first, though you will as often as not find them outweighed by unexpected successes. You must from the first " Be Prepared " for the prevailing want of concentration of mind on the part of boys, and if you then frame your teaching accordingly, I think you will have very few disappointments. Do not expect boys to pay great attention to any one subject for very long until you have educated them to do so. You must meet them halfway, and not give them too long a dose of one drink. A short, pleasing sip of one kind, and then off to another, gradually lengthening the sips till they become steady draughts. Thus a formal lecture on the subject which you want to practise very soon palls on them, their thoughts begin to wander, and they get bored because they have not learnt the art of switching their mind where they want it to be, and holding it there. This making the mind amenable to the will is one of the important inner points in our training. For this reason it is well to think out beforehand each day what you want to say on your subject, and then bring it out a bit at a time as opportunity offers — at the camp-fire, or in intervals of play and practice, not in one long set address. You will find the lectures in the Handbook broken up into sections for this purpose. Frequent practical demonstrations and practices should be sandwiched in between the sections of the lectures to hold the attention of the boys and to drive home your theory.
THE IMPORTANCE OF A CLUBROOM
Half the battle is to get a room lent for certain nights in the week, or hired as a club for the scouts, even if they only consist of a patrol in the village. It must be well lit and well ventilated to prevent depression and boredom. Pictures of incidents (not landscapes or old portraits) help to make attraction. A bright fire in winter. Interesting illustrated books and magazines.
