,,address                               
,,of                                    
,,president ,,coolidge                  
,,before                          ,,the 
,,national ,,council ,,of ,,the         
,,boy ,,scouts ,,of ,,america           
,washington1 ,d4 ,c4                    
,may #a1 #aibf                          
,illustration                           
,,washington                            
,,government ,,printing ,,office        
#aibf                                   
,illustration                           
,,address      ,members of the ,national
 ,council of the ,boy ,scouts of        
,america3    ,the strength and hope of  
civilization lies in its power to adapt 
itself to changing circumstances4       
,development and character are not      
passive accomplishments4 ,they can be   
secured only through action4 ,the       
strengthening of the physical body1 the 
sharpening of the senses1 the           
quickening of the intellect1 are all the
 result of that mighty effort  which we 

call the struggle for existence4 ,down  
through the ages it was  carried on for 
the most part in the open1 out in the   
fields1 along the  streams1 and over the
 surface of the sea4 ,it was there that 
mankind met  the great struggle which   
has been waged with the forces of       
nature4 ,we  are what that struggle has 
made us4 ,when the race ceases to be    
engaged  in that great strength-giving  
effort the race will not be what it is  
nowit will change to something else4    
,these age-old activities or  their     
equivalent are vital to a continuation  
of human development4 ,they  are        
invaluable in the growth and training of
 youth4    ,towns and cities and        
industrial life are very recent and     
modern  acquirements4 ,such an          
environment did not contribute to the   
making of  the race1 nor was it bred in 
the lap of present-day luxury4 ,it was  
born of adversity and nurtured by       
necessity4 ,though the environment  has 
greatly changed1 human nature has not   

changed4 ,if the same natural  life in  
the open requiring something of the same
 struggle1 surrounded  by the same      
elements of adversity and necessity1 is 
gradually passing  away in the          
experience of the great mass of the     
people2 if the old  struggle with nature
 no longer goes on2 if the usual        
environment has  been very largely      
changed1 it becomes exceedingly         
necessary that an  artificial           
environment be created to supply the    
necessary process for a  continuation of
 the development and character of the   
race4 ,the cinder  track must be        
substituted for the chase4    ,art      
therefore has been brought in to take   
the place of nature4 ,one of  the great 
efforts in that direction is represented
 by the ,boy ,scout  movement4 ,it was  
founded in the ,united ,states in #aiaj4
 ,in ,september  of that year the       
organization was given a great impetus  
by the visit  of the man whom we are    
delighted to honor this evening1 ,sir   

,robert  ,baden-,powell4 ,this          
distinguished ,british general is now   
known all over  the world as the        
originator of this idea4 ,that it has   
been introduced  into almost every      
civilized country must be to him a      
constant source  of great gratification4
 ,the first annual meeting was held in  
the ,east  ,room of the ,white ,house in
 ,february1 #aiaa1 when ,president ,taft
 made  an address1 and each of his      
successors has been pleased to serve as 
the honorary president of the           
association4 ,it has been dignified by a
  ,federal charter granted by the       
,congress to the ,boy ,scouts of        
,america  in #aiaf1 and thereby ranks in
 the popular mind with the only two     
other  organizations which have been    
similarly honored1 the ,red ,cross and  
the  ,american ,legion4    ,the ,boy    
,scouts have been fortunate in enlisting
 the interest of  prominent men of our  
country to serve as the active head of  
the  organization4 ,for the current year

 that position was held by no less a    
figure than the late ,james ,j4         
,storrow4 ,his untimely taking off was a
  sad experience to all of us who knew  
him4 ,i cherished him personally  as a  
friend4 ,i admired him for the broad    
public spirit that he always  exhibited4
 ,amid all the varied and exacting      
activities as one of our  foremost      
business men1 he yet found time to      
devote his thought and  energy and      
personal attention to the advancement of
 this movement4 ,his  memory will       
constantly bring to us all that         
sentiment which he uttered  in the ,new 
,year message that he gave to the       
scouts1 in expressing the  hope that it 
might bring 8,a more vivid realization  
that it is the  spirit and the spiritual
 sides of life that count40    ,the more
 ,i have studied this movement1 its     
inception1 purposes1  organization1 and 
principles1 the more ,i have been       
impressed4 ,not only  is it based on the
 fundamental rules of right thinking and

 acting but  it seems to embrace in its 
code almost every virtue needed in the  
personal and social life of mankind4 ,it
 is a wonderful instrument  for good4   
,it is an inspiration to you whose duty 
and privilege it is  to widen its       
horizon and extend its influence4 ,if   
every boy in the  ,united ,states       
between the ages of #ab and #ag could be
 placed under the  wholesome influences 
of the scout program and should live up 
to the  scout oath and rules1 we would  
hear fewer pessimistic words as to the  
future of our ,nation4    ,the boy on   
becoming a scout binds himself on his   
honor to do his best1  as the oath      
reads3        8#a4 ,to do my duty to    
,god and my country1 and to obey the    
scout      law4        8#b4 ,to help    
other people at all times4        8#c4  
,to keep myself physically strong1      
mentally awake1 and      morally        
straight40    ,the #ab articles in these
 scout laws are not prohibitions1 but   
obligations2 affirmative rules of       

conduct4 ,members must promise to  be   
trustworthy1 loyal1 helpful1 friendly1  
courteous1 kind1 obedient1  cheerful1   
thrifty1 brave1 clean1 and reverent4    
,how comprehensive this  list6 ,what a  
formula for developing moral and        
spiritual character6  ,what an          
opportunity for splendid service in     
working to strengthen  their observance 
by all scouts and to extend their       
influence to all  boys eligible for     
membership6 ,it would be a perfect world
 if everyone  exemplified these virtues 
in daily life4    ,acting under these   
principles1 remarkable progress has been
 made4 ,since  #aiaj1 #c1jjj1jjj boys in
 the ,united ,states have been scoutsone
 out  of every seven eligible4 ,who can 
estimate the physical1 mental1 and      
spiritual force that would have been    
added to our national life during  this 
period if the other six also had been   
scouts8    ,on ,january #a1 #aibf1 there
 was an enrollment of nearly #fjj1jjj   
boys1  directed by #afe1jjj volunteer   

leaders and divided among #bc1jjj       
troops4  ,such is the field that has    
been cultivated4 ,the great need now is 
for  more leaders1 inspired for service 
and properly equipped to carry out  the 
program4 ,it is estimated that          
#a1jjj1jjj additional boys could be     
enrolled immediately if adequate        
leadership could be provided4 ,we can   
not do too much honor to the #ejj1jjj   
men who in the past #af years have      
given freely of their time and energy as
 scout masters and assistant  scout     
masters4 ,such service is service to    
,god and to country4 ,the  efforts to   
get more devoted volunteers and to find 
and train those  fitted and willing to  
make this their life work is worthy of  
the most  complete success4    ,because 
the principles of this movement are     
affirmative1 ,i believe  they are sound4
 ,the boy may not be merely passive in  
his allegiance  to righteousness4 ,he   
must be an active force in his home1 his
 church1  and his community4 ,too few   

people have a clear realization of the  
real  purposes of the ,boy ,scouts4 ,in 
the popular mind the program is arranged
  for play1 for recreation1 is designed 
solely to utilize the spare time  of the
 boy in such a way that he may develop  
physically while engaged  in pleasurable
 pursuits4 ,this is but a faint         
conception1 one almost  wholly          
misleading4 ,the program is a means to  
an end4 ,its fundamental  object is to  
use modern environment in character     
building and training  for citizenship4 
,character is what a person is2 it      
represents the aggregate of  distinctive
 mental and moral qualities belonging to
 an individual or a  race4 ,good        
character means a mental and moral fiber
 of high order1 one  which may be woven 
into the fabric of the community and    
,state1 going to  make a great          
nationgreat in the broadest meaning of  
that word4    ,the organization of the  
scouts is particularly suitable for a   
representative democracy such as ours1  

where our institutions rest  on the     
theory of self-government and public    
functions are exercised  through        
delegated authority4 ,the boys are      
taught to practice the basic  virtues   
and principles of right living and to   
act for themselves in  accordance with  
such virtues and principles4 ,they learn
 self-direction  and self-control4      
,the organization is not intended to    
take the place of the home or  religion1
 but to supplement and cooperate with   
those important  factors in our national
 life4 ,we hear much talk of the decline
 in the  influence of religion1 of the  
loosening of the home ties1 of the lack 
of disciplineall tending to break down  
reverence and respect for the  laws of  
,god and of man4 ,such thought as ,i    
have been able to give to  the subject  
and such observations as have come      
within my experience  have convinced me 
that there is no substitute for the     
influences of  the home and of religion4
 ,these take hold of the innermost      

nature  of the individual and play a    
very dominant part in the formation of  
personality and character4 ,this most   
necessary and most valuable  service has
 to be performed by the parents1 or it  
is not performed at  all4 ,it is the    
root of the family life4 ,nothing else  
can ever take its  place4 ,these duties 
can be performed by foster parents with 
partial  success1 but any attempt on the
 part of the ,government to function in 
these directions breaks down almost     
entirely4 ,the ,boy ,scout movement  can
 never be a success as a substitute but 
only as an ally of strict  parental     
control and family life under religious 
influences4 ,parents  can not shift     
their responsibility4 ,if they fail to  
exercise proper  control1 nobody else   
can do it for them4    ,the last item in
 the scout 8duodecalogue0 is impressive4
 ,it declares  that a scout shall be    
reverent4 8,he is reverent toward ,god10
 the  paragraph reads4 8,he is faithful 
in his religious dutyrespects the       

convictions of others in matters of     
custom and religion40 ,in the past  ,i  
have declared my conviction that our    
,government rests upon religion2  that  
religion is the source from which we    
derive our reverence for  truth and     
justice1 for equality and liberty1 and  
for the rights of  mankind4 ,so wisely  
and liberally is the ,boy ,scout        
movement designed  that the various     
religious denominations have found it a 
most helpful  agency in arousing and    
maintaining interest in the work of     
their  various societies4 ,this has     
helped to emphasize in the minds of     
youth  the importance of teaching our   
boys to respect the religious opinions  
and social customs of others4    ,the   
scout theory takes the boy at an age    
when he is apt to get ensnared  in the  
complexities and false values of our    
latter-day life1 and it  turns his      
attention toward the simple1 the        
natural1 the genuine4 ,it  provides a   
program for the utilization of his spare

 time outside his  home and school and  
church duties4 ,while ofttimes          
recreational1 it is  in the best sense  
constructive4 ,it aims to give a useful 
outlet for  the abundant energies of the
 boy1 to have valuable knowledge follow 
innate curiosity1 to develop skill and  
self-reliancethe power to  bring things 
to passby teaching one how to use both  
the hand and  the head4 ,in the         
city-bred boy is developed love for the 
country1 a  realization of what nature  
means1 of its power to heal the wounds  
and to soothe the frayed nerves incident
 to modern civilization4 ,he  learns    
that in the woods and on the hillside1  
on the plain1 and by the  stream1 he has
 a chance to think upon the eternal     
verities1 to get a  clarity of visiona  
chance which the confusion and speed of 
city life  too often renders difficult  
if not impossible of attainment4 ,there 
is a very real value in implanting this 
idea in our boys4 ,when they  take up   
the burdens of manhood they may be led  

to return to the simple  life for       
periods of physical1 mental1 and        
spiritual refreshment and               
reinvigoration4    ,scouting very       
definitely teaches that rewards come    
only after  achievement through personal
 effort and self-discipline4 ,the boy   
enters  as a tenderfoot4 ,as he develops
 he becomes a second-class scout and    
then a first-class scout4 ,still there  
is before him the opportunity1 in       
accordance with ability and hard work1  
to advance and get merit badges  for    
proficiency in some #gj subjects        
pertaining to the arts1 trades1 and     
sciences4 ,it is interesting to learn   
that in the year #aibe1 #aie1jjj  merit 
badges were awarded as compared with    
#adj1jjj in #aibd4 ,twenty-one  such    
awards make the boy an 8eagle scout10   
the highest rank4 ,not only  does one   
learn to do things1 but in many         
instances he learns what he  can do     
best4 ,he is guided to his life work4   
,vocational experts will  tell you in   

dollars and cents what this means to    
society where so often  much valuable   
time and effort is wasted by the young  
before they have  tested1 proven1 and   
trained their individual powers4    ,the
 boy learns 8to be prepared40 ,this is  
the motto of the scouts4 ,they  are     
prepared to take their proper place in  
life1 prepared to meet any  unusual     
situation arising in their personal or  
civic relations4 ,the  scout is taught  
to be courageous and self-sacrificing4  
,individually  he must do one good deed 
each day4 ,he is made to understand that
 he  is a part of organized society2    
that he owes an obligation to that      
society4 ,among the many activities in  
which the scouts have rendered  public  
service are those for the protection of 
birds and wild life  generally1 for the 
conservation of natural resources1      
reforestation1  for carrying out the    
8,safety first0 idea4 ,they have taken  
part in  campaigns for church           
cooperation1 in drives against harmful  

literature1  and the promotion of an    
interest in wholesome1 worth-while      
reading4  ,in many communities they have
 cooperated with the police and fire    
departments4 ,in some instances they    
have studied the machinery of           
government by temporary and volunteer   
participation in the city and  ,state   
administration4 ,during the war they    
helped in the ,liberty-loan  campaigns1 
and more recently they have assisted in 
8,get out the vote0  movements4    ,all 
of this is exceedingly practical4 ,it   
provides a method both for  the training
 of youth and adapting him to modern    
life4 ,the age-old  principle of        
education through action and character  
through effort  is well exemplified1 but
 in addition the very valuable element  
has  been added of a training for       
community life4 ,it has been necessary  
for society to discard some of its old  
individualistic tendencies  and promote 
a larger liberty and a more abundant    
life by cooperative  effort4 ,this      

theory has been developed under the     
principle of the  division of labor1 but
 the division of labor fails completely 
if any  one of the divisions ceases to  
function4    ,it is well that boys      
should learn that lesson at an early    
age4 ,very  soon they will be engaged in
 carrying on the work of the world4     
,some  will enter the field of          
transportation1 some of banking1 some of
  industry1 some of agriculture2 some   
will be in the public service1  in the  
police department1 in the fire          
department1 in the ,post ,office        
,department1 in the health department4  
,the public welfare1 success1  and      
prosperity of the ,nation will depend   
upon the proper coordination  of all    
these various efforts and upon each     
loyally performing the  service         
undertaken4 ,it will no longer do for   
those who have assumed the  obligation  
to society of carrying on these         
different functions to say  that as a   
body they are absolutely free and       

independent and responsible  to no one  
but themselves4 ,the public interest is 
greater than the  interest of any one of
 these groups1 and it is absolutely     
necessary  that this interest be made   
supreme4 ,but there is just as great a  
necessity on the part of the public to  
see that each of these groups is  justly
 treated4 ,otherwise1 government and    
society will be thrown into  chaos4 ,on 
each one of us rests a moral obligation 
to do our share of  the world's work4   
,we have no right to refuse4    ,the    
training of the ,boy ,scouts fits them  
to an early realization of  this great  
principle and adapts them in habits and 
thoughts and life  to its observances4  
,we know too well what fortune overtakes
 those  who attempt to live in          
opposition to these standards4 ,they    
become at  once rightfully and truly    
branded as outlaws4 ,however much they  
may  boast of their freedom from all    
restraints and their disregard of all   
conventionalities of society1 they are  

immediately the recognized foes  of     
their brethren4 ,their short existence  
is lived under greater and  greater     
restrictions1 in terror of the law1 in  
flight from arrest1 or  in imprisonment4
 ,instead of gaining freedom1 they      
become the slaves of  their own evil    
doing1 realizing the scriptural         
assertion that they who  sin are the    
servants of sin and that the wages of   
sin is death4 ,the ,boy  ,scout movement
 has been instituted in order that the  
youth1 instead of  falling under the    
domination of habits and actions that   
lead only to  destruction1 may come     
under the discipline of a training that 
leads to  eternal life4 ,they learn that
 they secure freedom and prosperity by  
observing the law4    ,this is but one  
of the many organizations that are      
working for good in  our country4 ,some 
of them have a racial basis1 some a     
denominational  basis4 ,all of them in  
their essence are patriotic and         
religious4 ,their  steady growth and    

widening influence go very far to       
justify our faith  in the abiding       
fitness of things4 ,we can not deny that
 there are evil  forces all about us1   
but a critical examination of what is   
going on in  the world can not fail to  
justify the belief that wherever these  
powers  of evil may be located1 however 
great may be their apparent extent1     
they are not realities1 and somewhere   
there is developing an even  greater    
power of good by which they will be     
overcome4    ,we need a greater faith in
 the strength of right living4 ,we need 
a  greater faith in the power of        
righteousness4 ,these are the realities 
which do not pass away4 ,on these       
everlasting principles rests the        
movement of the ,boy ,scouts of         
,america4 ,it is one of the growing     
institutions by which our country is    
working out the fulfillment of an       
eternal promise4                        
,illustration