BOY SCOUTS.
[To THE EDITOR 01 THE " SPICTATOR.1 SIR,—Having been attached to the Scout movement since 1909, and previously to the Boys'_Brigade, perhaps you will permit me to say a few words with regard to the review of the " Boy Scout Bubble " (Captain " Nemo") which appeared in your issue of July 27th, I must confess that I do not think Captain "Nemo's " criticisms are unfounded, and I think many Scoutmasters will agree with me. Your reviewer denies Captain " Nemo's" statement that no supervision exists in the case of the appointment of Scoutmasters. But it is certainly true that when the move- ment started almost anybody could become a Scoutmaster, and it will take a long time to get rid of this initial neglect which has made Scouting very cheap in many localities. Again, no efforts were made to dismiss unsuitable Scout- masters and to dissolve their troops. In the Boys' Brigade Organization every company must be attached to a church, and the minister and elders are responsible for the selectionfof the officers. I should say that Captain " Nemo " is quite right when he says that a large percentage of Scoutmasters have no idea either of training or of discipline, and that the move- ment trusts too much at present to rodomontade and adver- tisement. These defects are remediable, but they will not be remedied by pretending that they do not exist.—I am, Sir, &C.,
ALFRED C. DEWAR,
Lieutenant, R.N. (Scoutmaster).
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