling evidently of a long
tail; these things combined with the size and the place identify it
clearly. This is the trail of a mink. See! he has also found the
rabbit track, and finding it fresh, he followed it. His bounds are
lengthened now, but the rabbit's are not, showing that the latter was
unconscious of the pursuit."
After one hundred yards the double trail led us to a great pile of
wood, and into this both went. Having followed his {193} game into
dense cover, the trailer's first business was to make sure that it did
not go out the other side. We went carefully around the pile; there
were no tracks leading out.
"Now," I said, "if you will take the trouble to move that wood pile
you will find in it the remains of the rabbit half devoured and the
mink himself. At this moment he is no doubt curled up asleep."
As the pile was large and the conclusion more or less self-evident, my
brother was content to accept my reading of the episode.
[Illustration: Tracks.]
Dog tracks, front and back (1/2 life-size)
{194}
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How often I have wished for a perfect means of transferring these wild
life tales to paper or otherwise making a permanent collection. My
earliest attempts were in free-hand drawing, which answers, but has
this great disadvantage--it is a translation, a record discolored by
an intervening personality, and the value of the result is likely to
be limited by one's own knowledge at the time.
Casting in plaster was another means attempted; but not one track in
ten thousand is fit to cast. Nearly all are blemished and imperfect in
some way, and the most abundant--those in snow--cannot be cast at
all.
Then I tried spreading plastic wax where the beasts would walk on it,
in pathways or before dens. How they did scoff! The simplest ground
squirrel knew too much to venture on my waxen snare; around 'it, or if
hemmed in, over it, with a mighty bound they went; but never a track
did I so secure.
This gave me the hint at the Zoo I needed, a plan to make an authentic
record of animal tracks. Armed with printer's ink and paper rolls I
set about gathering a dictionary collection of imprints.
After many failures and much experiment, better methods were devised.
A number of improvements were made by my wife; one was the
substitution of black paint for printer's ink, as the latter dries too
quickly; another was the padding of the paper, which should be light
and soft for very light animals, and stronger and harder for the
heavy. Printing from a mouse, for example, is much like printing a
delicate {196} etching; ink, paper, dampness, etc., must be exactly
right, and furthermore, you have this handicap--you cannot regulate
the pressure. This is, of course, strictly a Zoo method. All attempts
to secure black prints from wild animals have been total failures. The
paper, the smell of paint, etc., are enough to keep the wild things
away.
In the Zoo we spread the black pad and the white paper in a narrow,
temporary lane, and one by one drove, or tried to drive, the captives
over them, securing a series of tracks that are life-size, properly
spaced, absolutely authentic, and capable of yielding more facts as
the observer learns more about the subject.
As related here, all this sounds quite easy. But no one has any idea
how cross, crooked, and contrary a creature can be, until he wishes it
to repeat for him some ordinary things that it has hitherto done
hourly. Some of them balked at the paint, some at the paper, some made
a leap to clear all, and thereby wrecked the entire apparatus. Some
would begin very well, but rush back when half-way over, so as to
destroy the print already made, and in most cases the calmest,
steadiest, tamest of beasts became utterly wild, erratic, and
unmanageable when approached with tracklogical intent.
Even domestic animals are difficult. A tame cat that was highly
trained to do anything a cat could do, was selected as promising for a
black track study, and her owner's two boys volunteered to get all the
cat tracks I needed. They put down a long roll of paper in a hall,
painted pussy's feet black, and proceeded to chase her up and down.
Her docility banished under the strain. She raced madly about, leaving
long, useless splashes of black; then, leaping to a fanlight, she
escaped up stairs to take refuge among the snowy draperies. After
which the boys' troubles began.
Thus each of the three means may be successful in a different way, and
the best, most nearly perfect alphabet of the woods, would include all
three, and consist of a drawing, a pedoscript and a photograph of each
track, and a trail; i.e., a single footprint, and the long series of
each animal.
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My practice has been to use all whenever I could, but still I find
free-hand drawing is the one of the most practical application. When I
get a photograph I treasure it as an adjunct to the sketch.
Now the cottontail began a series of the most extraordinary leaps and
dodgings (D,E,F.) as though trying to escape from some enemy. But what
enemy? There were no other tracks. I began to think the rabbit was
crazy--was flying from an imaginary foe--that possibly I was on the
trail of a March hare. But at G I found for the first time some spots
of blood. {198} This told me that the rabbit was in real danger but
gave no due to its source. I wondered if a weasel were clinging to its
neck. A few yards farther, at H, I found more blood. Twenty yards
more, at I, for the first time on each side of the rabbit trail, were
the obvious marks of a pair of broad, strong wings. Oho! now I knew
the mystery of the cottontail running from a foe that left no track.
He was pursued by an eagle, a hawk, or an owl. A few yards farther and
I found the remains (J) of the cottontail partly devoured. This put
the eagle out of the question; an eagle would have carried the rabbit
off boldly. A hawk or an owl then was the assassin. I looked for
something to decide which, and close by the remains found the peculiar
two-paired track of an owl. A hawk's track would have been as K, while
the owl nearly always sets its feet in the ground {199} with two toes
forward and two toes back. But which owl? There were at least three in
the valley that might be blamed. I looked for more proof and got it on
the near-by sapling--one small feather, downy, as are all owl
feathers, and bearing three broad bars, telling me plainly that a
barred owl had been there lately, and that, therefore, he was almost
certainly the slayer of the cottontail. As I busied myself making
notes, what should come flying up the valley but the owl himself--back
to the very place of the crime, intent on completing his meal no
doubt. He alighted on a branch ten feet above my head and just over
the rabbit remains, and sat there muttering in his throat.
The proof in this case was purely circumstantial, but I think that we
can come to only one conclusion; that the evidence of the track in the
snow was complete and convincing.
{198}
{199 continued}
Meadow Mouse
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The meadow mouse autograph (page 189) illustrates the black-track
method. At first these dots look inconsequent and fortuitous, but a
careful examination shows that the creature had four toes with claws
on the forefeet, and five on the hind, which is evidence, though not
conclusive, that it was a rodent; the absence of tail marks shows that
the tail was short or wanting; the tubercules on each palm show to
what group of mice the creature belongs. The alternation of the track
shows that it was a ground-animal, not a tree-climber; the spacing
shows the shortness of the legs; their size determines the size of the
creature. Thus we come near to reconstructing the animal from its
tracks, and see how by the help of these studies, we can get much
light on the by-gone animals whose only monuments are tracks in the
sedimentary rocks about us--rocks that, when they received these
imprints, were the muddy margin of these long-gone creatures' haunts.
{200}
{201}
Horses' Track
_N.B.--The large tracks represent the hind feet_.
These are the tracks of two birds on the ground. One lives generally
on the ground, the other in bushes and trees. Which track belongs to
which bird?
(_From Sir Robert Baden Powell's book_)
{202 continued}
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The American Morse Telegraph Alphabet
Signals
4. Start me.
5. Have you anything for me?
9. Train order (or important military message)--give away.
13. Do you understand? {203}
25. Busy.
30. Circuit closed (or closed station).
73. Accept compliments.
92. Deliver (ed).
Abbreviations
Ahr--Another.
Ans--Answer.
Ck--Check.
Col--Collect.
D H--Dead head.
G A--Go ahead.
G E--Good evening.
G M--Good morning.
G N--Good night.
G R--Government rate.
N M--No more.
Min--Wait a moment
O B--Official business.
O K--All right
Opr--Operator.
Pd--Paid.
Qk--Quick.
Sig--Signature.
{204}
A 22
B 2112
C 121
D 222
E 12
F 2221
G 2211
H 122
I 1
J 1122
K 2121
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L 221
M 1221
N 11
O 21
P 1212
Q 1211
R 211
S 212
T 2
U 112
V 1222
W 1121
X 2122
Y 111
Z 2222
tion 1112
Numerals
1 1111
2 2222
3 1112
4 2221
5 1122
6 2211
7 1222
8 2111
9 1221
0 2112
Conventional Signals
End of word 3
Wait a moment 1111 3
End of sentence 33
Repeat after (word) 121 121 3 22 3 (word)
End of message 333
x x 3 numerals follow (or) numerals end.
Repeat last word 121 121 33
Repeat last message 121 121 121 333
sig 3 signature follows.
Error 12 12 3
Move a little to right 211 211 3
Acknowledgment,
or "I understand" 22 22 3
Move a little to left 221 221 3
Cease signaling 22 22 22 333
Signal faster 2212 3
{205}
Abbreviations
a after
b before
c can
h have
n not
r are
t the
u you
ur your
w word
wi with
y yes
{206}
The first motion ("one" or "1") is to the right of the sender and will
embrace an arc of 90 degrees, starting with the vertical and returning
to it, and will be made in a plane at right angle to the line
connecting the two stations.
To Send a Message
Make a slight pause after each letter and also after "front." If the
sender discovers that he has made an error he should make 3 followed
by 12 123, after which he begins the word in which the error occurred.
The scout may learn the correct angles at which to hold the flags from
the diagram. The easiest method of learning the alphabet is by
grouping the various letters together as follows:
For all letters from A to G, one arm only is used, making a quarter of
a circle for each letter in succession.
For O to S, the right arm stands at B--the left arm moves round as
before.
For T, U, Y and the "annul," the right arm stands at C, the left
moving to the next point of the circle successively.
The numerical sign J (or alphabetical sign) and V--the right arm
stands at position for letter D the left arm only being moved.
{207}
W and X--the left arm stands at position for letter E, the right in
this case moving down 45 degrees to show letter X.
For the letter Z, the left arm stands at the position G--the right arm
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crosses the breast taking the position F.
{208}
The letters A to I also stand for the figures 1 to 9 (K standing for
0), if you make the numerical sign to show that you are going to send
numbers followed by the alphabetical sign (J) when the figures are
finished. They will be checked by being repeated back by the receiving
station. Should figures be wrongly repeated by the receiving station
the sending station will send the "annul" sign (which is answered by
the same sign) and then send the group of figures again.
Whistle Signs
1. One long blast means "Silence," "Alert," "Look out for my next
signal." Also approaching a station.
5. Three short blasts followed by one long one from scout master calls
up the patrol leaders--i.e., "Leaders, come here."
Hand waved several times across the face from side to side or flag
waved horizontally, from side to side opposite the face, means "No,"
"Never mind," "As you were."
Hand or flag held high, and waved as though pushing forward, at full
extent of arm, or whistle a succession of slow blasts means "Extend,"
"Go farther out," "Scatter."
Hand or flag held high, and waved rapidly from side to side, at full
extent of arm, or a succession of short, quick blasts on the whistle,
means "Close in," "Rally," "Come here," "Danger," "Cattle on track."
{209}
Hand or flag pointing in any direction means "Go in that direction."
Clenched hand or flag jumped rapidly up and down several times means,
"Hurry," "Run."
The movement, pushing or beckoning, indicates whether "Hurry here" or
"Hurry there."
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Hand (or flag) held straight up over head, palm forward, means "Stop,"
"Halt."
The following signals are made by a scout with his staff when he is
sent out to reconnoitre within sight of his patrol, and they have the
following meaning:
Staff held up horizontally, that is, level, with both hands above the
head, means, "I have found."
The same, out with staff moved up and down slowly, means, "I have
found, but a long way off."
The same, staff moved up and down rapidly, means, "I have found, and
close by."
The staff held straight up over the head means, "Nothing in sight."
{210}
WIRELESS TELEGRAPHY
_The Boy Scout Wireless Club
Y. M. C. A., Newark, N.J._
The first thing to do is to build an aerial. First find out how long
your location will allow you to build it, and how high. It ought to be
at least 50 to 60 feet high and about 70 to 100 feet long. The main
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point in building an aerial is to have it {211} well insulated from
the ground, and all connections in wire perfectly solid. It is
advisable to solder every connection and to make your aerial strong as
it has a great deal to do with the working qualities of the station.
4. A plate condenser which can be easily made by any scout. Good glass
is the main point.
Above is a diagram which will make a good station for a scout. This
station, if the aero is of the proper height, is capable of sending
messages from 8 to 10 miles.
The aerial itself should be made of copper wire and should be hung
between spreaders as long as convenient and insulated from them by two
cleat insulators in series at each end.
{213}
The same aerial and ground are used for sending as were used for
receiving, and for the experimenter, it will be far cheaper to buy a
spark coil for his sending set than to attempt to make one.
For a field set there will be very little need of a sending helix, as
close tuning will be hardly possible; but for the stationary set this
is very useful.
The spark gap is made of a hard-wood base with two uprights to which
are fastened strips of brass. Under these strips are {214} placed two
pieces of battery zincs so as to make the gap between their ends
variable. Binding posts are fastened to the strips for contact.
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All that now remains is the setting up of the instruments. They are
arranged as in the drawing, a double-point, {215} double-throw switch
being used to switch from sending to receiving.
The sending apparatus is set up, the key and batteries having been
bought or made, and used to call some other station. The clip is put
on various twins of the helix until the other station signals that the
signals are loudest. The station is then ready for actual operation.
NOTES
{216}
Notes
{217}
Notes
{218}
Notes
{219}
CHAPTER V
_George J. Fisher, M. D.
Secretary, Physical Department International Committee
Young Men's Christian Association_
Fitness
Two things greatly affect the conditions under which a boy lives in
these days. One is that he lives in-doors for the greater part of the
time, and the other is that he must attend school, which is pretty
largely a matter of sitting still. Two things therefore are needs of
every boy: out-door experience and physical activity.
To secure endurance, physical power, physical courage, and skill, the
first thing needful is to take stock of one's physical make-up, put
the body in the best possible condition for doing its work and then
keep it in good order.
Proper Carriage
Head up, chin in, chest out, and shoulders back is a good slogan for a
boy scout who desires an erect figure. One can scarcely think of a
round-shouldered scout. Yet there are such among the boys who desire
to be scouts.
There is no particular exercise that a boy can take to cure round
shoulders. The thing to remember is that all exercise that is taken
should be done in the erect position, then the muscles will hold the
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body there.
An erect body means a deeper chest, room for the important organs to
work and thus affords them the best chance to act.
A few setting-up exercises each day in the erect position will help
greatly to get this result.
{220}
[Illustration: Exercise 1]
Position: Heels together, arms down and at sides, palms in.
Movement: Swing arms, sideways, upward to vertical, and return.
[Illustration: Exercise 2]
Same as Exercise I, except that arms
are swung forward, upward to vertical.
Setting-up Exercises
{221}
{222}
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[Illustration: Exercise 9b.]
Movement: Arm circles, downward, inward,
across chest. Reverse the movement.
{223}
Setting-up Exercises
Growth
The chief business of a boy is to grow. He may have other affairs, but
this is his chief concern. He should, therefore, have a few simple
rules for living and make them a part of his daily life.
Out-door Exercises
Medical Examinations
Every boy ought to have, as he takes up his boy-scout work, a thorough
medical examination. Some physician who is interested in boys will be
willing to act as examiner for a patrol or troop. A boy should know
the condition of his heart and lungs before entering any contest. If
he has any defects in his breathing apparatus--nose, throat, or lungs,
these should be attended to or they will seriously interfere with his
endurance tests.
Baths
Beside exercises a boy should have simple, workable rules for living.
A boy ought to take a good soap bath at least twice a week and always
after he has played a hard game or performed work of a nature that has
caused him to perspire freely.
Each morning a quick sponge bath should be the first order of the day,
in water as cool as he can stand it, followed by a good rub with a
coarse towel. If there is a feeling of warmth after the bath, it is
helpful, if not, the water should be slightly warm or only a portion
of the body should be bathed at a time.
Pain
One thing that should be regarded seriously is pain in any form in any
part of the body. If there is a dull headache frequently, find out
what causes it. Pain in the knee, the arch of the foot, or at any
point, should be taken seriously. Pain means something wrong. It may
be brave to bear it, but it {225} is not wise. It may mean something
serious. Remember that pain felt in one part of the body may be the
result of something wrong in another part. See a wise doctor about it.
Eating
And now in reference to what one shall eat. The average boy ought to
have and usually does have an appetite like an ostrich. Three points
to remember are; don't eat too much, most healthy boys do; don't eat
meat more than once a day; and, third, don't eat anything that you
always taste for several hours after you have eaten it, even though
you like it.
Digestion
Boys who cook their own meals when in camp should be {226} careful to
have their food well done. Half-baked and soggy food proves
indigestible.
Constipation
Those boys who find their digestion sluggish and are troubled with
constipation may find the following plan helpful in overcoming the
condition:
Drink a cool, copious draught of water upon arising. Then take some
body-bending exercises. Follow this with the sponge bath. Then, if
possible, take a walk around the block before breakfast. After school,
play some favorite game for at least an hour. In the absence of this,
take a good hike of three or four miles or a longer bicycle ride. At
least twice a week, if possible, enter a gymnasium class and make
special emphasis of body-bending exercises.
{227}
The Teeth
Closely related to the matter of eating is the proper care of the
teeth.
Perhaps--without care--the mouth is the filthiest cavity of the body.
We spend a great deal of energy trying to keep food clean and water
pure, but what is the use if we place them in a dirty cavity as they
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enter the body. Full 90 per cent. of the children examined in our
schools have decayed and dirty teeth. These decayed teeth provide
cavities in which food particles decay and germs grow, and through
which poisons are absorbed. These conditions need not exist. Now just
a few suggestions about the care of the teeth. Every boy should own
his own tooth brush. The teeth should be scrubbed at least twice a
day. At night they should receive most careful cleansing, using a good
tooth paste or powder. Then again in the morning they should be rinsed
at which time simply clean water is sufficient. Time should be taken
in the cleansing of the teeth. The gums should be included in the
scrubbing, as this acts as a good stimulant to the circulation of the
blood to the teeth. Not only should the teeth be brushed with a
backward and forward stroke, as we ordinarily do, but also upward and
downward the length of the teeth. In addition to the scrubbing,
particles of food which are lodged between the teeth should be removed
after meals, or at least after the last meal of the day. This is most
safely done by the use of a thread of a fair degree of thickness.
Dentists and druggists furnish this thread in spools. Hard toothpicks
often cause bleeding and detach fillings. A dentist should be visited
once every six months so as to detect decay immediately. Never have a
tooth pulled unless absolutely necessary.
One way to test the eye is for vision. Place the following letters
fifteen feet from you. If you cannot read them clearly with both eyes
and with each eye separately, consult a first-class oculist.
C L V F O T
E A C F D L O T
D V C L A E O T F
Affections of the ears are exceedingly serious and may lead to grave
results. Any trouble with them should be given very prompt attention
and a good specialist consulted. Pain in the ear, or ringing or
hissing sounds, and particularly any discharge from the ear, should
not be neglected. Any sign of deafness must be heeded. Sometimes
deafness occurs in reference to some particular sounds while hearing
is normal to others. No matter what the degree of deafness may be do
not neglect to see a physician about it. Ordinarily the tick of a
watch can be heard at a distance of thirty inches. If you cannot hear
it at that distance and can hear it say at fifteen inches then you are
just one half from the normal in your hearing. The test should be made
with one ear closed.
Ear troubles are often caused by sticking foreign objects in the ear,
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such as hair pins, pins, matches, toothpicks and lead pencils. Never
pick the ear with anything. Often the ear drum is pierced in this way.
The normal ear does not require anything more than the usual cleansing
with the wash rag over the end of the finger.
One thing to keep in mind is that catarrh of the nose and throat often
extends into the ear passages through a tube which reaches from the
throat to the ear and that syringing of the nose and throat frequently
causes trouble in the ear.
Always breathe through the nose. Air passing through the nose is
warmed and moistened and cleansed; thus it gets to {230} the lungs in
a better condition. If you cannot breathe clearly through the nose,
have it examined. There may be a growth present which needs to be
removed. To become a good runner this is important. Adenoids, which
are growths far back in the mouth, often interfere with nose breathing
and are serious in other ways. Don't stick anything in the nose; and
nose picking is not cleanly. If crusts form in the nose, use a little
vaseline to soften them. Don't blow the nose too vigorously. It may
cause trouble.
Frequent sore throat may be due to enlarged tonsils which either need
treatment or removal. To one who has frequent colds in the head, the
out-of-door life and morning sponge bath and moderate eating will be
of help.
When a foot is normal, the inner border does not touch the floor. By
wetting the foot one can see readily whether he is flat-footed by the
imprint made. The following exercises are good to strengthen the
arches of the foot if there is a tendency to flat feet: (1) Turn toes
in, raise the heels, and come down slowly on the outer borders of the
feet; (2) Walk with heels raised and toes pointing inward, or walk on
the outer borders of the foot, inner borders turned up.
Shoes should fit the feet comfortably. Tight shoes, or shoes that fit
loosely, will cause callouses or corns. The way to get rid of these is
to remove the cause--namely, the badly-fitting shoes. Soft corns are
due to pressure between the toes. The toes in such cases should be
kept apart with cotton. Pointed shoes should be avoided.
Patent-leather shoes are non-porous and hot. Ingrown toe nails are
exceedingly painful. The pain comes from the nail piercing the soft
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parts. Allowing the nail to grow long and beyond the point of the
tender spot will help; {231} and on the side of the nail and under it
cotton should be inserted to protect the soft parts.
Hot foot baths will generally relieve tired feet. Boys should be very
careful in trimming corns for fear of blood poisoning. Never buy
plates at a store for flat feet. They may not be adapted to your
needs. Always consult a foot specialist for treatment and buy plates
if needed on his order. Only severe cases need plates.
Many boys are troubled with perspiring feet and are frequently annoyed
by the odor resulting. Those who are thus troubled should wash the
feet often and carefully, especially, between the toes. By dusting the
feet with boric acid the odor will disappear. At first it may be
necessary to change the stockings daily. In severe cases two pairs of
shoes should be used, changing alternately.
The chief thing in the care of the finger nails is to keep them clean.
Each boy should possess and use a nail brush. Always wash the hands
thoroughly before eating, and use the end of a nail file to remove the
accumulation still remaining under the nails. Keep the nails properly
trimmed. They should not be too long nor too short. If long they are
liable to break and if short to be sensitive. Biting the nails is a
filthy practice and mutilates the fingers dreadfully and makes them
unsightly. It is a very hard habit to overcome ofttimes and will
require persistent effort in order to succeed. By keeping the nails
smooth the tendency to bite them will to some extent be overcome. A
bitter application to the nails will often remind one of the habit, as
often the biting is done unconsciously. The nails should never be
pared with a knife; a curved pair of scissors is better as the cutting
should be done in a curved direction; but the best method is to use a
file. The skin overhanging the nails should be pressed back once a
week to keep them shapely. Rubbing the nails with a nail buffer or
cloth will keep them polished.
Sleep
The conditions under which one sleeps are as important as the length
of time one sleeps. Many people are finding it wonderfully helpful and
invigorating to sleep out of doors. Often a back porch can be
arranged, or, in summer, a tent can be pitched in the yard. But, by
all means, the sleeping room should be well ventilated. Windows should
be thrown wide open. Avoid drafts. If the bed is in such relation to
the windows as to cause the wind to blow directly on it, a screen can
be used to divert it or a sheet hung up as protection. Good, fresh,
cool air is a splendid tonic. In winter open windows are a splendid
preparation for camping out in summer.
Conservation
In this chapter much has been said of the active measures which a boy
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should take in order to become strong and well. We should be equally
concerned in saving and storing up natural forces we already have. In
the body of every boy, who has reached his teens, the Creator of the
universe has sown a very important fluid. This fluid is the most
wonderful material in all the physical world. Some parts of it find
their way into the blood, and through the blood give tone to the
muscles, power to the brain, and strength to the nerves. This fluid is
the sex fluid. When this fluid appears in a boy's body, it works a
wonderful change in him. His chest deepens, his shoulders broaden, his
voice changes, his ideals are changed and enlarged. It gives him the
capacity for deep feeling, for rich emotion. Pity the boy, therefore,
who has wrong ideas of this important function, because they will
lower his ideals of life. These organs actually secrete into the blood
material that makes a boy manly, strong, and noble. Any habit which a
boy has that causes this fluid to be discharged from the body tends to
weaken his strength, to make him less able to resist disease, and
often unfortunately fastens upon him habits which later in life he
{233} cannot break. Even several years before this fluid appears in
the body such habits are harmful to a growing boy.
For boys who desire to know more of this subject we would suggest a
splendid book by Dr. Winfield S. Hall, entitled, "From Youth into
Manhood." Every boy in his teens who wants to know the secret of
strength, power, and endurance should read this book.
NOTES
{234}
Notes
{235}
Notes
{236}
Notes
{237}
CHAPTER VI
CHIVALRY
Ancient Knighthood
A little over fifteen hundred years ago the great order of knighthood
and chivalry was founded. The reason for this was the feeling on the
part of the best men of that day that it was the duty of the stronger
to help the weak. These were the days when might was right, and the
man with the strongest arm did as he pleased, often oppressing the
poor and riding rough shod without any regard over the feelings and
affections of others. In revolt against this, there sprang up all over
Europe a noble and useful order of men who called themselves knights.
Among these great-hearted men were Arthur, Gareth, Lancelot, Bedivere,
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and Alfred the Great. The desire of these men was "To live pure, speak
true, right wrong, follow the king." Of course in these days there
also lived men who called themselves knights, but who had none of the
desire for service that inspired Arthur and the others. These false
knights, who cared for no one but themselves and their own pleasure,
often brought great sorrow to the common people. Chivalry then was a
revolt against their brutal acts and ignorance and a protest against
the continuation of the idea that might was right.
Nowhere in all the stories that have come down to us have the acts of
chivalry been so well told as in the tales of the Round Table. Here it
was that King Arthur gathered about him men like Sir Bors, Sir
Gawaine, Sir Pellias, Sir Geraint, Sir Tristram, Sir Lancelot, and Sir
Galahad. These men moved by the desire of giving themselves in
service, cleared the forests of wild animals, suppressed the robber
barons, {238} punished the outlaws, bullies, and thieves of their day,
and enforced wherever they went a proper respect for women. It was for
this great service that they trained themselves, passing through the
degrees of page, esquire, and knight with all the hard work that each
of these meant in order that they might the better do their duty to
their God and country.
Of course this struggle of right against wrong was not confined to the
days in which chivalry was born. The founding of the order of
knighthood was merely the beginning of the age-long struggle to make
right the ruling thought of life. Long after knighthood had passed
away, the struggle continued. In the birth of the modern nations,
England, Germany, France, and others, there was the distinct feeling
on the part of the best men of these nations that might should and
must give way to right, and that tyranny must yield to the spirit of
freedom. The great struggle of the English barons under King John and
the wresting from the king of the Magna Charta, which became the basis
of English liberty, was merely another development of the idea for
which chivalry stood. The protest of the French Revolution, and the
terrible doings of the common people in these days, although wicked
and brutal in method, were symptoms of the same revolt against
oppression.
When the Pilgrim Fathers founded the American colonies, the work of
Arthur and Alfred and the other great men of ancient days was renewed
and extended and fitted to the new conditions and times. With the
English settlements of Raleigh and Captain John Smith we might almost
say that a new race of men was born and a new kind of knight was
developed. All over America an idea made itself felt that in the eyes
of the law every man should be considered just as good as every other
man, and that every man ought to have a fair and square chance {239}
at all the good things that were to be had in a land of plenty. It was
this spirit that compelled the colonists to seek their independence
and that found its way into our Declaration of Independence as
follows:
We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain
inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the
pursuit of happiness.
The fight of the colonists was the old-time fight of the knights
against the oppression and injustice and the might that dared to call
itself right.
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[Illustration: Pioneer.]
American Pioneers
No set of men, however, showed this spirit of chivalry more than our
pioneers beyond the Alleghanies. In their work and service they
paralleled very closely the knights of the Round Table, but whereas
Arthur's knights were dressed in suits of armor, the American pioneers
were dressed in buckskin. They did, however, the very same things
which ancient chivalry had done, clearing the forests of wild animals,
suppressing the outlaws and bullies and thieves of their day and
enforcing a proper respect for women. Like the old knights they often
were compelled to do their work amid scenes of great bloodshed,
although they loved to live in peace. These American knights and
pioneers were generally termed backwoods men and scouts, and were men
of distinguished appearance, of athletic build, of high moral
character and frequently of firm religious convictions. Such men as
"Apple-seed Johnny," Daniel Boone, George Rogers Clark, Simon Kenton
and John James Audubon, are the types of men these pioneers were. They
were noted for their staunch qualities of character. They hated
dishonesty and were truthful and brave. They were polite to women and
old people, ever ready to rescue a companion when in danger, and
equally ready to risk their lives for a stranger. They were very
hospitable, dividing their last crust with one another, or with the
stranger whom they happened to meet. They were ever ready to do an act
of kindness. {240} They were exceedingly simple in their dress and
habits. They fought the Indians, not because they wished to, but
because it was necessary to protect their wives and children from the
raids of the savages. They knew all the things that scouts ought to
know. They were acquainted with the woods and the fields; knew where
the best fish were to be caught; understood the trees, the signs and
blazes, the haunts of animals and how to track them; how to find their
way by the stars; how to make themselves comfortable in the heart of
the primeval forest; and such other things as are classed under the
general term of woodcraft. And, with all this, they inherited the
splendid ideas of chivalry that had been developed in the thousand
years preceding them, and fitted these ideas to the conditions of
their own day, standing solidly against evil and falsehood whenever
they lifted their head among them. They were not perfect, but they did
their best to be of service to those who came within their reach and
worked conscientiously for their country.
Modern Knighthood
A hundred years have passed since then, and the conditions of life
which existed west of the Alleghanies are no more. Just as the life of
the pioneers was different from that of the knights of the Round
Table, and as they each practised chivalry in keeping with their own
sur-roundings, so the life of to-day is different from both, but the
need of chivalry is very much the same. Might still tries to make
right, and while there are now no robber barons or outlaws with swords
and spears, their spirit is not unknown in business and commercial
life. Vice and dishonesty lift their heads just as strongly to-day as
in the past and there is just as much need of respect for women and
girls as there ever was. So to-day there is a demand for a modern type
of chivalry. It is for this reason that the Boy Scouts of America
have come into being; for there is need of service in these days, and
that is represented by the good turn done to somebody every day. Doing
the good turn daily will help to form the habit of useful service. A
boy scout, then, while living in modern times, must consider himself
the heir of ancient chivalry {241} and of the pioneers, and he must
for this reason give himself to ever renewed efforts to be true to the
traditions which have been handed down to him by these great and good
leaders of men. The boy-scout movement is a call to American boys
to-day to become in spirit members of the order of chivalry, and a
challenge to them to make their lives count in the communities in
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which they live--for clean lives, clean speech, clean sport, clean
habits, and clean relationships with others. It is also a challenge
for them to stand for the right against the wrong, for truth against
falsehood, to help the weak and oppressed, and to love and seek the
best things of life.
Abraham Lincoln
The further we get from the scene of his life and work the more firmly
are we, his countrymen, convinced of his sincerity, strength, wisdom,
and bigness of heart. The two men who stand out preeminently in
history among great Americans are Washington and Lincoln, the former
as the founder of the Union and the latter as the man who gave it
unbreakable continuity and preserved it, as we hope and believe, for
all time.
Lincoln's life and career should be the study and inspiration of every
boy scout. He became familiar with all of the things for which the Boy
Scouts of America stand. He was a lover of the wild things in the
woods, and loved and lived the life of the out-of-doors. He had a high
sense of honor and was intensely chivalrous, as the many hundred
stories told about {243} him testify. He did many times more than one
good turn a day; he sincerely loved his country; he lived, fought, and
worked for it; and finally he sealed his loyalty by giving his life.
The path that he travelled from the log cabin to the White House
clearly shows that an American boy who has well defined ideas of truth
and right, and then dares to stand by them, can become great in the
councils of the nation. The life, then, of Abraham Lincoln should be a
steady inspiration to every boy who wishes to call himself a scout.
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Thus we see that chivalry is not a virtue that had its beginning long
ago and merely lived a short time, becoming a mere story. Chivalry
began in the far-distant past out of the desire to help others, and
the knights of the olden days did this as best they could. Later the
new race of men in America took up the burden of chivalry, and did the
best they could. Now the privilege and responsibility comes to the
boys of to-day, and the voices of the knight of the olden time and of
the hardy pioneers of our own country are urging the boys of to-day to
do the right thing, in a gentlemanly way, for the sake of those about
them. All of those men, whether knights or pioneers, had an unwritten
code, somewhat like our scout law, and their motto was very much like
the motto of the boy scouts, "Be Prepared."
[Illustration: Politeness.]
Good Manners
The same thing that entered into the training of these men, knights,
pioneers, and Lincoln, then, must enter into the training of the boy
scouts of to-day. Just as they respected women and served them, so the
tenderfoot and the scout must be polite and kind to women, not merely
to well-dressed women, but to poorly-dressed women; not merely to
young women, but to old women: to women wherever they may be found--
{244} wherever they may be. To these a scout must always be courteous and
helpful.
Good manners attract and please, and should be cultivated by every boy
who expects to win success and make his life interesting to others. In
the home, on the street, in the school, in the workshop or the office,
or wherever one may be, his relationship to others should be
characterized as gentle, courteous, polite, considerate and
thoughtful. These are virtues and graces that make life easier and
pleasanter for all.
Cheerfulness
As has been said, whatever a scout does should be done with
cheerfulness, and the duty of always being cheerful cannot be
emphasized too much.
Benjamin Franklin said: "Money never yet made a man happy, and there
is nothing in its nature to produce happiness, One's personal
enjoyment is a very small thing, but one's personal usefulness is a
very important thing." Those only are happy who have their minds fixed
upon some object other and higher than their own happiness. Doctor
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Raffles once said, {245} "I have made it a rule never to be with a
person ten minutes without trying to make him happier." A boy once
said to his mother, "I couldn't make little sister happy, nohow I
could fix it, but I made myself happy trying to make her happy."
There was once a king who had a tall, handsome son whom he loved with
his whole heart, so he gave him everything that his heart desired--a
pony to ride, beautiful rooms to live in, picture books, stories, and
everything that money could buy. And yet, in spite of this, the young
prince was unhappy and wore a wry face and a frown wherever he went,
and was always wishing for something he did not have. By and by, a
magician came to the court, and seeing a frown on the prince's face,
said to the king, "I can make your boy happy and turn his frown into a
smile, but you must pay me a very large price for the secret." "All
right," said the king, "whatever you ask, I will do." So the magician
took the boy into a private room, and with white liquid wrote
something on a piece of paper; then he gave the boy a candle and told
him to warm the paper and read what was written. The prince did as he
was told. The white letters turned into letters of blue, and he read
these words; "Do a kindness to some one every day." So the prince
followed the magician's advice and became the happiest boy in all the
king's realm.
Character
Will
Another thing that entered into the make-up of a knight was an iron
will. He had staying powers because he willed to stick; and the way he
trained his will to do the hard things was to keep himself doing the
small things. Not long ago, there was a lad whom the boys nicknamed
"Blockey" and "Wooden Man." When they played ball in the school play
ground, Blockey never caught the ball. When they worked together in
the gymnasium, Blockey was always left out of the game because he
couldn't do things, and was slow and unwieldy in his motions. But one
day, a great change came over Blockey and he began to train his will.
He worked hard in the gymnasium: he learned to catch the ball, and, by
sticking to it, was not only able to catch the ball but became
proficient. Then there came a time when the first one chosen upon the
team was Blockey; and it all came about because he had trained his
will so that when he made up his mind to do a thing, he did it.
Thrift
Another thing which entered into the training of a knight was his
readiness to seize his opportunities. The motto of the scout is "Be
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Prepared." He should be prepared for whatever opportunity presents
itself. An interesting story is told by Orison Swett Marden. He says
that a lad, who later became one of the millionaires of one of our
great Western cities, began his earning career by taking advantage of
an opportunity that came to him as he was passing an auction shop. He
saw several boxes of a kind of soap which his mother was accustomed to
buy from the family grocer. Hastening to the grocery store he asked
the price of the soap. "Twelve cents a pound" was the reply. On being
pressed for a lower figure the shopkeeper remarked in a bantering tone
that he would buy all that the boy could bring to his store at {247}
nine cents a pound. The boy hurried back to the auction and bought the
soap at six cents a pound. It was in this way that he made his first
money in trade and laid the foundation of his fortune.
The knight never waited for opportunity to come to him. He went out
looking for it, and wore his armor in order that he might be ready for
it when it came. There is a story of a Greek god who had only one lock
of hair upon his forehead. The remainder of his head was shining bald.
In order to get this ancient god's attention, it was necessary to grip
him by his forelock, for when he had passed, nothing could check his
speed. So it is with opportunity, and the hour of opportunity. A good
scout is ready for both and always grips "time by the forelock."
Individuality
Every scout should read over the following list of scout virtues, and
should strive at all times to keep them before him in his training,
thus making them a part of his life:
Honesty: The desire to give to every one a square deal and the
same fair chance that you yourself wish to enjoy. It
means also respect for the property and rights of
others, the ability to face the truth, and to call
your own faults by their right name.
Fair Play: Scorning to take unfair advantage of a rival and
readiness even to give up an advantage to him.
Loyalty: The quality of remaining true and faithful not only
to your principles but also to your parents and
friends.
{248}
Self Improvement: The ambition to get on in life by all fair means.
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Humility: That fine quality which keeps a scout from
boasting, and which generally reveals a boy of
courage and achievement.
This list of virtues a scout must have, and if there are any that
standout more prominently than the others, they are the following:
Courage
Loyalty
The scout should be no less loyal to his parents, home, and country.
Duty to God
The Boy Scouts of America maintain that no boy can grow into the best
kind of citizenship without recognizing his obligation to God. The
first part of the boy scout's oath or pledge is therefore: "I promise
on my honor to do my best to honor my God and my country." The
recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe,
and the grateful acknowledgement of His favors and blessings is
necessary to the best type of citizenship and is a wholesome thing in
the education of the growing boy. No matter what the boy may
be--Catholic, or Protestant, or Jew--this fundamental need of good
citizenship should be kept before him. The Boy Scouts of America
therefore recognize the religious element in the training of a boy,
but it is absolutely non-sectarian in its attitude toward that
religious training. Its policy is that the organization or institution
with which the boy scout is connected shall give definite attention to
his religious life. If he be a Catholic boy scout, the Catholic Church
of which he is a member is the best channel for his training. If he be
a Hebrew boy, then the Synagogue will train him in the faith of his
fathers. If he be a Protestant, no matter to what denomination of
Protestantism he may belong, the church of which he is an adherent or
a member should be the proper organization to give him an education in
the things that pertain to his allegiance to God. The Boy Scouts of
America, then, while recognizing the fact that the boy should be
taught the things that pertain to religion, insists upon the boy's
religious life being stimulated and fostered by the institution with
which he is connected. Of course, it is a fundamental principle of the
Boy Scouts of America to insist on {251} clean, capable leadership in
its scout masters, and the influence of the leader on the boy scout
should be of a distinctly helpful character.
Life, after all, is just this: Some go through life trusting to luck.
They are not worthy to be scouts. Others go through life trusting to
hard work and clear thinking. These are they who have cleared the
wilderness and planted wheat where forests once grew, who have driven
back the savage, and have fostered civilization in the uncultivated
places of the earth. The good scout is always at work--working to
improve himself and to improve the daily lot of others.
{252}
Notes
{253}
Notes
{254}
Notes
{255}
CHAPTER VII
PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS
General
Fires
Fires constitute a danger as great as panics, and scouts should be
equally well informed what to do in case of fire. It is the duty of a
scout to know how to prevent fires. Many fires are caused by
carelessness. Never throw away a lighted match, for it may fall on
inflammable material and start a fire. Reading in bed by the light of
a lamp or candle is dangerous, for if the reader goes to sleep the bed
clothing is likely to catch fire. {256} A scout may often have to dry
his clothes before a fire and if so, they should be carefully watched.
Hot ashes in wooden boxes, or in barrels, are responsible for many
fires. In camp, dry grass should be cut away from the locality of the
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camp fire; and not to put out a camp fire on leaving a camp is
criminal. Many of the great fires in our forests have been due to
carelessness in this respect. Fires also result frequently from
explosions of gas or gunpowder. A room in which the odor of gas is
apparent should never be entered with a light, and in handling
gunpowder a scout should have no matches loose in his pockets.
If your own clothing should catch fire do not run for help as this
will fan the flames. Lie down and roll up as tightly as possible in an
overcoat, blanket, or rug. If nothing can be obtained in which to wrap
up, lie down and roll over slowly at the same time beating out the
fire with the hands. If another person's clothing catches fire, throw
him to the ground and smother the fire with a coat, blanket, or rug.
A fire can usually be put out very easily when it starts, and here is
an occasion when a scout can show his presence of mind and coolness.
At first a few buckets of water or blankets or woollen clothing thrown
upon a fire will smother it. Sand, ashes, or dirt, or even flour, will
have the same effect.
Remember the air within six inches of the floor is free from smoke, so
when you have difficulty in breathing, crawl along the floor, with the
head low, dragging anyone you have rescued behind you.
Never jump from a window unless the flames are so close to you that
this is the only means of escape.
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Drowning
Drowning accidents are very common. Every scout should know how to
swim and to swim well, but this is not all that is necessary. He
should also know how to prevent accidents that may result in drowning.
In summer, boating and bathing accidents are common. Remember a light
boat is not intended for heavy seas; do not change seats except in a
wide and steady boat; and above all things do not put yourself in the
class of idiots who rock a boat.
Ice Rescue
To rescue a person who has broken through the ice you should first tie
a rope around your body and have the other end tied, or held, on
shore. Then secure a long board or a ladder or limb of a tree, crawl
out on this, or push it out, so that the person in the water may reach
it. If nothing can be found on which you can support your weight do
not attempt to walk out toward the person to be rescued, but lie down
flat on your face and crawl out, as by doing this much less weight
bears at anyone point on the ice than in walking. If you yourself
break through the ice remember that if you try to crawl up on the
broken edge it will very likely break again with you. If rescuers are
near, it would be much better to support yourself on the edge of the
ice and wait for them to come to you.
Electric Accidents
For his own benefit and that of his comrades, the scout should know
how to avoid accidents from electricity. The third rail is always
dangerous, so do not touch {259} it. Swinging wires of any kind may
somewhere in their course be in contact with live wires, so they
should not be touched.
A live wire lying on a patient may be flipped off with safety with a
dry board or stick. In removing the live wire from the person, or the
person from the wire, do this, with one motion, as rocking him to and
fro on the wire will increase shock and burn.
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A live wire may be safely cut by an axe or hatchet with dry, wooden
handle. The electric current may be short circuited by dropping a
crow-bar or poker on the wire. These must be dropped on the side from
which the current is coming and not on the farther side, as the latter
will not short circuit the current before it is passed through the
body of the person in contact. Drop the metal bar; do not place it on
the wire or you will then be made a part of the short circuit and
receive the current of electricity through your body.
Always send for a doctor, but do not wait for him. Treatment should be
given even if the man appears to be dead. Loosen the clothing around
neck and body. Proceed to restore breathing by artificial respiration
as in drowning. (See pages 286, 287.)
Gas Accidents
Coal gas will escape through red-hot cast-iron, and very big fires in
such stoves are dangerous, especially in sleeping rooms. Charcoal
burned in open vessels in tight rooms is especially dangerous. In
underground sewers and wells other dangerous gases are found. If a
lighted candle or torch will not burn in such a place, it is very
certain the air will be deadly for any person who enters.
Runaway Horses
The method for checking a horse running away is not to run out and
wave your arm in front of him, as this will only cause him to dodge to
one side and to run faster, but to try to run alongside the vehicle
with one hand on the shaft to prevent yourself from falling, seizing
the reins with the other hand and dragging the horse's head toward
you. If when he has somewhat slowed down by this method, you can turn
him toward a wall or a house he will probably stop.
Mad Dog
The first thing to do is to kill the mad dog at once. Wrap a
handkerchief around the hand to prevent the dog's teeth from entering
the flesh and grasp a club of some kind. If you can stop the dog with
a stick you should hit him hard over the head with it, or kick him
under the jaw. A handkerchief held in front of you in your
outstretched hands will generally cause the dog to stop to paw it
before he attempts to bite you. This will give you an opportunity to
kick him under the lower jaw.
{261}
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Another way suggested is to wrap a coat around the left arm and let
the dog bite it; then with the other hand seize the dog's throat and
choke him.
Keep cool. There is no cause for excitement or hurry. In not one case
in a thousand are the few moments necessary to find out what is the
matter with an injured man going to result in any harm to him, and of
course in order to treat him intelligently you must first know what is
the matter. Commonsense will tell the scout that he must waste no
time, however, when there is severe bleeding, or in case of poisoning.
Shock
In shock always send for a doctor when you can. Before he comes, warm
and stimulate the patient in every possible way. Place him on his back
with his head low and cover him with {262} your coat or a blanket. Rub
his arms and legs toward his body but do not uncover him to do this.
If you have ammonia or smelling salts, place them before the patient's
nose so he may breathe them.
This is all you can do when unconsciousness is complete. When the
patient begins to recover a little, however, and as soon as he can
swallow, give him hot tea or coffee, or a half teaspoonful of aromatic
spirits of ammonia in a quarter glass of water.
Warning: Remember always that a person with shock may have some other
serious injuries. These you should always look for and treat if
necessary.
Send for a doctor first, if you can, and, if you expect him to arrive
very soon, let your comrade lie where he is, putting his injured leg
in the same position as the sound one and holding it there by coats or
other articles piled around the leg. But if the doctor cannot be
expected for some time, draw the injured limb into position like the
sound one and hold it there by splints. Splints can be made of
anything that is stiff and rigid. Something flat like a board is
better than a pole or staff; limbs broken off a tree will do if
nothing else can be found. Shingles make excellent splints. In
applying splints remember that they should extend beyond the next
joint above and the next joint below; otherwise, movements of the
joint will cause movement at the broken point. With a fracture of the
thigh, such as that described, the outer splint should be a very long
one, extending below the feet from the arm pit. A short one extending
just below the knee will do for the inner splint. Splints may be tied
on with handkerchiefs, pieces of cloth torn from the clothing, or the
like. Tie firmly but not tight enough to cause severe pain. In a
fracture of the thigh it will also be well to bind the injured leg to
the sound one by two or three pieces of cloth around both. The
clothing put back in place will serve as padding under the splint, but
with thin summer clothing it is better to use straw, hay, or leaves in
addition. Fractures of the lower leg and of the upper and lower arm
are treated in the same way with a splint on the inner and outer sides
of the broken bone. A sling will be required for a fracture of the
arm. This may be made of the triangular bandage, or of a triangular
piece of cloth, torn from your shirt.
{264}
Compound Fractures
The edges of a broken bone are very sharp and may cut through the skin
at the time of an injury, but more often afterward, if the injured
person moves about or if the splints are not well applied so as to
prevent movement at the point where the bone is broken. If a compound
fracture has occurred, the wound produced by the sharp bone must
always be treated first. The treatment is the same for any other
wound.
_Warning_: You will not always be able to tell whether or not a
fracture has occurred. In this case do not pull and haul the limb
about to make sure, but treat as a fracture. There will always be a
considerable amount of shock with fracture and this must also be
treated.
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Bruises
Everybody has suffered from a bruise at some time in his life and
knows just what it is. A slight bruise needs no treatment. For a
severe one, apply very hot or very cold water to prevent pain and
swelling.
Sprains
A scout slips and twists his ankle and immediately suffers severe
pain, and in a little while the ankle begins to swell. {265} The
sprained joint should be put in an elevated position and cloths wrung
out in very hot or very cold water should be wrapped around it and
changed very frequently. Movement of any sprained joint is likely to
increase the injury, so this ought not to be permitted. Walking with a
sprained ankle is not only exceedingly painful but it generally
increases the hurt.
Dislocation
Such injuries are called wounds. There is one very important fact
which must be remembered in connection with such injuries. Any injury
in which the skin is unbroken is much less dangerous, as the skin
prevents germs from reaching the injured part. The principle to be
followed in treating a wound is to apply something to prevent germs
from reaching the injury.
{266}
All wounds unless protected from germs are very liable to become
infected with matter, or pus. Blood poisoning and even death may
result from infection. To prevent infection of wounds, the scout
should cover them promptly with what is called a sterilized dressing.
This is a surgical dressing which has been so treated that it is free
from germs. A number of dressings are on the market and can be
procured in drug stores. In using them, be very careful not to touch
the surface of the dressing which is to be placed in contact with the
wound. The Red Cross First Aid Dressing is so made that this accident
is almost impossible. In taking care of a wound, do not handle it or
do anything else to it. Every one's hands, though they may appear to
be perfectly clean, are not so in the sense of being free from germs;
nor is water, so a wound should never be washed.
It will be a good thing for a scout always to carry a Red Cross First
Aid Outfit, or some similar outfit, for with this he is ready to take
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care of almost any injury; without it he will find it very difficult
to improvise anything to cover a wound with safety to the injured
person. If no prepared dressing is procurable, boil a towel if
possible for fifteen minutes, squeeze the water out of it without
touching the inner surface, and apply that to the wound. The next best
dressing, if you cannot prepare this, will be a towel or handkerchief
which has been recently washed and has not been used. These should be
held in place on the wound with a bandage. Do not be afraid to leave a
wound exposed to the air; germs do not float around in the air and
such exposure is much safer than water or any dressing which is not
free from germs. Of course you can bind up a {267} wound with a towel
not boiled or piece of cotton torn from your shirt, but you cannot do
so without the liability of a great deal of harm to the injured
person.
Snake Bites
While snake bites are wounds, the wounds caused by venomous snakes are
not important as such but because the venom is quickly absorbed and by
its action on the brain may cause speedy death. The rattlesnake and
the moccasin are the most dangerous snakes in the United States.
If you have nothing but a string to tie off the wound, be sure to do
that and to get out as much poison as you can by squeezing or sucking
the wound. A doctor should of course always be sent for when
practicable in any injury as severe as a snake bite. Leave your string
or bandage in place for an hour. A longer period is unsafe, as cutting
off the circulation may cause mortification. Loosen the string or
bandage after an hour's time, so that a little poison escapes into the
body. If the bitten person does not seem to be much affected, repeat
at the end of a few moments, and keep this up until the band has been
entirely removed. If, however, the bitten person seems to be seriously
affected by the poison you have allowed to escape into his body, you
must not loosen the bandage again, but leave it in place and take the
chance of mortification.
These constitute the majority of all wounds. Use the Red Cross Outfit
as described in the slip contained in the outfit. The pressure of a
bandage will stop ordinary bleeding if firmly bound into place.
Blood from veins flows in a steady stream back toward the heart and is
dark in color. From most veins a pad firmly bandaged on the bleeding
point will stop the bleeding. If a vein in the neck is wounded, blood
will be lost so rapidly that the injured person is in danger of
immediate death, so you must disregard the danger of infection and jam
your hand tightly against the bleeding point.
Keep the patent quiet in all cases of severe bleeding, for even if it
is checked it may start up again. Do not give any stimulants until the
bleeding has been checked unless the patient is very weak. The best
stimulant is aromatic spirits of ammonia, one teaspoonful in half a
glass of water.
{270}
Fainting
Apoplexy and unconsciousness from injury to the brain are due to the
pressure of blood on the brain so that they {271} may be described
together. Apoplexy is of course much harder to distinguish than injury
to the brain as in the latter the scout can always see that the head
has been hurt. With both, unconsciousness will usually be complete.
Pupils are large and frequently unequal in size, breathing is snoring,
and the pulse is usually full and slow. One side of the body will be
paralyzed. Test this by raising arm or leg; if paralyzed, it will drop
absolutely helpless. Send for a doctor at once. Keep patient quiet and
in a dark room if possible. Put in lying-down position with head
raised by pillows. Apply ice or cold cloths to head. No stimulants.
Drunkenness is sometimes mistaken for apoplexy. If there is any doubt
on this point always treat for apoplexy.
Sunstroke and heat exhaustion, though due to the same cause, are quite
different and require different treatment. In sunstroke
unconsciousness is complete. The face is red, pupils large, the skin
is very hot and dry with no perspiration. The patient sighs and the
pulse is full and slow. The treatment for sunstroke consists in
reducing the temperature of the body. A doctor should be summoned
whenever possible. The patient should be removed to a cool place and
his clothing loosened, or better the greater part of it removed. Cold
water, or ice, should be rubbed over the face, neck, chest, and in arm
pits. When consciousness returns give cold water freely.
Freezing
The patient should be taken into a cold room and the body should be
rubbed with rough cloths wet in cold water. The temperature of the
room should be increased if possible. This should be done gradually
and the cloths should be wet in warmer and warmer water. As soon as
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the patient can swallow give him stimulants. It will be dangerous to
place him before an open fire or in a hot bath until he begins to
recover. You will know this by his skin becoming warmer, by his better
color, and by his generally improved appearance.
Frost-Bite
Remember that you are in danger of frost-bite if you do not wear
sufficient clothing in cold weather, and that rubbing any part of the
body which becomes very cold helps to prevent frostbite, because it
brings more warm blood to the surface. The danger is when, after being
cold, the part suddenly has no feeling.
The object of the treatment is gradually to restore warmth to the
frozen part. To do this the part should be rubbed first with snow or
cold water; the water should be warmed gradually. The use of hot water
at once would be likely to cause mortification of the frozen part.
Poisoning
For all poisons give an emetic. Send for a doctor at once and if
possible have the messenger tell what poison has been taken so that
the doctor may bring the proper antidote. Do not wait for him to
arrive, but give an emetic to rid the stomach of the poison. Good
emetics are mustard and water, salt water, or lukewarm water alone in
large quantities. Never mind the exact dose and if vomiting is not
profuse repeat the dose.
Fits
Put the sufferer on the floor or the ground where he can not hurt
himself by striking anything. Loosen tight clothing and do not try to
restrain the convulsive movements. A wad of {273} cloth thrust in the
mouth will prevent biting the tongue. When he becomes quiet do not
disturb him.
For slight burns in order to relieve the pain some dressing to exclude
the air is needed. Very good substances of this character are pastes
made with water and baking soda, starch, or flour. Carbolized
vaseline, olive or castor oil, and fresh lard or cream are all good.
One of these substances should be smeared over a thin piece of cloth
and placed on the burned part. A bandage should be put on over this to
hold the dressing in place and for additional protection.
Severe burns and scalds are very serious injuries which require
treatment from a physician. Pending his arrival the scout should
remember to treat the sufferer for shock as well as to dress the
wound.
No little thing causes more pain and discomfort than something in the
eye. Do not rub to remove a foreign body from the eye, as this is
likely to injure the delicate covering of the eyeball. First, close
the eye so the tears will accumulate, these may wash the foreign body
into plain view so that it may be easily removed. If this fails, pull
the upper lid over the lower two or three times, close the nostril on
the opposite side and have the patient blow his nose hard. If the
foreign body still remains in the eye, examine first under the lower
and then the upper lid. For the former have the patient look up, press
lower lid down, and if the foreign body is seen lift it out gently
with the corner of a clean handkerchief. It is not so easy {274} to
see the upper lid. Seat the patient in a chair with his head bent
backward. Stand behind him and place a match or thin pencil across the
upper lid one half an inch from its edge, turn the upper lid back over
the match, and lift the foreign body off as before. A drop of castor
oil in the eye after removing the foreign body will soothe it.
Sunburn
Ivy Poisoning
Ammonia should be immediately applied. Wet salt and wet earth are also
good applications.
Nosebleed
Earache
Toothache
Remember that toothache indicates something seriously wrong with the
teeth which can only be permanently corrected {276} by a dentist. In
toothache if you can find a cavity, clean it out with a small piece of
cotton or a toothpick. Then plug it with cotton, on which a drop of
oil of cloves has been put if you have it. If no cavity is found, soak
a piece of cotton in camphor and apply it to the outside of the gum.
Hot cloths and hot bottles or bags will help in toothache, just as
they do in earache.
Cover with a cloth wrung out in cold water and change cloths from time
to time when they get warm. See a doctor in order to safeguard your
sight.
Cramp or Stomachache
Hiccough
{277}
Chills
In order to stop a chill drink hot milk or hot lemonade and get into
bed. Plenty of covers should be used, and hot water bottles or hot
milk or lemonade help to warm one quickly.
Carrying Injured
A severely injured person is always best carried on a stretcher. The
easiest stretcher for a scout to improvise is the coat stretcher. For
this two coats and a pair of poles are needed. The sleeves of the coat
are first turned inside out. The coats are then placed on the ground
with their lower sides touching each other. The poles are passed
through the sleeves on each side, the coats are buttoned up with the
button side down. A piece of carpet, a blanket, or sacking can be used
in much the same way as the coat, rolling in a portion at each side.
Shutters and doors make fair stretchers. In order not to jounce the
patient in carrying him the bearers should break step. The bearer in
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front steps off with the left foot and the one in the rear with the
right. A number of different methods for carrying a patient by two
bearers are practiced. The four-handed {278} seat is a very good one.
To make this each bearer grasps his left wrist in his right hand, and
the other bearer's right wrist in his left hand with the backs of the
hands uppermost. The {279} bearers then stoop and place the chair
under the sitting patient who steadies himself by placing his arms
around their necks.
WATER ACCIDENTS
_Wilbert E. Longfellow,
United States Volunteer Life Saving Corps_
To save lives, the scout must know first how to swim, to care for
himself, and then to learn to carry another and to break the clutch,
the "death grip," which we read so much about in the newspaper
accounts of drowning accidents. By constant training, a boy, even
though not a good swimmer, can be perfectly at home in the water,
fully dressed, undressed, or carrying a boy of his own size or larger.
In fact two boys of twelve or fourteen years can save a man.
Swimming
Floating
After the breast stroke is learned, floating on the back for rest and
swimming on the back, using feet only for propulsion, leaving the
hands free to hold a drowning person, should be learned. This can be
readily acquired with a little practice, carrying the hands on the
surface of the water, arms half bent, with the elbows close to the
sides at the waist line. To carry a man this way the hands are placed
at either side of the {281} drowning man's head and he is towed
floating on his back, the rescuer swimming on his back, keeping the
other away. It is well to remember to go with the tide or current, and
do not wear your strength away opposing it. Other ways of carrying are
to place the hands beneath the arms of the drowning man, or to grasp
him firmly by the biceps from beneath, at the same time using the knee
in the middle of his back to get him into a floating position, the
feet acting as propellers. Methods which enable the rescuer's use of
one arm in addition to the feet are known as the "German army" and the
"cross shoulder." In the first, the swimmer approaches the drowning
person from the back, passes the left arm under the other's left arm,
across in front of the chest, and firmly grasps the right arm, either
by the biceps or below the elbow, giving him control. This leaves the
right arm to swim with. The other one-arm hold mentioned is one in
which the rescuer passes an arm over {282} the shoulder of the one to
be carried, approaching from the back as before, and getting a hold
under the other's arm, which makes the drowning man helpless. The
breast stroke carry previously mentioned is used only for helping a
tired swimmer, and one in possession of his faculties who will not try
to grasp the rescuer. The tired swimmer lies on the back and,
extending his arms fully in front, rests a hand on either shoulder of
the swimmer who rests facing him in the regular breast position
allowing the feet of the other to drop between his own. Quite good
speed can be made in this way, and all of these methods are practical
as a trial will show. A little practice will enable the beginner to
see which he can do most readily and then he can perfect himself in it
for instant use.
{281}
{282 continue}
Breaking "Death Grips"
Wrist Grip
Of these the simplest is the one where the wrists of the swimmer have
been grasped by the drowning man in his {283} struggles. The swimmer
throws both hands above his head which forces both low in the water
and then turns the leverage of his arms against the other's thumbs,
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breaking the hold easily. It should be borne in mind that a drowning
man grasps what he can see above the surface of the water, so he will
not attempt to grasp his rescuer below the points of the shoulders.
Remember also that a tall man and a short man would have about the
same amount of their body projecting above the surface of the water.
Neck Grip
For the grip around the swimmer's neck from the front, for both arms
around the shoulders, and for a grip in which the drowning man had the
other over one shoulder and under the other arm, the break is much the
same. As soon as the rescuer feels the hold, he covers the other's
mouth with the palm of his hand, clasping the nostrils tightly between
his first two fingers, at the same time pulling the drowning man to
him with the left hand in the small of the back, treading water in the
meantime. Then, taking a full breath, he applies his knee {284} in the
other's stomach, forcing him to expel the air in his lungs and at the
same time preventing him from getting more by pressure on the nostrils
and mouth. Should the pressure of the grip around the body be too
great to allow freedom of the arms, the preliminary move in that case
would be to bring both arms to the level of the shoulder, thus sliding
the other's arms to the neck, leaving the rescuer's arms to cover the
nose.
Back Strangle
The back strangle hold is an awkward one to break and one which must
be broken without an instant's delay, or the would-be rescuer himself
will be in great need of help. In practice it will be found that, by
grasping the encircling arms at the wrists and pushing back with the
buttocks against the other's abdomen, room to slip out can be
obtained. In a life and death struggle, sharper measures are needed,
and if the rescuer throws his head suddenly back against the nose of
the drowning man, he will secure his freedom very readily and have him
under control by the time he has recovered from his dazed condition.
Restoring Breathing
When taken from the water the patient is laid on the ground face
downward, arms extended above the head, face a little to one side, so
as not to prevent the free passage of air. The operator kneels astride
or beside the prone figure and lets his hands fall into the spaces
between the short ribs. By letting the weight of the upper body fall
upon his hands resting on the prone man, the air is forced out of the
lungs; by relaxing the pressure, the chest cavity enlarges and air is
drawn in to take the place of that forced out. By effecting this
change of air--pressing and relaxing, twelve to fifteen times a minute
(time it by watch at first, and then count) artificial breathing is
performed. Sometimes it is necessary to work an hour or two before the
flicker of an eyelid or a gasp from the patient rewards the life
saver's efforts, and then he must carefully "piece in" the breathing
until natural breathing is resumed. When breathing starts, then
promote circulation by rubbing the legs and body toward the heart. Do
not attempt to stimulate by the throat until the patient can swallow.
Give a teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia, in half a glass of
water.
_Remember that by laying the patient face downward fluids in the air
passages will run or be forced out and the tongue will drop forward,
and require no holding, always an awkward task_.
The after treatment is important. Put the patient to bed, keep quiet
and warm. Always get the services of a physician as soon as possible,
but do not wait for him to come. Start work instantly. The patient
needs oxygen, so keep spectators away. They are robbing the man of the
life-giving properties of the air. For this reason, in all but the
most severe weather, it is well to work on the patient in the open.
Life Buoys
{289}
Notes
{290}
Notes
{291}
CHAPTER VIII
Deer Hunting
The deer hunt has proved one of our most successful games.
The deer is a dummy, best made with a wire frame, on which soft hay is
wrapped till it is of proper size and shape, then all is covered with
open burlap. A few touches of white and black make it very realistic.
If time does not admit of a well-finished deer, one can be made of a
sack stuffed with hay, decorated at one end with a smaller sack for
head and neck, and set on four thin sticks.
The side of the deer is marked with a large oval, and over the heart
is a smaller one.
Bows and arrows only are used to shoot this deer.
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[Illustration: Wooden Legged Deer.]
The hunters now hunt for this deer just as for a real deer, either
following the trail or watching the woods ahead; the {292} best
hunters combine the two. If at any time the trail is quite lost the
one in charge shouts: "Lost Trail!" After that the one who finds the
trail scores two. Anyone giving a false alarm by shouting "Deer" is
fined five.
Thus they go till some one finds the deer. He shouts: "_Deer!_" and
scores ten for finding it. The others shout: "_Second_," "_Third_,"
etc., in order of seeing it, but they do not score.
The finder must shoot at the deer with his bow and arrow from the very
spot whence he saw it. If he misses, the second hunter may step up
five paces, and have his shot. If he misses, the third one goes five,
and so on till some one hits the deer, or until the ten-yard limit is
reached. If the finder is within ten yards on sighting the deer, and
misses his shot, the other hunters go back to the ten-yard limit. Once
the deer is hit, all the shooting must be from the exact spot whence
the successful shot was fired.
A shot in the big oval is a body wound; that scores five. A shot
outside that is a scratch; that scores two. A shot in the small oval
or heart is a heart wound; it scores ten, and ends the hunt. Arrows
which do not stick do not count, unless it can be proved that they
passed right through, in which case they take the highest score that
they pierced.
If all the arrows are used, and none in the heart, the deer escapes,
and the boy who was deer scores twenty-five.
The one who found the dummy is deer for the next hunt.
A clever deer can add greatly to the excitement of the game.
Originally we used paper for scent, but found it bad. It littered the
woods; yesterday's trail was confused with that of {293} to-day, etc.
Corn proved better, because the birds and the squirrels kept it
cleaned up from day to day, and thus the ground was always ready for a
fresh start. But the best of all is the hoof mark for the shoe. These
iron hoof marks are fast to a pair of shoes, and leave a trail much
like a real deer. This has several advantages. It gives the hunter a
chance to tell where the trail doubled, and which way the deer was
going, It is more realistic, and the boy who can follow this
skillfully can follow a living deer. In actual practice it is found
well to use a little corn with this on the hard places, a plan quite
consistent with realism, as every hunter will recall.
This is played by half a dozen or more boys. Each has a club about the
size and shape of a baseball club, but made of straw {294} tied around two
or three switches and tightly sewn up in burlap.--One big fellow is
selected for the bear. He has a school bag tightly strapped on his
back, and in that a toy balloon fully blown up. This is his heart. On
his neck is a bear-claw necklace of wooden beads and claws. (See cut.)
He has three dens about one hundred yards apart in a triangle. While
in his den the bear is safe. If the den is a tree or rock, he is safe
while touching it. He is obliged to come out when the chief hunter
counts one hundred, and must go the rounds of the three till the hunt
is settled.
The object of the hunters is to break the balloon or heart; that is,
to kill the bear. He must drop dead when the heart bursts. The hunter
who kills him claims the necklace.
But the bear also has a club for defence. Each hunter must wear a hat,
and once the bear knocks a hunter's hat off, that one is dead and out
of this hunt. He must drop where his hat falls.
The bear wins by killing or putting to flight all the hunters. In this
case he keeps the necklace.
{295}
(2) Two spears with six-inch steel heads and wooden handles (about
three feet long). The points should be sharp, but not the barbs.
Sometimes the barbs are omitted altogether. Each head should have an
eye to which is attached twenty feet of one-quarter inch rope. On each
rope, six feet from the spearhead, is a fathom mark made by tying on a
rag or cord.
(3) Two boats with crews. Each crew consists of a spearman, who is
captain, and one or two oarsmen or paddlers, of whom the after one is
the pilot. All should be expert swimmers or else wear life-belts
during the game.
[Illustration: Spearhead.]
The Game.--Each boat has a base or harbor; this is usually part of the
shore opposite that of the enemy; or it obviates all danger of
collision if the boats start from the same side. The sturgeon is left
by the referee's canoe at a point midway between the bases. At the
word "Go!" each boat leaves its base and, making for the sturgeon,
tries to spear it, then drag it by the line to his base. When both get
their spears into it the contest becomes a tug of war until one of the
spears pulls out.
{296}
The sturgeon is landed when the prow of the boat that has it in tow
touches its proper base, even though the spear of the enemy is then in
the fish: or it is landed when the fish itself touches base. The boats
change bases after each heat.
Matches are usually for one, three, or five sturgeon. Points are
counted only for the landing of the fish, but the referee may give the
decision on a foul or a succession of fouls, or the delinquent may be
set back one or more boat lengths.
The spearman is allowed to drop the spear and use the paddle or oar at
will, but not to resign his spear to another of the crew. The spearman
must be in his boat when the spear is thrown.
If the boat is upset the referee's canoe helps them to right. Each
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crew must accept the backset of its accidents.
For this we usually have two boats or war canoes manned by four men
each. These are a spearman, who is also a captain, a pilot, and two
oarsmen.
The spearman is armed with a light pole or bamboo eight or ten feet
long, with a soft pad on the end. Sometimes this is {297} further
provided with a hook. This is a forked branch with limbs a foot long;
one is lashed to the bamboo, the other projecting out a foot, and
slightly backward. The end of the spear and the fork are now
thoroughly padded with burlap to the shape of a duck's head and bill.
And it must be cased in waterproof, to keep it from getting wet and
heavy. The object of the hook is to change suddenly from pushing, and
to pull the enemy by hooking round his neck. Each boat should have a
quarter-deck or raised platform at one end, on which the spearman
stands.
To put your opponent back into the canoe with one foot counts you
five; two feet, ten. If he loses his spear you count five (excepting
when he is put overboard). If you put him down on one knee on the
fighting deck, you count five; two knees, ten. If you put him
overboard it counts twenty-five. One hundred points is a round.
Canoe Tag
Scouting
Scouts are sent out in pairs or singly. A number of points are marked
on the map at equal distances from camp, and the scouts draw straws to
see where each goes. If one place is obviously hard, the scout is
allowed a fair number of points as handicap. All set out at same time,
go direct, and return as soon as possible.
Points are thus allowed:
Sometimes we allow ten points for each turtle they have seen; ten for
each owl seen and properly named; five for each hawk, and one each for
other wild birds; also two for a cat one for a dog.
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[Illustration: Quicksight Game.]
Make two boards about a foot square, divide each into twenty-five
squares; get ten nuts and ten pebbles. Give to one player one board,
five nuts, and five pebbles. He places {299} these on the squares in
any pattern he fancies, and when ready the other player is allowed to
see it for five seconds. Then it is covered up, and from the memory of
what he saw the second player must reproduce the pattern on his own
board. He counts one for each that was right, and takes off one for
each that was wrong. They take turn and turn about.
This game is a wonderful developer of the power to see and memorize
quickly.
Pole-star
{300}
Rabbit Hunt
At any given place in the woods the two hunters stand in a ten-foot
circle with their bows and arrows. One boy is blindfolded; the other,
without leaving the circle, throws the rabbits into good hiding places
on the ground. Then the second hunter has to find the rabbits and
shoot them without leaving the circle. The lowest number of points
wins, as in golf. If the hunter has to leave the circle he gets one
point for every step he takes outside. After he sees the rabbit he
must keep to that spot and shoot till it is hit once. One shot kills
it, no matter where struck. For every shot he misses he gets five
points.
After his first shot at each rabbit the hider takes alternate shots
with him.
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If it is the hider who kills the rabbit, the hunter adds ten points to
his score. If the hunter hits it, he takes ten off his score.
If the hunter fails to find all the rabbits, he scores twenty-five for
each one he gives up.
The hider cannot score at all. He can only help his friend into
trouble. Next time the two change places.
Hostile Spy
Hanging from the totem pole is a red or yellow horse-tail. This is the
grand medicine scalp of the band. The hostile spy has to steal it. The
leader goes around on the morning of the day and whispers to the
various braves, "Look out--there's a spy in camp." At length he gets
secretly near the one he has selected for spy and whispers, "Look out,
there's a spy in camp, and you are it." He gives him at the same time
some bright-coloured badge, that he must wear as soon as he has
secured the medicine scalp. He must not hide the scalp on his person,
but keep it in view. He has all day till sunset {301} to get away with
it. If he gets across the river or other limit, with warriors in close
pursuit, they give him ten arrow heads (two and one half cents each),
or other ransom agreed on. If he gets away safely and hides it, he can
come back and claim fifteen arrow heads from the council as ransom for
the scalp. If he is caught, he pays his captor ten arrow heads ransom
for his life.
The Man-Hunt
If they catch him before he delivers the letter he must ransom his
life by paying each two arrow heads (or other forfeit) and his captor
keeps the letter as a trophy. If he gets through, but is caught on the
road back, he pays half as much for his life. If he gets through, but
is over time, it is a draw. If he gets through successfully on time he
claims three arrow heads from each hostile and keeps the letter as a
trophy.
They may not follow him into the house (that is, the fort), but may
surround it at one hundred yards distance. They do not know which
three houses he is free to enter, but they do know that these are
within certain limits.
{302}
All the players but one go out of the room. That one places the coon
anywhere in sight, high or low, but in plain view; all come in and
seek. The first to find it, sits down silently, and scores one. Each
sits down, on seeing it, giving no clue to the others.
Then, after seven or eight coons, these numbers are added up, and the
lowest is winner. If no coon is available use a thimble.
Spear Fights
Cock-Fighting
Get two stout sticks, each two feet long (broomsticks will do). Pad
each of these on the end with a ball of rag. These are the spurs. Make
an eight-foot ring. The two rivals are on their hunkers, each with a
stick through behind his knees, his hands clasped in front of the
knees, and the arms under the ends of the spurs.
{303}
Now they close; each aiming to upset the other, to make him lose his
spurs, or to put him out of the ring, any of which ends that round and
scores one for the victor. If both fall, or lose a spur, or go out
together, it is a draw. Battle is for seven, eleven, or thirteen
rounds.
Hand-Wrestling
This is a jiujitsu game, introduced by Dr. L. H. Gulick. The two
contestants stand right toe to right toe, each right hand clasped,
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left feet braced, left hand free. At the word, "Go!" each tries to
unbalance the other: that is, make him lift or move one of his feet. A
lift or a shift ends the round.
Battles are for best out of five, seven, eleven, or thirteen rounds.
Badger-Pulling
A strong belt or strap is buckled into one great loop that passes
round the head of each: that is, crosses his nape. Half-way between
them is a dead line. The one who pulls the other over this line is
winner.
The contestant can at any time end the bout by lowering his head so
the strap slips off; but this counts one against him.
Poison
First to make the misstep is "it" for the time or for next game.
Hat-Ball
When I was among the Chepewyan Indians of Great Slave Lake, in 1907, I
made myself popular with the young men, as well as boys, by teaching
them the old game of hat-ball.
The players (about a dozen) put their hats in a row near a house,
fence, or log (hollows up). A dead line is drawn ten feet from the
hats; all must stand outside of that. The one who is "it" begins by
throwing a soft ball into one of the hats. If he misses the hat, a
chip is put into his own, and he tries over. As soon as he drops the
ball into a hat, the owner runs {304} to get the ball; all the rest
run away. The owner must not follow beyond the dead line, but must
throw the ball at some one. If he hits him, a chip goes into that
person's hat; if not, a chip goes into his own.
As soon as some one has five chips, he wins the booby prize: that is,
he must hold his hand out steady against the wall, and each player has
five shots at it with the ball, as he stands on the dead line.
Duck-on-a-Rock
Toe rock is any low bowlder, block, stump, bump, or hillock on level
ground. A dead line is drawn through the rock, and another parallel,
fifteen feet away, for a firing line.
The fellow who is "it," or "keeper," perches his duck on the rock. The
others stand at the firing line and throw their ducks at his. They
must not pick them up or touch them with their hands when they are
beyond the dead line. If one does, then the keeper can tag him (unless
he reaches the firing line), and send him to do duty as keeper at the
rock.
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But they can coax their ducks with their feet, up to the dead line,
not beyond, then watch for a chance to dodge back to the firing line,
where they are safe at all times.
Road-side Cribbage
The game is, whoever is first to see certain things agreed on scores
so many points.
Thus:
A crow or a cow counts 1
A cat 2
A hawk 3
An owl 4
A sheep 5
A goat 6
A horse 7
{305}
When afoot, one naturally takes other things for points, as certain
trees, flowers, etc.
Lion Hunting
(The games from Lion Hunting to Hare and Hounds are from General
Baden-Powell.)
A lion is represented by one scout, who goes out with tracking irons
on his feet, and a pocketful of corn or peas, and six lawn-tennis
balls or rag balls. He is allowed half an hour's start, and then the
patrol go after him, following his spoor, each armed with one tennis
ball with which to shoot him when they find him. The lion may hide or
creep about or run, just as he feels inclined, but whenever the ground
is hard or very greasy he must drop a few grains of corn every few
yards to show the trail.
Tennis balls may only be fired once; they cannot be picked up and
fired again in the same fight.
Each scout must collect and hand in his tennis balls after the game.
In winter, if there is snow, this game can be played without tracking
irons, and using snowballs instead of tennis balls.
Plant Race
Start off your scouts, either cycling or on foot, to go in any
direction they like, to get a specimen of any ordered plant, say a
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sprig of yew, a shoot of ilex, a horseshoe mark from a chestnut tree,
a briar rose, or something of that kind, whichever you may order, such
as will tax their knowledge of plants and will test their memory as to
where they noticed one of the kind required and will also make them
quick in getting there and back.
{306}
Flag Raiding
Patrol Leader
P. P. P.
Flags
Any scout coming within fifty yards of a stronger party will be put
out of action if seen by the enemy; if he can creep by without being
seen it is all right.
Scouts posted to watch as outposts cannot move from their ground, but
their strength counts as double, and they may send single messages to
their neighbors or to their own scouting party.
An umpire should be with each outpost and with each scouting patrol.
At a given hour operations will cease, and all will assemble at the
given spot to hand in their reports. The following points might be
awarded:
{307}
The umpire places himself out in the open and sends each scout or pair
of scouts away in different directions about half a mile off. When he
waves a flag, which is the signal to begin, they all hide, and then
proceed to stalk him, creeping up and watching all he does. When he
waves the flag again, they rise, come in, and report each in turn all
that he did, either by handing in a written report or verbally, as may
be ordered. The umpire meantime has kept a lookout in each direction,
and, every time he sees a scout he takes two points off that scout's
score. He, on his part, performs small actions, such as sitting down,
kneeling, looking through glasses, using handkerchief, taking hat off
for a bit, walking round in a circle a few times, to give scouts
something to note and report about him. Scouts are given three points
for each act reported correctly. It saves time if the umpire makes out
a scoring card beforehand, giving the name of each scout, and a number
of columns showing each act of his, and what mark that scout wins,
also a column of deducted marks for exposing themselves.
One patrol (or half-patrol) is the "spider," which goes out and
selects a place to hide itself.
If within the given time (say, about two hours) the fly has not
discovered the spider, the spider wins. The spiders write down the
names of any of the fly patrol that they may see.
Stalking
Scouts go out to find, and each in his own way tries to get up to him
unseen.
Scout Hunting
One scout is given time to go out and hide himself, the remainder then
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start to find him; he wins if he is not found, or if he can get back
to the starting point within a given time without being touched.
Relay Race
One patrol pitted against another to see who can get a message sent a
long distance in shortest time by means of relays of runners (or
cyclists). The patrol is ordered out to send in three successive notes
or tokens (such as sprigs of certain plants), from a point, say, two
miles distant or more. The leader in taking his patrol out to the spot
drops scouts at convenient distances, who will then act as runners
from one post to the next and back. If relays are posted in pairs,
messages can be passed both ways.
Track Memory
Make a patrol sit with their feet up, so that other scouts can study
them. Give the scouts, say, three minutes to study the boots. Then
leaving the scouts in a room or out of sight, let one of the patrol
make some footmarks in a good bit of ground. Call up the scouts one by
one and let them see the track and say who made it.
Get a stranger to make a track unseen by the scouts. The scouts study
his track so as to know it again.
Then put the stranger among eight or ten others and let them all make
their tracks for the boys to see, going by in rotation. Each scout
then in turn whispers to the umpire which man, {309} made the original
track--describing him by his number in filing past. The scout who
answers correctly wins; if more than one answers correctly, the one
who then draws the best diagram, from memory, of the footprint wins.
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Similar Game In-doors
Send each scout in turn into a room for half a minute; when he comes
out take down a list of furniture and articles which he notices. The
boy who notices most wins.
{310}
The simplest way of scoring is to make a list of the articles in the
room on your scoring paper with a column for marks for each scout
against them, which can then easily be totalled up at foot.
Or go out with a piece of chalk and draw the patrol sign on walls,
gate posts, pavements, lamp posts, trees, etc., every here and there,
and let the patrol hunt you by these marks. Patrols should wipe out
all these marks as they pass them for tidiness, and so as not to
mislead them for another day's practice.
The other road signs should also be used, such as closing up certain
roads as not used, and hiding a letter at some point, giving
directions as to the next turn.
Prepare a number of paper bags, all alike, and put in each a different
smelling article, such as chopped onion in one, tan in another, rose
leaves, leather, anise-seed, violet powder, orange peel, etc. Put
these packets in a row a couple of feet apart, and let each competitor
walk down the line and have five seconds sniff at each. At the end he
has one minute in which to write down or to state to the umpire the
names of the different objects smelled, from memory, in their correct
order.
{311}
Shoot Out
Kim's Game
Make a list of these, and make a column opposite the list for each
boy's replies.
Then uncover the articles for one minute by your watch, or while you
count sixty at the rate of "quick march." Then cover them over again.
Take each boy separately and let him whisper to you each of the
articles that he can remember, and mark it off on your scoring sheet.
The boy who remembers the greatest number wins the game.
Morgan's Game
Snow Fort
The snow fort may be built by one patrol according to their own ideas
of fortification, with loopholes, etc., for looking out. When
finished, it will be attacked by hostile patrols, using snowballs as
ammunition. Every scout struck by a snowball is counted dead. The
attackers should, as a rule, number at least twice the strength of the
defenders.
{312}
One scout as fugitive runs away across the snow in any direction he
may please until he finds a good hiding place, and there conceals
himself. The remainder, after giving him twenty minutes' start or
more, proceed to follow him by his tracks. As they approach his hiding
place, he shoots at them with snowballs, and every one that is struck
must fall out dead. The fugitive must be struck three times before he
is counted dead.
Two or more persons representing the hares, and provided with a large
quantity of corn, are given a start of several minutes and run a
certain length of time, then return by another route to the starting
point, all the time scattering corn in their path. After the lapse of
the number of minutes' handicap given the hares, those representing
the hounds start in pursuit, following by the corn and trying to catch
the hares before they reach the starting-point in returning.
The handicap given the hares should be small, depending on the running
abilities of the hares and hounds. The fastest runners are usually
picked for the hounds.
This is usually played in the city streets, one player running and
trying to keep out of sight of the others who follow. The runner is
given time to disappear around the first corner before the others
start after him, and at every corner he turns he marks (with chalk) an
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arrow pointing in the direction he takes. Those pursuing follow by the
arrow, the first one seeing him being the runner for the next time.
This may also be played by having any number run and only one follow,
the first becoming "it" for the next time.
Dodge Ball
Of any number of players, half of that number form a circle, while the
other half stand inside of the ring (centre) facing outward. Now, the
game for those in the centre is to dodge the ball which is thrown by
any of those forming the circle with the intention of striking the
centre ones {313} out. Every time a member is struck he is dead, and
takes his place among those of the circle. Now he has a chance to
throw at those remaining in the centre. This arrangement keeps all
taking part busy. Only one is out at a time. This being kept up until
finally only one is left. He is hailed the king. For next round,
players exchange places, i. e., those who were in the centre now form
the circle.
Prisoner's Base
Goals are marked off at both ends of the playground, the players
divided into two equal divisions, occupying the two goals. About ten
paces to the right of each goal is a prison. A player advances toward
the opposite goal, when one from that goal starts out to catch him. He
retreats, and one from his side runs to his rescue by trying to catch
the pursuer--who in turn is succored by one from his side, and so on.
Every player may catch anyone from the opposite side who has been out
of goal longer than he has. Any player caught is conducted to the
prison by his captor and must remain there until rescued by some one
from his side, who touches him with the hand. The one who does this is
subject to being caught like any other player.
The game is an old Greek and Persian pastime. "Throw the spear and
speak the truth," was a national maxim of the Persians that we may
copy with advantage.
The apparatus required is some light spears and an archery target. The
spears should vary from five to six feet in length; the point should
be shod with a steel tip, having a socket into which the wooden handle
is fitted, and made fast by small screws passing through holes in the
sides of the metal, and then into the wood itself. The wood, for about
a foot above the barb, should be about three quarters of an inch in
diameter, and from thence gradually taper to about a quarter of an
inch in thickness until the end of the spear is reached.
Some spears are fitted with feathers, like an arrow, but these are not
necessary to obtain a good throw, and soon get dismantled in
continually falling upon the ground. Any ordinary target will serve.
It may be an archery target, a sack full of straw, or a sod bank.
{314}
The object of the contest is to hit the target from a given mark, the
firing line. Whoever throws nearest to the centre of the target the
greatest number of times out of six shots is hailed the winner.
The best form for throwing is with the left foot forward, the leg
perfectly straight, body well back, its weight resting on the right
leg. Now extend the left arm forward, in a line with the shoulder, and
over the left leg; poise the spear horizontally in the right hand,
holding at the centre of gravity by the forefinger and thumb. Bring
the right arm backward until the hand is behind the right shoulder.
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Now, inclining the point of the spear slightly upward, make your cast,
bringing the right arm forward, followed by the right side of the
body, the right leg forward and the left arm backward. Count yourself
fortunate if you even hit the target in the first few attempts, but
practice will make a wonderful difference. The distance should be
mutually agreed upon, but fifty feet for a boy of fifteen and one
hundred feet for an adult will be found about right.
In throwing the javelin, hold it in the right hand, the left leg and
hand being advanced; the barb and arm at this point should be at the
rear. Then, describing a semicircle with the arm over the right
shoulder, and leaning well to the rear, hurl the weapon as far as
possible forward.
Arctic Expedition
Each patrol make a bob sleigh with ropes, harness, for two of their
number to pull or for dogs if they have them and can train them to do
the work. Two scouts or so go a mile or two ahead, the remainder with
the sleigh follow, finding the way by means of the spoor, and by such
signs as the leading scouts may draw in the snow. All other drawings
seen on the way are to be examined, noted, and their meaning read. The
sleigh carries rations and cooking pots, etc.
Build snow huts. These must be made narrow, according to the length of
the sticks available for forming the roof, which can be made with
brushwood and covered with snow.
{315}
Dragging Race
A line of patients from one patrol is laid out fifty feet distant from
the start. Another patrol, each carrying a rope, run out, tie ropes to
the patients, and drag them in. Time taken of last in. Patrols change
places. The one which completes in the shortest time wins. Knots must
be carefully tied, and patients' coats laid out under their heads.
Each scout looks out for the details required, and directly he notices
one he runs to the umpire and informs him or hands in the article, if
it is an article he finds. The umpire enters a mark accordingly
against his name. The scout who gains the most marks in the walk wins.
The details should be varied every time the game is played; and about
eight or ten should be given at a time.
Fire-lighting Race
To collect material, build, and light a fire till the log given by
umpire is alight.
Follow My Leader
With a large number of boys this can be made a very effective display,
and is easy to do at a jog trot, and occasional "knee-up" with musical
accompaniment. It also can be done at night, {316} each boy carrying a
Chinese lantern on top of his staff. If in a building all lights, of
course, would be turned down. A usual fault is that the exercise is
kept on too long, till it wearies both audience and performers.
Games in Path-finding
Mountain Scouting
This has been played by tourists' clubs in the lake district, and is
very similar to the "Spider and Fly" game. Three hares are sent out at
daybreak to hide themselves about in the mountains: after breakfast a
party of hounds go out to find them before a certain hour, say 4
o'clock P.M. If they find them even with field-glasses, it counts,
provided that the finder can say definitely who it was he spotted.
Certain limits of ground must be given, beyond which anyone would be
out of bounds, and therefore disqualified.
Knight Errantry
Scouts go out singly, or in pairs, or as a patrol. If in a town, to
find women or children in want of help, and to return and report, on
their honor, what they have done. If in the country, call at any farms
or cottages and ask to do odd jobs--for nothing. The same can be made
into a race called a "Good Turn" race.
Unprepared Plays
Give the plot of a short, simple, play and assign to each player his
part, with an outline of what he has to do and say, and then let them
act it, making up the required conversation as they go along.
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The treasure hunt needs observation and skill in tracking, and
practically any number can take part in it.
1. The treasure is hidden and the scouts know what the treasure is;
they are given the first clew, and from this all the others can be
traced. Such clews might be (a) written on a gate post: "Go west and
examine third gate on north side of stream"; (b) on that gate, scout's
sign pointing to notice board on which is written, "Strike south by
south-east telegraph post, No. 28," and so on. The clews should be so
worded as to need some skill to understand, and the various points
should be difficult of access from one another. This method might be
used as a patrol competition, starting off patrols at ten-minute
intervals, and at one particular clew there might be different orders
for each patrol, to prevent the patrols behind from following the
first.
2. The clews may be bits of colored wood tied to gates, hedges, etc.,
at about three-yard intervals, leading in a certain direction, and
when these clews come to the end it should be known that the treasure
is hidden within so many feet. To prevent this degenerating into a
mere game of follow my leader, several tracks might be laid working up
to the same point, and false tracks could be laid, which only lead
back again to the original.
Will-o'-the-Wisp
This game should take place across country at night. Two scouts set
off in a given direction with a lighted bull's-eye {318} lantern.
After two minutes have passed the patrol or troop starts in pursuit.
The lantern bearer must show his light at least every minute
concealing it for the rest of the time. The two scouts take turns in
carrying the light, and so may relieve each other in difficulties, but
either may be captured. The scout without the light can often mingle
with the pursuers without being recognized and relieve his friend when
he is being hard pressed. They should arrange certain calls or signals
between themselves.
Treasure Island
A treasure is known to be hidden upon a certain island or bit of shore
marked off, and the man who hid it leaves a map with clews for finding
it (compass, directions, tide marks, etc.). This map is hidden
somewhere near the landing-place; the patrols come in turn to look for
it--they have to row from a certain distance, land, find the map, and
finally discover the treasure. They should be careful to leave no foot
tracks, etc., near the treasure, because then the patrols that follow
them will easily find it. The map and treasure are to be hidden afresh
for the next patrol when they have been found. The patrol wins which
returns to the starting place with the treasure in the shortest time.
(This can be played on the river, the patrols having to row across the
river to find the treasure.)
Mumbly Peg
(From Daniel Carter Beard, National Scout Commissioner)
First: Hold the right fist with the back to the ground and with the
jack-knife, with blade pointing to the right, resting {319} on top of
the closed fingers. The hand is swung to the right, up and over,
describing a semicircle, so that the knife falls point downward and
sticks, or should stick, upright in the ground. If there is room to
slip two fingers, one above the other, beneath the handle of the
knife, and if the point of the knife is hidden in the ground, it
counts as a fair stick or throw.
Second: The next motion is the same as the one just described, but is
performed with the left.
Third: Take the point of the blade between the first and second
fingers of the right hand, and fillip it with a jerk so that the knife
turns once around in the air and strikes the point into the ground.
Fifth: Hold the knife as in the third and fourth positions, and bring
the arm across the chest so that the knife handle touches the left
ear. Take hold of the right ear with the left hand and fillip the
knife so that it turns once or twice in the air and strikes on its
point in the earth.
Seventh: Still holding the knife in the same manner, bring the handle
up to the nose and fillip it over through the air, so that it will
stick in the ground.
Tenth: Place the point of the blade on the top of the head. Hold it in
place with the forefinger, and with a downward push send it whirling
down to earth, where it must stick with the point of blade in the
earth.
Eleventh to Fifteenth: Hold the left hand with the fingers pointing
upward and, beginning with the thumb, place the point of the knife on
each finger as described above, and the forefinger of the right hand
on the end of the knife handle. By a downward motion, throw the knife
revolving through the air, so that it will alight with the point of
the blade in the sod.
Twenty-third: Hold the point of the blade between the first and second
fingers, and, placing the hand on the forehead, fillip the knife back
over the head, so that it will stick in the ground behind the person
ready for the next motion.
Twenty-fourth: After twenty-three the knife is left in the ground.
Then with the palm of the hand strike the knife handle a smart blow
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that will send it revolving over the ground {320} for a yard, more or
less, and cause it to stick in the ground where it stops. This is
called "ploughing the field."
When a miss is made the next player takes his turn, and when the first
player's turn comes again he must try the feat over that he failed to
perform last. A good player will sometimes go through almost all the
twenty-four motions without failing to make a "two finger," that is, a
fair stick, each time; but it is very unusual for anyone to run the
game out in one inning. This is the game in twenty-four motions; many
boys play it double that number.
The athletic standards given below are those which most boys ought to
be able to attain. They are the result of the experience of several
physical directors who have made a special study of athletics and
physical work among boys.
The rules governing the events are found in the official handbook of
the Athletic League of North America. These rules must be strictly
adhered to.
For merit badge a boy under ninety pounds must qualify in seven of the
first nine events; a boy under one hundred and ten pounds must qualify
in ten of the first twelve events; all others must qualify in their
proper class in eleven of the thirteen events.
{321}
Notes
{322}
Notes
{323}
CHAPTER IX
OUR COUNTRY
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America is the home of social, religious, and political liberty--"the
land of the free and the home of the brave."
As a nation, we have always been rich in land, and for this reason
millions of people have sought our shores. We have come into
possession of our territory through treaty, purchase, and annexation.
In speaking of our territorial area we usually speak of the "original
territory" and "additions" to same. When we speak of "original
territory" we mean that part of the United States which was ceded to
us by Great Britain in the peace treaty of 1783, at the close of the
War of the Revolution. This territory, in brief, is described as
follows: East to the Atlantic Ocean, west to the Mississippi River,
north to the Great Lakes and Canada, and as far south as the northern
line of Florida. We sometimes hear it spoken of as the territory of
the "Thirteen Original States," meaning the states that formed the
Government of the Constitution in 1789. However if we look at the map
we shall see that the original territory includes not only the
territory of the thirteen original states, but comprises also land out
of which twelve other states have been formed. Looking at this area
to-day, however, it seems a small part of our country compared with
our present limits.
Additions
_Louisiana Purchase_: What is known as the Louisiana Purchase we bought
from France in 1803. It consisted of 875,025 square miles, for which
we paid $15,000,000. It is described as follows: west of the
Mississippi River to the Rocky Mountains, north to Canada, and south
to the Gulf of Mexico, exclusive of Texas. This is a territory greater
than the present combined areas of Spain, Portugal, Italy, Hungary,
and the Balkan states.
{324}
{325}
Land Settlements
The first permanent English settlements in America were made at
Jamestown, Va., in 1607, and at Plymouth, Mass., in 1620; and from
these two settlements we may trace in large part the growth,
character, and development of our national life. The story of the
"Pilgrim Fathers" in Massachusetts has been told for generations in
literature and in song, and can never cease to be of romantic and
thrilling interest.
The story of the settlement and dispersal of other nationalities in
America--the Swedes in Delaware, the Dutch in New York, the Spanish
and French in Florida and along the banks of the Mississippi and Ohio
Rivers--all this is summed up in what is known as "colonial history."
In 1763, at the close of the French and Indian wars, England had come
into possession of practically all the territory east of the
Mississippi--that territory which was ceded in 1783 as the original
territory of the United States.
George Washington is in the hall. The eyes of all Congress have turned
toward him. He is surprised, confused, and embarrassed, leaves his
seat and hurries into the library.
Congress spent two days considering Adams's motion, for there were
other men who had hoped for the appointment; but finally, on the 15th
of June, 1775, a ballot was taken, and Washington was unanimously
elected commander-in-chief of the Continental Army.
On July 2, 1775, he took command of the army at Cambridge, Mass., and
March 17, 1776, the British were expelled from Boston.
{327}
The Declaration was a notice to Great Britain and to all the world
that the American colonists would no longer be subject to Great
Britain; that henceforth they were to be a free and independent
people, holding Great Britain as they held the rest of mankind,
"enemies in war--in peace friends." This Declaration marks the birth
of our nation.
Our government fathers fully realized the step they were taking. They
knew it meant a final breaking with the home government of England,
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but--"with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence," in
support of this {328} Declaration, they pledged to each other "their
lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor."
Following the expulsion of the British from Boston, the battle field
of the Revolution changes to New York, moving to Harlem Heights and
White Plains; then to New Jersey; Trenton, and Princeton; then to
Pennsylvania; Brandywine, Westchester, Germantown, Valley Forge, and
on to Monmouth.
But here let us pause. It has been a terrible winter at Valley Forge.
While the British at Philadelphia, twenty miles away, have been living
in luxury, our Washington and his men have suffered bitterly with
hunger and cold; and out of a list of eleven thousand men, three
thousand at Valley Forge lay sick at one time. But at last the spring
has come and Washington has now been nearly three years in service.
Listen! The order has gone forth! At 10:30 o'clock comes the signal,
and the firing of a cannon sees all men under arms! At 11:30 o'clock
the second signal is given and the march begins. It is May 7, 1778,
and Washington is assembling his men. Great news has come and it is
fitting to return thanks to Divine Providence--so reads his
proclamation.
Now comes the third signal, the firing of thirteen cannon! Another
signal! and the whole army breaks into a loud huzza "Long live the
King of France!" followed by a running fire of guns.
But it is not our purpose here to tell the whole story: we can only
touch the high points. Again the army moves to White Plains and on to
Middlebrook and New Windsor; and Washington spends the winter (1781)
at Morristown, N. J. The end is approaching. He joins Lafayette at
Yorktown, Va., and on October 19th, Cornwallis, the British general,
surrenders to George Washington, commander-in-chief of the American
Army. Thus the conflict begun in one English settlement is ended in
the other. Massachusetts marks the beginning and Virginia the ending
of the War of the Revolution.
{329}
The War of 1812-1815
The War of 1812 was a naval war. It was a battle for rights--the
rights of our sailors, the rights of our commerce. American ships and
cargoes were being confiscated. France and England and the Barbary
pirates were engaged in a profitable war on our commerce, and last but
not least twenty thousand American seamen had been pressed into
service and were slaves on ships that were foreign, England especially
claiming the right to search American ships and press into service all
men found on board who were English by birth, though American by
choice and adoption.
"Once a subject always a subject," said Great Britain, but our answer
in 1812 was as it is now: any foreigner after five years' residence
within our territory, who has complied with our naturalization laws
and taken the oath of allegiance to our flag, becomes one of our
citizens as completely as if he were native born.
Some day you will read the life story of David Glasgow Farragut of
whom it is said that, with the exception of Nelson, the great English
admiral, "he was as great an admiral as ever sailed the broad or
narrow seas." Although the great work of Farragut was in the Civil
War, the story of his life began in the War of 1812 when he was but
ten years old. Admiral Farragut is reported as giving this
explanation, in the late years of his life, of his success in the
service of his country
"It was all owing to a resolution that I formed when I was ten years
old. My father was sent to New Orleans with the little navy we had, to
look after the treason of Burr. I accompanied him as cabin-boy. I had
some qualities that I thought made a man of me. I could swear like an
old salt, could drink as stiff a glass of grog as if I had doubled
Cape Horn, and could smoke like a locomotive. I was great at cards,
and was fond of gambling in every shape. At the close of dinner one
day, my father turned everybody out of the cabin, locked the door, and
said to me:
{330}
"'No, father,' I replied, 'I will tread the quarter-deck, and command
as you do!'
"'No, David; no boy ever trod the quarter-deck with such principles
as you have, and such habits as you exhibit. You will have to change
your whole course of life if you ever become a man.'
"My father left me and went on deck. I was stunned by the rebuke, and
overwhelmed with mortification. 'A poor, miserable, drunken sailor
before the mast, kicked and cuffed about the world, and die in some
fever hospital!' That's my fate is it? I'll change my life, and I will
change it at once. I will never utter another oath, never drink
another drop of intoxicating liquor, never gamble, and as God is my
witness I have kept these three vows to this hour."
The sun is slowly sinking in the west. The men of the army and navy
are drawn up at attention. At every fort, army post, and navy yard,
and on every American battle-ship at home or abroad, the flag of our
country is flying at full mast. The sunset gun will soon be fired, and
night will follow the day as darkness follows the light. All is ready,
the signal is given, the men salute, and the flag to the band's
accompaniment of "The Star Spangled Banner" slowly descends for the
night to be folded and kept for the morning's hoisting.
The poem itself is descriptive of what the author saw and felt on the
night of September 13, 1814, as he watched the bombardment of Fort
McHenry by the British during the War of 1812. The city of Washington
had been sacked, bombarded, and burned by the British, and now in
their march of destruction, they were bombarding the fort to gain
entrance to Baltimore's harbor, in which city they had purposed to
spend the winter. We can well imagine the joy of Key's heart, the son
of a Revolutionary patriot, held in custody on a British battle-ship,
to see in the morning "that our flag was still there," and to know,
therefore, that there was still hope for our country.
The history of the fifty-six years between 1789 and 1845 is marked by
the development of new states formed out of the territorial settlement
of the wilderness. The people of our country have always been
pioneering, going ahead of civilization, so to speak, but always
taking it with them. Scouts they have been in every sense of the word.
Following the rivers, clearing the forests, fording the streams,
braving the dangers, living the wild life--brave men and women!
The first state to come into the Union of the thirteen original states
was Vermont, the "Green Mountain" state (1791); next came Kentucky
(1792), the "Blue Grass" state, the home of Daniel Boone, the great
hunter and pioneer. Four years later, (1796) came Tennessee, the
"Volunteer" state, receiving this name because of its large number of
volunteer soldiers for the Seminole war and the War of 1812; next
comes Ohio (1803), the "Buckeye," so called because of the large
number of buckeye trees, the nut of which bears some resemblance to a
buck's eye. This is the first state to be formed out of the public
domain, known at this time as the "Northwest Territory." The land
ordinance bill of 1785 and the homestead act of 1862 {332} relate to
the development and settlement of the public domain, the first being a
plan of survey applied to all public lands owned by the United States
government; the other being a law by which the possession of these
lands was made possible to settlers.
Following Ohio into the Union came Louisiana (1812), the "Creole"
state whose people were descendants of the original French and Spanish
settlers. This was the first state to be formed west of the
Mississippi, and New Orleans, its chief city, known as the "Crescent
City," is one of the oldest in our country and full of historic
interest.
After the War of 1812 the new states began to come in rapidly. The
admission of Indiana (1816), "The Hoosier"; Mississippi (1817), the
"Bayou"; Illinois, the "Prairie" (1818); Alabama (1819), the "Cotton,"
show that the pioneer settlements of our people had been closing in
along the banks of the Ohio and the Mississippi Rivers.
We now go back to the far East, for the state of Maine, our "Pine
Tree" state, has now been developed, and its admission (1820)
completes the coast line of states as far south as Georgia. The next
state admitted is Missouri (1821), the "Iron," followed by Arkansas,
the "Bear" (1836), to be followed in turn by Michigan (1836), the
"Lake" or "Wolverine" state, the thirteenth state to be admitted; and
the stars in our flag are now doubled.
The first census of the United States was taken in 1790, and the
Constitution provided that it must be taken every ten years
thereafter. In that year, the order of states in rank of population
was as follows: Virginia first, Pennsylvania second, North Carolina
third, Massachusetts fourth, and New York fifth.
The census of 1820 makes a decided change, we find, in the order of
population, and New York comes first, Virginia second, Pennsylvania
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third, North Carolina fourth, Ohio fifth, Kentucky sixth, and
Massachusetts seventh.
The states of Florida and Texas came into the Union in the same
year--the one March 3 and the other December 29, 1845; and thereby
hangs a tale. It had been claimed by our government that Texas was
included in the Louisiana Purchase of 1803; but the Mexicans claimed
it also, and, in 1819, in order to close the deal for the purchase of
Florida, our government was obliged to relinquish its claim to Texas.
At this time the possession of Florida was more desirable and
necessary to the peace of our country than the {333} possession of
Texas; it was under Spanish rule, overrun with outlaws and a most
undesirable neighbor, besides being very necessary to the rounding out
of our coast territory.
The annexation and admission of Texas into the Union in 1845 came
about through the pioneering and settlement of our people in her
territory; where at first welcomed and encouraged by the Mexicans,
they were later deluged in blood. The spirit of Americanism grew
rampant under the barbaric and military despotism of the Mexican
government, and in 1835 there was an uprising of the settlers led by a
pioneer, an ex-governor of Tennessee, Gen. Samuel Houston, the man
for whom the city of Houston, Texas, was named. At this time there
were about ten thousand Americans in Texas, and on March 2, 1836,
through their representatives in convention assembled, these Americans
in true Revolutionary spirit declared Texas an independent republic.
The Mexican government tried to put down this rebellion, but met with
a crushing defeat, and Texas, the "Lone Star" state, remained an
independent republic up to the time of her annexation and admission as
a state of the Union.
The cause of the war with Mexico, then, was her resentment because
Texas began to move for annexation to the United States. The fact that
Texas had been for many years an independent republic and been so
recognized by the United States, Great Britain, France, and some
smaller countries, gave Texas the right on her part to ask for
annexation, and the United States the right to annex her. But in order
to bring Texas into the Union and save her people from the Mexicans,
the United States was obliged to declare war against Mexico. This she
did May 13, 1845, although Texas was not admitted as a state until
December 29th of that year. The war lasted nearly three years, peace
being declared February 2, 1848. As an outcome of the war the peaceful
possession of Texas was secured, and also possession of the territory
of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and a part of Colorado and New
Mexico, for which territory, however, our government in final
settlement paid Mexico, $15,000,000.
New States--1845-1861
During the Mexican War, Iowa (1846), the "Hawkeye" state, came into
the Union, followed by the state of Wisconsin (1848), {334} the
"Badger." Next comes the story of the "Forty-niners," and California
(1850), the "Golden State," enters the Union; and then comes Minnesota
(1858), the "North Star" State, and the Great Lakes are walled in,
this state completing the circuit. Oregon, (1859), the "Beaver"
follows, then the "Garden of the West," Kansas (1861), and the Civil
War is upon us. Of course, we do not mean to say that Kansas was the
cause of the Civil War, although it had much to do with it.
{335}
The territory north of the Ohio River was designated the "Northwest
Territory." As soon as the public lands in this territory were thrown
open to settlers, they began to pour in. Indeed, in many instances,
they went ahead of the survey.
The next step taken by Congress was to pass a law, in 1787, for the
government and protection of those settlers in this Northwest
Territory, and in this law Congress made provision that slavery should
be prohibited. Therefore, states formed in this territory had to come
into the Union as free states. This was a restriction of slavery,
however, which did not apply to the territory south of the Ohio, nor
west of the Mississippi; so that when a new state came into the Union,
formed out of either one of these territories, it became a great
political factor in our government either for or against slavery.
In the passing of the years, many changes were taking place in our
government, but there came a time when the people began to realize
that slavery was spreading and that our government was politically
divided between states that were slave and states that were free--or,
in other words, that in the principle of slavery the peace and
preservation of the Union were involved.
And thus it happened that the slave-holding states, not being able to
live at peace in the Union, decided to go out of it, and live by
themselves. The right of a state to leave the Union was called "the
right of secession"--a right which the North held did not exist under
the Constitution.
The first shot was fired by the Southern confederacy on April 12,
1861, against Fort Sumter, a fortification of the Federal Government
over which floated the stars and stripes. The war lasted four years,
ending on April 9, 1865, when Robert E. Lee, commander-in-chief of the
army of the Southern confederacy, surrendered to Ulysses S. Grant,
commander-in-chief of the Federal army.
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Abraham Lincoln
{336}
Lincoln was born February 12, 1809, in Hardin County, Kentucky. His
parents had come to this then pioneer state from Virginia, and his
grandfather, whose Christian name he bore, moved there as early as
1781, where, a few years later, he was killed by the Indians while
trying to make a home in the forest. When Lincoln was eight years old,
his people moved to the new state of Indiana about the time it came
into the Union, and there he lived until he was twenty-one, when he
went to Illinois, from which state, eventually, he was elected
President.
Although he lost the election to the United States Senate, and Douglas
won, the campaign had pushed him to the front as a national figure,
and paved the way for his presidential nomination.
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With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the
right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish
the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him
who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and for his
orphan; to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting
peace among ourselves, and with all nations.
The war ended on April 9th of this same year, and on April 14th, the
President, weary with the cares of state, but with the burden of the
war clouds lifted, had gone to Ford's Theatre in Washington for an
evening's entertainment and pleasure, accompanied by Mrs. Lincoln. The
box which the President occupied had been most elaborately decorated
with the flag of the country. His coming had been heralded abroad and
the audience that had assembled in his honor was large, brilliant, and
joyously happy over the assured preservation of the Union. In the
midst of the play, the assassin, J. Wilkes Booth, entered the box and
fired the fatal shot. The body of the bleeding President was taken to
a house across the street where the next morning at 7:20 o'clock he
died. Thus the emancipator of the slave, the friend of the whole
people and the savior of our country died, a martyr to the cause of
freedom.
Washington has been called "the aristocrat," and Lincoln "the man of
the people." The one had culture, wealth, and social position; the
other lacked all of these in his early years. Lincoln's early life was
cradled in the woods, and all of life out of doors had been his in the
new and pioneer states of the {338} wilderness. He grew up not knowing
many people, but somehow in his up-coming there was developed in his
life a great heart full of tenderness and kindly feeling. Doubtless it
was the very hardships of life that made him what he was. At any rate,
he was one of the greatest and noblest figures in all history. He was
called "Honest Abe" by those who knew him because always, even in
little things, he wanted to see perfect justice done; and thus it was,
when he came to things of large importance, that the man was only a
boy grown tall, not only in stature but in the things that make for
righteousness in a nation.
The war with Spain was not of this country's seeking. The island of
Cuba, whose distress had aroused the sympathy of the whole world, was
our near neighbor, and to sit idly by and witness the inhuman
treatment practised by the Spanish soldiery upon the helpless
islanders would hardly be a part creditable to any people. It was not
our intention at first to do other than to relieve the suffering and
distress of Cuba, near at hand, and this we tried to do peaceably in
the supplying of food and other necessities of life.
As the next step, the United States sent a remonstrance to Spain
telling her she should send a more humane governor to the island. But
as matters grew worse instead of better, even under a change of
governors, the sympathy of the United States became daily more deeply
enlisted in the freedom of the Cubans.
The battleship Maine was sent to Havana Harbor to protect, if need be,
the Americans and American interests in Cuba. On the night of February
15th, 1898, an explosion occurred, sinking the ship almost
immediately.
War indeed was formally declared April 25th, and in the brief space of
one hundred and fourteen days history had added to its annals: the
blockading of Cuban ports whereby the Spanish fleet was trapped; the
invasion and siege of the island by United States regulars,
volunteers, and rough riders; the {339} destruction of the Pacific
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Spanish fleet in Manila Bay by Admiral Dewey; and, finally, the
destruction of the remainder of the Spanish fleet under command of
Admiral Cervera, Sunday morning, July 3d. The final outcome of this
war was the freedom of Cuba and the possession by the United States of
Porto Rico, Guam, and the Philippine Islands.
Peace
"_A star for every state and a state for every star_."
There is a story, quite generally believed, that the first flag was
planned and made in 1776 by Betsy Ross, who kept an upholstery shop on
Arch Street, Philadelphia, and that this, a year later, was adopted by
Congress. The special committee appointed to design a national flag
consisted of George Washington, Robert Morris, and Col. George Ross,
uncle of the late husband of Betsy Ross. The star that the committee
decided upon had six points, but Mrs. Ross advised the five-pointed
star, which has ever since been used in the United States flag. The
flag thus designed was colored by a local artist, and from this
colored copy Betsy Ross made the first American flag.
The Betsy Ross house has been purchased by the American Flag House and
Betsy Ross Memorial Association, and is pointed out as one of the
interesting historical places in Philadelphia.
The official history of our flag begins on June 14, 1777, when the
American Congress adopted the following resolution proposed by John
Adams:
Sec. 1. Be it enacted, etc.. That from and after the fourth day of
July next, the flag of the United States be thirteen horizontal
stripes, alternate red and white; that the union have twenty stars,
white in a blue field.
Flag Day
{341}
In order to show proper respect for the flag, the following rules
should be observed:
On Memorial Day, May 30th, the flag should fly at half mast from
sunrise until noon, and full staff from noon to sunset.
(Taken from the "Sons of the Revolution," state of New York.)
Congress
The President
The President is elected for a term of four years. He lives during his
term of office at the White House, where presidential receptions and
social affairs of state are held. The President's offices are
connected with the White House. Here he receives his callers and here
the meetings of his Cabinet are held. The salary of the President is
$75,000, a year.
The Cabinet
The members of the Cabinet are the officers and heads of the several
departments of the administrative government. {342} They are appointed
by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate. The
members of the Cabinet are as follows: secretary of state, secretary
of the treasury, secretary of war, attorney general, postmaster
general, secretary of the navy, secretary of the interior, secretary
of agriculture, secretary of commerce and labor. The members of the
Cabinet are such men as the President believes are qualified to serve
during his administration of office, and are usually members of the
same political party as the President.
Washington, D. C.
The Army
Militia
The law of our country states that in time of war every able-bodied
male citizen, between the ages of eighteen and forty-five, {343} shall
be counted a member of the state militia. The state militia is divided
into two classes: one, the organized, known as the national guard; and
the other the unorganized, known as the reserve militia.
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Military Academy
The Navy
The enlisted strength of the navy, as in the army, is limited. The law
allows 47,500 men and apprenticed seamen. The number of officers and
enlisted men at the present time is 46,898, and the annual expenditure
for the support of the navy at this date (1911) is about $130,000,000.
Naval Enlistment
Naval Militia
Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is at Annapolis, Md. The students are
called midshipmen, and candidates for appointment must be between the
ages of sixteen and twenty. The appointment of candidates is made as
at West Point--through senators and congressmen and the President, the
only difference being in the number of appointments that may be made:
each senator and representative may be represented by two midshipmen
at Annapolis, while at West Point he is represented by but one cadet.
The President has the appointment of seven men to the Naval
Academy--two from the District of Columbia and five from the United
States at large. He may also appoint one from Porto Rico, who must be
a native. The midshipmen's course is six years--four at Annapolis, and
two at sea. The pay is $600 per year.
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Civil Service
Foreign Service
State Government
The states of the United States are not all alike either in
constitution or government, although there is a likeness at many
points. For instance, each state has about the same officers, a
governor, lieutenant-governor, secretary of state, treasurer, auditor,
adjutant general, superintendent of schools, etc.
Each state has its own state legislature: a senate to which state
senators are elected, and a house of representatives sometimes called
the assembly, to which state representatives or assemblymen are
elected. Each state legislature makes laws only for its own state;
therefore not all state laws are alike. Indeed, there is a great deal
of individuality to each state, and rightly so. As each person has his
own individuality, and as each family has its own characteristics, so
each state has an individuality and characteristics peculiar to
itself. The history of each state reveals its character, so also the
climate, the hills, the valleys, the mountains, the plains, the lakes,
the rivers, the harbors, the schools, the colleges, the towns, the
villages, and the cities within its borders, all help in forming the
character of a state.
{347}
Politics
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Property
The ownership of property, both real and personal, and the protection
of that ownership, is made possible in the organization of
society--termed the government--and in the power of that government to
make and enforce its laws. Real property is the kind of property which
pertains to land, the ownership of which is transferred from one
person to another, either by a deed recorded in the office of the
register of deeds in the county court house, or else transferred by
descent, or by will through the {348} administration of the county
court, usually called the probate court. This latter proceeding is in
the case of the owner's death when his property is divided by the
court and distributed to the heirs--the family or other relatives
according to his will; or in case no will is left the law provides for
the manner of its distribution.
Personal Property
You will understand that any property you may obtain will be valuable
to you only in proportion as you are protected in your rights of
ownership by the government, and that the government not only protects
your property, it also protects your life and its interest as well as
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the life and interests of all other citizens.
Citizenship
Practical Citizenship
"A scout is a friend to animals." "Yes," said a stable keeper, "I have
two good horses laid up, each injured by stepping on a nail in a board
in the street. You know people are awfully careless about such
things." There are some people who never go out of their way to do
helpful things, just as some people never go out of their way to know
people, and for that reason are often alone and lonesome. It is the
little things that count, just such little things as picking up from
the street a board with a nail in it, and putting it aside--even that
is a good turn.
Thus do we remember our Washington and our Lincoln. They served the
generation to which they belonged; they lived and passed out of their
generation having served the State: and all the virtues, cares, and
responsibilities of the State--the government that is--they left to
the generations that should come after them. And, therefore, each
generation as it comes and goes must rise or fall in proportion as it
raises or lowers the citizenship standard, for each generation must
prove its own worth as must each individual his own virtues.
Practical Citizenship
THE OUTLOOK
287 Fourth Avenue,
New York
Office of
Theodore Roosevelt
July 20th, 1911.
My DEAR SIR:
I quite agree with Judge Lindsey that the Boy Scout Movement is of
peculiar importance to the whole country. It has already done much
good, and it will do far more, for it is in its essence a practical
scheme through which to impart a proper standard of ethical conduct,
proper standards of fair play and consideration for others, and
courage and decency, to boys who have never been reached and never
will be reached by the ordinary type of preaching, lay or clerical. I
have been particularly interested in that extract of a letter from a
scout master in the Philippines, which runs as follows:
"It might interest you to know that at a recent fire in Manila which
devastated acres of ground and rendered 3,000 people homeless, that
two patrols of the Manila scouts reached the fire almost with the fire
companies, reported to the proper authorities and worked for hours
under very trying conditions {354} helping frightened natives into
places of safety, removing valuables and other articles from houses
that apparently were in the path of the flames, and performing
cheerfully and efficiently all the tasks given to them by the firemen
and scout master. They were complimented in the public press, and in a
kind editorial about their work."
"During the recent Carnival the services of the boys were requested by
the Carnival officers, and for a period of ten days they were on duty
performing all manner of service in the Carnival grounds, directing
strangers to hotels, and acting as guides and helpers in a hundred
ways."
What these boy scouts of the Philippines have just done, I think our
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boy scouts in every town and country district should train themselves
to be able to do. The movement is one for efficiency and patriotism.
It does not try to make soldiers of boy scouts, but to make boys who
will turn out as men to be fine citizens, and who will, if their
country needs them, make better soldiers for having been scouts. No
one can be a good American unless he is a good citizen, and every boy
ought to train himself so that as a man he will be able to do his full
duty to the community. I want to see the boy scouts not merely utter
fine sentiments, but act on them; not merely sing, "My Country 'Tis of
Thee," but act in a way that will give them a country to be proud of.
No man is a good citizen unless he so acts as to show that he actually
uses the Ten Commandments, and translates the Golden Rule into his
life conduct--and I don't mean by this in exceptional cases under
spectacular circumstances, but I mean applying the Ten Commandments
and the Golden Rule in the ordinary affairs of every-day life. I hope
the boy scouts will practise truth and square dealing, and courage and
honesty, so that when as young men they begin to take a part not only
in earning their own livelihood, but in governing the community, they
may be able to show in practical fashion their insistence upon the
great truth that the eighth and ninth commandments are directly
related to every-day life, not only between men as such in their
private relations, but between men and the government of which they
are part. Indeed the boys even while only boys can have a very real
effect upon the conduct of the grown up members of the community, for
decency and square dealing are just as contagious as vice and
corruption.
Every healthy boy ought to feel and will feel that in order to amount
to anything, it is necessary to have a constructive, {355} and not
merely a destructive, nature; and if he can keep this feeling as he
grows up he has taken his first step toward good citizenship. The man
who tears down and criticises and scolds may be a good citizen, but
only in a negative sense; and if he never does anything else he is apt
not to be a good citizen at all. The man who counts, and the boy who
counts, are the man and boy who steadily endeavor to build up, to
improve, to better living conditions everywhere and all about them.
But the boy can do an immense amount right in the present, entirely
aside from training himself to be a good citizen in the future; and he
can only do this if he associates himself with other boys. Let the boy
scouts see to it that the best use is made of the parks and
playgrounds in their villages and home towns. A gang of toughs may
make a playground impossible; and if the boy scouts in the
neighborhood of that particular playground are fit for their work,
they will show that they won't permit any such gang of toughs to have
its way. Moreover, let the boy scouts take the lead in seeing that the
parks and playgrounds are turned to a really good account. I hope, by
the way, that one of the prime teachings among the boy scouts will be
the teaching against vandalism. Let it be a point of honor to protect
birds, trees and flowers, and so to make our country more beautiful
and not more ugly, because we have lived in it.
{357}
America
{358}
{359}
APPENDIX
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BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Directions for Ordering
_Important_: When ordering supplies care should be taken to see that the
exact amount of remittance is included with the order. If check is
used add New York Exchange. Make checks and money orders payable to
Boy Scouts of America. All orders received without the proper
remittance will be shipped C. O. D., or held until remittance arrives.
[Illustration: Axe]
* _Axe_: Any local hardware dealer can suggest quite a variety of good
axes which may be used by the scout, but because of quality and price,
the Boy Scout axe is suggested. Weight without handle, 12 oz. Made
of one piece of solid steel--special temper, axe pattern hickory handle,
missionized hand forged--non-rusting finish. Price 35 cents. Axe
scabbard or shield, 25 cents extra.
[Illustration: Belts]
* _Belts_: Any good belt will meet the scout's needs. But for his
convenience the belt illustrated herewith is suggested. Price 40
cents.
[Illustration: Breeches]
* _Breeches_: Standard material--belt guides--pockets--full pattern-legs
laced below the knee, the lacing to be covered by stockings or
leggings. Order by age according to following table: Boys' sizes:
Price $1.00.
{361}
[Illustration: Bugle]
_Bugle_: It is recommended that the standard bugle used in an army or
drum corps be used. Each patrol should purchase these from a local
music store.
[Illustration: Canteen]
_Canteen_: A canteen of this design may be carried by each scout on
hikes and long tramps. Many army supply houses carry these in stock,
where they may be secured if desired.
[Illustration: Coat]
* _Coats_: Standard material--four bellows pockets--standing collar--
dull metal buttons with Boy Scout emblem. Order by age according/to
following table:
{362}
Extra Sizes: Coats above eighteen-year size will be made as extra size
and will cost twenty-five cents more per garment than boys' sizes.
_Compass_: Every scout should learn how to use his watch as a compass.
However, should he desire to own a compass, he will find no difficulty
in securing one at any local jeweler's.
_Drum_: The selection of this is left to each local troop desiring this
piece of equipment. Place your order with local music dealer.
{363}
2. _Boy Scout Summer Hat_. Olive drab drill, inside seams reinforced
with leather, eyelets in crown for ventilation, detachable ties. Price
50 cents.
3. _Boy Scout Hat_. Extra fine, fur felt, made for hard service. Price
$2.00.
[Illustration: Haversack]
* _Haversack_: Waterproof canvas, leather straps--buckles and separate
pockets--scout emblem on flap. Price 60 cents.
[Illustration: Knickerbockers]
* _Knickerbockers_: Boy Scout olive drab drill, belt guides, pockets,
knee buckles, full pattern. Price 75 cents.
Age-Size Waist
19 32
17 31
16 30
15 29
14 28
13 27
12 26-1/2
[Illustration: Knives]
* _Knives_:
No. 1, Price $1.00.
A Stag handle, brass lining, german silver bolsters and shield. Large
polished cutting blade, screw driver, can-opener and leather boring
tool (U. S. Pat. 6-10-02.)
Page 217
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
{364}
[Illustration: Lanyard]
_Lanyard_: This piece of equipment is so simple in construction that
every scout ought to make his own lanyard. These are used for carrying
the scout whistle or knife.
[Illustration: Leggings]
* _Leggings_: (Puttees). The style of leggings is the same as United
States Army puttee legging. Made of best waterproof army duck. Price
55 cents.
_Shelter Tents_: Scouts should make their own tents. Directions for
making tents are given in the text of this book.
[Illustration: Shirts]
* _Shirts_: Boy Scout shirt, standard material--two bellows pockets--
open front, coat style--standard button same as coat. Order by size.
Price $1.00
_Summer Shirts_: Same as above, light weight. Price 75 cents.
{365}
[Illustration: Shorts]
* _Shorts_: Standard material--belt guides. Full running pant pattern--
especially desirable for summer use. Order according to age and waist
measurement. Price 50 cents.
[Illustration: Shoes]
* _Shoes_: Any good shoe that is made up for the purpose of ease, and
comfort in tramping will serve the boy scout's needs. The Boy Scout
shoe is convenient, inexpensive and especially designed for scouting.
Price $2.50.
Page 218
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
[Illustration: Staff]
_Staff_: Ash or bamboo, two metres, (6 ft. 6-1/2 in.), in length and
about one and one-half inches in diameter; marked off on one side in
centimetres up to one-half metre, and the balance in metres. On the
other side it should be marked off in inches up to one foot and the
balance in feet. The staff should have a blunt end. Scouts should make
their own staffs whenever it is possible for them to secure the
lumber. Hoe or rake handles make excellent staffs. These can be
procured through any local dealer at a nominal sum.
Many boys, upon taking up the Scout Movement, are dubious about the
value of the scout staff and many friends of the movement ask "Why
does a boy scout carry a staff?"
The staff is very useful for beating out brush fires and outbreaks
which occur on open heaths.
Wading a stream. Two or three Scouts grasp the Staff like this.
Both patrol tents and tepees can be made with the aid of the Staff.
When anyone falls through some ice, throw him your Staff so that he
can grasp it like this until you can get a rope and pull him out.
When climbing gates you can give yourself a push up with your Staff.
A clear view can be had by looking through a small hole drilled in the
Staff.
Measuring Distances.
Self-defence.
Making Splints.
Jumping Ditches.
Making Rafts.
Bridge Building.
Rope ladders,
Feeling the way over marshy ground.
Page 219
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Recovering Objects Floating in the Water--
First tie a line to the centre of the staff. Then tie a piece of
string to each end of the staff, and the other ends of these strings
being tied to the centre. That will keep the staff at right angles to
the line that is in your hand.
By swinging the staff out over the water, beyond the floating
article, you will be able to draw the latter in close to shore.
_Sweaters_: Any local clothing store will be able to secure for the
scout the kind and quality of sweater needed.
* _Troop Colors_: Made of superior wool bunting upper half, red; lower
half, white. Reproduction of the official badge super-imposed in green
and gold. Sufficient space left for troop number and name of city.
Size of flag, 22 in. by 36 in. Letters to be attached by the local
troop. Price without letters $1.00.
* _Trousers_: Full length for scout masters: Made of Standard olive drab
cotton cloth, belt loop. Price $2.00. If breeches are preferred, they
may be had at same price. Better quality of boy scout suits--made of
U. S. Army standard olive drab cloth. Coat $2.50, breeches $2.00.
{368}
Name
Street
City
Coat Measure
L--All around at breast under coat
M--All around at waist under coat
Page 220
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Sleeve
C to D--From centre of collar seam to shoulder seam
Then
E--To elbow.
F--To full length
Breeches
M--All around at waist under coat
Leggings
G--Size of calf
H--Size of instep
{369}
Hat
Size of hat
Size of linen collar worn
This list of reference books has been prepared for the use of scouts,
to supplement information given in the handbook prepared for their
use. It has been the aim to give as wide a selection as possible, in
order that the boy scout might not fail to find in the local public
library, some book on any subject in which he may have particular
interest. The list includes literature directly or indirectly related
to scouting, as well as some appropriate books of fiction.
For convenience the books have been listed in accordance with the
subject headings of the various chapters of the Handbook. Some of the
most experienced librarians of the country have submitted material
which has aided in the preparation of this list. For this kindly
cooperation, sincere thanks is given.
Scoutcraft
Page 221
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Three Amateur Scouts
Jadberns
Lippincott
Woodcraft
ANIMALS
Animals at Home
Lillian Bartlett
American Book Co.
{370}
Animal Heroes
Seton
Century Co.
A Wilderness Dog
Biography of a Grizzly
Seton
Scribners
Good Hunting
Theodore Roosevelt
Harper Bros.
Habits of Animals
E. Ingersoll
Page 222
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Haunter of Pine Gloom
C. G. D. Roberts
Jungle Book
Kipling
Mooswa
W. A. Fraser
Red Fox
Page 223
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
C. G. D. Roberts
Shaggycoat
C. Hawkes
{371}
Trapper Jim
Edwin Sandys
Wilderness Ways
W. J. Long
ASTRONOMY
Astronomy
Julia McNair Wright
Penn Pub. Co.
Astronomy by Observation
Eliza A. Bowen
American Book Co.
Popular Astronomy
G. Flammarion
Starland
Ball
Ginn & Co.
{372}
BIRDS
Page 225
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Bird Guide--Part 1 Water Birds
Chester A. Reed
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Bird Life
Frank Chapman
Appleton
Bird Neighbours
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Bird Neighbors
John Burroughs
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Citizen Bird
M. O. Wright
Everyday Birds
Bradford Torrey
Field Book of Wild Birds and Their Music
F. S. Mathews
Putnam's Sons
First Book of Birds
H. M. Miller
Flamingo Feather
Munroe
{373}
Fish Stories
Holder and Jordan
Botany
Julia McNair Wright
Penn Pub. Co.
Common Plants
George O. Goodall
D. C. Heath & Co.
Flower Guide
C. A. & C. K. Reed
Gardening for Profit.
P. Henderson
Page 228
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
{374}
Manual of Gardening
L. H. Bailey
Nature's Garden
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
FUNGI
Mushrooms
Page 229
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Atkinson
Holt & Co.
The Mushroom
M. E. Hard
Ohio Library Co.
The Mushroom Book
Nina L. Marshall
Doubleday, Page & Co.
HANDICRAFT
Clay Modelling
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Electric Bells
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Electro-Plating
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Leather Working
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Photography
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Photographic Cameras
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Photographic Chemistry
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Photographic Studies
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Upholstery
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
{375}
Page 230
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
INSECTS AND BUTTERFLIES
Insect Life
Comstock
About Pebbles
Alpheus Hyatt
D. C. Heath & Co.
REPTILES
Poisonous Snakes of North America
Leonard Stejneger
Gov. Printing Office
{376}
The Forest
S. E. White
The Forester's Manual or Forest Trees that Every Scout Should Know
Seton
Doubleday, Page & Co.
The Magic Forest
White
Grosset & Dunlap
{377}
The Trees of California
Jepson
MISCELLANEOUS--WOODCRAFT
A Journey to Nature
J. P. Mowbray
Grosset & Dunlap
Amateur Taxidermist
Scorso
Boy Pioneers
Dan Beard
Scribners
Box Furniture
Louise Brigham
Century Co.
Diomed
Sargent
Grosset & Dunlap
Chats on Photography
Wallington
Lippincott
Electricity
Fowler
Penn Pub. Co.
Excursions
Thoreau
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Four Afoot
Barbour
Frontiersman's Pocketbook
Pocock
Long Trail
Garland
Nature Study
F. L. Holtz
Scribners
On Horseback in Virginia
C. D. Warner
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Out-of-Doors
M. Ellsworth Olson
Pacific Pub. Co.
Sportsman Joe
Sandys
Taxidermy
Hasluck
McKay
{379}
The Mountains
S. E. White
Trapper Jim
Sandys
Ways of Nature
Burroughs
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Wilderness Homes
Kemp
Outing Pub. Co.
Wild Neighbors
Ingersoll
Wireless Telegraphy
A. F. Collins
Woodcraft
Sears
Century Co.
Woodcraft
Nessmuk
Forest & Strean
CAMPCRAFT
Billy in Camp
Carr
McClurg Co.
Boat Sailing
Kensaly
Outing Co.
Building Model Boats
Hasluck
David McKay
Page 238
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Camp Cookery
Horace Kephart
Outing Pub. Co.
Camping Out
Stephens
Hurst & Co.
{380}
Campmates
C. K. Munroe
Canoemates
Kirk Munroe
Comrades in Camp
Victor
Chatterton Co.
How to Swim
Dalton
Swimming
Brewster
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Swimming
Sinclair
Page 240
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Graphology
Howard
Penn Pub. Co.
Grizzly Bear
Wright
{381}
Phrenology
Olin
Penn. Pub. Co.
Physiognomy
Lomlax
Penn. Pub. Co.
Sign Language
Seton
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Young Trailers
Altsheler
Daily Training
Benson & Miles
Good Health
Jewett
Ginn & Co.
Health
Walter C. Wood
Penn Pub. Co.
My System
Muller
Rural Hygiene
Brewer
Lippincott
CHIVALRY
Adaptability
Ellen E. Kenyon Warner
Hinds, Noble & Co.
Age of Chivalry
Bullfinch
An Iron Will
Orison Swett Marden
Crowell
A Skilled Workman
W. A. Bodell
Revell Co.
{382}
Duty
Ellen E. Kenyon Warner
Hinds, Noble & Co.
Economy
Orison Swett Marden
Crowell Co.
Famous Scouts
Johnston
Fidelity
Ellen E. Kenyon Warner
Hinds Noble & Co.
First Battles
Frederick A. Atkins
Revell Co.
Heroes of Chivalry
Louise Maitland
Heroes of Pioneering
Sanderson
Lippincott
Page 243
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Heroes of the Storm
O'Connor
Houghton
Knight Errant
Davidson
Lippincott
Lessons on Manners
Julia M. Dewey
Hinds, Noble & Co.
Levels of Living
Henry F. Cope
Revell
Little Jarvis
Seawell
Loyalty
McClure
Revell Co.
Men of Iron
Pyle
Moral Muscle
Frederick A. Atkins
Revell Co.
My Young Man
Louis Albert Banks
Funk & Wagnalls Co.
Possibilities
Page 244
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
McClure
Revell Co.
Practical Paradoxes
Orison Swett Marden
Crowell Co.
Royal Manhood
James I. Vance
Revell Co.
{383}
Self Reliance
Ellen E. Kenyon Warner
Hinds, Noble & Co.
Stories of Charlemagne
Church
Success in Life
Emil Reich
Duffield Co.
Successward
Edward Bok
Revell Co.
Tendency
James I. Vance
Revell Co.
Page 245
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
The Book of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
Mary MacLeod
Fred'k A. Stokes
Thoroughness
Davidson
Revell Co.
Page 246
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
True Manhood
James, Cardinal Gibbons
McClurg Co.
{384}
Winning Their Way
Faris
Boys Coastwise
Rideing
Emergencies
C. V. Gulick
Fighting a Fire
C. T. Hill
Nursing
S. Virginia Leves
Penn Pub. Co.
The Life-boat
Ballantyne
GAMES
Play
Emmett D. Angell
Little, Brown & Co.
{385}
PATRIOTISM AND CITIZENSHIP
Abraham Lincoln
Baldwin
American Book Co.
A Message to Garcia
Hubbard
Good Citizenship
Julia Richman
Good Citizenship
Grover Cleveland
Henry Altemus Co.
Historic Americans
E. S. Brooks
Crowell Co.
{386}
North America
Frank G. Carpenter
American Book Co.
Patriotic Citizenship
The Citizen
Shaler
The Pilgrims
F. S. Noble
Pilgrim Press
{387}
The Story of our Navy for Young Americans
Abbott
Dodd, Mead & Co.
U. S
Townsend
Lothrop
Washington and His Generals
Headley
Hurst & Co.
Washington's Farewell Address
Duffield Co.
Young Americans
Page 252
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Judson
MISCELLANEOUS
A Guide to Biography
Burton E. Stevenson
Baker, Taylor Co.
American Indians
Yonge
"Boy Wanted"
W. Waterman
Choosing a Vocation
Parsons
Courage
Charles Wagner
David Crockett: His Life and Adventures
J. S. C. Abbott
{388}
Indian Boyhood
Eastman
Loyalty
J. G. R. McCleeve
Revell Co.
Page 254
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Some Merry Adventures of Robin Hood.
Pyle
Scribners
Story of a Scout
Finnemore
Starting in Life
Fowler
Success
O. S. Marden
Successful Careers
Thaye
Crowell Co.
{389}
Arizona Nights
S. E. White
Page 255
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Backwoodsmen
D. Roberts
Black Rock
Gordon (Ralph Connor, pseud)
Bob Burton
Horatio Alger, Jr
Winston Co.
Cattle Brands
A. Adams
Chilhowee Boys
Morrison
Crowell Co.
Page 256
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Forest Runners
Altsheler
Fox Hunting
C. A. Stephens
Hurst & Co.
Freckles
Porter
Grosset & Dunlap
Huckleberry Finn
Twain
Ivanhoe
Scott
Kim
Kipling
Kidnapped
Stevenson
Knights Who Fought the Dragon
Edwin Leslie
Sunday School Times Co.
Larry Deeter's Great Search
Howard R. Garis
Grosset & Dunlap
Little Metacomet
Hezekiah Butterworth
Crowell Co.
{390}
Little Smoke
W. O. Stoddard
Log of a Cowboy
Page 257
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
A. Adams
Luke Walton
Horatio Alger, Jr
Winston Co.
Paul Revere
John De Morgan
David McKay
Peggy Owen
Lucy Foster Madison
Penn Pub. Co.
Struggling Upward
Alger, Jr
Winsted Co.
Talking Leaves
W. O. Stoddard
The Hill
Horace A. Vachell
Dodd, Mead & Co.
The Pilot
Cooper
The Pioneers
Cooper
The Spy
Cooper
Page 259
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
{391}
Wolf Hunters
Joseph Oliver Curwood
Bobbs, Merrill Co.
{392}
{393}
{394}
INDEX
{395}
INDEX
PAGE
Accidents, prevention of 255
Additions to Territory of the United States 323
A First Try in Tracking 191
Aim of the Scout Movement 3
Alaska Purchase (1867) 324
Alcohol 226
Ambassadors 345
America (Hymn) 357
American Morse Telegraph Alphabet 202
American Morse Telegraph Abbreviations 203
American Morse Telegraph Numerals 202
American Morse Telegraph Punctuations 202
American Morse Telegraph Signal 202
American Revolution. The (1775-1783) 325-328
Angling 109
Animals, Native, Wild 133
Antelope 135
Badger 140
Bear, Black 142
Beaver 136
Cottontail 125
Cougar or Panther 137
Coyote 139
Deer, Mule 134
Page 260
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Deer, White Tailed 134
Elk or Wapiti 133
Fox 138
Goat, Mountain 135
Mink 140
Moose 135
Muskrat 136
Opossum 141
Otter 139
Panther or Cougar 137
Rabbit, Cottontail 137
Rabbit, Jack or Black Tailed 137
Raccoon 141
Squirrel, Gray 141
Skunk 140
Weasel 139
Wild Cat or Bob Cat 138
Wolf. Gray 138
Woodchuck 136
Annapolis, Md., Naval Academy 344
Apoplexy and Injury to Brain 270
Aquarium, Home 109
Aquarium Fish Food 111
Aquarium Fish Nets 110
Aquarium, Starting the 110
Archery 255
Arm Carry 240, 276
Army of the United States 342
Articles of Confederation (1781) 325
A Story of the Trail 192-197
Athletic Standards, Outdoor 320
Axes 360
Badges of Rank 44
Chief Scout 45
Chief Scout Camp Master 46
Chief Scout Citizen 46
Chief Scout Director of Athletics 46
Chief Scout Director of Chivalry 46
Chief Scout Director of Health 45
Chief Scout Stalker 45
Chief Scout Surgeon 45
Chief Scout Surveyor 45
Chief Scout Woodsman 45
Scout Master 45
Service Stripes 45
Back Strangle 284
Bandanna 360
Bathing Rules 156
Baths 224
Battleship Maine (1898) 338
Bed. The Camp 147
Beetles and Wasps 105
Belts 360
Bird Box 92
Bird Craft 85-94
Bird Blind 89
Bird Lists 87
Bird Lunch Counter 92
Bird Patrol Man 94
Birds, Caring For 91
Birds, How to Photograph 89
Birds, Knowing the 85-90
Birds, Nesting Season 88
Birds, Protecting the 92
Birth of New States. The 331
Bites and Stings 274
Books for Reference 369-391
Boy Scout Equipment 359-369
Boy Scout Organization, The 10
Breeches 360
Bruises 264
Page 261
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Bugle 361
Building a Lot Cabin 59
Burns and Scalds 273
Butterflies 101
Butterfly Weed 119
{396}
PAGE
Canoeing, Rowing and Sailing 173-184
Clear Weather Signs 157
Clouds as Weather Signs 156
Cooking Receipts 149-152
Bacon 150
Cocoa 151
Coffee 151
Eggs--Boiled, fried, scrambled, poached 151
Fish, baked 150
Frog Legs 150
Griddle Cakes 149
Potatoes, Roast 150
Salmon on Toast 150
Camp Knives 361
Carrying Injured 277
Canteen 361
Census of United States (1790-1820)
taken every ten years 332
Chair Carry 275
Challenge of the Present 243
Character 245
Cheerfulness 244
Chief Scout and Staff 11
Chills 277
Chivalry 237-254
Citizenship 349
Civil Service, United Stales. State and City 344
Civil War, The (1861-1865) 334
Clothing on Fire--How to Put Out 256
Coats 361
Coffee 226
Compass 362
Confederacy, Southern (1861) 335
Congress 341
Conservation 232
Constipation 226
Constitution of the United States (1789) 325
Consuls 345
County Court House 348
Courage 248
Courts of the United States 342
Cramps or Stomach Ache 276
Cuba (1898) 338
"Death Grips"--How to Break 282
Declaration of Independence (1776) 327
Digestion 225
Directions for Ordering 360
Dish Washing 152
Dislocation 265
Diving for Lost Objects 285
Page 262
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Diving from the Surface 284
Drawing Tracks 196
Drinking Cup 362
Drowning 258
Drum 362
Dutch in New York 325
Duty to God 249
Ear Ache 275
Ears, Care of 229
Eating 225
Electric Accidents 258
Electric Shocks, What to do 259
Emancipation Proclamation (1862) 337
Emergencies, First Aid For 273
English Settlements (t607) (1620) 325
Equipment 359-369
Evacuation Day (1783) 326
Exercise, Setting-Up 188-191
Exercises. Outdoor 223
Eye Bandage 274
Eyes--Care of 226
Eye--Inflammation of 276
Eye--Something in the 273
Fainting 270
Farragut, Admiral--Life Story 329
Feet, Care of 230
Ferns 117
Finding your latitude by the Stars 57
Finger Nails, Care of 230
Fire by Rubbing Sticks. How to Make 70
Fire, Building the 158
Fireman's Lift 278
Fires 255
Fires. How to Put Out--What to Do 255
First Aid and Life Saving 255-290
First Aid 251
First Aid Kit 362
First Class Scout 17
Fitness 219
Fits 272
Fishes 105-109
Classes of 106
Identification of Specimens 108
Bass, Black--large mouth 107
Catfish, Speckled 106
Herring, River or Alewife 107
Killifish. Tip minnow 108
Perch, Yellow 107
Pickerel, Common Pike 106
Salmon, Chinook 106
Sturgeon, The Atlantic 107
Sucker, Common White 108
Trout, Brook or Speckled 106
Whitefish, Common 106
Marine 107
Migratory 106
Studying 107
Flag Day--June 14th 340
Flag. The History of American (1777) 337
Flag Rules Observed 341
Floating 280
Florida and Texas 333
Florida Purchase (1819) 324
Foreign Service 345
Forest Fires 159
Forks 361
Fort Sumter (1861) 335
Fractures, Compound 264
Franklin. Benjamin 327
Freezing 272
Page 263
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
French and Indian Wars, (1763) 335
Frost Bite 272
Gadsend Purchase (1853) 324
Games 291
Arctic Expedition 314
Badger Pulling 303
Bear Hunt 293
Canoe Tag 297
Chalk the Arrow 312
Cock Fighting 302
Deer Hunting 291
Dodge Ball 312
Dragging Race 351
{397}
PAGE
Duck-on-a-rock 304
Far and Near 315
Far Sight 299
Feather Football or Feather Blow 302
Fire Lighting Race 315
Flag Raiding 305
Follow My Leader 315
Follow the Trail 310
Hand Wrestling 303
Hare and Hound 312
Hat Ball 303
Horse and Rider Tourney 318
Hostile Spy 300
Hunt the Coon 301
Kim's Game 311
Knight Errantry 316
Lion Hunting 305
Man-Hunt, The 301
Morgan's Game 311
Mountain Scouting 316
Mumbly Peg 318
Navajo Feather Dance 302
Pathfinding, Games in 316
Plant Race 305
Poison 303
Pole-star 299
Prisoner's Base 313
Quick Sight, The Game of 298
Rabbit Hunt 300
Relay Race 308
Roadside Cribbage 304
Scouting 298
Scout Hunting 308
Scout Meets Scout 310
Scout's Nose (Indoors) 310
Shop Window (Indoors in Town) 309
Shop Window (Outdoors in Town) 309
Shoot Out 311
Siberian Man Hunt 312
Smugglers on the Border 309
Snow Fort 311
Spear Fights 302
Spearing the Great Sturgeon 295
Spider and Fly 307
Spot the Rabbit or Far Sight 299
Spot the Thief 308
Stalking 307
Stalking and Reporting 307
Throwing the Assegai 305
Throwing the Spear 313
Tilting in the Water 296
Track Memory 308
Treasure Hunt, The 317
Treasure Island 318
Page 264
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Unprepared Plays 316
Will-o-the-Wisp 317
Gas Accidents 259
Gas Poisoning, What to Do 260
General Hints 155
Grant, Ulysses S. 335
Grasses 117
Growth 223
Guam Acquired (1808) 324
{398}
Page
Mexican Cession and Purchase from Texas (1848) 324
Military Academy West Point 343
Militia, Naval 344
Militia, State 308
Molusca--Shells and Shellfish 94-97
Moon, The 85
Moths 103
Mushrooms, Fungi or Toadstools 122
Mushrooms, Common 125
Mushrooms, Coprinus 125
Mushrooms, Delicious Morel 126
Mushrooms, Inky Coprinus 125
Mushrooms, Puff Balls 126
Merit Badges
Agriculture 24
Angling 24
Archery 24
Architecture 25
Art 25
Astronomy 25
Athletics 26
Automobiling 26
Aviation 26
Bee Farming 27
Blacksmithing 27
Bugling 27
Business 27
Camping 28
Carpentry 28
Chemistry 28
Civics 29
Conservation 30
Cooking 30
Craftsmanship 31
Cycling 31
Dairying 31
Eagle Scout 43
Electricity 32
Firemanship 32
First Aid 32
First Aid to Animals 33
Forestry 33
Gardening 34
Handicraft 34
Horsemanship 34
Interpreting 35
Invention 35
Leather Working 35
Life Saving 36
Life Scout 43
Machinery 36
Marksmanship 36
Masonry 36
Page 266
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Mining 37
Music 37
Ornithology 37
Painting 38
Pathfinding 38
Personal Health 39
Photography 39
Pioneering 39
Plumbing 40
Poultry Farming 40
Printing 40
Public Health 40
Scholarship 41
Sculpture 41
Seamanship 41
Signalling 42
Stalking 42
Star Scout 43
Surveying 42
Swimming 42
Taxidermy 43
Naval Enlistment 343
Naval Academy 344
Navy of United States 343
Neckerchief 360
Neck Grip 283
New States (1845-1861) 333
Norfolk Coat 362
"Northwest Territory" 335
Nose Bleed 274
Nose, Care of 229
Pain 224
Panics, Prevention of 255
Patriotism and Citizenship 323-356
Patrol Flags 364
Patrol Signs 19
Patrol Work 83
Peace 339
Peace Treaty (1783) 291-292
Philippine Islands Acquired (1898) 324
Pilgrim Fathers 238, 325
Pine Island Acquired (1898) 324
Pioneers. American 239
Plants, Ferns and Grasses 117-122
Pleiades 84
Poisoning 272
Poison Ivy 119
Politics 347
Ponchos 364
Porto Rico Acquired (1898) 324
Practical Citizenship 353
President--Term of Office, Salary, etc. 341
Program, Scout Camp 153
Proper Carriage 219
Property--
Real. Personal--Relationship to Government 348
Public Domain 322
Purchase from Texas (1850) 324
Puttees 364
Rains, Signs of 156
Ration List 152
Register of Deeds 347
Page 267
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Religion, Boy Scouts 250
Rememberable Morse or Re-Morse Alphabet 203
Reptiles 97-101
Rescue from Shore or Boat 284
Restoring Breathing 286
Rocks and Pebbles 111-117
Rocks, Stratified 112
Rocks, Quartz vein 113
Fossill, Shells 116
Pudding-Stone 116
Row Boats 180
Coming Alongside 181
Feathering 180
Going Ashore 181
Keeping Ashore 181
{399}
Rowing 181
Sculling 181
Steering 181
Salute, The 181
Turning. The 180
Runaway Horse 260
PAGE
Sailing Small Boats 182
Sailing Before Wind 183
Sailing Close to Wind 183
Sailing, Direction of Wind 182
Sailing--Flying the Flag 184
Sailing--Reefing 183
Sailing--Right of Way 184
Samoan Islands Acquired (1899) 324
Sanitation 154
Scout Badge, The 12
Scout Law, The 14
Scout Motto, The 12
Scout Oath, The 14
Scout Salute, The 14
Scout Sign, The 14
Scout Virtues 8
Scout Master, The 153
Scouts Pledged to the Flag 341
Scout Staff and its Uses 365
Secession of States 335
Second Class Scout 17
Secrets of the Woods 199
Semaphore Signal Code 206
Shells and Shell Fish 94-97
Shelter Tents 364
Shirts 364
Shock--What to do in Case of 261
Shoes 365
Signal Flags 365
Signalling by Flag or Torch 305
Slavery 335
Sleep 231
Sleeping out of doors 232
Snake Bites 237
Snakes, Water Moccasin 101
Southern Confederacy formed (1861) 335
Spanish American War, The (1898) 338
Spanish and French 325
Speaker, House of Representatives 341
Special Service by Boy Scouts 109
Splints and Sling for Arm 264
Splints for Broken Leg 263
Splints for Broken Thigh 262
Spoons 361
Sports 364
Sprains 264
Staff 365
Page 268
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Star Spangled Banner, The (1815) 330
Star Spangled Banner, Hymn 358
Stars, The 81
State Government 346
Stockings 66
Stomach Ache 276
Stretcher Improvised 277
Struggle for Freedom 238
Sunburn 274
Sun Dial or Hunter's Clock 53
Sun Stroke and Heat Exhaustion 274
Sweaters 361
Swedes in Delaware 325
Taxes 349
Tea 226
Teeth 227
Telegraph Instruments 366
Tenderfoot 16
Tent Making Made Easy 164-170
Texas Annexed 324
Three Classes of Scouts, The 16
Thrift 246
Throat 229
Toadstools 122
Toadstools, Deadly Cup 123
Toadstools, Deadly Amanita 123
Toadstools, Destroying Angel 123
Toadstools, Fly Amanita 124
Toadstools, Hated Amanita 124
Toadstools, Poisonous 123
Toadstools, Sure Death 123
Toadstools, Wholesome 125
Tobacco 226
Toothache 275
Torniquet to Upper Arm 269
Towns, Villages and Cities 347
Tracking Irons 367
Tracks, Tracking and Signaling 187-218
The Coon that Showed How 194
Tracking 188
Tracking, How to Learn 190
Tracking, When to Learn 190
Trying It on the Cat 196
Treatment After Respiration Begins 287
Trees. Common North American 127-133
Ash, White 132
Beech 130
Birch, Black. Sweet or Mahogany 129
Birch, Common or Aspen Leaved 129
Butternut or White Walnut 129
Cedar, Red 128
Chestnut 130
Cottonwood 128
Elm, White or Swamp 131
Hemlock 128
Hickory, White 128
Locust, Black or Yellow 132
Maple, Red, Scarlet. Water or Swamp 132
Oak, Red 130
Oak, White 131
Pine, White 127
Shagbark, or White Hickory 128
Sycamore, Plane Tree,
Buttonball or Buttonwood 131
Walnut, Black 129
Walnut, White or Butternut 129
Troop Colors 367
Trousers 367
Twelve Points of the Scout Law, The 10
Unconsciousness 270
Page 269
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
PAGE
Waterproofing a Tent 170
Water Supply 154
Waves 179
Weather Flags 157
West Point Military Academy 343
What One Boy Did 90
What Scouting Means 3
What to do When Lost in the Woods 67
Whistles 367
Whistle Signs 208
White House 341
White Pine 119
Wig-Wag or Myer Code 204
Will 246
Wind, How to Tell Direction of 157
Wireless Telegraphy 210
Wireless Abbreviations 205
Wireless Signs 204
Wireless Numbers 204
Wireless. Receiving Set 211
Wireless Sending Set 213
Woodcraft 57-145
Woodlore 57-85
Work not Luck 251
Wounds Without Severe Bleeding 267
Wounds With Severe Bleeding 267
Wrist Grip 282
Peter's Bon-Bons
-----------------------------------------------------------
{402}
Now on Sale!
COLORS
Olive, Tan and Black
-----------------------------------------------------------
{403}
Page 271
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
If a local organization is in need of funds to purchase pictures,
furniture, uniforms or anything else needful for its rooms or
activities, this affords an excellent opportunity for the boys to earn
part or all of the necessary amount.
This book, "BOY Scouts," will be sent anywhere for ten cents in stamps
or coin by
Minute Tapioca Co., Orange, Mass.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{404}
The Soft, Sure Silent Step of the Indian, the trapper and the guide is
yours in the city as well as on the trail, if you will simply attach
O'Sullivan's Heels of New Live Rubber to your ordinary shoes.
As you carry home with you the high, wholesome ideas of the woods, so
also retain the noiseless tread of the true scout by always wearing
O'Sullivan Heels.
The best known men today are wearing these heels. They give that
quiet, springy tread which shows the strong, self-reliant man.
Put O'Sullivan's on all your shoes. 50 cents per pair attached.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{405}
SCOUT'S AXE
-----------------------------------------------------------
{406}
Page 272
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Programs for Scout Meetings; indoors and out, summer and winter; long
term camp, Scout games, etc.
-----------------------------------------------------------
This 14-candle-power lamp projects a bright, white light 150 feet and
fulfils every lighting requirement for the camper, Hunter and Angler.
The Baldwin Camp Light is only 3-1/2 inches high and weighs but 5
ounces. 25 cents worth of carbide gives fifty hours' light. Can be
hung up in the tent, fastened to bow of boat or worn on cap or belt,
leaving both hands free.
Write for this interesting booklet, sent free if you mention your
dealer's name and address
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
{407}
National Outfitter
SIGMUND EISNER
Red Bank, New Jersey
-----------------------------------------------------------
{408}
Price $2.50
Official Seal
Bottom Stamp
Herman's US Army Shoe
For Boy Scouts of America
T. E. O'Donnell
Inspector
-----------------------------------------------------------
{409}
Bailey's
Boy Scout Underwear
Consisting of Knit Shirts
Drawers and Union Suits
Made in plain and open mesh effect cloth, in olive drab regulation
color, also in Egyptian and white.
Shirts made athletic style as shown in cut.
Drawers finished with strong ribbed cuffs that reach just below the
knee which insures comfort to wearer.
PRICES
Athletic Shirts $.25
Athletic Drawers .25
Union Suits .50
If you cannot get these goods from your dealer, advise us and we will
mail or express them to you prepaid on receipt of price.
THE BAILEY KNITTING MILLS
FORT PLAIN. N. Y.
Page 274
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
N. B. Boy Scout Underwear suggested by Master Charles S. Bailey of
Troop 2, Boy Scouts of America, Fort Plain, N. Y.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{410}
Official Equipments
'Tabloid' First-Aid
No. 709, for Patrol Leaders and Scout Masters $2.00
No. 710, for Scouts $1.00
Special discount on orders for 1/2 doz. or more when ordered through
the local organization.
Burroughs, Wellcome & Co. 35 West 33d Street New York City
-----------------------------------------------------------
ABERCROMBIE'S CAMP
TRADE MARK
-----------------------------------------------------------
{411}
-----------------------------------------------------------
{412}
The Watch for the Boy Scout as well as for the veteran. The boy of
Page 275
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
today doesn't want a clock watch bought in a notion store at the price
of a toy. He wants an accurate watch bought from a jeweler--one he can
take pride in and one that teaches him to respect time. An accurate
time-piece, like scouting, cultivates habits of precision and
punctuality.
WALTHAM
Watches are noted time-keepers in every grade. There are moderate
priced Waltham watches that keep perfect time. Even low priced
Walthams maintain wonderful records for accuracy. The pride of owning
a watch of the world-wide reputation of Waltham, adds immensely to any
boy's happiness.
Send for Descriptive Booklet of Waltham Movements or Ask Your Jeweler.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{413}
Slip into the Suit, fasten it on the shoulders--and there you are!
That is the whole idea in a nutshell. A simple, sensible undergarment,
easy to get into, comfortable to wear, and very serviceable.
There is no "pull" or strain on any part, the suit fits smoothly and
comfortably and allows free action of the whole body.
Only four buttons on the whole garment, and they are so well sewn that
not even the most strenuous boy is apt to pull them off.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{414}
-----------------------------------------------------------
Page 276
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
{415}
ATTENTION SCOUTS!
DAN BEARD
One of the National Scout Commissioner.
Has written a Library of Scout Books--books you must have for they
tell all about the life in fields and forests and on rivers and
streams--the things you want to know in your business.
"The reader is told how to take part in all the old Pioneer games."
--Phila. Press.
The Field and Forest Handy Book. Illustrated by the author. $2.00
"A book to be coveted by every active-minded boy capable of handling
tools."--Chicago News,
"Any boy who is handy with tools of any sort will enjoy this book."
--Youths' Companion,
-----------------------------------------------------------
American Conservation
-----------------------------------------------------------
Page 277
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
{416}
"Be Prepared"
When you get your camp supplies don't forget to buy a box of
"STEERO" Bouillon Cubes
Reg. U. S. Pat. Off
Made by American Kitchen Products Co., New York
Add them to the list of supplies on page 152 of your Handbook. A box
of 100 Steero Cubes is the right size for six boys for a week.
Steero Cubes will save a lot of cooking in camp. All you have to do is
to put a Steero Cube in a cup and pour boiling water on it. You can
make dandy soup for dinner, supper, or any time you're hungry. You
can't help getting it just right every time, and there isn't any waste
because
Send for Free Samples and try them at home, so you'll know just what
they are.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{417}
SCOUTS!
Chief Scout Ernest Thompson Seton has written Books without which no
Scout Library is first-rate.
Monarch, the Big Bear of Tallac. Illustrated by the author. $1.25$ net
"A fascinating account of a Bear Family."--Providence Journal.
The Trail of the Sand Hill Stag. Illustrated by the author. $1.50
Page 278
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
"Ought to make any boy happy and will furnish him some delightful
hours." --Detroit Free Press.
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
{418}
Illustrated, Cloth, $1
-----------------------------------------------------------
The author has started thousands of men and boys on the way to mastery
Page 279
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
of the various strokes--under arm, over arm, crawl, etc. Over one
hundred practical illustrations are shown. More value for less money
than can be found in any other book of the kind. "The methods of
illustrating are the best that can be devised, and the pictures convey
an extremely clear idea of what is meant. Mr Corsan's book stands with
the best, of which there are few, as a most complete work."--CHARLES
M. DANIELS, Champion swimmer of the United States, in the Playground.
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
The boy has the brain and the will, he doesn't need anybody to think
for him or to decide for him. He needs to be guided into right ways of
thinking and deciding for himself. This book is such a guide. It
simply says, Here are two ways--which do you think is right. Very
well, do that.
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
{419}
Page 280
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Two Blooded Shetlands, each with Cart and Harness made especially to
fit the pony, will be given each month to boys who sell
-----------------------------------------------------------
{420}
Being the Adventure of a Boy Scout with Indian Quonab and Little Dog
Skookum in the War of 1812.
When Rolf Kittering crawled out of the window of his little attic room
that night to escape his infuriated and brutal uncle, there was no
refuge for him to seek except the camp of his chance friend, old
Quonab the Indian. The story of his life outdoors, of the fight with
the monster snapping turtle, of the journey to the great North Woods,
and how the boy came to know the intimate life of the wild creatures,
will make any boy's, or man's, heart beat faster with admiring envy.
The most exciting portion of all is where Rolf comes to put his new
knowledge into practice as a daring scout during the War of 1812.
Profusely illustrated and with marginal decorations by the author.
Fixed price, $1.50
By the Same Author
Foresters Manual.
Cloth. Net, $1.00 (postage 10c.) Paper, net, 50c. (postage 5c.)
Page 281
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
By STEWART EDWARD WHITE
The Cabin
The Forest.
Illustrated. Net, $1.50 (postage 15c.)
The Mountains.
Illustrated. Net, $1.50 (upstage 15c.)
The Pass.
Illustrated. Net, $1.25 (postage 12c.)
Garden City
Doubleday, Page & Co.
New York
-----------------------------------------------------------
{421}
Carpentry
Mechanics
Electricity
Outdoor Work
Metal Work
Gardening and Farming
Home Decoration
Games and Sports
Housekeeping
Needlecraft
Cut off this coupon to-day and mail it to us and we'll send you full
information of this most useful and interesting set of books.
Doubleday, Page & CO.
Garden City, N. Y.
-------------------------------------------
Doubleday, Page & CO.
Garden City, N. Y.
Sent me the booklet descriptive of the
Library of Work and Play, and containing
colored plates, illustrations, etc.
Page 282
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
Name _____________________________
Address _____________________________
-------------------------------------------
-----------------------------------------------------------
{422}
A BIG BARGAIN
FOR ONLY FIFTY CENTS we will send you THE BOYS' MAGAZINE for six
months AND a copy of the cleverest little book you ever read,
entitled, "Fifty Ways for Boys to Make Money" AND a "Reach" Base Ball
Fielder's Glove, (This glove is made of fine brown tan leather, felt
padded and leather lined, patent wide hump, web thumb and deep
pocket.)
Don't put this off but send in your subscription to-day. We will
refund your money promptly if you are not more than pleased with your
investment. (References as to our Responsibility, Hamlin Bank & Trust
Co., Smethport. Pa., or Dun or Bradstreet's Mercantile Agencies.)
Address
The Scott F. Redfield Co. 595 Main Street Smethport, Pa.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{423}
All Boy Scouts Should Subscribe for this Best Boys' Magazine in the World!
PAGES are given to the Boy Scout movement. Its Editor is a member of
the National Council. Ernest Thompson Seton, the Chief Scout,
contributes a page for each issue.
Page 283
BOY SCOUTS [Link]
You're probably used to reading the ordinary magazines that come to
the house, or newspapers or books. They are all good, but why not have
a magazine all your own, that comes every month to you, addressed in
your own name, and that is filled from cover to cover with stories and
anecdotes, and illustrated talks and latest news on sports, and--oh,
hundreds of things you want to know about--all written by the biggest
boys' authors in the country. And pictures! Say there are hundreds of
them! Beats sensational trash all hollow!
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
Subscription Price $1.00 a Year.
Address:
THE SPRAGUE PUBLISHING CO.
No.128 Majestic Building, DETROIT, MICH.
-----------------------------------------------------------
{424}
Remington-UMC--Single Shot Rifles List At $4.00 And Up, And The Boys'
Scout Special At $5.00--as Shown In The Illustration. It Is Especially
Built For Drill Use.
These Rifles Are Built In The Same Factory By The Same Experts As The
Famous Remington-U.M.C. Big Game Rifles.
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