PATRIOTISM AND CITIZENSHIP
_By Waldo H. Sherman,
Author of "Civics--Studies in American Citizenship"_
OUR COUNTRY
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.
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_Florida Purchase_: In 1819, we purchased Florida from Spain at a cost
of over $5,000,000, and this single state is larger in territorial
area than the combined territory of Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium, and
Switzerland.
_Texas_: In 1845, Texas came to us by annexation, but the outcome of
this annexation later on was our war with Mexico. In territorial area
this is an empire in itself--larger than the whole German Empire.
_Oregon Territory_: In 1846, by treaty with Great Britain, we acquired
what is known as the Oregon Territory. This includes the states of
Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.
_Mexican Cession and Purchase from Texas_: As an outcome of the Mexican
War, we obtained from Mexico, in 1848, the territory of California,
Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and a part of New Mexico at a cost of
$15,000,000; and in 1850, we purchased from Texas the remaining part
of New Mexico and that part of Colorado not included in the Louisiana
Purchase, at a cost of $10,000,000.
_Gadsden Purchase_: In 1853, we made what is known as the Gadsden
Purchase, acquiring thus from Mexico a needed tract of land on the
boundary between Mexico, Arizona, and New Mexico, paying for this
tract $10,000,000.
_Alaska_: In 1867, we paid Russia $7,000,000, and added Alaska to our
possessions. This purchase is spoken of in history as "Seward's
Folly," because the transaction, made while he was secretary of state,
was not generally considered a good bargain. Nevertheless it has
proved one of our most valuable possessions.
_Hawaii_: In 1898, we reached out into the Pacific waters and annexed
the beautiful Hawaiian or Sandwich Islands.
_Porto Rico, Pine Islands, Guam, Philippine Islands_: In 1898, the
island of Porto Rico with an area of 3600 square miles came into our
possession as an outcome of the Spanish-American War; likewise the
Pine Islands with their 882 square miles; Guam with 175 square miles;
and the Philippine Islands with a territorial area of 143,000 square
miles. But for these latter in settlement of a number of private
claims, and to gain peaceable possession of various public lands, we
paid Spain $20,000,000.
_Samoan Islands_: In 1899, we acquired the Samoan Islands, with an area
of 73 square miles; and, in 1901, some additional islands in the
Philippines.
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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.
You will sometimes hear it said that thirteen is an unlucky number.
Indeed you may have known people so superstitious that they refuse to
sit down at a table when the number is thirteen. Again you may know it
to be a fact that some hotels do not have a room numbered thirteen,
and that many steamboats likewise follow the same custom in state-room
arrangement. Strange superstition for Americans! It took thirteen
states to make our Union; we have made thirteen additions to our
territory; when George Washington was inaugurated as president, a
salute of thirteen guns was fired; and, finally, the foundation of the
flag of our country bears thirteen stripes.
The American Revolution
The story of the American Revolution (1775-1783)--Declaration of
Independence (1776), the adoption of the Articles of Confederation
(1781), and, finally, the making and adoption of the Constitution of
the United States in 1789--all is summed up in a period of fourteen
years, and may be told and written in the life of George Washington,
who was indeed the "Father of His Country."
The cause of the American Revolution was England's oppression of her
American colonists; and the injustice of taxation without
representation, with other injustices, finally brought about
rebellion. The war began in Massachusetts with the battles of
Lexington and Concord, April 19, 1775, and ended at Yorktown, Va.,
October 19, 1781. The treaty of peace was {326} signed at Paris,
France, September 3, 1783, and November 25 of that year, known in
history as "Evacuation Day," the British took their departure down the
bay of New York harbor and America was free.
Now do we find ourselves at the fireside of American patriotism. Here
is Washington. He is a Virginian, and the American people know him at
this time as Colonel Washington. It is the 13th day of June, 1775, and
the second Continental Congress is in session at Philadelphia. John
Adams of Massachusetts has the floor. He is to show himself at this
time the master statesman. Justly has he been called the "Colossus of
the Revolution." On his way to Independence Hall this morning he meets
his cousin, Samuel Adams, and tells him what he is going to do. "We
must," he says; "act on this matter at once. We must make Congress
declare for or against something. I'll tell you what I am going to do.
I am determined this very morning to make a direct motion that
Congress shall adopt the army before Boston, and appoint the
Virginian, Colonel Washington, commander of it."
Adams is now stating to the Congress the gravity of the situation; he
points out the necessity of immediate action the colonies must be
united, the army must be brought together, disciplined, and trained
for service, and, under Congress, a fitting commander appointed. "Such
a gentleman," he said, "I have in mind. I mention no names, but every
gentleman here knows him at once as a brave soldier and a man of
affairs. He is a gentleman from Virginia, one of this body, and well
known to all of us. He is a gentleman of skill and excellent universal
character and would command the approbation of all the colonies better
than any other person in the Union."
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.
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We now come to the Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776. It was
written by Thomas Jefferson, at that time a young man of thirty-three.
The committee of the General Congress appointed to draft it, consisted
of the following: Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin,
Roger Sherman, and Robert R. Livingston.
The strong feeling of Thomas Jefferson as he wrote the Declaration is
indicated by his statement that, "Rather than submit to the right of
legislating for us assumed by the British Parliament, I would lend my
hand to sink the whole island in the ocean." Here also we get a
glimpse of one of the most interesting and delightful characters in
the history of this period--Benjamin Franklin. History records that
while Thomas Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, a few
verbal suggestions were made by Doctor Franklin, as the following
conversation reported to have taken place between them would indicate:
"Well, Brother Jefferson," said Franklin, "is the fair copy made?"
"All ready, doctor," replied Jefferson. "Will you hear it through once
more?" "As many times as you wish," responded the smiling doctor, with
a merry twinkle in his eyes. "One can't get too much of a good thing,
you know." Jefferson then read to Franklin the Declaration of
Independence, which has been pronounced one of the world's greatest
papers. "That's good, Thomas! That's right to the point! That will
make King George wince. I wish I had done it myself." It is said
Franklin would "have put a joke into the Declaration of Independence,
if it had fallen to his lot to write that immortal document."
The Declaration of Independence went forth to the world signed by one
man, John Hancock--which explains the expression you sometimes hear,
"Put your John Hancock there." It was, however, signed later by all
the members of that Congress--fifty-four in number. This immortal
document has been carefully preserved and the original may be seen at
Washington.
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,
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.
On this same day in the afternoon, Washington gives a banquet to his
officers, aides, and guests, to which they march arm-in-arm, thirteen
abreast. What does it mean? It means that Benjamin Franklin has been
heard from, and that an alliance with France, England's bitterest
enemy, has been made. Some day when you are in Washington, you may see
directly in front of the White House, Lafayette Park, and, knowing the
story of the Revolution, you understand why it is there. You also
understand why Washington's army on that May morning shouted, "Long
live the King of France."
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.
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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.
This war is sometimes spoken of as a "leaderless war," but great
leaders came out of it. The names of Hull, Perry, and Lawrence are
memorable in its history; it was the war which made Andrew Jackson,
known as "Old Hickory," President of the United States in 1828. You
will read the story of his great victory in the Battle of New Orleans.
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:
"David, what do you mean to be?"
"'I mean to follow the sea,' I said."
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"'Follow the sea!' exclaimed my father; 'yes, be a poor, miserable,
drunken sailor before the mast, kicked and cuffed about the world, and
die in some fever hospital in a foreign clime?'
"'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 Star Spangled Banner
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.
"And the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave
While the land of the free is the home of the brave."
In the cemetery of Mt. Olivet, near Frederick, Md., there is a spot
where the flag of our country is never lowered. It is keeping watch by
night as by day over the grave of Francis Scott Key, author of "The
Star Spangled Banner." He was born in Frederick County, Md., August 1,
1779, and died in Baltimore, January 11, 1843.
The Congress of the United States has never formally adopted "The Star
Spangled Banner" as a national anthem, but it has become such through
the recognition {331} given to it by the army and navy. It is played
on all state occasions at home or abroad and is the response of our
bands at all international gatherings. In the theatre, at a public
meeting, or at a banquet--whenever it is played, the people rise and
remain standing to the end as a tribute to the flag of our country.
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.
"Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, 'In God is our Trust'."
The Birth of New States
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
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 Mexican War
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.
The Civil War--1861-1865
The Civil War was a war between states, in the government of the
United States between states that were slave and states that were
free.
The rights of property ownership are involved in state rights, and
slaves held as property in slave-holding states were not recognized as
such in states that were free. Therefore, the principle of slavery
became involved not alone in the individual ownership of slaves, but
also in the rights of a state, and the relationship of states to each
other in the government of the United States.
At the close of the Revolutionary War, one of the first things to be
settled was the boundaries as between states of the land comprising
the thirteen original states; and as an outcome of this settlement,
there came into possession of the United States all of that territory
ceded by Great Britain in 1783, which was not included in the
boundaries of those states. This territory, in brief, may be described
as the territory east of the Mississippi, and north and south of the
Ohio River; and out of this territory and that west of the Mississippi
added later (1803) through the Louisiana Purchase, most of the new
states were formed that came into the Union before the Civil War. And
this was the beginning of what is known as the "public domain"--that
is, land owned by the Federal Government.
In 1785, Congress passed a law which has become general in its
application to all public lands of the United States. It is a law for
the uniform survey of public lands into townships six miles square,
subdivided into sections containing 640 acres, and quarter sections
containing 160 acres. The purpose of the government in making this
survey was to make public lands in the territories of the government
easy of settlement, and as the townships became settled, to develop in
them the local township form of government.
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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.
Nevertheless, one by one, under the leadership of South Carolina,
December 20, 1860, the slave-holding states announced their secession,
either by act of state legislature or in convention assembled; and on
February 4, 1861, there had been formed in our government a Southern
confederacy. At this time the whole number of states in the Union was
thirty-two, and of this number eleven entered the Southern
confederacy.
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.
Abraham Lincoln
The central figure in the Civil War is Abraham Lincoln--in heart,
brain, and character, not only one of our greatest Americans, but one
of the world's greatest men.
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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.
In 1859, when he was beginning to gain some recognition as a national
figure, he was asked to write a little sketch of his life, and in the
letter enclosing it he said: "There is not much of it, for the reason,
I suppose, there is not much of me." In this sketch, which is indeed
brief, he tells us he was raised to farm work until he was twenty-two;
that up to that time he had had little education; and when he became
of age he did not know much beyond reading, writing, and ciphering to
the "rule of three." He clerked for one year in a store and was
elected and served as captain of the volunteers in the Black Hawk War;
later on he ran for the state legislature (1832) and was defeated,
though successful in the three succeeding elections. While in the
state legislature, he studied law and later went to Springfield to
practise it. The only other public office he makes note of is his
election to the lower house of Congress for one term (1846). He
returned to Springfield and took up more earnestly the study and
practice of law; he entered with spirit into the political campaigns,
and constantly was growing in public esteem. His public debates with
Douglas (1858) made him a familiar figure throughout the state of
Illinois, and his profound knowledge and masterful handling of
questions debated, his convincing and unanswerable arguments, his
clear grasp of the political situation, began to gain the attention of
Eastern politicians, convincing them and the country at large that
they had a mighty force to reckon with in the prairie state of
Illinois.
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.
In 1860, at the Republican convention assembled in Chicago, Abraham
Lincoln was nominated for President. In November he was elected and
March 4, 1861, he was inaugurated. His address at this time was an
earnest plea for peace and friendship {337} between the North and the
South: "We are not enemies but friends. We must not be enemies. Though
passion may have strained, it must not break our bond of affection."
But the war tide was rising and could not be stemmed; four years of
bitter conflict ensued. Lincoln's emancipation of the slaves was made
only after he had convinced himself it could not be longer deferred
and preserve the Union. "My paramount duty," he said, "is to save the
Union, and not either to destroy or save slavery. What I do about
slavery and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save
the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it
would save the Union." His Emancipation Proclamation, officially
freeing the slaves, was finally issued in September, 1862, to take
effect Jan, 1st of the following year.
Lincoln was elected to the Presidency for the second term and
inaugurated March 4, 1865, while the war was still on. His second
inaugural address closes with these words with which every boy should
be familiar, voicing as they do the exalted spirit of a great and good
man:
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 Spanish-American War--1889
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.
With the destruction of the Maine--whether by accident or intent--with
the appalling loss of two hundred and fifty-six men, including two
officers, relations with Spain became more and more strained, until
war seemed inevitable. On April 11, 1898, President McKinley in a
special message to Congress, said: "In the name of humanity and
civilization, the war in Cuba must stop."
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
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
There is no country in the world less warlike than ours, and no
country in the world that more potently argues for universal peace. We
have never departed from the spirit of our Declaration of
Independence, "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." We put it into our
Constitution when we said, "in order to form a more perfect union,
establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the
common defence, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings
of liberty to ourselves and our posterity" we "do ordain and establish
this Constitution for the United States of America." Such has been,
then, and always must be, our programme--the chart and compass of all
our ways.
The American Flag
"_A star for every state and a state for every star_."
The flag of one's country is its dearest possession--emblem of home,
and country, and native land. This is what one thinks and feels when
he sees the flag, and this is what it means. Our flag is the emblem of
liberty--the emblem of hope--the emblem of peace and good-will toward
men.
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.
When Washington was in command at Cambridge, in January, 1776, the
flag used by him consisted of a banner of {340} thirteen red and white
stripes with the British Union Jack in the upper left-hand comer.
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:
Resolved: That the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen
stripes, alternate red and white: that the Union be thirteen stars,
white on a blue field, representing a new constellation.
"We take," said Washington, "the star from Heaven, the red from our
mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we
have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to
posterity representing liberty."
In designing the flag there was much discussion as to the arrangement
of the stars in the field of blue. It was thought at one time that a
new stripe as well as a new star should be added for each new state
admitted to the Union. Indeed, in 1794, Congress passed an act to the
effect that on and after May 1, 1795, "the flag of the United States be
fifteen stripes, alternate red and white; and that the union be
fifteen stars, white in a field of blue." These additional stars and
stripes were for the states of Vermont and Kentucky.
The impracticability of adding a stripe for each state was apparent as
other states began to be admitted. Moreover, the flag of fifteen
stripes, it was thought, did not properly represent the Union;
therefore, on April 14, 1818, after a period of twenty-one years in
which the flag of fifteen stripes had been used, Congress passed an
act which finally fixed the general flag of our country, which reads
as follows:
An Act to Establish the Flag of the United States.
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.
Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, that, on the admission of every new
state into the union, one star be added to the union of the flag;
and that such addition shall take effect on the fourth day of July
succeeding such admission.
341 Patriotism and Citizenship
Flag Day
June 14th, the anniversary of the adoption of the flag, is celebrated
as flag day in many of our states.
{341}
In order to show proper respect for the flag, the following rules
should be observed:
It should not be hoisted before sunrise nor allowed to remain up
after sunset.
At "retreat," sunset, civilian spectators should stand at attention
and give the military salute.
When the national colors are passing on parade or review, the
spectators should, if walking, halt, and if sitting, rise and stand
at attention and uncover.
When the flag is flown at half staff as a sign of mourning it should
be hoisted to full staff at the conclusion of the funeral. In
placing the flag at half mast, it should first be hoisted to the top
of the staff and then lowered to position, and preliminary to
lowering from half staff it should first be raised to top.
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.)
The Scout's Pledge to the Flag
"I pledge allegiance to my flag and to the republic for which it
stands; one nation indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."
Congress
The Congress of the United States is its law-making body, and is
composed of the Senate and House of Representatives. Senators are
elected for six years, two from each state; representatives for two
years, each state being represented in proportion to its population.
The Vice-president of the United States is the president of the
Senate, and the presiding officer of the House of Representatives is
chosen by the members from their number; he is called the speaker. The
salary of the senators and representatives is $7,500 a year and 20
cents per mile is allowed for traveling to and from Washington. The
speaker's salary is $12,000 a year.
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.
United States Courts
The Supreme Court of the United States is at Washington, D. C., but
there are other courts of the United States held in the several
states, called district courts.
Washington, D. C.
The capitol at Washington is the home of Congress, and the Supreme
Court. The Library of Congress, the Treasury, Army and Navy, Pension,
Post-office, and many other buildings of public character are located
in Washington. These during certain hours are open to visitors.
The Army
The President, in accordance with the Constitution, is
commander-in-chief of the army and navy of the United States and of
the militia of the several states when called to the actual service of
the United States. The law provides that the total strength of the
army shall not exceed at any one time 100,000. As now organized (1910)
the total strength of the staff and line is 76,911 not including the
provisional force and the hospital corps. These figures include the
Porto Rico Regiment of Infantry, the Service School Detachments, the
Military Academy (officers, soldiers and cadets), the Indian Scouts,
52,000 native scouts in the Philippine Islands, 193 First Lieutenants
of the Medical Reserve Corps on active duty, and 11,777 recruits, etc.
They do not include the veterinary surgeons, the officers of the
Medical Reserve Corps not on active duty, nor the retired officers and
enlisted men of the army. The appropriation for the maintenance of the
army for the year 1909-10 was $100,330,181.
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.
The membership of the national guard is voluntary. One may join or
not, as he chooses, except that in some states the law requires that
students at the state university shall receive military training for
at least a part of their university course, and during that time they
are accounted a part of the national guard of the State. The governor
of each state holds the same relationship to the state militia as the
President to the army and navy: he is commander-in-chief.
Military Academy
The United States Military Academy is at West Point, N. Y., on the
Hudson River. The number of students is limited to 533, and
appointments to the academy are made in accordance with the rule which
permits each United States senator and each congressman to have one
representative, and also gives the President the right to make forty
appointments at large. Candidates for appointment must be between the
ages of seventeen and twenty-two; must pass the required physical
examination; also an examination in English grammar, composition and
literature, algebra and geometry, geography and history. The course of
instruction is four years; the discipline very strict. Only one leave
of absence is granted during the entire four years, and this comes at
the close of the second year. The pay is $709.50 per year, and on
graduation a cadet is commissioned a second lieutenant. To receive an
appointment to West Point, one must apply to his United States senator
or to a congressman in the state in which he lives, or to the
President.
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
The enlistment of men in the United States navy, as in the army, is
voluntary. The term is four years. To be eligible for enlistment one
must be between the ages of eighteen and {344} twenty-two. He must be
of good moral character, must pass the physical examination, must be
able to write English, and take the oath of allegiance.
Naval Militia
In the District of Columbia and in twenty of the states we have what
is known as the naval militia. The assistant secretary of the navy
stands in a special relation to the naval militia through the governor
and the adjutant-general of the several states. The naval militia
holds the same relationship to the navy that the national guard does
to the United States army.
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.
Civil Service
In the administration of the government of the United States,
thousands of men and women are employed in the various offices at
Washington, and are sometimes termed the great "peace army."
In one period of our country's history, it was believed that each
President, when he came into office, had the right to turn out of
office every person employed by the government in any of its civil
departments, should it please him to do so, and to put into office his
own friends or the friends of his party. This right was claimed on the
ground that "to the victor belong the spoils"--a theory of government
administration that has been severely dealt with and reformed through
what is known as the "Civil Service Act." The Civil Service Act was
passed {345} by Congress January 16, 1883, and by this act a civil
service commission was brought into existence. The three members of
this commission are appointed by the President with consent of the
Senate, not more than two of whom may be members of the same party.
Thus, by this civil service act, positions in the government service
are now obtained for the most part through competitive examinations,
and such positions are not affected in any way by the incoming of a
new President or the appointment of a new head of a department.
In some states and in most of the large cities civil service
appointments are now made through competitive examinations. Anyone
interested in learning what positions may be secured in the service of
the government, may apply to the Civil Service Commission at
Washington, D. C., or make inquiry at the local post-office.
Foreign Service
The foreign service of our government is carried on through the
diplomatic corps and the consular service. In the diplomatic corps, we
have ambassadors, envoys, ministers, diplomatic agents, and
secretaries; in the consular service, consuls general, consuls, and
consular agents.
Our diplomatic representatives abroad look after our interests as a
nation in the family of nations. They represent us socially as well as
politically in the great foreign capitals of the world. They are
received as our representatives of state, and it is their duty to
sustain and promote good-will and friendly feeling between us and
other nations. The consular service is more directly responsible for
our trade relationships in the great centres of the world. Through our
foreign service, also, Americans abroad, whether as tourists, or
residents, are protected in person and in property interests.
Appointments to the foreign service are made by the President with the
advice of the Senate.
As we send our representatives abroad, so the countries to which our
representatives go in turn send their representatives to us. In the
city of Washington, one may see representatives of all the principal
nations of the earth living there as ambassadors, for the purpose of
promoting friendly commercial and political relationships. The
secretary of state is the representative of our government through
whose office the great work of the foreign service is directly carried
on, and upon him devolves therefore the great affairs of state
relationships with other countries. When our independence as a nation
was declared in 1776, it {346} was important to gain as quickly as
possible from other nations a recognition of our independence and of
our entrance into the family of nations. France was the first to give
us recognition, and the first to enter into a treaty relationship.
Some of the most thrilling and interesting stories of our national
life are to be found in the adventurous determination of our
representatives to gain the recognition of our independence as a
nation from the great powers of the earth. The name of Benjamin
Franklin, sent to the court of France, stands at the head of our
diplomatic service; and we may read with interest of the first
appearance of our diplomatic representative, John Adams, at the court
of Great Britain. When we speak of court in this sense, we mean, of
course, the king's court--the place of meeting--usually the throne
room. In our country, foreign representatives are received by the
President at the White House, or by the secretary of state in his
office apartments. Some foreign countries have built for their
representatives in Washington palatial and beautiful residences, over
which floats the flag of the country to which the palace or residence
belongs. Our own country has already begun to make this residential
provision for her representatives abroad, and in time will undoubtedly
own residences in all of the principal foreign capitals.
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}
Towns, Villages, and Cities
The government of the town, or the village, or the city is called
local government. It is government close at hand--home government. And
out of the home government of each town, village, and city in a state
must come, by the votes of the people at the ballot-box, the men whom
they choose as their representatives, in the government of the state
and the nation--for the people rule through representatives of their
own choosing.
Politics
In every presidential election, the people, through the rule of the
majority, as determined by the Constitution, elect their chief
magistrate, the President, who becomes the "first citizen" of the
nation and is entitled "Mr. President." The people of a state by the
same rule elect their chief magistrate and entitle him "His
Excellency, the Governor"; he is the state's chief or leading citizen.
The people of the city by the same rule elect their chief magistrate
and entitle him "His Honor, the Mayor," the city's leading citizen.
The people of the town, in the New England States, elect their chief
officers three to five men--and entitle them the "Selectmen"; although
in towns of the middle and western states, they are called
"Supervisors."
So, likewise, the people in town, village, and city by the same "rule
of the majority" elect aldermen, councilmen, state senators,
representatives or assemblymen, and congressmen.
And the state legislatures in turn elect, according to the
Constitution of the United States, the state's United States senators,
two in number. Thus, by the rule of the majority, are all officers of
town, village, and city, county and state elected, except such few as
are appointed by law to offices by superior officers, heads of
departments, bureaus, or districts of supervision or administration.
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.
The Register of Deeds: County Court House
The record title, therefore, of all real property is to be found in
the office of the register of deeds in the county court house. It
makes no difference what kind of real property it is, acre property or
city property, here the title of ownership is always to be found, the
books of record being always open to the public. Thus when one buys a
piece of real property, a home for instance, he should receive from
the owner a deed and an abstract of title, which is a paper showing
the title as it appears on the records, and this title when not
vouched for as perfect by an abstract title company, should be passed
upon by a lawyer in order that any flaw or defect therein may be made
right before the deed is passed from one owner to another. In some
states, however, the law does not require the owner to furnish an
abstract. When the title is proved or pronounced good, the deed should
at once be placed on record.
Personal Property
Personal property is that form of property which in general terms is
stated as movable, such as animals, furniture, clothing, tools,
implements, money, stocks, bonds, mortgages, etc., the transfer of
which from one owner to another is not as a rule a matter of public
record, although in the case of a bill of sale--sometimes made of some
forms of personal property--the county record may give evidence
thereof. Therefore it is, that in the matter of taxation, the tax
record or assessment comes under two general heads--a tax on real
property and a tax on personal property.
Property and Government
It is desirable to be a property owner so long as the government under
which one lives protects one in his property ownership. The government
must do two things: it must protect the person and his personal rights
as a citizen, and it must also protect property and the rights of
property ownership from enemies within, as from without. In order that
this may {349} be done and done in all fairness and justice, we elect
some citizens to make laws and term them legislators. We elect others
to enforce or administer the laws, and term them executives--the
President, the governor, and the mayor coming under this head. We
elect other citizens to enforce and interpret the laws, and we term
them judges and officers of the court. In fact, it is a principle in
our government that no man or set of men shall have authority in all
departments of government, legislative, executive, and judicial. You
will see that the Constitution of the United States is divided into
these three departments of government, and the state constitutions and
city charters are, as a rule, likewise divided.
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
the life and interests of all other citizens.
The building and maintenance of schools and colleges, libraries, art
and natural history museums, parks, playgrounds, hospitals, etc., are
carried on at the expense of the government by means of taxation,
inasmuch as these things are in the interests of mankind and for its
upbuilding. In the city the protection of life and property is found
in one or the other of these different departments: police, fire,
health, street cleaning, parks, water supply, etc.; and every good
citizen should lend his hand to help in every way possible the
enforcement of law in each department.
Citizenship
In any form of government, problems are continually arising as to the
rights of property and the rights of persons, and it is well for us to
remember this distinction: that the end of society (and by that term
we mean government) is not the protection of property, but rather the
upbuilding of mankind. If we bear this in mind and act upon it as a
principle in life, we shall find ourselves standing and voting on the
right side of public questions. We shall also be able to mark the man
in private or public life who shows by his talk or his actions that he
thinks more of property rights than he does of the rights of
individuals. Any business that does not benefit society, but on the
other hand degrades it, whether run by an individual or individuals in
a firm, company, or corporation, is a business that ought by the law
to be put out of existence. This is why {350} the business of
gambling, for instance, is made unlawful; also why the government had
the right to make lotteries unlawful; also why some states (for
instance New York) have passed laws making book-making at race tracks
unlawful. For all of these things degrade and do not upbuild mankind.
It is for every one then, to apply this principle to the town, village
or city in which he lives, and determine just what stand he will take
as to endorsing and protecting such business interests in his
community. One is likely to find in any community men who seem to care
nothing for any interests other than their own. They stand for
property rights because it is for their interest to do so; but for the
rights of mankind, the rights of society, apparently they care
nothing. Here is the distinction then between the good citizen, and
the bad citizen, the desirable and "the undesirable" citizen.
Practical Citizenship
In nearly every town, village, and city of any size or importance,
there is at least one individual, and usually groups of individuals,
working for the "betterment of society." They are people who take an
interest in the people about them and do what they can to improve the
conditions of life in the community. If one were to take a survey of
the whole country and make a study of the social workers--the men and
the women who give freely of their time and of their money to make the
world a better and happier place to live in--he would come to see that
such service is a kind of service that grows out of the heart, and is
the fruit of the kindly spirit which prompts the "good turn daily."
In doing the "good turn daily," then, one has abundant opportunity to
do his part toward the social betterment of the community in which he
lives. There are so many ways that one hardly knows what to write down
as the most important, because all are important. It is not alone in
big things, but in the little things as well, that the really great
work is done.
The community--the town, the village, or the city in which one
lives--has many problems to solve. The streets in the community are
always interesting and one can do much in the streets to help keep
them clean, attractive, and pleasing, as well as safe for the people
and horses passing through. In a city where there is a large
population the lives of the people are in greater danger at all times
than in the country, and that is the reason why the city has to be so
organized in its government that it can make special laws, or
ordinances as they are {351} called, for its own special protection against
the dangers of city life. The policemen of a city, wherever stationed
in the daytime or in the night time, are there to protect the lives
and property of individuals, at street crossings, at public buildings,
at theatres, in the parks, and on playgrounds; and it is the privilege
as well as the duty of all citizens to help them in every way possible
to do their work well. In the "good turn daily," one may be able to
help in more ways than one if he is on the lookout.
"A scout's honor is to be trusted" to obey the laws and to see that
they are not disobeyed by others. "A scout's duty is to be useful and
to help others. He must be prepared at any time to save life or to
help injured persons." There are often accidents in the streets--many
avoidable ones--due simply to carelessness. For instance, some boys
were careless and threw broken glass bottles into the street, and a
passing automobile came to a standstill because of a punctured tire.
The man who owned the automobile and was driving it got out and called
one of the boys on the street to come over to him. He did not call
this particular boy because he thought he had thrown the glass, but
because he thought he was a boy who would appreciate what he wanted to
say to him. He told the boy that he had just had a new tire put on his
machine and appealed to him as to whether or not he thought he had
been treated right through the carelessness of the one who threw that
glass into the street. The boy said no, he didn't think he had been,
and, after a little more talk, added that he would do all in his power
in that neighborhood to see that such things were kept out of the
street in the future. That boy was in line for the making of a
first-class scout, and the man to whom he had been talking, being a
good scout commissioner, had won the boy, because instead of being
angry, he had been kind, courteous, and friendly--all qualifications
of a good scout.
"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.
Lincoln once said in speaking of a man whom he thought lacking in
sympathy: "He is so put up by nature that a {352} lash upon his back
would hurt him, but a lash upon anybody's else back does not hurt
him." There are many people in the world who seem to be like that
man--not so many who feel that way towards mankind, possibly, but many
who thoughtlessly feel and act that way toward animals. The lash on
the back of an animal--the horse, the cow, the dog--hurts, and the
good scout always takes the animal's part. He is kind to animals.
In the city, people often become careless as to the necessary
precautions against fire and for this reason many lives are lost. In
all well-regulated school systems, each school building is properly
provided with fire escapes and the children regularly disciplined in
fire drills. Proper fire precautions are not yet generally required by
law as they should be in great buildings, factories, or workshops
where men and women are employed in large numbers. If a scout should
be employed in such a place, he might make himself very serviceable in
case of a fire, because having thought of it beforehand, he would know
what to do--his motto being, "Be Prepared."
One very important thing in city life is the protection of one's
health: it is essential to have good food, pure water, plenty of good,
fresh air--things not always easily obtainable, but always most
necessary. The scout learns through the many activities of scouting
something of the market places and sources of supply for food; he has
some idea as to the cost of living in his own home, and should become
a good marketer himself, making himself competent to judge of the
quality and prices of food. If he is wide-awake and intelligent, he
knows the products of his own county as well as those of the state. He
knows what food products are shipped in and sometimes finds that it
would be cheaper, and more profitable as well, to produce them in his
own community. An industrious scout may often make his own pocket
money in this way or provide funds towards his own education.
In the Constitution of the United States is written this law: "No
title of nobility shall be granted by the United States." The purpose
of this law is to defeat any attempt to elevate one citizen above
another in rank of social or political preferment. Ours is a country
free from the entanglements of social distinction such as mark one man
or family from another by way of title or patent of nobility; and yet,
in our country of uncrowned kings and unknighted men, we would not
forget the real deeds of valor, the services rendered, or the
victories won. For it was the purpose {353} in the mind and in the
heart of our fathers who framed the Constitution that each succeeding
generation should rise to the duties and responsibilities of the
State; that the virtues of the State should not descend or be lodged
in one family, or any selected number of families, but rather should
be in the keeping of all the families, in the care and keeping of all
the people.
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
As set forth in a letter from Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Honorary
Vice-president, Boy Scouts of America:
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
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.
The same qualities that mean success or failure to the nation as a
whole, mean success or failure in men and boys individually. The boy
scouts must war against the same foes and vices that most hurt the
nation; and they must try to develop the same virtues that the nation
most needs. To be helpless, self-indulgent, or wasteful, will turn the
boy into a mighty poor kind of a man, just as the indulgence in such
vices by the men of a nation means the ruin of the nation. Let the boy
stand stoutly against his enemies both from without and from within,
let him show courage in confronting fearlessly one set of enemies, and
in controlling and mastering the others. Any boy is worth nothing if
he has not got courage, courage to stand up against the forces of
evil, and courage to stand up in the right path. Let him be unselfish
and gentle, as well as strong and brave. It should be a matter of
pride to him that he is not afraid of anyone, and that he scorns not
to be gentle and considerate to everyone, and especially to those who
are weaker than he is. If he doesn't treat his mother and sisters
well, then he is a poor creature no matter what else he does; just as
a man who {356} doesn't treat his wife well is a poor kind of citizen
no matter what his other qualities may be. And, by the way, don't ever
forget to let the boy know that courtesy, politeness, and good manners
must not be neglected. They are not little things, because they are
used at every turn in daily life. Let the boy remember also that in
addition to courage, unselfishness, and fair dealing, he must have
efficiency, he must have knowledge, he must cultivate a sound body and
a good mind, and train himself so that he can act with quick decision
in any crisis that may arise. Mind, eye, muscle, all must be trained
so that the boy can master himself, and thereby learn to master his
fate. I heartily wish all good luck to the movement.
Very sincerely yours,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
Mr. James E. West,
Executive Secretary
Boy Scouts of America,
New York City.
{357}
America
MY country, 'tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the Pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let freedom ring.
My native country, thee
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills;
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.
Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake,
Let all that breathe partake,
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong!
Our father's God, to Thee,
Author of liberty,
To thee we sing:
Long may our land be bright
With freedom's holy light;
Protect us by Thy might,
Great God, our King.
--Samuel F. Smith, 1832.
{358}
The Star-Spangled Banner
O Say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming;
And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there!
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
On the shore, dimly seen thro' the mists of the deep,
Where the foe's haughty host in dread silence reposes.
What is that which the breeze, o'er the towering steep,
As it fitfully blows, half conceals, half discloses?
Now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam,
In full glory reflected, now shines on the stream--
'Tis the star-spangled banner. O long may it wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
And where is that band who so vauntingly swore,
'Mid the havoc of war and the battle's confusion,
A home and a country they'd leave us no more?
Their blood has washed out their foul footsteps' pollution.
No refuge could save the hireling and slave
From the terror of flight, or the gloom of the grave--
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave,
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
O thus be it ever when freemen shall stand
Between their loved homes and foul war's desolation,
Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the heav'n-rescued land
Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.
Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,
And this be our motto, "In God is our trust"
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave,
While the land of the free is the home of the brave.
--Francis Scott Key, 1814.
{359}
APPENDIX
BOY SCOUT EQUIPMENT
As stated in the chapter on "Scoutcraft," for the convenience of boys
who wish to secure uniforms or other equipment, the National Council
has made arrangements with certain manufacturers to furnish such parts
of the equipment as are most needed by boys. A number of these
manufacturers have taken advertising space in this book and it is
desired that in case goods are ordered as a result of their
advertisement they be informed of the fact. Some of them have made
arrangements for the distribution of material through Mr. Sigmund
Eisner, of Red Bank, New Jersey, who has the contract for making the
official uniforms.
It should be remembered at all times that the sole purpose of the
National Council in entering into any arrangement whatever with
manufacturers is to secure a low price on the very best material
possible. The manufacturers have agreed to sell all the material
listed in this book at a uniform price in all parts of the country. In
case local dealers or agents for the National Outfitter ask a price
different from that given in the price list herewith, National
Headquarters should be notified.
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 your 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 in some cases 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.
In this suggested list of equipment all articles marked with a star
(*) may be secured either through a local dealer or by {360} ordering
direct through National Headquarters in New York City.
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.
_Bandanna or Neckerchief_: These are so common that every boy will
recognize at once what is mean by a bandanna. The members of each
patrol wear bandanas made in the colors of their patrol. These can be
purchased at any local dry goods store at ten or fifteen cents each.
[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.
Age-size Waist Seat Inseam Calf Ankle
18 32 37 26 13-1/2 9-1/2
17 31 36-1/2 25-1/2 13-1/2 9
16 30 35 25 13 9
15 29 34 24-1/2 12-3/4 8-3/4
14 28 32-1/2 24 12-1/2 8-1/2
13 27 31 23 12-1/2 8-1/4
12 26-1/2 30-1/2 22 12 8-1/4
{361}
Extra Sizes: Breeches above eighteen-year size will be made to order
and will cost twenty-five cents more per garment.
Waist Seat Inseam Calf Ankle
1 32 38 27 13-1/2 9-1/2
2 33 39 27 13-3/4 9-3/4
3 34 40 28 14 9-3/4
4 35 41 27 14-1/2 9-3/4
5 36 42 28 15 10
6 37 43 27 15-1/4 10-1/4
7 38 44 28 15-1/2 10-1/2
[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: Camp Knives, Forks and Spoons]
_Camp Knives, Forks and Spoons_: Ordinary table-knives, forks and spoons
may be used. An inexpensive knife, fork and spoon for use in camps,
like set illustrated herewith, may be secured for about eight cents
per dozen through almost any local hardware 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:
Boys' sizes: Price $1.35.
Age Breast Waist Length Sleeve Collar
18 34 32 26 31 16
17 33 31 25 30-1/2 15-1/2
16 32 30-1/2 24-1/2 29-1/2 15
15 31 30 24 28-1/2 14-1/2
14 30 29 23-1/2 27-1/2 14
13 29 28-1/2 23 26 13-1/2
12 28 27-1/2 22 25 13
{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.
Breast Waist Length Sleeve Length Collar Finish
1 35 32 27 32 16-1/4
2 36 33 27-1/2 32 16-1/2
3 37 34 28 32-1/2 16-3/4
4 38 35 28-1/2 32-1/2 17-1/4
5 39 36 29 33 17-1/4
6 40 37 29-1/2 33 18
7 42 38 30 33-1/2 18-1/2
[Illustration: Norfolk Coat]
* _Norfolk Coat for Scout Masters_: Made of standard olive drab cotton
cloth, two pleats, back and front, with belt. Price, $3.00.
_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.
[Illustration: Drinking Cup]
* _Drinking Cup_: A drinking cup for individual use is recommended. The
folding cup shown in the illustration is made of brass and is nickel
plated. Price 10 cents.
_Drum_: The selection of this is left to each local troop desiring this
piece of equipment. Place your order with local music dealer.
[Illustration: First Aid Kit]
_First Aid Kit_: This kit for the use of the individual scout can be
secured through this office or the Red Cross Society in Washington,
New York and San Francisco. Price 25 cents.
* _Hats_: Four hats are suggested as follows:
1. _Boy Scout Hat_. Olive drab felt--standard quality--detachable ties.
Price $1.15.
[Illustration: Boy Scout Hats]
No. 1 No. 2 Nos. 3 and 4
{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.
4. _Scout Master's Hat_. Quality same as above, but larger dimensions.
Price $2.50. Be sure to indicate size desired when ordering.
[Illustration: Haversack]
* _Haversack_: Waterproof canvas, leather straps--buckles and separate
pockets--scout emblem on flap. Price 60 cents.
[Illustration: Hospital Corps Pouch]
_Hospital Corps Pouch_: This pouch has been made up specially by the
American Red Cross Society and contains the following:
1 Shears
1 Tweezers
1 Carbolized Vaseline
1 Pkg. Safety Pins
2 Wire Gauze Splints
1 2-oz. Bottle Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia
1 A.R.C. First Aid Outfit (cardboard)
2 1-yd. packages Sterilized Gauze.
3 1-inch Bandages.
3 2-1/2 inch Bandages
2 Triangular Bandages (cartons)
1 U. S. A. Tourniquet
Arrange with the American Red Cross Society for purchase of these.
Price $.1.00.
[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.)
Number 2, Price 50 cents.
Genuine ebony handle, brass lining, german silver bolsters and shield.
Large cutting blade can be opened without using the fingernail.
Shackle for hanging to belt.
{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.
[Illustration: Mess Kits]
* _Mess Kits_:
Number 1. Price 75 cents.
Coffee or tea can, cup, stew or fry pan, with cover, one broiler
two handles.
Number 2. Price 50 cents.
Coffee or tea can, cup, stew or fry pan, one handle.
[Illustration: Patrol Flag]
_Patrol Flags_: The patrol flags are made from a good quality muslin or
wool bunting in the colors of the local patrol. Scouts make their own
patrol flags. Material may be purchased at a local dry goods store.
The size of the flag is 11 in. by 27 in. Emblems can be secured from
National Headquarters.
* _Ponchos_: A good poncho is almost an absolute necessity for the scout
when on a march or in camp. Ponchos suitable for scout purposes can be
secured from local dealers at prices from $2.50 upward.
_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.
[Illustration: Signal Flags]
_Signal Flags_: These can be made from muslin or bunting which may be
secured at local stores. It is recommended that each scout make his
own flags. Regulation sizes of the semaphore 18 in. by 18 in. and the
Morse or Myer flag 24 in. by 24 in. as shown in illustration.
[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.
The Scout Staff and Its Uses
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?"
Experience has proven it to be one of the most helpful articles of
equipment. In order to show this we are reproducing, through the
courtesy of Lieut-Gen. Sir Robert S. S. {366} Baden-Powell,
illustrations from printed matter used by the English boy scouts.
These illustrations show a number of different ways in which the staff
will prove a handy and valuable article; in fact, essential to the
Scout outfit.
[Illustration: Uses of the 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.
An improvised stretcher of coats and staves.
A line of Scouts linked together on a night march.
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.
For erecting a flagstaff and forming a fence, the Staff is very
useful.
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.
Climbing a Mountain.--Carry the Staff cross-wise, and if you slip,
lean inwards upon it, against the side of the mountain. The weight
of your body will then drive the end of the staff into the earth,
and so anchor you.
Levering up Logs and Stones.
Rope ladders,
Feeling the way over marshy ground.
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.
* _Stockings_: To match uniforms, made of heavy material and suitable
for scouting. Price 30 cents in cotton, $1.25 in wool.
_Sweaters_: Any local clothing store will be able to secure for the
scout the kind and quality of sweater needed.
* _Telegraph Instruments_: Beginners' telegraph {367} instruments, to be
used in learning the Morse code, may be secured through any electrical
supply house. The instrument illustrated, five ohms, price, $1.30.
_Tracking Irons_: Excellent tracking irons can be made of 7/8-inch heavy
band iron, using the design presented here. Any local blacksmith will
gladly assist the boys in making their irons.
* _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.
_Watch_: Every scout should possess a good watch. No particular make of
watch is recommended. The choice of this article is left entirely with
the boy and may be bought through a local jeweler.
_Water Bottle_: In some cases where the individual scout is not
furnished with a canteen, the patrol may desire to carry a supply of
water on the march. For this purpose water bottles capable of carrying
a large quantity of water may be secured. These should be purchased
through some army supply house.
* _Whistles_: Scout standard whistle, for use in signaling by whistle.
Made of brass, gun metal finish, ring at end to attach to lanyard.
Price 10 cents.
{368}
Suggestions for Measuring
Name
Street
City
Coat Measure
L--All around at breast under coat
M--All around at waist under coat
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
[Illustration: Scout's clothing. (tr)]
{369}
Hat
Size of hat
Size of linen collar worn
Answer following questions plainly:
Age? Height? Weight?
BOOKS FOR REFERENCE
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.
Many of the books have been carefully reviewed by someone connected
with the boy scouts, and in many cases through the courtesy of the
publishers copies of these books are available for reference purposes
at the office of the National Headquarters. Suggestions for additions
or improvements upon this list will be gladly received at any time.
Communications should be addressed to the Executive Secretary, 200
Fifth Avenue, New York City.
[Transcriber's note: In the following list of books the first line
is the title, the second the author, the third the publisher. The
author and/or publisher may be omitted.]
Scoutcraft
Notes on Scouting and Reconnaissance
Jas. F. M. Livingston
London, Clowes
Pioneering and Mapmaking for Boy Scouts
C. R. Enock
London, Pearson
Scouting for Boys
Lieut.-Gen. Robert Baden-Powell
C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd. Henrietta St., London
Three Amateur Scouts
Jadberns
Lippincott
The Boy Scouts
Chipman
Burt Co.
Yarns for Boy Scouts
Lieut.-Gen. Robert Baden-Powell
C. Arthur Pearson, Ltd.
Henrietta St., London
Woodcraft
ANIMALS
American Natural History
Hornaday
Animal Artisans
C. J. Cornish
Longmans, Green & Co.
Animals at Home
Lillian Bartlett
American Book Co.
{370}
Animal Heroes
Seton
Century Co.
A Wilderness Dog
Biography of a Grizzly
Seton
Scribners
Biography of a Silver Fox
Seton
Scribners
Claws and Hoofs
James Johonnot
American Book Co.
Dan Beard's Animal Book and Campfire Stories
D. C. Beard
Scribners
Familiar Animals and Their Wild Kindred
John Monteith
American Book Co.
Four-footed Americans and their Kin
M. C. Wright
Good Hunting
Theodore Roosevelt
Harper Bros.
Habits of Animals
E. Ingersoll
Half-hours with the Lower Animals
C. G. Holder
American Book Co.
Haunter of Pine Gloom
C. G. D. Roberts
Haunters of the Silences
C. G. D. Roberts
Grosset & Dunlap
Homes, Haunts and Habits of Wild Animals
I. T. Johnson
House in the Water
C. G. D. Roberts
Jock of the Bushvold
Sir. P. Fitzpatrick
Longmans, Green & Co.
Jungle Book
Kipling
Second Jungle Book
Kipling
Kindred of the Wild
C. G. D. Roberts
King of the Mamozekel
C. G. D. Roberts
Krag and Johny Bear
Seton
Scribners
Life Histories of North America
Seton
Scribners
Little Beasts of Field and Wood
Cram
Little Brother to the Bear
W. J. Long
Ginn & Co.
Lives of the Fur Folk
M.D.Haviland
Longmans Green & Co.
Living Animals of the World, Vol. I,
II, III
The University Society
Lobo, Rag and Vixen
Seton
Scribners
Lives of the Hunted
Seton
Scribners
Mooswa
W. A. Fraser
My Dogs in the Northland
E. R. Young
Revell Co.
Monarch, the Big Bear of Tallac
Seton
Scribners
Red Fox
C. G. D. Roberts
Shaggycoat
C. Hawkes
Shovelhorns, Biography of a Moose
C. Hawkes
Some Curious Flyers, Creepers and Swimmers
J. Johonnot
American Book Co.
Some Useful Animals and What They Do for Us
J. C. Monteith
American Book Co.
{371}
Squirrel and Other Fur Bearers
John Burroughs
Stories of Animal Life
C. F. Holder
American Book Co.
Stories of Humble Friends
Katharine Pyle
American Book Co.
Story of the Trapper
A. C. Laut
The Romance of Animal Arts and Crafts
H. Coupin and John Lea
Lippincott
The Romance of the Animal World
Edmund Selous
Seeley & Co.
The Wolf Patrol
John Finnemore
Trapper Jim
Edwin Sandys
Ways of Wood Folk
W. J. Long
Wild Animals at Play
Seton
Doubleday Page & Co.
Wild Animals I Have Known
Seton
Scribners
Wilderness Ways
W. J. Long
Wild Life in the Rockies
Enos A. Mills
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Wild Life of Orchard and Field
Ingersoll
Wolf, the Storm Leader
Frank Caldwell
Dodd, Mead & Co.
Wood Folk at School
W. J. Long
Ginn & Co.
ASTRONOMY
A Field Book of the Stars
W. F. Olcutt
Putnam
Astronomy
Julia McNair Wright
Penn Pub. Co.
Astronomy by Observation
Eliza A. Bowen
American Book Co.
Astronomy for Everybody
Simon Newcomb
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Astronomy with an Opera Glass
G. P. Serviss
A Study of the Sky
H. A. Howe
Scribners
Astronomy with the Naked Eye
P. Serviss
G Harper Bros.
Children's Book of the Stars
Milton
Macmillan Co.
Earth and Sky Every Child Should Know
J. E. Rogers
How to Identify the Stars
W. J. Milham
How to Locate the Stars
Hinds, Noble & Co.
Popular Astronomy
G. Flammarion
Round the Year with the Stars
G. P. Serviss
Starland
Ball
Ginn & Co.
Steele's Popular Astronomy
J. D. Steele
American Book Co.
The Friendly Stars
M. E. Martin
The Romance of Modern Astronomy
McPherson
Lippincott
{372}
BIRDS
Bird Guide--Part 1 Water Birds
Chester A. Reed
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Bird Guide--Part 2 Land Birds
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Bird Homes
A. E. Dugmore
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Birds in their Relation to Men
Weed & Beerborn
Lippincott
Bird Life
Frank Chapman
Appleton
Bird Neighbours
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Bird Neighbors
John Burroughs
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Birds of Eastern North America
Chapman
Appleton
Birds that Every Child Should Know
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Birds that Hunt and Are Hunted
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
Birds Through the Year
A. F. Gilmore
American Book Co.
Citizen Bird
M. O. Wright
Elo the Eagle and Other Stories
Floyd Brallian
Pacific Pub. Co.
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
Second Book of Birds
H. M. Miller
Flamingo Feather
Munroe
How to Attract the Birds
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
How to Attract the Birds
Trafton
How to Know the Birds
H. & E. Parkhurst
Scribners
How to Know the Wild Birds of Ohio
Dietrich Lange
How to Study Birds In Birdland
Leander S. Kyser
McClurg Co.
Land Birds East of the Rockies
C. A. Reed
Lord of the Air
C. G. D. Roberts
Nestlings of Forest and Marsh
Irene G. Wheelock
McClurg Co.
Our Birds and Hew to Know Them
J. B. Grant
Scribners
Our Own Birds
Wm. L. Baily
Lippincott
Tenants of the Trees
C. Hawkes
The Blue Goose Chase
H. K. Job
The Romance of Bird Life
John Lea
Lippincott
Short Stories of our Shy Neighbors
Mrs. M. A. B. Keely
American Book Co.
The Sport of Bird Study
Job
Outing Pub. Co.
Wild Birds of City Parks
{373}
FISH AND FISHING
Book of Aquaria
Bateman & Bennett
L. Upcott Gill
Boy's Own Guide to Fishing
J. H. Keene
Denizens of the Deep
Frank T. Bullen
Revell Co.
Familiar Fish
Eugene McCarthy
Favorite Fish and Fishing
J. A. Henshall
Outing Pub. Co.
Fine Art of Fishing
S. G. Camp
Outing Pub. Co.
Fishing and Shooting Sketches
Grover Cleveland
Outing Pub. Co.
Fishing Kits and Equipment
G. S. Camp
N. Y. Outing Co.
Fish Stories
Holder and Jordan
Half Hours with Fishes Reptiles, and Birds
Holder
American Book Co.
Home Aquarium and How to Care for It
Eugene Smith
Dutton
The Angler's Guide
Wainwright Randall
The Book of Fish and Fishing
Louis Rhead
Scribners
The Little Water Folks
Hawkes
Crowell Co.
Tricks and Knacks of Fishing
(Horton Mfg. Co.)
Water Wonders Every Child Should Know
J. M. Thompson
FLOWERS, FERNS AND GRASSES
Botany
Julia McNair Wright
Penn Pub. Co.
Botany for Children
Harriet C. Cooper
Crowell Co.
Common Plants
George O. Goodall
D. C. Heath & Co.
Elementary Botany with Spring Flora
W. A. Kellerman
Hinds, Noble & Co.
Field Book of American Wild Flowers
P. Schuyler Mathews
Flora of the Southern United States
A. W. Chapman
Flower Guide
C. A. & C. K. Reed
Gardening for Profit.
P. Henderson
Grasses, Sedges and Rushes of the North United States
Edward Knoble
How to Collect and Preserve Plants and Sea-weeds
Hinds, Noble & Co.
How to Know the Ferns
Frances Theodora Parsons
How to know the Wild Flowers
Parsons
Illustrated Flora of the United States and Canada
N. L. Britton and Addison Brown
{374}
Lessons with Plants
Bailey
Manual of Gardening
L. H. Bailey
Nature's Garden
Neltje Blanchan
Doubleday, Page & Co.
New England Ferns and Their Common Allies
Helen Eastman
New Manual of Botany
Asa Gray
New Manual of Botany of the Central Rocky Mountains
John M. Coulter, revised by Aven Nelson
Our Garden Flowers
Harriet Louise Keeler
Plants and Their Children
Wm. Starr Dana
American Book Co.
Rocky Mountain Wild Flower Studies
Burton O. Longyear
Southern Wild Flowers and Trees
Alice Lounsbery
The Fern Collector's Guide
Willard Nelson Clute
The Garden Yard
B. Hall
Young Folk's Nature Field Book
J. Alden Loring
Dana Estes Co.
FUNGI
Edible Fungi of New York
Charles H. Peck
N. Y. State Museum
Flowerless Plants: Ferns, Mushrooms, Mosses, Lichens and Sea weeds.
E. H. Hale
Mushrooms
Atkinson
Holt & Co.
One Thousand American Fungi
McIllvain & Macadam
Bobbs, Merrill & Co.
Studies of American Fungi
Atkinson
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
Dynamos and Electric Motors
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Electric Bells
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Electro-Plating
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
Glass Writing, Embossing and Facia Work
Paul N. Hasluck
David McKay
How to Make Baskets.
Mary White
Doubleday, Page & Co.
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}
INSECTS AND BUTTERFLIES
Ants, their Structure, Development and Behavior
W. M. Wheeler
Columbia Univ. Press
Beehives and Appliances
Paul Hasluck
David McKay
Directions for Collecting and Preserving Insects
Nathan Banks
U. S. National Museum Bulletin
Everyday Butterflies
How to Keep Bees
Anna B. Comstock
Doubleday, Page Co.
How to Know the Butterflies
J. H. and Mrs. Comstock
D. Appleton & Co.
Insect Life
Comstock
Little Busy Bodies
Marks Moody
Harper Bros.
Manual for the Study of Insects
J. H. and A. B. Comstock
Moths and Butterflies
Julia P. Ballard
Putnam's Sons
Our Insect Friends and Enemies
J. B. Smith
Lippincott
Our Insect Friends and Foes
B. S. Cragin
Putnam's Sons
The Butterfly Book
W. J. Holland
Doubleday, Page & Co.
The House-Fly--Disease Carrier
L. O. Howard
Stokes Co.
The Moth Book
W. J. Holland
Doubleday, Page & Co.
The Romance of Insect Life
Edmund Selous
Seeley & Co.
The Way of the Six-Footed
ROCKS AND PEBBLES
About Pebbles
Alpheus Hyatt
D. C. Heath & Co.
Boy Mineral Collectors
J. G. Kelley
Common Minerals and Rocks
Wm. O. Crosby
D. C. Heath & Co.
Stories of Rocks and Minerals
H. W. Fairbanks
The Boy Geologist at School and in Camp
E. G. Houston
The Earth and Its Story
A. Heilprin
The Romance of Modern Geology
Grew
Lippincott
REPTILES
Poisonous Snakes of North America
Leonard Stejneger
Gov. Printing Office
The Reptile Book
Ditmar
Doubleday, Page & Co.
SHELLS AND SHELLFISH
American Marine Shells. Bulletin No. 37
U. S. National Museum, Washington
{376}
Mollusks of the Chicago Area
F. C. Baker
Chicago Academy
The Little Water Folk
C. Hawkes
Crowell Co.
The Lymnaedae of North America
F. C. Baker
Chicago Academy of Sciences
The Shell Book
Julia E. Rogers
Doubleday, Page & Co.
West Coast Shells
Josiah Keep
Worms and Crustacea
Hyatt
D. C. Heath & Co.
TREES AND SHRUBS
A Guide to the Trees
Alice Lounsbery
Familiar Trees and Their Leaves
Mathews
Field and Forest Handy Book
Dan C. Beard
First Book of Forestry
Roth
Forest Trees and Forest Scenery
Schwartz
Grafton Press
Handbook of Trees of New England
Dame and Brooks
Ginn & Co.
Handbook of the Trees of the Northern United States and Canada
Hough
How to Tell the Trees
Hinds, Noble & Co.
How to Know Wild Fruits
Maude C. Peterson
Manual of the Trees of North America
Charles Sprague Sargent
North American Trees
Britton
North American Forests and Forestry
Bruncken
Putnam
Our Native Trees
Keeler
Scribners
Our Northern Shrubs
Harriet L. Keeler
Our Shrubs of the United States
Apgar
Practical Forestry for Beginners in Forestry
J. C. Gifford
School of the Woods
W. J. Long
Studies of Trees in Winter
Huntington
Sargent
Ten Common Trees
Susan Stokes
American Book Co.
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
The Tree Book
Julia E. Rogers
Doubleday, Page & Co.
The Way of the Woods.
Breck
Putnam's Sons
Trees of the Northern United States
Austin C. Apgar
{377}
The Trees of California
Jepson
The Woodsman's Handbook
United States Department of Agriculture Bulletin No. 36
Trees That Every Child Should Know
J. E. Rogers
MISCELLANEOUS--WOODCRAFT
Adventures in the Great Forests
H. W. Hyrst
Lippincott
Adventures of Buffalo Bill
Cody
Adventures of Four-footed Folk
Belle M. Brain
Fleming H. Revell
A Journey to Nature
J. P. Mowbray
Grosset & Dunlap
American Boys' Handy Book
Beard
Amateur Taxidermist
Scorso
A Watcher in the Woods
D. L. Sharp
Century Co.
Bent Iron Work
Hasluck
David McKay
Birch Bark Roll
Seton
Boots and Saddles
Custer
Boy Craftsman
A. W. Hall
Boy Pioneers
Dan Beard
Scribners
Boy's Book of Airships
H. Delacomb
Boy's Workshop
Craigin
Boy with the United States
Foresters
Robert Wheeler
Box Furniture
Louise Brigham
Century Co.
Diomed
Sargent
Grosset & Dunlap
Chats on Photography
Wallington
Lippincott
Electricity
Fowler
Penn Pub. Co.
Electric Instrument Making for Amateurs
Bottome
Electricity for Boys
Adams
Electricity for Everybody
Atkinson
Electricity for Young People
Jencks
Electricity Made Easy
E. J. Houston and A. E. Kennelly
Excursions
Thoreau
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Famous Indian Chiefs
Johnston
Field and Forest Handy Book
Beard
Scribners
Four Afoot
Barbour
Frank, the Young Naturalist
Castleman
Hurst Co.
Frontiersman's Pocketbook
Pocock
Harper's How to Understand Electricity
Onken and Baker
{378}
Harper's Indoor Book for Boys
Adams
Harper Bros.
Harper's Outdoor Book for Boys
Adams
Home Mechanics for Amateurs
G. M. Hopkins
How Two Boys Made Their Own Electrical Apparatus
T. M. St. John
In American Fields and Forests
H. D. Thoreau, et al.
Indoor and Outdoor Handicraft
Beard
Scribners
Jack of All Trades
Dan Beard
Scribners
Lakerim Athletic Club
Hughes
Last of the Mohicans
Cooper
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Log Cabins and Cottages
Wicks
Forest & Stream
Long Trail
Garland
Making Wireless Outfits
Harrison
Nature Study
F. L. Holtz
Scribners
On Horseback in Virginia
C. D. Warner
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Our National Parks
John Muir
Houghton Mifflin Co.
Outdoor Handy Book
Dan Beard
Scribners
Outdoors, Indoors and up the Chimney
C. McIllvain
Sunday School Times
Out-of-Doors
M. Ellsworth Olson
Pacific Pub. Co.
Romance of Modern Photography
Gibson
Lippincott
Scholar's ABC of Electricity
Meadowcraft
Hinds, Noble & Co.
Scientific American Boy (www.gutenberg.org/etext/15831)
Bond
Munn & Co.
Scientific American Boy at School
Bond
Scientific American Reference Book
Bond
Munn & Co.
Secret of the Woods
Wm. J. Long
Ginn & Co
Sportsman Joe
Sandys
Taxidermy
Hasluck
McKay
The Boy Electrician
Huston
Lippincott
The Boy's Book of Conservation
Small
Maynard & Co.
The Boy's Book of Inventions
Bacon
Doubleday, Page & Co.
The Boy's Second Book of Inventions
Baker
Doubleday, Page & Co.
The Boy's Book of Model Aeroplanes
Collins
Century Co.
The Boy's Book of Steamships
Howden
The Camp at Willow [Clump] Island (www.gutenberg.org/etext/15831)
Bond
The Frog Book
Dickerman
Doubleday, Page & Co.
{379}
The Complete Photographer
Bailey
Doubleday, Page & Co.
The Mountains
S. E. White
The Open Window
Grosset & Dunlap
The Young Electrician
H. Hall
Macmillan Co.
The Young Mechanic
Putnam's Sons
Things a Boy Should Know about Electricity
T. M. St. John
Things a Boy Should Know about Wireless
St. John
Trapper Jim
Sandys
Two Little Savages
Seton
Vehicles of the Air
Longheed
Reilly & Britton Co.
Walden, or Life in the Woods
Thoreau
Houghton Mifflin Co.
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.