Page 216 - Records of Bahrain (5) (ii)_Neat

536 Records of Bahrain

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The question of Scouting.

\ «ni) not very much impressed with the value of Scouting for boys who
me already attending a good school. The founder of tho Scout Moveraonfc
lias himself told us that ho invented tho systoin for tho special bonofib of
poor hoys who- bad no access to organised school garaos, and no chanco of
receiving any training in character, oithcr at homo or at school. Scouting
aims at developing in boys certain doGnito characteristics, notably self-
reliance, physical endurance, powers of observation, tho habit of being
always prepared for any omorgonoy, and tho virtuo of holping others, with­
out reward, on every possiblo occasion. But all theso highly praiseworthy
things cun equally woll bo taught by any good school: boys need not pub on
uniforms to leurn them, nor need schoolmasters become scoutmasters in
order to touch them. Earlier in this Report I havo suggested a vory com­
prehensive scheme of character-training for thoBahraiu schools, and if this
is adopted I feel that it will mako tho continuance of Scoutiug iu the
schools hardly worth whilo, siuco Scouting would then be superfluous.
Thcro nro, moveover, two serious objections to Scouting as an adjunct
to school education. Tho GrBt is that, owing to tho cost of uniform and
tho necessary equipment, Scouting favours tho sons of the well-to-do and
puts itself beyond tho reach of tho vory poor, which is, from an oducational
point of view, un odious stato of affairs ; and tho second is tho oaso with
which Scouting can bo twisted out of its intended course, or original
purpose, and inado to servo political or ovon more sinister onds. We have
all witnessed, during tho past ton or twolvo years, and notably in Germany
and Italy, tho sad eight of porfcctly harmless children’s organisations boing
turned into definitely military units. Something of tho sumo sort is going
on in at least ono of tho Arab states to-day. Thero may bo no danger of a
similar hind in Bahrain, but, generally speaking, tho less wo 600 of uniforms
in the schools, tho hotter, especially when uniforms arc quito unnecessary.

Although I do not hold vory strong views oil tho subject, I rather think
that it might bo a good thing to abolish scouting in Bahrain altogothor, and
to rely entirely upon oharacter-training and physioal drill. If your
Highness considers this to bo a good suggestion, I rocommond that tho
Inspector should bo instructed to introduce daily physical training iuto all
tho schools as soon as possible. Tho first twonty minutes or half-hour
ol each day’s routine should bo devoted to it, all the yoar round : but it is
of the utmost importance that physioal instruction should bo given only by
1
these who know how to toaoh it scientifically, for otherwise tho exercises
=8 will bo of little value. Tho Inspector should try to obtain for all his physi-
cul training teachers simple handbooks of iustruotion, of which .many are
to oc hud, in most languages.