Search America's historic newspaper pages from 1777-1963 or use the U.S. Newspaper Directory to find information about American newspapers published between 1690-present. Chronicling America is sponsored jointly by the National Endowment for the Humanities external link and the Library of Congress. Learn more
Image provided by: University of Utah, Marriott Library
Newspaper Page Text
I The latest addition to the boost ers of outdoor Mr Is the Girl Scouts of America, patterned afier the Boy Scouts of America. The new oreanlzatlon is Independent of th Camp Fire (Jlrls. and many of the regulations are different. The organization had Its origin in England, where it was taken up enthusiastically by settlement work er? It spread from there to Aus tralia and New Zealand and other English possessions. Now it. has reached America where Mrs. Juli ette Low of London Is chief re cruiting: officers and Julia Lathrop. chief of the child's bureau of the Department of Labor, has promised to organize a patrol. Branches were first opened in Boston. Philadelphia, Washington and Savannah. Chicago later opened a branch. Mrs Low Is great grand daughter of John Kinzie. father of Chicago. For that reason she a street car these younger ones are worked hard to make the Chicago organization unusually successful The Idea grew out of the Boy Scout movement, originated in En gland by Gen Baden Powell. The organizers decided that what i. good for boys is good for girls, hence the organization Girl Scouts are taught to be chivalrous. They are taught to do a good service ever day and assist others when possible. They are taught to be courteous, 'v hen an old woman or an old man gel on taupht to offer her seat If there is no other They will strike shame j n.M 11 mcy carry out their idea. As in the days of chivalry, the ideas of chivalry were taught for a purpose, so Is the Girl Scout Idea taught for a purpose and the purposes of the two movements are somewhat the same. They are the same in so far as they teach girls should aid those needing aid. Just as the knights of old aided those needing aid Other ideas are different thought, in that the Girl Scouts are taking the plr.ces of men of old. Girl Scouts can do things their grandmothers would have been shocked to hear of rlrls do ing. They can go out into the woods or along streams and camp all night. They can build fires in the open and cook bacon just like soldiers. They learn signals nf the trail and take long tramps through the wilds. In frontier days It was not necessary to give girls any special Inducement to go out of doors. With the coming of the cit'es and con gestion of population girls have little chance to get In the open un less they go in bodies accompanied by an elder person. Girls going alone through the country near a city would be stared at or possibly insulted these days. The indoor life of the glrle of both the farm and the city is hav ing an evil effect on their develop ment. They can develop much bet ter out In the open. The Girl Scouts wll meet with much opposition Jus, as the Camp Fire Girls did. A newspaper writer recently seeing a group of Camp Fire Girls in the woods wrote tho JTt following about them I GIRLS COULD CLTMR lj TRFES WITH AttlLITV. 5g3M "There were about twenty of SSsEB them scattered about In the grass nfilf unaer the trees and for general Itff sprightliness and agility and tree climbing ability they might have Baa been so many wood nymphs. Ex- BjW eept that the costume of wood SSS nymphs was somewhat more lm- presslonlstlc, if we may trust the KBa classic artists. As a matter of fact Hgl they were Camp Fire Girls reallj 9Ba ;T camping and they seemed to be having the time of their lives. They wore bloomers and middy blouses and the holiday spirit was abroad Ejpjpj In the land. K "Their retreat is the farm of A. I H M L. ftuhl at Eighty-first street and the State line, and you reach It by taking a Dodson car. getting oh at a loose leaf wooden walk that leads to a rock road. That's Eighty-first street, and proceeding toward the set!:ng sun you strike a clay rond running north and south. Right nrounQ the corner to the south is a big, low-gabled white farmhouse, set In n wealth of trees. But the house Is just for atlr.g and for re treat on rainy days. Tho Camp Fjres themselves live in four brown canvas tepees In the back yard; at least that's where they sleep Tho adjoining countryside is whore they really live. And what do they do? Well, their days are crowded full. Here's the schedule, as devised by Miss Kate Nelson, head counselor and everybody's friend. It hangs on the wall In the dining room, where she who fats may read: "6:45 Rising bell. (One of the counselors remarked In parenthesis that they're generally awake and talking some time before that "7ilB A setting up drill a ealls thenlc process, kind of Billy Mul doon affair "7:M Bible reading. "7:4 5 Br en k fa Kt GIRLS PLAY ttOCKEl UASF.BAI.L AM) BASKET BALL. "Between breakfast and 9 o'clock there arevdlshes lo wash and tents to put in order, for at 9 o'clock there's tent inspection and a ban ner awarded to the tent that's most immaculate And from that time till noon there are games real, sure enough Karnes baseball, basket ball and hockey. Also there's croquet for those who choose it. but Miss Xel son says the croquet grounds are never crowded. And at 12:30 luncheon, and from 1:30 to 2:30 rest hour. Then follows an hour of handcraft basket weaving, clay model. ng and so on. From 3 30 to dinner to be cooked at noon over a camp flre and very much excite ment. Also there's rifle praetioe and a match game of baseball or hockey Ti Saturdays, with badges for the winners. "And in the evenings there are .nr:uiis c,,rts of amusements, taffy Mills, dances pageants, in which each tent takes an Indian legend and acts it out. There's a thrilling ceremonial costume, all khaki and beads and headdress, which Is worn on formal occasions. N'cxt Sunday, for instance, there will be a vesper service at 4 o'clock, to which the general public Is Invited, and after ward the public is Invited to stay to supper if It cares to and see a real camp fire afterward, with tho whole class In ceremonial costume doing mystic rites. W. P. Borland and Mayor Jost will give brief talks in the afternoon. "But there Is work as well as play at the Camp Fire camp. Three girls aro detailed fur each meal. UPPER left Girl Scouts, dressed as Indians. Upper ri,'ht Baden-Pi w ell, chief of the Boa. Scouts. Lower center Miss Julia C. Lathrop. Lower left and center riht Mrs. Juliet i c Low (in two poses), girl Couj leader. Mt MOFFETT, O.cao S even-body does what she likes; then follows supper, amusements various sorts and y o'clock is bed time At 9:30 lights are out and silence reigns. "But the brief schedule doesn't hair tell the story. One dav this week the whole crowd hiked to Dallas and back. a walk of eight miles, and spent the day exploring. There wan a stream to wade and i ' " ,. They help the cook, set the table, wait on it and wash the dishes aft erward. "The girls range in age from 12 to 16. and It 1 certainly a demo cratic gathering. The daughters of folks who ride to business in Imouslnee may be found hobnob blng with girls who have been sav ing for weeks to get the $2 50 nec essary to spend a week at the camD GKL SCOUTS Organization With Headquarters in London Has Spread Membership Across Atlantic, Sending Mrs. Juliette Low as Chief Recruiting Officer. i E thomp50n photo And everybody does her share of the work. N'obody may spend more than a week there, for there are a lot more youthful Camp Fire Girls waiting their turn. The camp will run nine weeks. It opened last Monday." Harry Kemp's Storj of His Life as a Unix.. I was a mere child when I saw my first tramp. As now I remem ber him. he was an evuslve faced, shifty-eyed Scamp, but at that time he seemed to be a hero, as he sat on tho bnck door step in the sun light and ate the food which my grandmother had ;ven him. But this particular tramp stuck In my mind because fur an hour he sat there and filled my cars full of stories of the road of the great West, with Its vast plains and mountains ho hlu'h that clouds caught against their tops. vt forest?, and cities, and ranches, and sea ports. In the States we call goods trains frelKht trains, and thousands of tramps ride on them yearly. There are lawn prohibiting this but such are easily evaded; If they could nut be It would b a death blow to thj casual laborer of the country. For vast distances must be covered In order to get to various places of . ''sBf jflLOftsflw '-mm" ' usflLsv & hh MOFFETT Chtcooo seasonal occupations, such as the wheat harvest, the hop gathering, and so forth. I was H the first time I ran away I climbed In at the open door ' of a box car of one of these trains. Soon the train got under way I was all atremble. The freight roared and jerked along for several hours before one of the trainmen discovered me, and ordered me out. But when he saw how young I was, he took me back to the ca boose a car fitted out for the crew and he and his fellows made a lot of me, sharing their dinner with me. T was a week away from home on this first trip, and when I got back I was so dirty and dilapidated that our big dog failed to recognize m. H growled and threatened to bite. From that time on I ' went on the road" again and again. Noth ing could Induce me to stay In one place for any length of time. I would come home, be contrite, and promise to behave and settle down; then, when the least thins went wrong, or the regular life began to ffrow humdrum, I would disappear again, I always took a book with me to read for Instance, I first read Shakespeare from beginning to end while tramping In California. My father hoped that I would soon tire of the life and settle down, all the better for it. But he wns mistaken My twentieth year found me still a tramp. But it had one undeniably good resuit. As a boy I had been sickly and -ry delicate, The new life touKh--m-d and hardened me I slept In the open by camp fires In haystacks and under trees. And at times, unlike most of the other tramps, I left the railroad and struck out across country. This repaid me, even from the tramps point of view, as T covered unexploited ter ritory and got Invited In to table everywhere, I well remember the effect my first attempt at begging had on mo. I went back to the kitchen of a home and knocked. I asked the woman who came to the door, In a very humble tone. If she would give me anything to eat. murmuring. In addition, that I had had nothing to eat for days (which was a He) She answered by slamming the door In my face. I walked away, feeling very wretched. When I regained the "hobo imp." Just on the outskirts of the 'own. the only tramp who was there a red-faced, pleasant Irishman saw at once what had happened to nie. He made me sit down and share with him what he had re cently begged. Tramps, as a rule, are very gen erous with each other, and know among themselves a true democ racy. After that I soon tried begging sp.iUi I h id to do so or to go to work. This time I mot with bet ter succesa Soon I grow callous to any rebuff; I came to look on a handout'' as my , legitimate due, and felt offended when refused food. An. I grew cannv at "sizing up" the occupants of any house by Its gen eral appearance from the outside The poor I found to be the most generous, and the rich the stingiest. Begging be ame with me an art. I often asked for food when I wes not hungry, Just from a sense of curiosity to see what would be given me. I would then throw it away or give it to another tramp But m life was not all lined with ermine. From time to time I was arrested for vagrancy. Several times I was put to work on rock plies and county farms Once, in Alabama, I narrowly escaped be ing taken up by a detective In a railroad yard and sentenced to the coal mines. Another time I Was actually arrested on a eherge of burglary and held ov.r for three months In a miserable Texas Jail ' Just escaping the penitentiary. Yet despite these mishaps, the wander habit still clutched me. But one spring a change took 1 Place In my nature. I hesitated f longer than usual to launch forth on my customary trip. At last I Jumped a frel-ht and started f0 Kansae City. Rut now something was lacking. The spirit that had Impelled me hitherto had vanished to The tramps with whom I foregath ered no longer seemed romantic and interesting, but dirty and sor did and criminal. 1 saw. for the first time, what danger I was in. If I didn't take care I. too, would end up on the raggeu cage oi things. From that time on. though many times necessity Impelled me, I never "hit the road" with a whole heart, and now I think I have given It up altogether. But even vet I can hardly answer for myself when the spring arrives. fJlvlnf: the Diplomas. fbadlah Hicks, chairman of the board, was about to make a few remarks prior to the presentation of diplomas to the graduates of the high school class. Mr. HlCks was introduced by the high school su perintendent, and, clearing his throat, began. "The time has came' A suppressed titter rippled among the Graduates and the friends of Mr. Ricks squirmed uneasily in their W seats. Before he could proceed with his speech the superintendent, who sat on the platform behind hire, leaned forward and whispered, "has come!" Mr. Hicks halted, blushed, then began all over again: "The time has come for me for me tew persent tew yew graddy wates yewr diplomas showin' thet yew hev all got through successful. I can't skeereiy realize how quick the past ear has went and " ' Has gone!" prompted the super- r intendent. I "has gone;" corrected Mr Hicks. u Then he turned suddenly and heat edly on the superintendent. ' 'Looky here, young fellet ' Who's a-makln' this hyar speech, yew or M me When I say 'has came' and has went,' them's what I mean ex- r actlv. I hev did right smart of v speechmakin in mj time and I hev alius managed to make folks un- t! derstand what I was a-tryin' to git at, even if I didn't never swaller no grarnmer " Then he turned to the graduates: "Here, yew strlplin's, prance right up and git yewr sheepshlns and aft- er yew go out to rassle with the ; world and happen sometime tew e Jump the traces as I hev did and git 8 mixt up In yewr grarnmer a leetle . mite, don't lose no sleep over It. but 'est go right along like your Uncle Obadlah." , n Reunited at Last. An old man's affection for 5-year- V. old Anna Leber, whom ha met on the steamer Finland coming from Antwerp, resulted In the teunion at sea of a father and daughter after twenty-seven years. Anna became the pet of the ship, ri but she showed marked preference t for Oustave Dunkel. who Is 75. One !J day Mr. Dunkel told her that he onco had a little girl whom ho had lost many years ago Anna told her mother what the old man had said, and the following ? morning Mr? Leber went to thank f Mr. Dunkel for his interest in her daughter. At sight of Mrs. Leber. Zl Mr Dunkel swooned Mrs. Leber f and stewards revived him and then the old man seizing Mrs. Leber's a hands whispered: "Don't you know me? You are f,' my Anna, my little girl I haven't seen for twenty-seven years. I have a photograph of you and the moth- J er you never knew." Mrs. Leber said she had lost her father when she was 5 years old and could remember only from what her foster parents told her of him. L When Mr Dunkel had told his story y doubt existed no longer and Mrs. , . c, Leber placed her arms around hor ) father and sobbed for Joy. Mr. Dunkel was formerly a car- th renter in Berlin Twenty-eia:ht 3 years ago he lost all his saving th and sent his children to live with h different families. th The family with whom Anna went v. disappeared, and Anna grew (p jn 3 Vienna and married. Recently her husband went to Denver and -he m was on her way to Join him Dunkel al going to see his son in Balti- t,c more, and three left for that city U after which Mrs. Leber will take Bfl her father to Denver. ro ba A Team In London, ar Thi? is so emphatically the a fJ tf the motor car that a 'sight wit ft nessed by the writer seems worthy T f record. Two horses passed down the Strand within five minute. eeh other, aed both War, dZ? e& -led to an unusual extent fCl mathematical odds again such ?l :olncidenco must be very j-reat thl !s Why Ho FeU ttr Kathryn-Jack Huggill3 jU8t fe ke K"ttye-Vtumorrent h P' A;