SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 1929.
ROUND THE CAMP FIRE
[By Uncle Charles.]
officer always falls back upon drill us his one resource,
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Dear Nephers and Nieces,
Last week I told you something about what our "Chief" has said meining in Scouting for Boys. If "There is ng military dim or concurving mir great movement, and is true that the Movement has on in view of the wrong impression old General at the head of it, goril entertained by some of our Chinese
a gondly tenker of ca-officers' in friends that our movement is its ranks. The rensnu of this is military out, I am reproducing an
not very far to seek.. Men retire article written by the Chief in re-
from the Navy, the Army, and the putation of this eremicons impres-Royal Air Force at very much sion. He says:
younger ege Nine from most other "The simple system of drili whien forms of occupation. They are. is suggested for Boy Scouts is mere- adire often thnu nok, men of Led lun ly given in order to enable Scout-| disposition, îmined with ideals of mesters it more their Troops mud service for their fellow won, and Patruls in good order for parade anxious to take up some form of purposes, and not as an exercise for useful work. It is not surprising fregerut practice with the boys when that they flock into the Scout Move--| other nerepatious
possible, mont. When dare a Troop drills well but "Farther, asnal of them, like my- fails to juliam a Trail or cook its | self, have seen something of the www fund moppuise that the Scout-horrors of wng they know the mester is and much good us such, suffering and cruelty that war in The indifferent or unimaginative | volees, and they do not want to
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FROM THE CHIEF TO YOU
FISHING'S FINE FUN
Sound And Practical
1
Advice
THE
CHINA MAIL,
at home and read of thrilling ad- ventures and hair-breadth escapes in the wilds in stories invented.per haps by a man or woman who has never been outside England; it is far more interesting to go out your aclf and make history, and do some- thing which is real and therefore werth reading about."-
At one time Baden-Powell End visions of becoming a missionary in far-away lands; at other times the roving life of an actor appeal see war oceur oprin Are they to
ed to him; but he had more or less be denied this opportunity of beat-made up his mind to go to Oxford their spears into pruninghooks ? ing their seords into ploughshares, as a first step to a decision when something happened which changed the whole course of his life and wought him, through his own efforts, the very chance be was looking for of travel and adventure. He saw in the newspapers the ad- vertisement of an open examination. for
After all, there is no reason why an old circus horse, having finished his carver, in the ring, should not alle donen pecceably to his useful civil occupation of pulling a baker's cart. "Through the Scout training a vision of higher hope and broculer -
entrance into the Army. natiuok kag operied out before us, He decided ta try and a vision which has nothing what- to his own surprise and that of his ever to do with militarism. By friends, passed out so high in the devrimping education through back-list that he was excused all pre- trendsmanship rather than through liminary training in England and drit! we can give up our future drafted straight away to a cavalry citizens in each country the instinct regiment, the 13th Hussars, bound for peace rather than for war, yet without theli lecking or toning ong
for India.
Baden-Powell was a fully-fledged of the mauly virtues or the attri-soldier at the age of eighteen, start butes vasential to a healthy untion. Jing out on a new career in a strange The continuation to this article land, filled with the spirit of ad- will be published next week.-Unde venture and keenness to make a Charice,
success of his soldiering.
B.P. a Soldier at 18
WITH THE 1971 HUSSARS IN IN DIA
HIS HOBBIES
Mr. E. K. Wade, in the following article, tells an interesting story of
bow the "Chief became a
full
[By Earl Robt. Baden-Powell] Every Seant must know how to to straighten itself behind y Ush, otherw.e he would be so silly and that pause is the secret of the if he died of starvation alongside whole thing. It must not be too a stream full of food. And fishing short or your fine will still be earl-fledged soldier at the age of 18,— -like shooting or cooking, or swim-ed up when you shoot it forward. ming, or anything else is not thing that you can do straight off without having practised it before hand. Se my advice to tenderfect is to take every chance of learning how to fish, so that they may be able to do it when they are in need of fish or food.
Sea fishing, as you know, is generally done with a long line from a boat, with a good lump of lead on the end of the line, and a number of looks every foot or so up it. baited with strips of fish with the silvery skin left on them.
Then in rivers and lakes you fish with rod and line, with a float to hold the bit at the right distance above the baltom. The hook is on a yard or sa of gut line, which is invisible to the fish. This is weighted with split shot or email bits of lead, and the bait is usually a worm, a grub, or a little bit of bread paste. This kind of fishing By the way, here is a good dodge for catching worras which every Scout ought to know.
is called bottom fishing.
Mix a little mustard powder in a can of water, and then sprinkle the water over a grass plot, and very soon you will see worms coming up out of the ground in a tremendous hurry.
It would be rather a good con- juring trick to play when people are not up to it-to take an ordin- ary wateringcan and apparently pour ordinary water on the grass, and then play a mouth organ or whistle a tune to call up the worms Someone else will be sure to try it, too, and it you have taken care to empty your eas of mustard and water they will put in plain water, and will get no result in the shape of worms.
Fly-Fishing
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Then there is a third kind of fish- ing, and that is fly-fishing. It is the most difficult, but at the same time the most useful, because it ia the only way that will do in the rapid rivers and streams which you meet with in the wilds, and also it can be used on lakes and slower rivers, and it is much the best fun. For fly-fishing you have a whippy rod with a long line to it. and a long piece of gut called the "cast" on it, with from one to three hooks made to look like flies. These are fixed at about two feet apart.
By using the rod as a spring you can throw the line a long distance to any point you wish, so that the flies will float past. the nose of a fish and tempt him to rush out and. swallow one.
The throwing of the fly-casting. it is called-is at first the difficulty for a beginner, but it comes all right with a little practice. You
The best of times must come to an end and schooldays and scout- nig days are only a preparation for the lite which is to follow.
and will not go out the distance you want, and if the pause is too long it will fall and catch on the ground behind you. and also will
The time had come, as it comes lose its spring. That is where prac-
ic you all, when the boy had to tice is
that you 190 necessary, so
give place to the man. when the know exactly how long to pause. man had to choose a career for him- Then an important point te re self. This is perhaps the most per- member is that the jerking of the plexing moment in the whole of rod, whether forward or backward, life. is done from the wrist, and only slightly from the elbow, and not af all from the shoulder.
A beginer would do well to tie
his elbow by a loose strap to his waist, so as to remind him not to wave his whole arm, as most begin ners do.
All this sounds a good deal to think of, but if you go and practise of it. and fly-fishing is it you very soos get into the way sport that I know.
the best
"wet" and "dry". Wet fly means There are two kinds of fly-fishing,
that you let your flies sink into the
water, and you then draw · them along under the surface. A dry fly is made in such a way that it floats on the top of the water us many natural flies do, and the fish, seeing it floating there, rises to it.
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The Badges which, as Scouts, you work for are a great help in this, because, though it does not fellow
that if you have a bee-farmer's badge you are necessarily going to farm becs for a living, yet you will generally find that the hobbies which you choose for yourself have
with the something to da which you eventually decide to
tuke up.
career
At any rate. it is certain that if you are fortunate enough to be able to take up a job which is your hobby as well as your work it will make all the difference to your chances of success.
If our Chief Scout had hud badges to work for he could have earned a large number, for never I should think had any boy so many hobbies. Drawing and painting were perhaps the chief ones, and
HANDS ACROSS THE SEA
Have you a chum in an- olher country? How would you like to correspond with a Brother Scout or a Sister Guide abroad?
I want to help you to know frica who are thousands of miles away or may be within a stone's throw of your own town.'
If any Scouts or Guides would like to have a pen friend, please communicate with me-Uncle Charles, c/o "The China Mail-and T shall be glad to help you.
The Mail Bag
Dear Uncle Churies,
I am a Scout and lives in Kow-
Girl Guides' Grotto
One good deed a day! On the surface it is such a tiny thing that just sometimes we are apt to wonder if it is really worth while. But it matters a lot, a tremendous lot, for, if we unconcernedly ignore our good turns, some friendless person has remained friendless, some been comforted, and some lame dog still remains on the wrong
side of the stile. There are endless. ways in which guides can do good turns-little, unremembered acts of kindness and love to those about them, which tend to make the world a more joyful, cheerful home.
scarcely
common
.Little Acts of Service
Life, as we all know, is not made up of great sacrifices, but of little acts of service cheerfully rendered; and if each guide in her own little world, does as many good turns as is humanly possible, how much happier she will be, and how much brighter will the world about
her be! One would
count little acts of courtesy, such as giving up cre's seat in the tram, as good deeds. No, guides must go further afield-du something that costs us more. Re- member Sir Philip Sidney's un- selfishness in handing the precious eup of water to the dying man. Take it, air; thy need is greater than mine." Truly a noble act; an immortal good turn, from which every guide can learn a lesson.
Happiness to All
In the home, in the office, or workroom, at the guide meetings, on the playing helds-everywhere are waiting little things for guides to do, and these good turns bring happiness to the giver as well as the receiver. They reach the human heart. help us to keep our friends, and to turn our enemies into friends also. A good turn, once done, should be forgotten by the guide herself. Remember the Eastern deed, then throw it into the sea; proverb: "Do Д good God will know of it."
look. I am anxiess to communicate with my brother Scouts in Shang Rai Alanila, Australia and other big cities. I hope you will please find The patrol system presents end- some pen friends for me, and thank-less opportunities for organised ing you in advance,..
E.S.B.
Dear Uncle Charles,-1 want pen friends, not only one but mans, and
I hope you will introduce me to some in America, Canada and other parts of China. I am a keen Scout, and all boys of 16 or 17 years of age who belong to this Movement are welcome. I am British.-Jack.
[Boys and Girls may write to Gude Churles on any subject, and they must give their names and ad- dresses, not necessarily for publica- tiny, but so that Uncle Charles en forward any Telters received for thom.]
good turns on a larger scale. Per- haps there is some local hospital or orphanage to help, some family in stricken circumstances to relieve, some old folks to cheer up, or even some other guide company to help.
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Can't Be Measured
No man has measured the power of kindness, for- it is boundless, and no man has seen its death, for it is eternal. So, by continually do- ing good turns for other people, the character of the guide will be trained in service for others, and she will grow into the kind of womanhood this
sunny world of ours needs.
ILLUSTRATED!
ILLUSTRATED !!
ILLUSTRATED !!!
A WEEK'S PAPERS IN ONE.
OVERLAND
CHINA
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This week's " Overland China Mail" contains much more reading matter than usual. Following the report of the Salaries Commission and the first reading of the 1930 Budget, a crop of papers from departments of the Hong Kong Govern- ment have been handed out. Such reports have been carefully collected in the "Overland," both for people elsewhere to read and for filing purposes.
If you desire to have all those official papers together in handy form you will find them in the "Overland China Mail," the only Hong Kong weekly news budget which carriet pictures and a free picture supplement.
In other directions, there has also been abundant activity, which is recorded faithfully in the "Overland." You can read about the typhoon which came quite close, about the sustained campaign to pervert dock labourers, about a Red attempt to corrupt even men of the British Garrison in Hong Kong, a sorrowful suicide in the Police Force, and trouble among individuals in one of Britain's finest regiments of infantry.
Hankow looms in the public eye in the Old Country at the moment because of a Chinese decision in regard to some British property. Interest is being shown in China again. Furthermore, hostilities between China and Russia have been renewed, so much so that subjects of other countries have lost their lives. The "Overla d" will tell you all about what is going on; it will save you the trouble of writing; and it will tell your friends at Home or in other parts of the world all they desire to know. Be sure to obtain your copy before the issue is taken up and in time for catching the mail.
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"THE OVERLAND CHINA MAIL."
The Prince of Wales at the Jamboree:-H.R.H. the Prince of Wal es flew from London to Birkenhout on August 1, to visit the great Coming-of-Age Jumboree of the Boy Scouts held at Arrowe Park, Birkenhead, Cheshire. He is seen accompanied by the Chief Scout. Earl Robert Baden-Powell, walking through the camp, much to the delight of the amateur. photographers.Sport and General),
ean learn to do it perfectly well This is the best sport of all fishing, without going to a river and with but is also the most difficult to do out having any hooks on your line well
to begin with.
B.-P.'S MOTHER
Mrs. Baden-Powell was left a
Take a red, and a line as long as a rod and a half, and try throwing it in a field or road or anywhere till you can get the line to go out. perfectly straight to its full extent on to the ground at the spot you wish. The thing to remember is widow at thirty-five, with ten this: All the work is done by the children to bring up B.-P. was tip of the red, not the butt. Bring then three years old. She made your rod back with a little jerk at her sons scouts before the move the end to throw the line back bement was imagined. hind you, but don't let the rod itself
She encouraged them to be am go. back beyond the upright posi bidexterous, taught them to sew. and cook, and did not repress the spirit of boyish adventure, and cer tainly they were taught to do good deeds.
tion.
The Best Sport Before throwing the line forward again give a pause to give it time
these he did with his right and left hands equally well. Modelling and carpentry, photography and story iriting enine not far behind; as well as at the outdoor occupations of which I have already told you. One, badge that he would certain- ly have earned is that of the Fire man, for when in a town he used to spend a great deal of his spare me in attending free and learning how to deal with them.
The Cubs' Corner
say to a lark to-night by the light of the moon?" "We'll go, we'll go. Billy Ball," said all the other young frogs in chorus, "Better stay at home, better stay at home," croaked old Grandfather Bull-frog from his gies. This week I am going to tell you seat on a stump by the edge of the Fairies, and, after reading it, I a story of the Frogs and the
want you to tell me how you "Oh, hear old grandfather croak- like it. If you like to hear stories.
I will tell you more next week. Frogs, and Fairie wek
fings, and one day when the sun In a big pond lived a family of
Away off they could still hear Grandfather Frog croaking his warning: "Better stay home, bet. ter atay home." But it was no warning to the young froggies; they only saw the fireflies and the fenst in store for them. The frog- gics had never seen the fairies be- fore, and they thought they, too, were little insects, so, without stop- ping to think or look closer into the midst of the fairy revel, in leaped Billy Bull and all his cousins.
One Toe Lost
But the fairies were as quick as the frogs, and no sooner had they leaped than up went all the fairies' wands, and there stood each frog still and stiff. They were not able to move off; they could only stare and listen.
"What are these creatures that they dare to disturb us?" asked the queen.
"Your majesty, they are frogs," said a firefly, "and I expect they intended to eat us."
"Eat the lantern bearers of the fairies!" said the queen. "They shall suffer for this. Off with a top of each front foot, and then, perhaps, these frogs will stay at home and not hop about at night. Where do they live?" asked the
queen.
"In the pond at the end of the del," said the fireflies.
"Send them. home," said the queen, "and every time they wander far from their pond they shall lose a toe."
They Slay At Home Down ou the feet of the froggies went the fairy wands, and where the frogs had five toes there re-
Grand Pa's Warning ** That night when the moon was shining through the trees, out of the pond leaped all the young fromained only four on each of their "Better stay home, better front feet and then with their stay home," croaked Grandfather wands on the heads of the froggies Frog from his seat on the stump,
the fairies turned them around-and but the young froggies only laugh- drove them back to their pond. ing" said Billy Bull; he never wented them through the dell "Better ed as grandfather's warning follow- out of this pond in all his days stay home, better atay home." and what does he know of the dell?"
pond.
"Better stay at home, better stay
Above and beyond all these hob bies, DP, had one great burning desire, and that was to travel anil was shining all the young bull frogs at home," croaked Grandfather explore the world, to gain now excame up out of the water, and hop-Frog periences and meet with adventures ped on the bank. I think it would Car afield. And that is an ambition be good fun to see what is in the which I think comes to most bays, dell beside this pond," said Billy and especially Scouts, at some time Bull, who was a young and inquisi- or another. It is one thing to sit tive frog. "What do you fellows in the dell," said Billy Bull.
"You can, Grandfather Frog, if you like, but we young frogs are going for a lark to-night, and wlien we come back we will tell you what
home," croaked their Grandfather "Better stay home, bet'er stay Frog as the young froggies leaped It happened that the fairies were sadly into the pond and burled helding a party that night, and themselves in the mud at the bot when Billy Bull and all the other tom. and . young frogs hopped and leaped into And bat was the way, it is said, the middle of the dell they saw the frogs came to have tive toes on each bright lights of the fireflies' an of their hind feel and only four terns. "Looks to me like all the toes nach front foot. If they for us to fesat on," said Billy Bull. warning they would still have their fireflies in the world had gathered had latened to their grandfather's
"What luck for us.”
other toes.
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