TESTS FOR BADGES
The idea underlying the award of the badges is to offer to the young scout continual inducements for further improving himself, e.g. from second- to first-class scout, and then on to pioneering, signalling, life-saving, and so on.
The mistake usually made is for scoutmasters and examiners to require too high a standard of proficiency before awarding a badge. Our real object is to instil into every boy and encourage an idea of self-improvement. A fair average standard of proficiency is therefore all that is required. If you try higher than that you get a few brilliant boys qualified, but you dishearten a large number of others who fail, and you teach them the elements of hopelessness and helplessness, which is exactly what we want to avoid.
- [Scoutmasters will remember that our policy is to get numbers. We don't want a select "corps d' elite", but we want to put a taste of the right spirit into every hoy we can possibly get hold of. There are ten million boys wanting it.]
BADGES
The scout's badge is this:—
The scout's badge is the arrow-head, which shows the north on a map or on the compass. It is the badge of the scout in the Army, because he shows the way; so, too, a peace scout shows the way in doing his duty and helping others.
The motto on it is the scout's motto of
- "BE PREPARED",
which means that a scout must always be prepared at any moment to do his duty, and to face danger in order to help his fellow-men. Its scroll is turned up at the ends like a scout's mouth, because he does his duty with a smile and willingly.
