BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA 51 a citizen must be prepared to take his fair share among his fel- lows in the defence of the homeland against aggression in re- turn for the safety and freedom enjoyed by him as an inhabitant. He who leaves this duty to others to do for him is neither playing a plucky nor a fair part. I have never met a man who has seen war in a civilized country who remained a so-called anti-militarist. He knows too well the awful and cruel results of war, and until nations have agreed to disarm he will not invite aggression or leave his country at the mercy of an enemy by neglecting its defence. You might just as well abolish the police in order to do away with crime before you have educated the masses not to steal.
DRILL
I am continually being asked by officers — not by the boys — to introduce more drill into the training of Boy Scouts; but al- though, after experience of thirty-four years of it, I recognize the disciplinary value of drill; I also see very clearly its evils. Briefly they are these : — (i) Drill gives a feeble, unimaginative officer a something with which to occupy his boys. He does not consider whether it appeals to them or really does them good. It saves him a world of trouble. (2) Drill tends to destroy individuality, and when once it has been learnt it bores a boy who is longing to be tearing about on some enterprise or other; it blunts his keenness.
RELIGION
An organization of this kind would fail in its object if it did not bring its members to a knowledge of religion — but the usual fault in such cases is the manner in which this is done. If it were treated more as a matter of everyday life and quite un- sectarian it would not lose its dignity and it would gain a hold. The definition of religious observance is purposely left vague in this Handbook in order to give a free hand to organizations and
