[English] SCOUT MOVEMENT IN S. AFRICA. SIR R. BADEN-POWELL ON HIS TOUR.

SCOUT MOVEMENT IN S. AFRICA.

SIR R. BADEN-POWELL ON HIS TOUR.

Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Baden-Powell has described the seven months' South African tour from which he and Lady Baden-Powell, with their three children, have just returned to England.

"They have got the right spirit and the right ideas out there," he said. "We toured the whole of the Union of South Africa and North and South Rhodesia. I inspected the Scouts, who are just under 20,000 strong, and my wife inspected the Girl Guides, of whom there are about as many. We had conferences with the leaders in five provinces as well as in North and South Rhodesia. My wife travelled 11,000 miles, while I covered 8,000. She went without me to what was formerly German West Africa, where she looked after Scouts as well as Guides. The doctor advised me not to make that long journey."

One result of the visit was that the big schools, which corresponded to the British public schools, were taking up the Boy Scout movement. The school authorities were now realizing that the training at camp eliminated the tendency towards selfishness. Another point was that Dutch boys were being attracted by the Scout idea and were joining the same troops as British boys, thus establishing a comradeship that did not exist before. Some of the Dutch clergy had not been favourably inclined towards the movement. They had been rather suspicious because an English General was at the head of it, but they now realized it was a big international thing and that it was something more than merely an English movement. They realized, too, that it helped their religion. He saw a better feeling with the Boers. There was less of the Boer and British feeling as such. The rising generation in both races realized that they were forming a new nation.

Lady Baden-Powell has lost her voice since her return. On her behalf Sir Robert said the Girl Guide movement was making great strides in South Africa.

Source:

1. Page 12, "Hongkong Telegraph", Monday, 6th June, 16th Year of the Republic of China

   • 7th Day, 5th Lunar Month, Ding-mao Year

   • Monday, 6th June, 1927 Common Era