The Boy Scouts:
Bastion of maleness organized to provide passage into a sanctioned
manhood. A guide providing the means to proper self-reliance, citizenship,
physical fitness and devotion to God. With its roots in British colonial
militarism, the Boy Scout movement was, at its inception, almost simultaneously
launched in the United States based on its appeal as a system for instilling
male youths with upstanding qualities.
Chief among these positive attributes
(and perhaps the trigger for the institution's export to the U.S.) is the
predisposition towards performing good deeds free of charge. The lure of
fun and adventure is used to draw in candidates which are provided with
a uniform and indoctrinated into the way of the Scout which includes training
in spirit (the ideals, laws and traditions of Scouting), participation
(tasks within the club and without, including means for advancement in
rank or position) and craft (which can include any number of activities
that can be somehow, if even remotely, related to the club/organization
or its mission).
Progress within the organization is achieved through completion
of praiseworthy tasks which are detailed in elaborate manuals and overseen
by masters or counselors (positions which are normally held by parental
figures). Manuals and handbooks are of utmost importance within the Scouting
organization because they contain the sanctioned rules and goals for achieving
the ideal male life. The end goal of the organization's use of romantic
ideals, male comraderie, and strict adherence to physical, emotional and
intellectual training is the production of a good citizen.
"...this Handbook represents
the experiences of many people - experts in Scouting and experts in technical
lines. It is written for the boys of the nation. It is our hope that it
will inspire you and help you to be watchful for opportunities to help
other people, to be tolerant and respectful of the rights of others, to
be courageous and self-reliant - in other words, to be a good American."
HANDBOOK FOR BOYS,
Boy Scouts of America, 1948 p.vi
NOTE: [Scouting, at present,
is available to heterosexual males who believe in God.]
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