Author of
"Scouting for Boys,"
"Yarns for Boy Scouts,"
"Boy Scouts Beyond the Seas," etc.
sixth edition
FOREWORD TO SIXTH EDITION
The training of the Boy Scouts is done mainly by means of games, practices and competitions such as interest them, and at the same time bring into use the attributes of manliness and good citizenship which we desire to inculcate into them.
There is, therefore, an aim, physical or moral, underlying those which are given in the following pages. These games do not exhaust what it is possible to give; they are but samples or suggestions upon which imaginative Scoutmasters will easily contrive better ones and more of them, suited to their local conditions. But in devising these the higher aim should always be kept in view; that is the instructor should think of what points he wishes to teach. and then invent a game or display in which to bring them into practice. In playing these Games it should be remembered that they improve very much on the second and third trial, as minor rules have often to be introduced to suit local circumstances. A time limit should generally be imposed to bring them off successfully.
Through these games, apart from their health - and joy giving properties, we can instill the sense of fair play, discipline, and self-control - in a word, good sportsmanship, among our future men. Then in addition to the games mentioned in this book we have adopted other activities in the Scout movement in the shape more particularly of swimming and climbing. These are for the fuller development of the boys morally as well as physically. Morally, because swimming gives a sense of mastery over one of the elements and of fitness for service to them as a result of exercising pluck and perseverance; and climbing similarly gives a sense of self-reliance and power through achievement in overcoming a difficult adventure.
They are good physically, because both activities are the better agents for developing health and strength in that they are not artificial like " physical jerks," " setting-up drill," etc., but are natural and appeal to the boy so that he continues to practice them voluntarily in his spare time.
In these days when so large a proportion of the manhood is physically unsound and incapable of 'any great strain of hard work, Scoutmasters are rendering a really valuable service to the nation in turning out a new generation of citizens healthier in body and mind than their predecessors. The games described in the previous editions have been carefully checked in the light of fuller experience, and improvements made.
R. S. S. B. P.