forrest747

@SiouxRanger There is no one on this forum with the forum name “Just Ku Kluxin’ Around.”  Most here would call that the title of the thread for this topic.  
 

To enlighten your historical knowledge a bit, “Just Ku Kluxin’ Around” was the title of a recurring column in the Klan’s Houston newspaper (1910s-1920s) “Colonel Mayfield’s Weekly.”  The column reported on that week’s light-hearted, jovial Klan activities.  An historical reference in the historical sub-forum seems entirely appropriate, but feel free to take umbrage if that helps to advance your own interests.
 

Your description of “ruthless killers who feel empowered to kill the defenseless” perfectly describes a recent drone attack that killed the ENTIRE family of a U.N. worker in Afghanistan who brought home water bottles for his family.   BTW,  not done by the Ku Klux Klan.  That was done by the good old U. S. of A. who were “Just Ku Kluxin’ Around,” I guess.  

gpgurlee:

You got me curious.  Montclair's research mostly says that High Adventure programs have the most impact on character development.

Below is the link to the reports published to date by the Montclair University research study on the Boy Scouts.  "With funding from the Stephen D. Bechtel, Jr. Foundation, we are working with Boy Scouts of America to conduct research to better understand how scouting helps to build character. We are collaborating with a team at the National BSA office as well as American Institutes for Research (AIR) to develop a model of adult volunteer training and development as well as a model of character development in Boy Scouts youth members. The models will be validated by convening focus groups across the country and will be compared against the research literature. The team is also developing measures of adult and youth character development."

Follow the link to download any of the 17 reports to date.  I listed the reports after the link.  Each is only a few pages long.  Don't know if these are preliminary or final reports.

RYTE Institute - BSA BEST Study Reports

• BEST Study High Adventure Executive Summary — “ Exploring the Impact of High Adventure Activities”
• BEST Study High Adventure Full Report — “Exploring the Impact of High Adventure Activities”
• BEST Study One Pager Overall — “Using Research to Strengthen Adult Leadership in BSA”
• BEST Study Retention Findings Executive Summary — “Retention of Scouts Executive Summary”
• BEST Study Retention Findings Full Report — “Retention of Scouts”
• BSA BEST Study Research Question One: Preliminary Results Summary

July 2020

Data Use Meeting Reports:

•    2020 Data Use Meeting Survey Final — “ Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Youth and Adult Survey 2020 Data Use Meeting”
•     Data Use Adult Interviews Diversity Report “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion: Adult Interviews 2020 Data Use Meeting”
•     Data Use Observation Report — “Race, Equity and Inclusion: Observational Study”
•     Data Use Youth Interviews Diversity Report — “Race Equity and Inclusion” Youth Interviews 2020 Data Use Meeting”
•     BEST One Pager Fidelity — “Cultivating Adult Leadership in BSA”
•     BEST SM Training Fidelity Report — “Implementing the BSA Scoutmaster Training Model as Designed: A Fidelity Assessment”
•     Data Use General Training Packet — “BSA Trainings Overall”
•     Data Use Training Intro Packet — “BSA BEST Study Data Use Introduction”
•     Data Use Training IOLS Packet — “BSA BEST Study Data Use Introduction to Outdoor Leadership Skills”
•     Data Use Training SMST Packet — “BSA BEST Study Data Use Scoutmaster Specific Training Packet”
•     Data Use Training Wood Badge Packet — “BSA BEST Study Data Use Wood Badge”

I've done a lot of research on my Houston, TX scout troop.  In the 1910s and 1920s, troop meetings included 10-ft wall scaling, boxing and wrestling.  On the trip across the Atlantic for the 1929 World Jamboree, "... in boxing matches with the New Orleans scouts, (the Houston troop) won all honors."  Walt Hearn was a 1930s scout in my troop.  At our 70th Reunion, Walt read this poem that he wrote about his favorite game at troop meetings:  Roughneck.  Along with other super fun activities like wall scaling, boxing, wrestling and pool noodle fights, today's Scouts BSA would not allow Roughneck.   So here is Walt's poem, which is pretty good.

THE BALLAD OF RECKLESS YOUTH,  by Walt Hearn

Now that I’m grown,
And have kids of my own,
I seldom think of the days,
When I was a kid
Or the things that I did,
In my adolescent phase.

But two weeks ago,
I was watching a show,
On TV with my son who was five.
When something occurred
That memory stirred,
And those scenes all began to revive.

For a young astronaut,
With his features drawn taut,
Was forcefully pointing this out,
“For today’s space science,
You need self-reliance,
And you get it by being a scout.”

Now this fella John Glenn,
Is the noblest of men,
Looked up to by millions of youth
I haven’t orbited the earth
But whatever its worth,
I’ll clue you — he’s telling the truth.

Old veterans like me,
Would surely agree,
On the benefits, many and diverse
That our scouting provided
Though you might be misguided,
Since we represent the survivors.

Yes, I’m rather afraid,
That not all made the grade.
Back in nineteen, let’s see, thirty-seven.
Cause we played sort of rough
And you either got tough
Or you dropped out of scout Troop 11.

Roughneck was the name
Of our favorite game,
Which we played before the regular meetings.
We all had to play
Or else stay away,
So the smaller guys sure took some beatings.

We fought for that ball,
In that echoing hall,
Like a pack of ferocious young fools,
In a piling-on game
That was somewhat the same,
As wrestling without any rules.

We managed to repulse,
Interfering adults,
By posting a guard at the door.
Since after each scrap
There was usually one chap,
Who couldn’t get up off the floor.

And we thought it was wise
To shield from the eyes
Of our leaders, the damage we’d done,
So after we played
We’d render first aid,
Before fighting to settle who’d won.

The ball couldn’t be passed,
So us little guys who were fast,
Would grab it and race for our side.
We wished we’d been slower
When we hit that hard floor,
Though hardly a one of us cried.

Even under the pile,
Getting kicked all the while.
We figured we’d live through the slaughter.
But out by the dam
At the place where we swam,
We played the same game — underwater!

Part of the joy,
Of being a boy,
Is risking adventurous death,
No kind of disaster
Can fill that need faster
Than struggling and gasping for breath.

When you’re fighting for air,
You don’t really care
About things that might otherwise hurt you.
And you haven’t the time
To plot juvenile crime,
Which could be considered a virtue.

With an achievement or two,
Our self-confidence grew,
Climbing up from the tenderfoot rungs.
But a cowardly scout
Was soon weeded out,
And the ones with inadequate lungs.

So the system we had,
Wasn’t really half bad
And I hope for my own growing son,
That several years hence
He won’t have the good sense
To pass up such clean, wholesome fun.

Well, like the man said,
Our country’s ahead.
With our youth self-reliant and tough.
But it does make me think
With the world on the brink,
Is that kind of training enough?

So when you hear the scouts coming,
With fifing and drumming,
And not enough sense to be scared,
With scout banners unfurled
In this battered old world,
They’d sure better — Be Prepared!

====================================

Attached MP3 file is audio of Walt Hearn reading his poem at the 70th Reunion (9 minutes cause he tells a few stories, too.)

524360141_WaltHearnTroop1170thReunion.mp3

A copy of  a decoration that the sculptor, Dr. McKenzie, had previously seen on a Canadian Guide's axe?

Chief Scout Executive James E. West visited Houston in late January 1923.  The following quotes are from Jan 23-24, 1923 Houston Chronicle articles.  The Ku Klux Klan was very much in the national headlines.  While he does not explicitly mention the Klan,  I believe Mr. West's remarks which follow are directly aimed at the Klan.

"At this time when the spirit of intolerance apparently is gaining such headway in the social life of this great American government I think it would be appropriate for every big daily newspaper in the United States to carry the 12th Scout Law in big headlines so the world might occasionally read it and maybe profit by it."

"The basic law of scoutcraft is that the scout must be reverent to God; faithful in religion and tolerance toward the religious conviction of his fellow scout." 

"More than 90 percent of the Boy Scout troops in America can be traced to churches or to the leadership of the churches.  We have Catholic Boy Scout troops and we are proud of them.  We have Jewish troops and we are proud of them.  We take them all -- all religions and creeds -- and weld them into the melting pot of pure Americanism and build them into responsible American citizens."

I have done a bit more Internet sleuthing.  Here are what a few sites say about the beaver symbol. Perseverance is a common theme, as is industry.

1) A description of an 1830s British wax seal of a beaver says that beavers are symbolic of abundance, industry & perseverance.

2) "The beaver builds dams and dikes in the river with branches and mud. It is aware that the river's current is endless, and that in many cases the result of its work will be affected by the movement of water, dragging away the materials with which the beaver built its creation. But that does not stop the beaver from building. The beaver is, therefore, in a continuous duel against the river, a river that never stops, so it's easy to understand the symbolism that relates this animal to perseverance."

3) "This charming fellow is known for its incredible building skills, family care and perseverance."

4) "The beaver denotes industry, perseverance and determination. It was officially adopted as Canada’s national symbol in an Act passed by the Canadian Parliament in 1975 and is often found in arms granted to families connected in some way to Canada."

5) "The beaver was also hailed as a Canadian symbol because it is known for its industry, skill and perseverance – all traits noteworthy of emulation. "

6) "... represents industry and perseverance.

The 20 Dec 1931 issue of the Houston Chronicle, describes the award ceremony of the first two men in Houston to receive the Silver Beaver Award.  The article contains this sentence:  "Each was presented with a silver beaver, emblematic of perseverance."  The article has a photo of the parchment certificate.

As an aside, my search also revealed that Ferris Bueller's father was a Silver Beaver recipient.  At the 1 hr, 8 minute mark of the movie, he claims that there is a framed Silver Beaver certificate in the hallway.

The Ku Klux Klan was a staunch supporter of the Boy Scouts. In the 1920s, the Ku Klux Klan donated money to worthy causes like the Salvation Army, hospitals, churches, widows, needy families including those whose homes had burned down — and to the Boy Scouts.
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In 1921, the Ku Klux Klan, Sam Houston Chapter No. 1 donated a dining hall to Houston’s first boy scout camp, Camp Masterson.  For anonymity, the Klan sent a letter with $500 to the Gerner Lumber Company with instructions to build the dining hall, and afterward announce thru the press the total cost and a check would be sent to cover the entire amount.  Newspaper photo shows the entire camp contingent posing in front of their new dining hall.  Large sign on the new building says “ This Building Built and Presented to the Boy Scouts by the Ku Klux Klan.”  (Houston Post, Sept. 4, 1921)

https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth608948/m1/3/zoom/?q= date:1921-1921 "Ku Klux Klan"&resolution=4&lat=4937&lon=2028.5

===========
In February 1922, while on a hike, scouts of Port Arthur, TX were visited by a number of shrouded Klansmen and presented with a flag.  (Houston Post, Feb. 20, 1922)
==========
In March 1922, at a meeting to raise money for the boy scouts in Port Arthur, TX, the one hundred seventy-five attendees were surprised when eight robed and hooded Klansmen marched into the meeting and presented $100 to the the chairman.  The accompanying letter commended the work of the Boy Scouts. (Houston Post, March 5, 1922)
===========
In April 1922, the Wharton, TX scout troop received a letter with a donation of $34.68 from the Hamilton B. Dixon Ku Klux Klan No. 6, Realm of Texas by the exalted Cyclops.  (Houston Post, April 16, 1922)
==========
One night before the campfire at Houston’s Camp Masterson (1923?), the Klan appeared “... in white sheets and hoods.  Using the Scout sign for quietness, the men complimented the scouts on their good discipline, ... and wished them continued success.”  The Klansmen disappeared into the night, leaving behind gallons of ice cream.
(Sam Houston Scouts, page 33, by Minor Huffman. 1985)
==========
==========
I suppose this is interesting to me because the KKK's good turns presented here are in direct contrast to the Klan's other more well-known activities.  Also interesting are the various means used to ensure anonymous contributions.  I researched the available issues of Colonel Mayfield’s Weekly, Houston’s Ku Klux Klan newspaper — and could find no other mention of the Klan's support of the Boy Scouts.  

I post here in case anyone knows of other Boy Scout/Klan encounters.

Dr. McKenzie made the presentation address at the unveiling of the life size statue in front of Philadelphia Council headquarters, June 12, 1937, and related some of the early developments of the statue. The following is an excerpt from his remarks:

As the model was being completed, the Scout Executive, Horace P. Kern, observed that the axe handle was not quite in accord with the Scout axe and Dr. McKenzie scraped off some of the clay to adjust the shape of the handle. In doing so, he finished with a ball of clay. He used it to create a deer's hoof at the end of the axe handle, to copy a decoration on a Canadian Guide's axe he had seen. When told that it was not official, he called it artist's privilege.

(Source:  http://scouters.us/TheBoyScout.html)

... or just in Houston, TX.

My research has touched on Houston's early scout troops.  Many had nicknames:  Troop 2, "the Black Cats"; Troop 4, "the Eastwood Texas Rangers"; Troop 5 "the Bob White Troop"; Troop 8, "the Sharks"; Troop 10, "the Sycamores"; Troop 16, "Houston's Pride'; Troop 20, "the Indians'; Troop 24, "the Pirates".  The nicknames sort of made sense.  Troop 16 won the early Field Days. Troop 8 won the swim meets. Troop 24 was affiliated with a Sea Scout Ship, "the Jolly Roger." 

OK, fine.  But there was a practical reason for the nicknames because it took a Very Long Time for a troop to be assigned a number.  Since the troop had no number, they used a nickname instead.  Use of nicknames solved a very real problem for Houston's early scout troops.

Question:  For 1910s scout troops, were Troop nicknames common across the USA, or are early troop nicknames unique to Houston, TX?   

(Yes, I know that many troops today have nicknames.)

Skeptic,

My experience is very different.  My best sources were the newspapers.  Houston's COH newspaper articles give a complete listing of earned merit badges and scout ranks (two attached).  For Houston scout meetings, the troop scribes wrote up each week's meeting to be printed in the paper (one attached).  Very cool to know exactly what happened at my troop's meetings from 1914 to 1924. 

Never asked my local council for anything because they donated 45 linear feet of historical records to the Public Library Archives.  Most helpful were the Eagle scout records and the Annual Reports.  Council records were not especially accurate.  Council records state that Peg Melton became Houston's first Eagle scout in 1916; newspapers report that he earned his Eagle in 1918.  Council records report a particularly gruesome 1922 summer camp drowning; newspapers report this happened in 1925 -- for an entirely different scout.  For council records, trust but verify.

George E. Kepple owned the newspaper and helped bring boy scouting to Houston.  No wonder that Houston newspapers wrote so much about the boy scouts.  Everyone knows the country's population was moving from rural to city, and boys with "nothing to do" were a problem.  Rather than stand around to play mumblety-peg, the boy scouts gave boys a constructive outlet through service, do a good turn daily, respect for the flag, sell Liberty Bonds, remind people to vote, install Houston's first street signs, march in parades, etc.  Scouting activities in Houston got a lot of newspaper coverage because scouting kept boys out of trouble and helped serve the community.

Sounds like you are in a more rural area, where the newspapers did not give as much coverage to boy scout activities.  Many early newspapers have been digitized and can be searched online.  On occasion, I have found what I needed online by widening my search to include newspapers of nearby towns.  For the 1925 drowning referenced above, the online Houston newspaper archive ended at 1924, while the nearby town newspaper included 1925 and they ran the same story.   Do not limit yourself to newspapers.  Public libraries, and libraries at colleges and universities have collections that include "boy scout" items.   Search for "boy scouts," you'll get  a lot of hits.

From the Troop 11 History, Houston, Texas (1990), sponsored by First Presbyterian Church.

"OSCAR HIBLER BECOMES SCOUTMASTER
The troop committee recruited church member Oscar Hibler to become scoutmaster in January 1949.  Mr. Hibler had been ASM of Troop 16 at Sutton School. Troop 11 had been without a scoutmaster for three months.  When Mr. Hibler took over, Troop 11 had fifteen active scouts and two active visitors.  As Mr. Hibler recalls, the boys refused to wear uniforms and only wanted to play.  His strong emphasis on scouting principles caused many to leave.  Recruitment became a priority.  Recruiting from within the church, Mr. Hibler increased enrollment to 32 members (4 patrols). Mr. Hibler is still grateful to the national scout office for lowering the enrollment age to 11.  This really helped his recruitment efforts!  At first, the boys thought cooking to be too much work and brought junk food on camp-outs.  Mr. Hibler soon decided that each scout could bring along only six soft drinks per camp-out.  To test this new rule, young Robert Blaine brought along six quart bottles, not exactly what Mr. Hibler had intended."

The age limit changed in 1949.

No History Committee nor a council historian.  Minor Huffman's 1985 history is the only published book.

SHAC does not know what to do with the unsold copies of Minor Huffman's "Sam Houston Scouts."  I am told the extra copies sit in a closet somewhere.  I am surprised the SHAC History is not available in the Scout Store, which is right there in the SHAC Service Center, about 40 yards from that closet. 

Nelson Block is a Houston scouter.  For the last thirty years, Nelson has published the Journal of Scouting History, but that is for all scouting topics:  local, national and world scouting. 

Coming late to the party, but I will add the Scouting Histories that I know of.

1) http://www.westtexasscoutinghistory.net/

Original focus was on West Texas, but it has grown to include early scout troops from all over Texas.  Very good site, especially for those interested in "which Texas scout troop is the oldest...."  Lots of photos.

2) Jack Linn, "Sam Houston Area Council History," 1964, unpublished typewritten manuscript.  Texas Metropolitan Research Center (TMRC), Special Collection RGF-7.  The TMRC is also known as the Houston Public Library Archives.  Chapter called "In the Beginning" describes Houston's early scout troops, especially when each began.   Minor Huffman's SHAC History "Sam Houston Scouts" borrowed generously from Jack Linn's.  Linn relied on folks' memories, so not all of his information is accurate.