FIRST ANNIVERSARY.
CELEBRATION BY LOCAL SCOUTS.
CONCERT BY CHINESE TROOPS.

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   The 20th Hongkong Troop of Boy Scouts celebrated their first anniversary on Saturday night when they gave a concert at the Chinese Y.M.C.A.
   Mr. Li Jowson presented all those who had served the year with service stars.
   Felicitous speeches were also made. The Rev. G.T.Waldegrave (Scout Commissioner of Hongkong) said that the troop had already proved in the past year the value of its existence by serving the public and particularly at fires.

Great Brotherhood.

​   About twenty years ago, he continued, a man, who was then well known, and is far more so now, Sir Robert Baden Powell, saw how many men and boys watched games without playing them, and instead of growing up strong and clever, grew up weak and foolish men. He also had seen how few of these young men could look after themselves when alone or knew what to do in the case of an accident of any sort. So he thought out a plan, and then took thirty boys to camp on an island for two weeks where he tried his plan, and with such success that he published the book "Scouting for Boys" in 1908. At present, not only in Britain but all over the world, in almost every country of every nation, there are Boy Scouts, a great World Brotherhood of Service. In 1924 there was a great meeting of Scouts in Denmark, at which there were Scouts from 39 nations, including China, all having the same training and doing the same tests, with this one great purpose - that they might all "Be Prepared" not only to know what to do what is best for all, but to be able to do it - a great crowd of well trained, efficient, young citizens. For that is the great purpose of Scouting - to make the boys of today into the good citizens of tomorrow. It is not a military nor a naval organisation, though the Chinese name gives that idea. Nor is it a political movement, nor for any one nation, class, or religion. It is a peace movement. As I have already said, boys of all nations, rich and poor, of all sects belong to this great Brotherhood.

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The Training.

   But this training is given in an unusual way - by games in the open air. The Chief Scout of the world calls it "The Game of Scouting for Boys," and not only boys play this game, but grown men as well. The oldest member of Scouting is over 84 years of age, and the youngest about six, though eight is officially the youngest possible age for a boy to be a Cub, which is the name given to the younger members of the movement, whilst Scouts of over 18 years of age are called Rover Scouts. Also, the training is not given in "school" fashion, but the leading boy Scout in each little party of six boys, or patrol, as we name such a party, helps in teaching scouting to those Scouts under him. The result of the training has proved that a good Scout can do a man's work with the courage of a man. Training is given to the body, by sports, to the mind, by teaching, all sorts of work, to character, and to the soul by studying the works of nature. So Scouts can become good useful cheerful citizens. The boys train themselves as well, by learning to obey the simple rules and living up to them.

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Bond Of Friendship.

   I have already called the Scout movement a Brotherhood. About two years ago, I was speaking to a large body of Scouts in London and beside me on the platform sat two Chinese Rover Scouts - one from Foochow, and a French school master on his way to Tientsin presented a letter of introduction. He was a Scoutmaster, and all the way from France, at each port at which his ship had called, he had made friends among the Scouts ashore. So also a Japanese Rover Scout, in passing through Hongkong, came to see me. A Hongkong Scout fell ill, and was sent on a holiday to Australia. I gave him a letter of introduction, and the Australian Scouts gave him a very warm welcome indeed. You will see what membership of this movement means. A Chinese Scout, going to Europe, would find friends among the Scouts at once. (Applause.)
   The gathering greatly enjoyed the programme of songs and music that followed.