New Scouts and the Patrol Method?

In order to keep a Scout Troop established along the lines of the Patrol Method and being Boy-led, it is important that new Scouts in the Troop are taught about the Patrol Method and know its importance and the responsibilities it requires of each Scout.

Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as having an “Introduction to the Patrol Method” Class every year. The truth is, maintaining a Boy-led, Patrol-Method Troop is a lot of work, and that’s why some Scoutmasters have given up trying. However, I’ve always been glad it wasn’t that easy. The Patrol System isn’t easy, but neither is Scouting, for that matter. And that’s what makes it worth doing.

A properly functioning boy-led Troop is self-sustaining. Through the constant care and attention of the Scoutmaster and the boy leaders, new Scouts who enter the Troop learn by both emulating the older Scouts and being directly taught about the Scout method by them. There are five areas of the Patrol Method that are especially important when it comes to teaching it new Scouts:

Scouting: The Images of a Movement | Thursday Spotlight

If you have followed this blog for a little bit, you probably know that I love collecting old photographs from the history of the Scouting Movement. Besides the simple nostalgia appeal, these images often capture some really cool things and serve as a reminder to me of the high standards that the young men of the past held themselves to.

Today, I’m going to start a series that I hope to continue weekly every Thursday in addition to the other series running on Scouting Rediscovered. Over the years, I have gathered quite a collection of great photographs from the past, some of which are featured on this page. But there are a lot to look through, and as I continue to collect these photos, I don’t have time to keep that page constantly updated.

So, in this series, I’m going to highlight seven of the photos each week that stood out to me. I hope you enjoy looking at this glimpse into the past, and I hope the photos inspire you as much as they do me.

Keystones of a Scout: The 10 Virtues that Make a Scout | Chivalry

 

“In the old days the Knights were the real Scouts and their rules were very much like the Scout Law which we have now. The Knights considered their honor their most sacred possession. They would not do a dishonorable thing, such as telling a lie or stealing. They would rather die than do it. They were always ready to fight and to be killed in upholding their king, or their religion, or their honor. Each Knight had a small following of a squire and some men-at-arms, just as our Patrol Leader has his Second (or Assistant) and four or five Scouts. …  You Scouts cannot do better than follow the example of the Knights.”

So said Robert Baden-Powell in the book that started the Scouting Movement, Scouting for Boys. In this book the Knights are held up as the ideal of Chivalry that Scouts should strive for. Chivalry was given very high importance by the founder of the Scouting Movement. In essence, Baden-Powell said that us Scouts should be modern-day Knights.

But that was one hundred years ago. These days, not only are many declaring that Chivalry is dead, histories are being written that many times portray the Knights in a much darker light than that in which our forefathers saw them.  If you read some ‘histories’, you would think that Knights were in reality nothing but robbers and bullies. And you will hear that the chivalrous attitude of our forefathers was ‘unenlightened’ and degrading to women.

So where does that leave us Scouts now? Are we leftovers from the evolution of society who are destined to be eventually forgotten? Or should we continue to adapt with the times and call chivalry a thing of the past? I profoundly disagree. I believe that chivalry isn’t just a part of the history of Scouting, I believe that chivalry is integral to the ideal of Scouting and is, in fact, a Scout Keystone. What does this look like?

Scout’s Scrapbook (9-21-12): The Importance of Preparedness

“Be Prepared!” is an excellent motto for Scouts. Unfortunately, as a motto, it is used over and over again to the extent that many people take what it means for granted. This quote from William Hillcourt provides a reminder of the weight and importance of this motto that we need to hear once in a while.

High Standards

As Scouts, we bear the name and are responsible for the reputation of  millions of Scouts and what they have stood for since the beginning of the Scouting Movement. As Hillcourt reminds us, Scouts have proven themselves over time. The name of a Scout means something, and it is up to us to make sure that reputation is not lost.

Early Scouts held themselves to a very high standard, and it showed. They were trusted by and assisted law enforcement officers, disaster relief workers, and many other institutions. The military gives special privileges to Eagle Scouts if they enlist. Many times, in reading through Scouting History, I have been surprised by instances of Scouts being entrusted with tasks just as much as adults, if not more so in some cases.

A Warning

Be warned, however, that this reputation isn’t invincible. It can be lost completely if just one generation of Scouts fail in upholding it. But the danger doesn’t lie in some single generation that destroys the reputation of Scouting.  The danger lies in a slow and gradual lowering of standards. I have observed this happening through my experience in Scouting.

If Scouting is to survive and thrive in the next century as it has in this one, standards need to be raised, not lowered. And it is ultimately up to us, the Scouts, to make sure this happens. We need to raise the standards of what we expect of our fellow Scouts, but most importantly, of what we expect of ourselves. Technology changes, the culture around us changes and modernizes, but the principles that we stand for as Scouts are timeless. Let’s give the Scouts a hundred years from now the same high standards to try to live up to as the first Scouts left for us.

So, let us take this reminder of William Hillcourt, and let it inspire us to renew our commitment to Be Prepared! Next time you say the motto, do not say it out of memorization, say it and mean it as if you were saying it for the very first time. Challenge yourself to live up to it more and more everyday!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed this edition of The Scout’s Scrapbook, but most importantly, I hope that these wise words of William Hillcourt were as inspiring to you as they were to me when I read them. Please help me to spread this to as many Scouts as possible by sharing this post with your friends. Thanks for reading!

Scout On!

Scout Projects: Building a Standing Desk

As I write posts for the Keystones of a Scout series, I find myself getting freshly inspired each time as I dig deeper into the meaning and practice of these timeless Scouting principles. The last post in this series was on Ingenuity, and part of my research for this post took me into some of the amazing pioneering projects that the Scouts of the past have built. This inspired me to get out and build something that I have been wanting to build for a long time now, a standing desk.

Standing desks were much more commonly used in the late 19th century and early 20th century than they are today. If used right, they can burn more calories and be generally healthier to use than sitting all day behind a common desk. However, as I wanted this to replace my regular desk in my room, and I didn’t want to necessarily stand all day long, it needed to be be both a regular desk and a standing desk.

This is where the ingenuity came in. I could try to find and buy plans for an adjustable desk, or I could save up the money for one and buy it. However, after researching for the post on Ingenuity, I became inspired to both design and build my own out of wood. 

Scout’s Scrapbook (9-12-12): The Spirit of Adventure

 

 

Here is yet another excellent quote from John Thurman, who was an influential British Scouter. I am just blown away by this quote as John Thurman is able to put in one paragraph what I’ve been trying to put into words for years. Sometimes simpler is better.

This is what Scouting is all about. We are Scouts; we are Pioneers; we are Explorers. Sure, lashing together small bridges and practicing First Aid doesn’t seem like much, but all great journeys start by taking the first step. As Scouts, we are committed to taking that first step when oftentimes no one else is willing to risk the commitment.

Yet sometimes we forget. Sometimes we don’t remember the big picture of why we do what we do. Sometimes, when we recite the words of the Scout Oath, they are only words.

No more! Let’s Rediscover Scouting for what it has always stood for! Take this quote from John Thurman and read it aloud at your next Troop Meeting. Post it on Facebook, Tweet it to your friends, share it with every Scout you know. Sometimes, it’s up to us to make sure that True Scouting isn’t forgotten. Sometimes, Scouting needs to be Rediscovered!

The Two Lives of a Hero II: Charterhouse Boy

 

Today, I’m going to continue the series I introduced earlier, where I will be going through the biography: “Baden-Powell: The Two Lives of a Hero” by William Hillcourt. In this post, I will be giving a brief synopsis and commentary of the second Chapter: “Charterhouse Boy”. Last chapter, we left off with Baden-Powell leaving for the ‘Charterhouse School’ at 13 years old.

Synopsis 

The second chapter starts immediately with Baden-Powell entering the Charterhouse school. The Charterhouse school was a very old institution with a lot history and tradition behind it.

Keystones of a Scout: The 10 Virtues That Make a Scout | Initiative

Initiative: It’s a great word, but it’s also a hard one too. What does it mean? Why is it a necessary virtue for a Scout to possess? In this post, I hope to answer these questions as I continue the series, Keystones of a Scout: The 10 Virtues that Make a Scout, which I introduced: here. Previously in this series, I talked about Endurance, Self-Discipline, Exploration, Observation, and Deduction. Each of these are traits or virtues that I have shown to have been with Scouting from the beginning, and each of these traits are necessary for a Scout to do what he should do and to carry out his Oath that he swore as a Scout. Today, I’m going to talk about what is perhaps one of the most important of these traits: Initiative. 

The Two Lives of a Hero 1: The Seventh Son

Yesterday, I introduced a new series where I will be going through the biography: “Baden-Powell: The Two Lives of a Hero” by William Hillcourt. In this post, I will be giving a brief synopsis and commentary of the first Chapter: “The Seventh Son”.

Synopsis

This first chapter covers the years 1857-1870, the first 13 years of Robert Baden-Powell’s (B-P) life. William Hillcourt opens this chapter with the focus on the newly widowed Henrietta Powell, B-P’s mother. B-P was three years old when his father died, leaving B-P’s mother a widow at thirty-five. 

The Two Lives of a Hero: Introduction

Today I’m going to start a new series here on “Scouting Rediscovered” that will run in parallel to the other series that I’m currently writing. Over a year ago, I borrowed a book from my local library called: Baden-Powell: The Two Lives of a Hero. This book is a biography of the founder of the Scouting movement: Sir Robert Baden-Powell. Although somewhat long, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and gaining insight into the life of this man who us Scouts owe so much to.

Another thing that intrigued me about the book was who it was written by. It was authored by a close friend of Baden-Powell’s, a man named William Hillcourt. William Hillcourt was a very influential Scout Leader in America during most of the last century. He authored several editions of the Scout Handbook and the Scoutmaster’s Handbook. He also ran a very popular column in Boy’s Life called “Hiking with Green Bar Bill.”

For this new series, I’m going to completely re-read this biography and post summaries and commentary for each chapter here on “Scouting Rediscovered”. Baden-Powell and his life is a piece of history that all Scouts should know very well. In addition, there is much we can learn about the life of a Scout from his history that we can also apply to our own lives.

I’m excited at this chance to thoroughly explore this great chapter of history with you. If you want to be sure not to miss any of this series or any of the other great series running here, just subscribe via email using the little box to the right. If you’ve got a little extra time, I encourage you to go buy the book for yourself or borrow it from the library and read along with me. If you do decide to do that, or have already read the book, I’d love to hear what you thought of it. Just leave a comment in the box below.

Scout on, my friends!