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Chuck Bramlet writes:

> It appears from this that whomever stated (IIRC) that the uniform was
> not a method in the 1960s and earlier was in error. This comes from
> "The Handbook for Scoutmasters", subtitled "A Manual for Troop Leader-
> ship", Forth edition, (c) 1947, Eleventh Printing, 1957. Pg. 10. (From
> my father's collection.)

Chuck,

That was me, but it was the 1970s, not the 1960s! There is an outline of=
one
of my posts to Scouts-L on the History of the Methods (missing the cool
graphs) at:

http://compass.scouter.com/Scouting_History/BSA/default.asp

It was the Sixth Edition of the Scoutmaster=92s Handbook (1972) in which
the Uniform was removed from the list of *seven* Methods of Scouting and
relegated to the list of non-essential "Other Program Elements."

>IMHO, the program still subscribes to these principles almost exactly.

Maybe we can agree that the program sitll pays lip service to these=
principles.
The graph of William Hillcourt=92s that you reproduced is one of my=
favorites in
Scouting. Note that the *first* Method of Scouting was "The Scout Way,"=
which
stated that Scouting is a "A GAME, NOT a Science." Compare that to the
nonsense in Scoutmastership Fundamentals where the anonymous author
misquotes Baden-Powell and then proceeds to turn the misquote into some=
kind
of scientific theorem:

"Scouting is a Game with a Purpose."

FUN is the GAME.
VALUES are the PURPOSE.
LEARNING is the PROCESS.

This, I believe, completely distracts the participants from the central,=
most
important point, thus spawning a brood of mean-spirited moralizing mutants,
all too willing to sacrifice the Methods of Scouting to the Purpose of=
Scouting.
The Fourth Edition still made the distinction that our purpose is an adult=
matter,
and that to the boys the important thing is the *game* "A boy becomes a=
Scout
for the sheer joy there is in it" (page 12).

This Edition was also the last to retain Baden-Powell and William=
Hillcourt=92s
use of capitalization for terms such as Uniform, Troop, Patrol, Patrol=
Leader, Etc.
The Fifth Edition retained much of the same information, but some anonymous=

copyeditor removed Hillcourt=92s name, as well as his cool use of=
capitalization.
The title of Senior Patrol Leader (supposedly in charge of the "boy-run"=
Troop)
became "senior patrol leader," while the adult title of "Scoutmaster"=
retained its
capitalization.

This Edition is well-worth reading cover to cover. Every page has=
something
useful on it. Note "Tool Three" in the Scoutmaster=92s "Tool Chest," which=
is
*Patrol Leaders=92* Training (as opposed to "Junior Leader" Training).=
This
was a sixth month course which trained Patrol Leaders how to actually run a=

Patrol! Of course this was before William Hillcourt=92s Scoutmaster=92s=
Handbook
was dumbed down to that blue thing we have today, and Green Bar Bill=92s=
Patrol
Leader=92s Handbook is one the things that we *don=92t* have today.

Yours in Scouting,

Rick Seymour
Beaver, NE III - 137

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