Re: Neckerchief Sizes and that Ugly Collar
Rick Seymour (rick@SCOUTER.NET)
Mon, 11 Jan 1999 18:17:39 -0500
On Sun, 10 Jan 1999 GMarmet@AOL.COM wrote:
>> For years I wore the neckerchief under the open collar. But in
recent years I
>> have become very interested in traditional Scouting appearances
and in
>> displaying the neckerchiefs. The only proper way to do that is
over the
>> turned under collar. It is the Baden-Powell look.
Dave Rockabrand wrote:
> I have found the older styles attractive too but looking at the
> old photos it seems that the neckerchiefs were larger or have
more
> material in them. Is this true and if so how big were they? The
Cub
> Scout Leader neckerchief I got at CSLWB looks so small on me, if
it
> was twice as big it would look much better.
The traditional Neckerchief size that you are looking for is 32" X
32". This is the size that produces the look that Baden-Powell
intended. It is the style that you see in Norman Rockwell
paintings.
Your Troop can make its own Baden-Powell-style Neckerchiefs. We
buy our material by the bolt at wholesale prices and it ends up
costing us less than $3 per Scout. You can also have an inverted
triangular Troop patch made up to be sewn on the back, but it is
not necessary. The early neckerchiefs did not have printing or
patches on them. In our Troop Junior Leaders can sew on a JLT
patch if they want.
> So I have taken to wearing the collar out,
> with Wood Badge (and my Silver Beaver, if I am wearing it) under
my collar and
> the neckerchief on top of it [....] I know it is wrong. I do
point out, if such practice
> could be defensible, that it seems to be the practice of other
country's Scouts
> to wear the neckerchief just that way.
Wood Badge tends to make good Scouters feel guilty for being more
loyal to the intentions of Baden-Powell than to the whims of
corporate executives who would be far happier designing Happy
Meals. Baden-Powell designed the Neckerchief to protect the neck
from sunburn. More important than this intended function was B-P's
eye as an artist. The classic profile of the Scout Neckerchief
over a V-Neck or appropriate small collar is still worn with pride
in countries that honor our Founder by following his design. 32" X
32" remains the official Gilwell size and you can order from them.
But in the United States we have Texas.
In the late 1970's someone in a florescent lit, air-conditioned
cubical decided that Scouting would be more popular with boys if a
famous dress-designer was allowed to express his creativity with
our Uniform. The result was similar to what happens to a nice
Victorian neighborhood when a BSA Scouting professional moves in.
He at once decides to modernize the classic exterior of his house
so that it looks more like Irving, Texas :-/
Boys and real men may have hated this new Uniform, but women
flocked to Scout stores in droves to pick up an original Oscar De
Laurento creation! The rugged and useful Neckerchief of
Baden-Powell had become a dainty little under-the-collar
fashion-accessary and National turned its creative talents to
designing Scout Pants that no self-respecting Scout would ever
wear.
I can't advise anyone about how best to wear their ugly,
over-sized, 1970's-style collar. Somehow all of mine got lost in
the wash and exist somewhere in a parallel universe with all of my
lost socks.
Yours in Traditional Scouting,
Rick Seymour
Buffalo, NY
I used to be a Beaver, but I discovered Baden-Powell
