The Second Class badge is a green trefoil embroidered on a tan
background, and is worn on the left sleeve above the elbow.
The occasion of awarding Second Class badges gives Scouts an
opportunity to arrange a ceremony for themselves following more or less
the lines of the Tenderfoot investiture.
SIGNALLING
General Service Code
The General Service Code, also called the Continental and the
International Morse Code, is the code used by the Army and Navy,
cables, wireless telegraphy, and all commercial communications except
short distance telegraphing, within the United States. Avoid the term
International Morse as both these names apply to other codes. The
International code is made up of flags each one of which stands for a
letter or other signal, and the Morse is used of the American Morse or
telegraph alphabet. There is Visual signalling by hand flag torches,
lanterns, etc.; and Sound signalling with buzzer, whistle, drum, etc.
Signalling by Single Flag, or Wig-wagging
The flag used is square with a smaller square of another color in the
center. It may be either white with the smaller square red, or red with
white. A good size for Girl Scouts to use is 24 inches square with the
center 8 inches square, and the pole 42 inches long.
There are but three motions to make with the flag, and all start from
POSITION, which means that the signaller stands erect facing the person
with whom she is communicating holding the flag perpendicularly in
front of her.
DOT.—To make a dot, swing the flag down to the right and bring it back
to Position.
DASH.—To make a dash, swing the flag down to the left, and bring it
back again to Position.
FRONT.—The third motion is front, made by swinging the flag down
directly in front and returning to Position.
In order to keep the flag from “fouling” when making the motions, make,
by a turn of the wrist, a sort of figure 8 with the end of the staff,
as shown in the picture.
In learning signalling try to master these motions first; then it is
easy to put them together in letters. Make no pause between dots or
dashes in a single letter, but have a continuous motion.
Indicate the end of a Letter by a distinct pause at Position.
Indicate the end of a Word by one Front.
Indicate the end of a Sentence by two Fronts.
Indicate the end of a Message by three Fronts.
Many Scouts have found it easier to learn the motions required in flag
signalling with a light stick about 18 or 24 inches long; you will be
surprised to see how simple it is to handle a flag, when the motions
have been mastered with a stick.
Don’t try for speed. Accuracy is the most important thing, for unless
the letters are accurately made they may be confused and your message
will be read as something quite different from what you intended.
Fall into a regular easy rhythm. Speed will come with practice. When
signalling a message go slowly enough for the receiver to read it.
Semaphore
The “Semaphore” is really a machine, with two arms which may be moved
into various positions to indicate letters. It is especially used on
railroads. The semaphore code may also be employed by a person using
two flags. It is the quickest method of flag signalling but is only
available for comparatively short distances, seldom over a mile, unless
extra large flags are used, or there are some extraordinary conditions
of backgrounds, atmosphere, etcetera.
The semaphore code is not adapted to all sorts of uses as is the
general service code, but for very quick communications over short
distances it is most useful.
The regulation Semaphore flag is 18 inches square, divided diagonally
into two triangles, a red and a white, with the red one fastened to a
staff which is 24 inches long. The staff must be carefully held, to
move in one piece with the arm, as a “break” at the wrist would make
an entirely different angle.
Pass the arms smoothly from one letter to another. Don’t let them
“flop” about between letters. Hold each letter long enough so that
it is distinct. At the end of a word make “Interval” hands crossed
downward in front of body, right over left. Indicate the end of the
sentence by one “chop-chop”—made by placing both arms at the right,
horizontal, and moving them up and down in cutting motion. Indicate end
of the message by three “chop-chops.” While signalling maintain fixed
position, head upright.
Be accurate in making the letters. It is the angle between your arms
that counts. Speed will soon come with practice. Don’t look in a
mirror, or you will get it all backwards.
Signalling with a Lantern
The motions used in signalling with a lantern are very like those with
the single flag. For Position, hold a lantern directly in front of you;
for a dot swing it to the right and back; for a dash swing it to the
left and back; and for Front move it up and down in a vertical line,
directly in front of you. You should have a stationary light, in front
of your feet, as a point of reference for the various motions.
Signalling with a Flash Light
Use a short flash for a dot, and a long steady flash for dash. Pause
between letters, longer pause between words, still longer at end of
sentence.
Signalling by Sound
Whistle:—Use a short blast for a dot, and a long steady blast for a
dash. Indicate the end of a letter by a short pause, end of word by a
longer pause, and the end of a sentence by a still longer pause.
On the telegraph instrument the dot makes one distinct click. The dash
a double click. Try and you will see. Practice tapping with a pencil,
a stick or even your fingers, to make the ear familiar with the sound;
single tap for a dot, double for a dash.
The code must be absolutely mastered so that you know a letter the
minute you see it. Counting off dots and dashes, is a sign of a
beginner who doesn’t yet know her code. It is a bad plan to try to
learn code by writing it out. You never use it written, and you should
learn it as you are going to use it with flags, lights or sounds.
From the very first, practice reading as well as sending. It is harder
to do, and requires more practice.
If another Scout facing you will signal the same letter at the same
time you are signalling to her, then you read and send that letter
simultaneously and thus recognize the letter when receiving a message.
You will find it a curious fact that it is easier to learn the letters
by signalling them in words and messages, than by trying to master them
singly, in their order in the alphabet.
A good way to learn the general service code is this. Learn first the
four letters made all of dots, and then the three made all of dashes.
E .
I ..
S ...
H ....
T -
M --
O ---
Fix these in your mind by using them in words like—to, she, some, time,
etc. Then take the words “Girl Scouts” and learn them. With the new
letters in these added to the dot and dash letters you can make any
number of words,—stone, lost, curl, etc. To these add “Be Prepared,”
“Come quickly,” “Joyful Scouts never are lazy” and now you can signal
all the Scout laws, and you know all the letters of the alphabet except
w, x and z. You may learn these separately or in “Buzzing bees make
wax.”
The semaphore code may be learned in the same way, and Scouts can
easily make up other sentences on the same principle, to suit the
semaphore code.
_Games._—There are a great many games which will give practice in the
signalling tests and the signs. Perhaps a simple one to start with is
“_Follow the Trail_.”
A party of cowboys are to start off for a long journey across the
prairie. They are expecting a party of their mates to follow them in a
week’s time. So they agree to make scout signs and leave messages all
the way. The Scouts, having divided into two parties, one starts away
across the fields and woods—preferably along a path or track. They make
arrows pointing in the direction they are following, either on the
ground or on fences or stones. They hide messages, written on paper or
on white stones or pieces of wood, saying how they are getting on;
where water may be found; or warning their pals of various dangers.
“Don’t follow this road,” (X) is also made when necessary. Meanwhile
the second party of Scouts start (having given the cowboys ten minutes’
start) _not_ as the expected friends, but as a party of Indians, who
have picked up the trail and are hot on the track of the “palefaces.”
They follow, destroying all the cowboys’ tracks and signs, and reading
their messages. Indian scouts may be sent on, singly (fast runners) to
reconnoitre, and report on the number and deportment of the cowboys.
But the Indian scout does this at her own peril. If she is _seen_ by
the palefaces she becomes their prisoner, and must go on with them.
(Any cowboy seeing an enemy scout calls out her name, whereupon the
Indian _must_ play fair and surrender.) The palefaces eventually run
short of provisions, at the end of a half a mile (or more) and are
obliged to halt. Believing Indians to be following them, they take
cover. The Indians, finding that the trail has come to an end, search
for the cowboys (_seeing_ and calling out the name being equal to
killing), but any paleface who manages to creep out of her cover and
_touch_ an Indian before she is seen herself kills her (puts her out
of action). The game is won by the party having the largest number of
survivors when the Captain blows her whistle.
A game by which reading Morse may be practised is as follows:
About twelve Scouts can play at it. The Scouts each choose a letter
of the alphabet. This (printed large in ink on a card) is pinned on
her chest. Each then is allotted a place to stand, in a field or open
space (her distance away can be arranged by the Captain to suit the
capability of the Scout). The Captain stands so that the Scouts are
before her in a large semicircle, and all can see her. Her object is to
signal in Morse and move the Scouts—two changing places (as in the game
of “General Post”). If she sends A, P,—A and P each start forward, and
run across the field, taking up each other’s positions. This means that
every Scout must have her eyes fixed very attentively on the Captain.
Each Scout has five “_lives_.” If she starts forward when her letter
has not been sent she loses one “life”: if she fails to start before
the Captain has counted six from signalling the second letter, she
loses a life. At the end of a given time, Scouts who have lost least
lives are considered the winners. Of course all _speaking_ must be
strictly forbidden during this game. The Captain must arrange to give
each Scout an equal number of chances to move. It should not be played
too long at a time. More than twelve should not play, or the letters
cannot each be sent often enough to keep up the interest. This game
teaches the Scouts to _read_ Semaphore, and also absolute concentration
and alertness. (Notice that this concentration is not an undue strain,
as it is relaxed while the two Scouts are running across to change
places.) If the Leaders are sufficiently good signallers they may be
allowed to do the sending, the Captain acting as umpire and scorer.
It is difficult to describe any actual games which will incorporate
signals by smoke, sound, movement, etc. But picnics and outings in the
country may be treated as one great “make believe.” The party becomes
a band of marooned sailors, an exploring expedition, survivors from a
torpedoed ship, or nurses on the battlefield, and the picnic turns into
a bivouac, the fire being used to send smoke signals (either to another
pack or to a party sent out for this purpose). All communications with
this party should be carried on by signal—flag, whistle, etc.
[Illustration: Survivors from a torpedoed ship.]
For simple practice of the sound and movement signals the Scouts should
be scattered over a field, while the Captain gives the signal, which
is to be obeyed promptly. She should watch carefully, and might call
out the name (or number) of the Scout last in obeying the order. This
will make for alertness. It would be a good plan to arrange some “as
you were” signal, to give after each command has been obeyed (say, two
sharp notes).
WOODCRAFT: OR, KNOWLEDGE OF ANIMALS AND NATURE
_Habits of Animals._—If you live in the country it is, of course quite
easy to observe and watch the habits of all sorts of animals great and
small. But if you are in a town there are many difficulties to be met
with. But at the same time if you can keep pets of any kind, rabbits,
rats, mice, dogs or ponies you can observe and watch their habits and
learn to understand them well; but generally for Scouts it is more easy
to watch birds, because you see them both in town and country; and
especially when you go into camp or on walking tours you can observe
and watch their habits, especially in the spring-time.
[Illustration: Training young ones to fly.]
Then it is that you see the old birds making their nests, hatching out
their eggs and bringing up their young; and that is of course the most
interesting time for watching them. A good observant scout will get to
know the different kinds of birds by their cry, by their appearance,
and by their way of flying. She will also get to know where their nests
are to be found, what sort of nests they are, what are the colors of
the eggs and so on. And also how the young appear. Some of them come
out fluffy, others covered with feathers, others with very little on at
all. The young pigeon, for instance, has not feathers at all, whereas
a young moorhen can swim about as soon as it comes out of the egg;
while chickens run about and hunt flies within a few minutes; and yet a
sparrow is quite useless for some days and is blind, and has to be fed
and coddled by his parents.
Then it is an interesting sight to see the old birds training their
young ones to fly by getting up above them and flapping their wings a
few times until all the young ones imitate them. Then they hop from one
twig to another, still flapping their wings, and the young ones follow
suit and begin to find that their wings help them to balance; and
finally they jump from one branch to another for some distance so that
the wings support them in their effort. The young ones very soon find
that they are able to use their wings for flying, but it is all done by
degrees and by careful instruction.
If you think there is no natural history or observation of bird life
possible in the city, get hold of that delightful book “Lives of the
Hunted,” by Ernest Seton Thompson. There you will find a ripping story
of Randy and Biddy, the two sparrows, who built a nest between them
after wonderful differences of opinion. Randy started to make it of
sticks, and Biddy almost declined to live with him in consequence, so
he carefully pulled every stick out and dropped them on the pavement
and gave in to her preferring for hay and straw. Then they used string.
But when she brought feathers he drew the line and argued the point.
However, the story should be read to be enjoyed as it stands in that
book.
Then a large number of our birds do not live all the year round in
England, but they go off to Southern climes such as Africa when
the winter comes on. In September you will see the migrating birds
collecting to go away, the starlings in their crowds and the swallows
for the South, and the warblers, the flycatchers, and the swifts. And
yet about the same time the large are arriving, so there is a good deal
of travelling to and from among the birds in the air at all times of
the year.
_How to draw._—By the way, talking of birds, every Scout ought to be
able to draw one.
First, of course, you lay the egg. Then put a watch on it, with the
second dial to show the time. But before you put in the hands it
becomes a bird. Then you add the outline, thus:—
[Illustration]
Try it yourself. It is quite easy.
_Reptiles._—There is a lot of interest to be got out of watching
reptiles, such as frogs, which begin as tadpoles, eating weeds, and
gradually lose their tails and gills, which they begin with, and end up
as frogs, eating worms and slugs as food.
_Insects._—Insects, too, are very interesting little people when you
get to know their ways and habits. Among them you can generally find
moths, ants, gnats, butterflies, bees, beetles, ladybirds, and all
such. Though most girls do not care very much about them, Scouts who
have studied them get to like them, even spiders and daddy-longlegs,
and to take a close interest in them.
Caddis worms, for instance, build the most beautiful houses of mosaic
work, all formed of tiny stones and bits of shell glued on to a silken
lining which the caddis worms make themselves.
The caddis worm has extraordinary jaws which he can fold up when they
are in the way, and he can also push himself along in the water by
squirting out a strong jet of water all round him. A caddis worm is
really only the larva of a large sort of dragon fly; so when he wants
to change into a winged insect, he cleverly spins a silken door across
each end of his tubular house, and fixes it on to the stalk of a plant
near the water. Then he waits till his wings have grown, and at last he
crawls out and runs up the plant out of the water, and flies away into
the sunshine.
Butterfly-hunting is a most exciting pastime. You go out with your net
and your box, and chase the pretty creatures over field and swamp, and
hedge and ditch. If possible, try not to spoil the wings, and then keep
them alive in a cage or a greenhouse. You can keep the eggs they lay,
and bring up a large family for next year. You can make your own net
if you buy a yard of stout wire, and bend it round, and bind the ends
tightly and neatly to a cane or stick.
Make your net long enough to hang across the wire, when your butterfly
is caught, thus:—
[Illustration]
Examine the wings carefully with a magnifying glass, as the tiny
scarlet and yellow feathers are easily rubbed off and spoilt,
especially if the creature flutter about.
Personally I don’t use a net; I catch them by drawing their portraits
in my sketch-book. It saves a lot of trouble to them and to me.
_Trees._—Then Scouts should know all about the different trees in their
country and know their names by their appearance in summer and also
in winter; and what they are good for, and what their leaves are like
and their flower or their fruit as the case may be. It helps you very
much in camp to know what kind of wood burns well, such as pine wood or
sugar bush or gum tree. Also which kinds of wood are best for carving,
for making walking sticks, for painting on.
The common trees which a Scout should know by sight are:
Oak
Elm
Plane
Cedar
Fir
Poplar
Pine
Sycamore
Larch
Willow
Holly
Horse Chestnut
Ash
Lime
Beech
Birch
Spanish Chestnut
Walnut
_Flowers._—Flowers, of course, interest girls as much as any kind of
plant, because they are easily cultivated, and every Scout ought to
know the names of most of the common flowers and to understand how they
live and how they ought to be treated; when to plant them and when to
expect them coming up; and how they produce their seed and how they
send it about and re-plant themselves in different parts near them.
For instance, if you have a magnifying glass you can examine a
dandelion seed with it. Few things are more beautiful. It is much the
same as a thistle seed, tucked away cleverly till it is ripe, and it
all opens into a delicate feathery kind of parachute each carrying a
seed. This blows about with the wind many miles before it actually
falls to the ground and there sows itself.
[Illustration: Poplar.]
[Illustration: Elm.]
[Illustration: Plane.]
[Illustration: Sycamore.]
[Illustration: Ash.]
[Illustration: Spanish Chestnut.]
Most flowers seem to have the wish to scatter their seed far away from
them. Even the modest little violet sows its seed out of a little
boat-shaped pod with great force and a loud report to a distance of
some three feet; and so does the iris, the pansy, the wall-flower, and
many others. Many flowers and plants produce berries and fruits which
are good to eat, others produce those that are poisonous; and a Scout
should know which are which, since when you are in camp some of them
may come in very useful, whereas others which look tempting to eat may
cause you a great deal of trouble and illness.
Eatable Plants
But especially you ought to know what kind of plants are useful to you
in providing you with food. Supposing you were out in a jungle without
any food, as very often happens; if you knew nothing about plants you
would probably die of starvation, or of poisoning, from not knowing
which fruit or roots were wholesome and which dangerous to eat.
There are numbers of berries, nuts, roots, barks, and leaves that are
good to eat.
The same with crops of different kinds of corn and seed, vegetable
roots, and even grasses and vetches. Seaweed is much eaten in Ireland
and Scotland. Such as laver, sloke, dulse, ulva, etc.
No less than fifteen kinds of fungi (that’s the plural of fungus!), or
mushrooms, are good to eat if you can only tell them from the poisonous
kinds.
Dandelions, nettles, rose berries, bracken roots, lime buds, and many
other common plants make useful foods.
But you have to know which is which when you see them, and then know
how to cook or prepare them.
Woodland cooking is great fun when you care to do it.
Nature Study in Towns
Many people seem to think that you cannot get Nature study unless you
are out in the fields or woods studying the animals or noticing the
plants, but you can do a great deal in town and even in your own room
with others, or even by yourself.
For one thing, just think of the wonder of your own eye if you study
it in the glass, and the delicacy of its construction; how it is like
a bubble which a very slight blow would destroy altogether. Then from
the eye go the nerves carrying back what it has seen of visible things
to the brain, where the thoughts which are invisible take it over, the
thought then gives the desire or the power to move. That is to say,
your eyes show you something on the table and the invisible thought
comes in your mind that you would like to catch hold of it, and the
thought then makes the material sinews of your arm get to work and
grasp it.
You cannot see your thought, but you know it is there, and you see the
result of your thought when you grasp the thing. In the same way God
is not visible, but all the same he is there, and you see the result
when you do a good act. Sometimes you don’t do that good act, or you
may do one that is not suggested by God. You may well feel ashamed when
this happens and refuse to let yourself do it again. Therefore, try and
think before doing a thing and ask yourself the question “Does God want
me to do this?” If the reply in your mind says “Yes,” then do it; and
if it says “No,” then don’t do it. It is not a difficult thing to live
a straight and clean life if you only REMEMBER to _think_ first and do
after.
Stalking
_How to Hide Yourself._—When you want to observe wild animals you
have to stalk them, that is, creep up to them without their seeing or
smelling you.
A hunter when he is stalking wild animals keeps himself entirely
hidden, so does the war scout when watching or looking for the enemy;
a policeman does not catch pickpockets by standing about in uniform
watching for them; he dresses like one of the crowd, and as often as
not gazes into a shop window and sees all that goes on behind him
reflected as if in a looking-glass.
If a guilty person finds himself being watched, it puts him on his
guard, while an innocent person becomes annoyed. So, when you are
observing people, don’t do so by openly staring at them, but notice the
details you want to at one glance or two, and if you want to study them
more, walk behind them; you can learn just as much from a back view, in
fact more than you can from a front view, and, unless they are scouts
and look round frequently, they do not know that you are observing them.
War scouts and hunters stalking game always carry out two important
things when they don’t want to be seen.
_Background._—One is—they _take care that the ground behind them, or
trees, or buildings, etc., are of the same color as their clothes_.
And the other is—if an enemy or a deer is seen looking for them, _they
remain perfectly still without moving so long as he is there_.
“_Freezing._”—In that way a scout, even though he is out in the open,
will often escape being noticed. This is called by scouts “Freezing.”
Tracking
“Sign” is the word used by Scouts to mean any little details, such as
footprints, broken twigs, trampled grass, scraps of food, old matches,
etc.
Any one of you might win the reward of $100 for tracing the writer of
a typewritten paper which nearly caused the ruin of a large bank. It
was noticed by signs that the writer must have used a Remington machine
No. 7, because of the shape of the letters. The type was much worn,
therefore it is supposed the machine was four or five years old. Now,
who bought one at that time? Then you could see that the letter “o”
had a bent bar, the letter “r” had a faulty spring, and the top of
the capital letter “C” was worn away. So you see that if you found a
machine with all these faults you could trace the person who used it,
from even such very small signs.
Some native Indian trackers were following up the footprints of a
panther that had killed and carried off a young kid. He had crossed
a wide bare slab of rock, which, of course, gave no mark of his soft
feet. The tracker went at once to the far side of the rock where it
came to a sharp edge; he wetted his finger, and just passed it along
the edge till he found a few kid’s hairs sticking to it. This showed
him where the panther had passed down off the rock, dragging the kid
with him. Those few hairs were what Scouts call “sign.”
This tracker also found bears by noticing small “sign.” On one
occasion he noticed a fresh scratch in the bark of a tree, evidently
made by a bear’s claw, and on the other he found a single black hair
sticking to the bark of a tree, which told him that a bear had rubbed
against it.
[Illustration: A Scout should have her head screwed on the right way,
not as in this picture.]
One of the most important things that a Scout has to learn is _to let
nothing escape her attention_; she must notice small points and signs,
and then make out the meaning of them; but it takes a good deal of
practice before a tenderfoot can get into the habit of really noting
everything and letting nothing escape her eye. It can be learnt just as
well in a town as in the country, provided that your head is screwed on
the right way.
And in the same way you should notice any strange sound or any peculiar
smell, and think for yourself what it may mean. Unless you learn to
notice “sign” you will have very little of “this and that” to put
together, and so you will be of no use as a Girl Scout. It comes by
practice. Remember a Scout always considers it a great disgrace if an
outsider discovers a thing before she herself does, whether that thing
is far away or close by.
Don’t only look at the path before you, but frequently turn and look
back. Notice the features of the country behind you, to see what your
road will look like in coming back again.
In the streets of a strange town a Girl Scout will mark her way by the
principal buildings and side-streets, and in any case she will notice
what shops she passes and what is in their windows; also what vehicles
pass her, and such details as whether the horses’ harness and shoes are
all right; and most especially what people she passes, what their faces
are like, their dress, their boots, and their way of walking, so that
if, for instance, she should be asked by a policeman, “Have you seen a
man with dark overhanging eyebrows, dressed in a blue suit, going down
this street?” she should be able to give some such answer as “Yes; he
was walking a little lame with the right foot, wore foreign-looking
boots, was carrying a parcel in his hand; he turned down Gold Street,
the second turning on the left from here, about three minutes ago.”
Information of that kind has often been of the greatest value in
tracing out a criminal, but so many people go along with their eyes
shut and never notice things.
Horses’ Tracks
[Illustration: Walking.]
[Illustration: Trotting.]
[Illustration: Canter.]
[Illustration: Galloping.]
[Illustration: Lame Horse Walking: Which leg is he lame in?
_N.B.—The long feet are the hind feet._]
[Illustration: These are the tracks of two birds on the ground. One
lives generally on the ground, the other in bushes and trees.
Which track belongs to which bird?]
Wheel tracks should also be studied till you can tell the difference
between the track of a gun, a carriage, a country car, motor-car or a
bicycle, _and the direction they were going in_.
In the story of _Kim_, by Rudyard Kipling, there is an account of two
boys being taught “observation,” in order to become detectives by means
of a game in which a trayful of small objects was shown to them for
a minute and was then covered over, and they had to describe all the
things on it from memory.
We will have that game, as it is excellent practice for Scouts.
_Details of People._—It is of interest when you are travelling by train
or tram to notice little things about your fellow-travellers—their
faces, dress, way of talking, and so on—so that you could describe them
each pretty accurately afterwards; and also try and make out from their
appearance and behavior whether they are rich or poor (which you can
generally tell from their boots), and what is their probable business,
whether they are happy, or ill, or in want of help.
But in doing this you must not let them see you are watching them, else
it puts them on their guard.
_Reading a Meaning in Sign._—It is said that you can tell a man’s
character from the way he wears his hat. If it is slightly on one side,
the wearer is good-natured; if it is worn very much on one side, he is
a swaggerer; if on the back of his head, he is bad at paying his debts;
if worn straight on the top, he is probably honest but very dull.
The way a man (or a woman) walks is often a good guide to his
character—witness the fussy, swaggering little man paddling along with
short steps and much arm-action; the nervous man’s hurried, jerky
stride; the slow slouch of the loafer; the smooth, quick, and silent
step of the Scout, and so on.
[Illustration: Judging character by the gait of a man.]
With a little practice in observation you can tell pretty accurately a
man’s character from his dress.
How would you recognize that a gentleman was fond of fishing? If you
see his left cuff with little tufts of cloth sticking up, you may be
sure he fishes. When he takes his flies off the line he will either
stick them into his cap to dry, or hook them into his sleeve. When dry
he pulls them out, which often tears a thread or two of the cloth.
It is surprising how much of the sole of the shoes you can see when
behind a person walking—and it is equally surprising how much meaning
you can read from that shoe. It is said that to wear out soles and
heels equally is to give evidence of business capacity and honesty;
to wear your heels down on the outside means that you are a person of
imagination and love of adventure; but heels worn down on the inside
signify weakness and indecision of character, and this last sign is
more infallible in the case of man than in that of woman.
Remember how “Sherlock Holmes” met a stranger and noticed that he was
looking fairly well-to-do, in new clothes with a mourning band on
his sleeve, with a soldierly bearing and a sailor’s way of walking,
sunburns, with tattoo marks on his hands, and he was carrying some
children’s toys in his hand. What would you have supposed that man to
be? Well, Sherlock Holmes guessed correctly that he had lately retired
from the Marines as a sergeant, that his wife had died, and that he had
some small children at home.
_Details in the Country._—If you are in the country, you should notice
landmarks—that is, objects which help you to find your way or prevent
you getting lost—such as distant hills and church towers; and nearer
objects, such as peculiar buildings, trees, gates, rocks, etc.
And remember in noticing such landmarks that you may want to use your
knowledge of them some day for telling some one else how to find
his way, so you must notice them pretty closely so as to be able to
describe them unmistakably and in their proper order. You must notice
and _remember_ every by-road and footpath.
Remembrance of these things will help you to find your way by night or
in fog when other people are losing themselves.
_Using your Eyes._—Let nothing be too small for your notice—a button,
a match, a hair, a cigar ash, a feather, or a leaf might be of great
importance, even a fingerprint which is almost invisible to the naked
eye has often been the means of detecting a crime.
Not long ago a lady reported to the police that she was sitting in her
room reading quietly in the corner when a ragged-looking man crept in
at the open window, seized hold of a silver vase, and was in the act of
making off with it when a sound outside disturbed him.
He put down the vase again, ran away across the lawn, jumped a low
hedge, and got away.
Detectives came and examined the ground, but could find no footmarks
even at the spot where the man had landed from his jump. Then they
inspected the vase very carefully, and examined the fingers of the
different people in the house.
They then reported that nobody except the maid had handled the vase and
that nobody had gone across the lawn or jumped the hedge.
It was afterwards found that the lady was subject to delusions, and had
imagined the whole thing, but the detectives had arrived at the same
conclusion through examining the fingermarks and signs.
When out in the country you must keep your eyes about you and not
merely notice small signs close to you, but other signs far away as
well—such as dust flying, birds startled, unnatural movements of bush
or grass, and also keep your ears open for sounds such as cracking of
a twig, dogs suddenly barking and so on.
The battle of Boomplatz, fought by the British against the Boers,
was successful for us partly because Sir Harry Smith, the Commander,
noticed some buck in the distance suddenly startled and running for no
apparent reason, but his suspicions being aroused he sent scouts to
investigate, and they found a Boer force trying to form an ambush for
him, and he was able to defeat their aims in consequence.
By night of course you must use your ears instead of your eyes and
practice at this helps to make perfect.
A trained Scout will see little signs and tracks, she puts them
together in her mind, and quickly reads a meaning from them such as an
untrained woman would never arrive at.
And from frequent practice she gets to read the meaning at a glance,
just as you do a book, without the delay of spelling out each word,
letter by letter.
I was one day, during the Matabele War [_show on map_] with a native
out scouting near to the Matopo Hills over a wide grassy plain.
Suddenly we crossed a track freshly made in grass, where the blades
of grass were still green and damp, though pressed down; all were
bending one way, which showed the direction in which the people had
been travelling. Following up the track for a bit it got on to a patch
of sand, and we then saw that it was the spoor of several women (small
feet with straight edge, and short steps) and boys (small feet, curved
edge, and longer strides), walking, not running, towards the hills,
about five miles away, where we believed the enemy to be hiding.
Then we saw a leaf lying about ten yards off the track. There were
no trees for miles, but we knew that trees having this kind of leaf
grew at a village fifteen miles away, in the direction from which the
footmarks were coming. It seemed likely therefore that the women had
come from that village, bringing the leaf with them, and had gone to
the hills.
On picking up the leaf we found it was damp, and smelled of native
beer. The short steps showed that the women were carrying loads. So
we guessed that according to the custom they had been carrying pots
of native beer on their heads, the mouths of the pots being stopped
up with bunches of leaves. One of these leaves had fallen out; but we
found it ten yards off the track, which showed that at the time it fell
a wind was blowing. There was no wind now, i. e., seven o’clock, but
there had been some about five o’clock.
So we guessed from all these little signs that a party of women and
boys had brought beer during the night from the village 15 miles away,
and had taken it to the enemy on the hills, arriving there soon after
six o’clock.
The men would probably start to drink the beer at once (as it goes sour
in a few hours), and would, by the time we could get there, be getting
sleepy and keeping a bad look-out, so we should have a favourable
chance of looking at their position.
We accordingly followed the women’s track, found the enemy, made our
observations, and got away with our information without any difficulty.
And it was chiefly done on the evidence of that one leaf. So you see
the importance of noticing even a little thing like that.
Games in Stalking
_Girl Scout Hunting._—One Scout is given time to go out and hide
herself, the remainder then start to find her; she wins if she is not
found, or if she can get back to the starting-point within a given time
without being touched.
_Dispatch Running._—A Scout is told to bring a note to a certain spot
or house from a distance within a given time: other hostile Scouts
are told to prevent any message getting to this place, and to hide
themselves at different points to stop the dispatch carrier getting in
with it.
To count as a capture, two Scouts must touch the dispatch runner before
she reaches the spot for delivering the message.
_Relay Race._—One patrol pitted against another to see who can get
a message sent a long distance in shortest time by means of relays
of runners or cyclists. The patrol is ordered out to send in three
successive notes or tokens (such as sprigs of certain plants), from a
point, say, two miles distant or more. The leader in taking her patrol
out to the spot, drops Scouts at convenient distances, who will then
act as runners from one post to the next and back. If relays are posted
in pairs, messages can be passed both ways.
_Stalking._—Captain acts as a deer—not hiding, but standing, moving a
little now and then if she likes.
Scouts go out to find, and each in her own way tries to get up to her
unseen.
Directly the Captain sees a Scout she directs her to stand up as having
failed. After a certain time the Captain calls “Time,” all stand up at
the spot which they have reached, and the nearest wins.
The same game may be played to test the Scouts in stepping lightly—the
umpire being blindfolded. The practice should preferably be carried out
where there are dry twigs lying about, and gravel, etc. The Scout may
start to stalk the blind enemy at 100 yards’ distance, and she must do
it fairly fast—say, in one minute and a half—to touch the blind man
before she hears her.
_Stalking and Reporting._—The umpire places herself out in the open and
sends each Scout or pair of Scouts away in different directions about
half a mile off. When she waves a flag, which is the signal to begin,
they all hide, and then proceed to stalk her, creeping up and watching
all she does. When she waves the flag again, they rise, come in, and
report each in turn all that she did, either by handing in a written
report or verbally, as may be ordered. The umpire meantime has kept a
look-out in each direction, and, every time she sees a Scout, she takes
two points off that Scout’s score. She, on her part, performs small
actions, such as sitting down, kneeling up, looking through glasses,
using handkerchief, taking hat off for a bit, walking round in a circle
a few times, to give Scouts something to note and report about her.
Scouts are given three points for each act reported correctly. It saves
time if the umpire makes out a scoring card beforehand, giving the name
of each Scout, and a number of columns showing each act of her, and
what mark that Scout wins, also a column of deducted marks for exposing
themselves.
The “Spider and Fly” game as described in the English book “Scouting
for Boys” is also a proper one and useful for training in observation.
_Plant Race._—The Scouts start off either cycling or on foot, to go
in any direction they like to get a specimen of any ordered plants, a
horseshoe mark from a chestnut tree, a briar rose or something of the
kind, whichever the Captain may order, such as will tax their knowledge
of plants and will test their memory as to where they noticed one of
the kind required, and will also make them quick in getting there and
back.
_Leaf Trail._—It is supposed that a crime has been done, and in the
search for the culprits who have hidden themselves, the police were
helped in tracing the track by articles left behind them. The fugitives
leave behind a dozen of certain leaves, such as oak, or chestnut or
fir, laid in the order in which those trees come on the track. The
trackers take note of these during the fifteen minutes start. The
trackers must then follow wherever these trees are to be found, in the
right order, until they can find the fugitives. Should they not be
successful another day may be spent over it.
House Hunting
It is an interesting thing to take as the object of a walk the
selection of a house where you would like to live. Notice the position,
estimate the cost of rent, rates, taxes, etc., notice its garden and
how you would utilise it, and, inside, what kind of wall-paper, etc.,
you would select so it would be homely and not merely for show, in
good taste and not tawdry, airy and not stuffy with too many hangings,
which will clean, and so on. Proximity to the necessary supply shops,
doctor, telephone, post office, and so on should all be taken into
consideration, and it is rather amusing to compare notes with the rest
of your Patrol at the end of your expedition, and see how many got on
the same house.
Hints to Instructors
PRACTICES IN OBSERVATION.—_Instructor can take the finger-marks of each
girl. Lightly rub the thumb on blacklead or on paper that is blackened
with pencil, then press the thumb on paper and examine with magnifying
glass. Show that no two people’s prints are alike._
IN TOWNS.—_Practice your girls first in walking down a street to notice
the different kinds of shops as they pass, and to remember them in
their proper sequence at the end._
_Then to notice and remember the names of the shops._
_Then to notice and remember the contents of a shop window after two
minutes’ gaze. Finally, to notice the contents of several shop windows
in succession with half a minute at each. Give marks for the fullest
list._
_The Scouts must also notice prominent buildings as landmarks, and the
number of turnings off the street they are using._
IN THE COUNTRY.—_Take the patrol out for a walk and teach the girls
to notice distant prominent features such as hills, church steeples,
and so on; and as nearer landmarks such things as peculiar buildings,
trees, rocks, gates, by-roads or paths, nature of fences, crops,
different kinds of trees, birds, animals, tracks, people, vehicles,
etc. Also any peculiar smells of plants, animals, manure, etc.; whether
gates or doors were open or shut, whether any smoke from chimney, etc._
_Send Scouts out in pairs._
_It adds to the value of the practice if the instructor makes a certain
number of small marks in the ground beforehand, or leaves buttons or
matches, etc., for the girls to notice or to pick up and bring in (as
a means of making them examine the ground close to them as well as
distant objects.)_
PRACTICES IN NATURAL HISTORY.—_Take out Scouts to get specimens of
leaves, fruits, or blossoms of various trees, shrubs, etc., and observe
the shape and nature of the tree both in summer and in winter._
_Collect leaves of different trees; let Scouts make tracings of them
and write the name of the tree on each._
_In the country make Scouts examine crops in all stages of their
growth, so that they know pretty well by sight what kind of crop is
coming up._
_Start gardens if possible; either a patrol garden or individual Scout
gardens. Let them grow flowers and vegetables for profit to pay for
their equipment, etc. Show all the wild plants which may be made use of
for food. Find yew trees; report if any good branches to make archers’
bows of._
_Encourage the keeping of live pets, whether birds, animals, reptiles,
insects. Show how to keep illustrated diary-records of plants, insects,
birds, etc., giving dates when seen for comparison following year and
showing their peculiar markings, form, etc._
_If in a town take your Scouts to the Zoological Gardens, menagerie, or
Natural History Museum, and show them particular animals on which you
are prepared to lecture. Not more than half a dozen for one visit._
_If in the country get farmer or shepherd to help with information on
the habits of farm animals, e.g., how a cow lies down and when. How to
milk, stalk rabbits, water voles, trout, birds, etc., and watch their
habits._
_The aim in your Nature study is to develop a realisation of God the
Creator, and to infuse a sense of the beauty of Nature._
CAMPCRAFT
_How to make a Fire._—You should learn how to lay and light a fire out
of doors.
Remember the usual fault of a “tender-pad” or beginner, is to try to
make too big a fire. You will never see a backwoodsman do that—he uses
the smallest possible amount of wood for his fire.
First collect your firewood. Green, fresh-cut wood is no good, nor is
dead wood that has lain long on the ground. Get permission to break
off dead branches for it.
To make your fire you put a few sticks flat on the ground, especially
if the ground be damp. On this flooring lay your “punk”—that is, paper,
shavings, inner skin of the bark of the tree, splinters, or any other
material that will easily catch fire from your match.
[Illustration:
Firewood
Kindling
Punk
Foundation]
On this you pile, in pyramid fashion, thin twigs, splinters, and
slithers of dry wood, leaning on the “punk” and against each other.
These are called kindling. A few stouter sticks are added over them to
make the fire.
A good kind of kindling can easily be made by slitting a stick into
several slices or shavings, as shown. This is called a firestick.
If stood up, with the shavings downwards towards the ground, it quickly
catches light and flares up.
[Illustration: Log fire]
Set light to this, putting your match under the bottom of the “punk.”
When the wood has really got on fire, add more and larger sticks, and
finally logs, which should be placed star-shape, like spokes of a wheel.
For a cooking fire you want to make lots of red-hot embers, so use
sticks about half or three-quarters of an inch thick.
[Illustration: Fire stick]
For a signalling fire to make a flare at night use dry gorse, straw, or
dry twigs in large quantities.
For a smoke signalling fire use plenty of thin dry sticks and twigs to
give burning flame, and add leaves and grass to make the smoke.
Camping
One of the ripping things about Girl Scout work is the camp life. You
go out either to live in farm buildings, or in an empty house, or in
tents.
People talk of “roughing it” in tents, but those people are generally
Tenderfoots. A wise Scout does not “rough it”; she knows how to look
after herself and how to make herself comfortable by a hundred little
dodges.
For instance, if the tents have not turned up she doesn’t sit down to
shiver and grumble, but at once sets to work to rig up a shelter or hut
for herself. She chooses a good spot for it where she is not likely to
be flooded out if a rainstorm comes.
Then she lights up a camp fire, cooks her food, and makes herself
comfortable on her mattress of ferns or straw.
But to do this she must, of course, have first learnt how to light
a fire, how to prepare and cook her food, and how to weave a camp
mattress, and so on, all of which she learns in her ordinary training
as a Girl Scout.
[Illustration: Camp cooking.]
In camp you learn to make all the different things you want, because
there is not always a shop round the corner where you can go and buy
them.
The following are a few out of the many things that Scouts learn to do
for themselves.
_In the Tent._—Scouts are always tidy, whether in camp or not, as a
matter of habit. If you are not tidy at home, you won’t be tidy in
camp; and if you’re not tidy in camp, you will never be a thorough
Scout.
A Scout is tidy alike in her tent, bunk, or room, because she may be
suddenly called upon to go off on an alarm, or something unexpected;
and if she does not know exactly where to lay her hand on her things,
she will be a long time in turning out, especially if called up in the
middle of the night. So on going to bed, even when at home, practise
the habit of folding up your clothes and putting them where you can at
once find them in the dark, and get into them quickly.
_Cleaning Camp Ground._—Never forget also that the state of an old camp
ground after the camp has finished, tells exactly whether the patrol
or troop which has used it was a smart one or not. No Scouts who are
any good ever leave a camp ground dirty; they sweep up and bury or burn
every scrap of rubbish.
[Illustration: Woodpecker cleaning up debris]
It is important to get into this habit of cleaning up your camp ground
before leaving it, as then farmers don’t have the trouble of having to
clean their ground after you leave, and they are, therefore, all the
more willing to let you use it.
_The Woodpecker._—When you find that the ground round a tree is strewn
with tiny chips of wood you may know at a glance that a woodpecker is
making her nest there. The woodpecker chips away the bark and makes a
deep hollow in the trunk. But she has sense enough to know that the
chips which fall are telltales, so you may see her making efforts to
tidy up the place, and in the end she will go to the trouble of flying
away with every little chip and scrap in her beak to a distance, so
that no enemy can see that she has been cutting a hole in that tree.
[Illustration: “No more of their camping on my ground!”]
_Bathing._—When in camp, bathing will be one of your joys and one of
your duties, a joy because it is such fun, a duty because no Scout can
consider herself a full-blown Scout until she is able to swim and to
save life in the water.
But there are dangers about bathing for which every sensible Scout will
be prepared.
First, there is the danger of cramp. This comes very often from staying
in the water too long. Ten minutes is ample time as a rule for a girl
to be in the water, five minutes is safer.
If you bathe within an hour and a half of taking a meal, that is before
your food is digested, you are very likely to get cramp. Cramp doubles
you up in extreme pain so that you cannot move your arms or legs, and
down you go and drown.
When bathing is going on there should always be one or two good
swimmers on duty as “life savers.” They should not bathe themselves
till the others are out of the water, but should be in bathing-dress,
ready to jump in at any moment to help any one that they see in
difficulties.
This plan is always strictly carried out by Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts
in camp, and has already been the means of saving many lives and from
changing a joy-camp into a camp of mourning.
_Water Supply._—A Tenderfoot drinks any kind of water that she finds
handy, and consequently gets ill after the first day camping out, and
has to go home again.
The old campaigner is very careful indeed about getting clean drinking
water, and if she is not certain that it is wholesome she will take
care to boil it well before drinking it, as this kills all the little
germs of disease which exist more or less in all water, however clear
it may be.
_Cleanliness._—Take special care to keep your kitchen clean, and
it will make you more comfortable and more healthy in camp. More
comfortable because flies will not infest the place unless they find
dirt and scraps to feed upon.
More healthy because if there are flies they always bring poison on to
your food. So keep the camp kitchen and ground round it very clean at
all times. Dig a small pit a couple of feet deep near the kitchen and
throw all refuse that won’t burn into this, and fill in the pit with
earth every night.
Tidy up as neatly as the woodpecker does.
_Drains._—Also do not neglect to dig a long trench to serve as a
latrine. Every camp, even if only for one night, should have a sewer
trench two or three feet deep, quite narrow, not more than one foot
wide, with screens of canvas or branches on all sides.
Earth should always be thrown in after use, and the trench must be
filled up before leaving the place. Even away from camp a small pit
should always be dug and filled in with earth after use. It is a
cleanly habit for the sake of other people, and also makes the camp
healthier.
Neglect of this not only makes a place unhealthy, but it also makes
farmers and landowners disinclined to give the use of their ground for
Scouts to camp on or to work over. So don’t forget it.
_Tidiness._—Tidiness in camp means tidiness in the home and also
tidiness in the streets or parks or when out picnicing. Scouts have
got a splendid name for cleaning up their camp ground when they leave,
although it is not a pleasant duty. They do it because a dirty littered
bit of ground is not pleasant for other people to look on or use.
Therefore out in the streets or parks or country don’t throw away
the bit of paper that held your candy or cake. It not only makes the
place look untidy, but it means work for someone else to clear it up.
Therefore, carry your paper to the waste-paper bin, or burn or bury it.
_How to make a Bed._—To manufacture a bed in camp is a different thing
from “making your bed” in a house. To make a bed for camp use the
following is the dodge:—
[Illustration: Using a camp loom.]
_To make a Camp Loom._—Plant a row (1) of five stakes, 2 ft. 6 in.
long, firmly in the ground; opposite to them at a distance of 6 ft.
to 7 ft., drive in a row of two and a crossbar (2). Fasten a cord or
gardener’s twine to the head of each stake in No. 1 row and stretch
it to the crossbar in No. 2 and make it fast there, then carry the
continuation of it back over No. 1 row for some 5 ft. extra, and fasten
it to a loose crossbar or “beam” at exactly the same distance apart
from the next cord as it stands at the stakes. This beam is then
moved up and down at slow intervals by one Scout, while the others lay
bundles of fern, straw, or heather, etc., alternately under and over
the stretched strings, which are thus bound in by the rising or falling
on to them.
_Bleeding._—When a man is bleeding badly from a wound, press the
wound or the flesh just above it—that is between the wound and the
heart—press it hard with your thumb to try and stop the blood running
in the artery. Then make a pad with something like a flat rounded
pebble, and bind it over the wound. If bleeding violently, tie a
handkerchief loosely round the limb above the wound, and twist it
tight with a stick. [_Demonstrate this._] Keep the wounded part raised
above the rest of the body if possible. Apply cold water, or ice, if
possible, wet rags, etc.
Bleeding from the ears and insensibility after a fall mean injury to
the skull. The patient should not be moved at all if possible. It is
best even to keep him lying on the spot, and put cold water or ice to
his head and keep him quiet till a doctor comes.
Spitting or throwing up blood means internal injury or bursting of
a small blood-vessel inside the patient. The case often looks more
serious than it really is. If the blood is light red in colour and
mixed with froth it means injury to the lungs. In either case keep the
patient quiet and give ice to suck or cold water to sip.
Don’t be alarmed at the amount of blood that flows from a patient. It
used to be a common thing for the barber to bleed a man to the extent
of five or six cupfuls of blood, and the patient feels all the better
for it.
(S.T.)
HOW TO BE HEALTHY—AND WISE
In addition to the exercises for your body which are given earlier in
this book you should understand what they do for you and why you are
advised to practise them. It is not for MY amusement! It is for your
own health and happiness. And here are a few more tips that will help
you to be healthy, and possible wealthy, and certainly wise—if you
carry them out.
Exercises and Their Object
To make yourself strong and healthy it is necessary to begin with your
inside and to get the blood into good order and the heart to work well;
that is the secret of the whole thing, physical exercises should be
taken with that intention. This is the way to do it:—
(_a_) _Make the heart strong_ in order to pump the blood properly to
every part of the body, and so to build up flesh, bone, and muscle.
_Exercise:_ “Swimming” and “Wrist Pushing.”
(_b_) _Make the lungs strong_ in order to provide the blood with fresh
air. _Exercise:_ “Deep breathing.”
(_c_) _Make the skin perspire_ to get rid of the dirt from the blood.
_Exercise:_ Bath, or rub with a damp towel every day.
(_d_) _Make the stomach work_ to feed the blood. _Exercise:_ “Body
bending.”
(_e_) _Make the bowels active_ to remove the remains of food and dirt
from the body. _Exercise:_ “Body bending” and “Kneading the abdomen.”
Drink plenty of good water. Punctual daily move of bowels.
(_f_) _Work muscles in each part of the body_ to make the blood
circulate to that part, and so increase your strength. _Exercise:_
Walking and special exercises of special muscles.
The blood thrives on simple good food, plenty of exercise, plenty of
fresh air, cleanliness of the body both _inside_ and out, and proper
rest of body and mind at intervals.
The Japs are particularly strong and healthy. They eat very plain
food, chiefly rice and fruit, and not much of it. They drink plenty of
water, but no spirits. They take lots of exercise. They make themselves
good-tempered. They live in fresh air as much as possible day and
night. Their particular exercise is “_Ju-Jitsu_,” which is more of a
game than drill, and is generally played in pairs. By Ju-Jitsu, the
muscles and body are developed in a natural way, in the open air as a
rule. It requires no apparatus.
The Nose
Always breathe through the nose. _Shut your Mouth and Save your Life._
Indians for a long time adopted that method with their children to the
extent of tying up their jaws at night, to ensure their breathing only
through their nose.
Breathing through the nose prevents germs of disease getting from the
air into the throat and stomach; it also prevents a growth in the back
of the throat called “adenoids,” which are apt to stop the breathing
power of the nostrils, and also to cause deafness.
For a Scout nose-breathing is also specially useful.
[Illustration: Indian cradle: the mouth bandage to induce nose
breathing]
By keeping the mouth shut you prevent yourself from getting thirsty
when you are doing hard work. And also at night, if you are in the
habit of breathing through the nose, it prevents snoring. Therefore
practise keeping your mouth shut and breathing through your nose.
Ears
A Scout must be able to hear well. Generally the ears are very
delicate, and once damaged are apt to become incurably deaf. People
are too apt to fiddle about with their ears in cleaning them by using
things which are dangerous with such a sensitive organ as the ear, the
drum of the ear being a very delicate, tightly-stretched skin which is
easily damaged. Very many children have had the drums of their ears
permanently injured by getting a box on the ear, or cleaning them out
roughly with the hard corner of a towel.
Eyes
A Scout, of course, must have particularly good eye-sight; she must be
able to see anything very quickly, and to see at a long way off. By
practising your eyes in looking at things at a great distance they will
grow stronger. While you are young you should save your eyes as much
as possible, or they will not be strong when you get older; therefore
avoid reading by lamp-light or in the dusk, and also sit with your back
or side to the light when doing any work during the day; if you sit
facing the light it strains your eyes.
The strain of the eyes is a very common failure with growing girls,
although very often they do not know it, and headaches come most
frequently from the eyes being strained; frowning on the part of a girl
is very generally a sign that her eyes are being strained. Reading in
bed brings headaches.
Teeth
Bad teeth are troublesome, and are often the cause of neuralgia,
indigestion, abscesses, and sleepless nights. During the Boer war over
three thousand of our soldiers had to be sent away, unfit to fight,
because their teeth were so bad that they could not eat the food out
there. Good teeth depend greatly on how you look after them when you
are young. Attention to the first set of teeth keeps the mouth healthy
for the second teeth, which begin to come when a child is seven, and
these are meant to last you to the end of your life if you keep them in
order.
If one tooth is allowed to decay, it will spread decay in all the
others, and this arises from scraps of feed remaining between the teeth
and decaying there.
A thorough Scout always brushes her teeth inside and outside and
between all, just the last thing at night as well as other times, so
that no food remains about them to rot. Scouts in camps or in the wilds
of the jungle cannot always buy tooth-brushes, but should a tiger or a
crocodile have borrowed yours, you can make your teeth just as bright
and white as his are by means of a frayed-out, dry, clean, stick.
CEREMONY FOR INVESTING SECOND CLASS GIRL SCOUTS
The troop forms in horseshoe formation, as in the case of Tenderfoot
ceremony, the Captain and Lieutenant standing facing the troop.
Captain: “The Scouts (calling the list of names) have satisfactorily
passed all the tests required for a Second Class badge, and are duly
qualified to receive that badge.”
The Captain then calls forward, one by one, the girls who are to
receive the badge. If there is more than one in a patrol, call all
those in the same patrol together with their patrol leader, but go
through the form with each individual girl.
Captain: “—— (name of girl), do you now pledge yourself to renew your
Scout promise, and to fulfill the Scout Law?”
Scout: “On my honor, I now pledge myself to renew the Scout promise and
to fulfill the Scout law.”
Captain: “Invest.”
The Scout comes forward and stands at salute while the Captain pins on
her sleeve (where it is afterwards to be sewed) the Second Class badge.
Then the Scout salutes and is saluted by the rest of the troop, and
returns to her place.
Measurement of the Girl
_It is of paramount importance to teach the young citizen to assume
responsibility for her own development and health._
_Physical drill is all very well as a disciplinary means of
development, but it does not give the girl any responsibility in the
matter._
_It is therefore deemed preferable to tell each girl, according to her
age, what ought to be her height, weight, and various measurements
(such as chest, waist, arm, leg, etc.). She is then measured and learns
in which points she fails to come up to the standard. She can then
be shown which exercises to practise for herself in order to develop
those particular points. Encouragement must afterwards be given by
periodical measurements, say, every three months or so._
_Cards can be obtained from the “Girl Scouts” Headquarters, which,
besides giving the standard measurements for the various ages, give
columns to be filled in periodically, showing the girl’s remeasurements
and progress in development. If each girl has her card it is a great
incentive to her to develop herself at odd times when she has a few
minutes to spare._
Games to Develop Strength
Skipping, rowing, fencing, swimming, tennis, and hand-ball are all
valuable aids to developing strength.
Remember that sitting still is one form of exercise. How can that be?
Well, if you remember how you ought to sit and keep yourself up to it
you will gradually strengthen the muscles of your back so that in a few
weeks you will sit upright naturally without any effort or thought.
You may ask why shouldn’t I sit like that if it is more comfortable.
Well, do it if you like, but remember that a large part of your time is
spent sitting, sitting at lessons, at meals, when reading or talking,
and so on. Nearly one-third of each day you are sitting, and therefore
forming yourself into one shape or the other. The thing is to form
yourself into the right one.
The wrong one makes you look pretty dowdy and sloppy when you are
going about, but worse than that it lets your lungs slack down and
the muscles of the stomach relax, so that instead of drawing the full
breath of air into your chest for renewing your blood you are only
breathing in a little driblet almost down in your stomach.
So buck up: correct your position while your muscles are still young
and forming themselves; later on, when they are “set” you won’t be able
to alter them. So it just depends on you yourself whether you are going
to be a fine upstanding healthy woman or a sloppy old thing.