This book is included in the Family Affairs - Children, Parents & Home Economics section.
Preface My various papers on Woodcraft and Scouting, herein collected, appeared first, chiefly, in Forest and Stream, 1886 to 1893; St. Nicholas, 1887 to 1890; Scribner's, 1892 and 4; Century, 1900; The Ladies' Home Journal, 1902, 3, and 4, and in Country Life, 1903, 4, and 5. Acknowledgment is made to the editors of these magazines. The Woodcraft and Scouting movement that I aimed to foster began to take shape in America some ten years ago. Because the idealized Indian of Hiawatha has always stood as the model for outdoor life, woodcraft, and scouting, I called its brotherhood the ''Woodcraft Indians." In 1904 I went to England to carry on the work there, and, knowing General R. S. S. Baden-Powell as the chief advocate of scouting in the British Army, invited him to cooperate in making the movement popular. Accordingly, in 1908 he organized his Boy Scout movement, incorporating the principles of the Indians with other ethical features bearing on savings banks, fire drills, etc., as well as by giving it a partly military organization, and a carefully compiled and fascinating handbook. All of the last that is applicable in America has been included here, with due credit to General Sir Robert Baden- Powell, and combined with the Birch-Bark Roll. The present issue will constitute the Book of Organization. It will be followed by others, making a dictionary of Woodcraft, with descriptions of the common trees, herbs, flowers, etc., trailing or tracking, sign-language, bird- stuffing, emergency foods, first aid, lasso, boat-building, camp-fire songs and plays, and many other things that belong to camp and outdoor life. Introduction EVERY American boy, a hundred years ago, lived either on a farm or in such close touch with farm life that he reaped its benefits. He had all the practical knowledge that comes from country surroundings; that is, he could ride, shoot, skate, run, swim; he was handy with tools; he knew the woods; he was physically strong, self-reliant, resourceful, well-developed in body and brain. In addition to which, he had a good moral training at home. He was respectful to his superiors, obedient to his parents, and altogether the best material of which a nation could be made. We have lived to see an unfortunate change. Partly through the growth of immense cities, with the consequent specialization of industry, so that each individual has been required to do one small specialty and shut his eyes to everything else, with the resultant perpetual narrowing of the mental horizon. Partly through the decay of small farming, which would have offset this condition, for each mixed farm was a college of handicraft. And partly through the stereotyped forms of religion losing their hold, we see a very different type of youth in the country to-day. It is the exception when we see a boy respectful to his superiors and obedient to his parents. It is the rare exception, now, when we see a boy that is handy with tools and capable of taking care of himself under all circumstances. It is the very, very rare exception when we see a boy whose life is absolutely governed by the safe old moral standards. The personal interest in athletics has been largely superseded by an interest in spectacular games, which, unfortunately, tend to divide the nation into two groups—the few overworked champions in the arena, and the great crowd, content to do nothing but sit on the benches and look on, while indulging their tastes for tobacco and alcohol. It is this last that is turning so many thoughtful ones against baseball, football, etc. This, it will be seen, is a reproduction of the condition that ended in the fall of Rome. In her days of growth, every man was a soldier; in the end, a few great gladiators were in the arena, to be watched and applauded by the millions who personally knew nothing at all of fighting or heroism. Degeneracy is the word. To combat the system that has turned such a large proportion of our robust, manly, self-reliant boyhood into a lot of flat-chested cigarette-smokers, with shaky nerves and doubtful vitality, I began the Woodcraft movement in America. Without saying as much, it aimed to counteract the evils attendant on arena baseball, football, and racing, by substituting the better, cleaner, saner pursuits of Woodcraft and Scouting. Its methods were fairly successful; at least 100,000 young people joined. But the idea, as enlarged by General Sir Robert Baden-Powell, has in less time achieved greater popularity in England; the results have been such that we are justified in adopting his innovations. Contents PREFACE Introduction Introduction to the Early Editions The American Flag PART I—ORGANIZATION (Adapted from B. P.) Officers, etc; Members; Tests; Badges and Medals; Badges of Merit; Medals; Uniforms; War Songs; Crests, Totems, or Patrol Signs; Scout Law; Summary of Instruction PART II—SIGNS AND SIGNALLING Morse Code; Rememberable Morse; Wig-wag or Myer Code; Rememberable Myer; Semaphore; Indian Signs and Blazes; The Watch as a Compass; Old Sayings and Weather Signs; Outdoor Proverbs; Measuring Distances PART III—CAMPING Camping Trips; Outfit for Six; Tents; Teepees; Camp-grounds; Beds; Lights; Water; Mosquitoes, Black Flies, etc.; Camp Routine; Camp-fires; Use of Firearms; Camp Cookery; How to Make a Fire by Rubbing Sticks; What to Do when Lost; First Aid to the Injured; The Stars, etc.; Finding Latitude by Stars; Sundial; Archery; Building a Log-cabin; Teepees; Knots; Tracking or Trailing; American Dialects PART IV—THE GAMES (Copyright 1906, except those marked B. P.) Deer-hunting; The Bear Hunt; Spearing the Great Sturgeon; Tilting in the Water; Canoe Tag; Scouting; The Game of Quicksight; Far-sight, or Spot-the-rabbit; Pole-Star; Rabbit Hunt; Hostile Spy; The Man-hunt; Hunt the Coon; Spear- fights; Navajo Feather-dance; Feather Football; Cock-fighting; Hand-wrestling; Badger-pulling; Poison; Hat-ball; Duck-on-a-Rock; Roadside Cribbage; The War Dance; The Fire-fly Dance (B. P.) Lion Hunting; Plant Race; Throwing the Assegai; Flag Raiding; Stalking and Reporting; "Spider and Fly"; How to Teach Stalking; Scout Hunting; Relay Race; Stalking; Track Memory; Spot the Thief; "Smugglers over the Border"; Shop Window; Shop Window (Indoors); Follow the Trail; Scout's Nose; Scout Meets Scout; Shoot Out; Kim's Game; Morgan's Game; Snow Fort; Siberian Man Hunt PART V—THE HONORS Class I — Red Honors Heroism; Riding; General Athletics, by J. E. Sullivan and Dr. L. H. Gulick; Athletic Specialties; Long-distance Athletics, by J. E. Sullivan and Dr. L. H. Gulick; Water-sports and Travel; Mountain-climbing, by Sir Martin Conway; Target- shooting; Eyesight; Big-game Hunting Class II — White Honors Campercraft and Scouting; Archery, by Will H. Thompson; Long Range, Clout, or Flight Shooting; Fishing, by Dr. Henry van Dyke; Bait-casting, by Lou S. Darling Class III — Blue Honors Nature Study—Vertebrates, by Frank M. Chapman; Nature Study—Lower forms of life, by John Burroughs; Geology, by Prof. Charles D. Walcott; Photography, by A. Radclyife Dugmore
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