SCOUTING SHORTS
⚜Troop Announcements
Scoutmasters who are also photographers, or who have photographers on the Troop Committee or among their obliging friends, have an easy way of turning out interest-catching cards announcing Troop meetings, hikes, and other events.
Use a snapshot of a recent hike or camp. Print the photo in one corner of a piece of photographic paper, cut to post card size, (or a regular postcard photo stock sold in many shops). Write the announcement in the white space surrounding the picture, stick on a one cent stamp, and leave the rest to Uncle Sam. The sample above shows the type of card sent out by Scoutmaster S. L. Lenington, of Troop 207, Denison, Texas. He says it works nicely.
Stop That Hacking
When the Meshingomesia Council Camp Staff, of Marion, Indiana, began to take stock of the trees in camp, their observations rocked them right to the ground. Not that Scouts were intentionally destructive—but careless hacking, needless bark stripping, and the typical American habit of carving initials on anything and everything in sight—all had been combined to completely ruin some trees, partly destroy others, and at the very least, deface the natural beauty of the woods.
Several schemes were suggested to stop these careless habits, and one proved most successful. Whenever a batch of campers arrived, they were lined up with their axes and knives in front of them. Each Scout gave the Scout Sign and repeated “On my honor I do promise to protect all plants and animals in our Scout Camp, being particularly careful with my knife and axe, not cutting any tree or shrub without permission.”
Bugs and Flowers
Scoutmasters who are embarrassed when eager beavers run up and ask “What kind of a bug is this?” or “What flower is that?” will welcome two new books, both published by Doubleday and Company, Garden City, New York.
The Insect Guideby Dr. Ralph B. Swain, a former Scout, is a very-easy-to-use book. Instead of describing the individual species, Dr. Swain tells how to recognize the larger, more easily remembered insect families and orders. Four hundred and fifty illustrations—330 in full color, make the job of question-answering that much easier. Equally interesting is the material on how to find, capture, observe and preserve different insects. As a hike or camp activity, insect observation can be good program material, if you know how to do it. This pocket guide supplies the answers.
Also recommended for the Troop library isWild Flower Guide, by Dr. Edgar T. Wherry. Actual use with Scouts has proved this to be an easy-to-follow guide. For example: if you find a flower and wonder what it is, refer to the appendix, where flowers are classified according to color. Run down the list and eliminate those which you know the flower isn’t. Then look for possibilities of what it might be. The illustrations, many in color, make the job easier. The description of each flower is complete.