AIDS to scouting
Aids to Scouting, for N.-C. Os. and Men (short: Aids to Scouting ) is a military manual of Robert Baden-Powell in 1899. It deals with the training of soldiers to scouts or spies (Engl. scouts ) and consisted mainly of explanations how to get out of supply survived nature. Baden-Powell learned from Frederick Russell Burnham , the British Army Chief of the Scouts. Thanks to the fame of its author, the book became a bestseller in England soon after its publication, especially among young people. This unexpected success inspired Baden-Powell to develop the scout method .
content
Aids to Scouting contains instructions on topics such as peeking, reading and drawing maps, observation, tracking and reporting. In addition, there are suggestions for conducting competitions for training in peacetime. In addition to the description of the skills, the high character requirements of a scout are also emphasized (e.g. courage and prudence). In terms of content, Aids to Scouting goes back to Baden-Powell's 1884 treatise Reconnaissance and Scouting (German intelligence and scouting ).
The style is largely anecdotal. Here Baden-Powell drew from many years of personal experience as a scout and spy. Further features are the simple language and the direct addressing of the reader.
reception
The successful defense of Mafeking (1899–1900) in South Africa made Baden-Powell a national hero in Great Britain. Its extremely high level of awareness meant that Aids to Scouting could largely be sold to civilians. Children and young people in particular were enthusiastic about the mixture of adventurous anecdotes and playful exercises.
The youth magazine Boys of the Empire printed Aids to Scouting as a series under the title The Boy Scout from October 1900 .
Baden-Powell returned from Africa in 1903. Surprised by the success of his textbook, he gradually developed the idea of designing a program especially for young people. These considerations ultimately led to the design of the boy scout method and its description in Scouting for Boys .
Web links
- Aids To Scouting, For N.-C. Os. & Men - as an e-book (pdf; 413 kB)