The churches, I mean - sponsors of numerous Scout Groups.
And especially the Church of England and the Church in Wales, sponsors of numerous Scout Groups even in heavily Catholic and/or Nonconformist parts of the country.
Evangelical, Anglo-Catholic or just old-school parishes and clergy, what chance have you of influencing the Sex Education curriculum at a county school, or even at a church secondary school on the Governing Body of which you sit with half a dozen staunchly liberal neighbours? But Scout Groups are at parochial level.
They should never have let girls into the Scouts, of course. There was none of that in my day, and I cannot for the life of me see why it was ever done.
Comments pointing out that the motto of the Girl Guides in "Lend A Hand" will not be put up.
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In 'Scouting for Boys' Baden-Powell advised those who felt sexual urges to "wash your parts in cold water and cool them down".
ReplyDeleteIn a later book, 'Rovering to Success', he wrote that young men should not indulge their "primitive sexual urges", but should put their energies into hiking and the enjoyment of out-of-door manly activities rather than "aimless loafing and smutty talks".
Wise words.
ReplyDeleteNo, they'll have no chance whatsoever. Since the 1960s every single decision taken by the Scout Assocition corporately has been enforced right down to the lowest level. If Catholic Scout Masters refuse to show their boys how to put on condoms then they'll be ostracised and legal proceedings to have them removed from the Associations lists will proceed.
ReplyDeleteI'm not talking about Catholics.
ReplyDeleteAnd it was a long time after the Sixties before things like this perculated down to the likes of village Scout Troops. You are thinking of the Eighties.
Sorry, my mistake! But why leave Roman Catholics off your list (which included Anglo-Catholics and Evangelicals)?
ReplyDeleteNo, I was thinking of the 1960s, when Scouting on the Baden-Powell model was abolished and replaced with something altogether different.
It was the Eighties when these things made their way into village halls.
ReplyDeleteThere are very few Catholic-sponsored Scout Groups in this country. There are any number of Anglican-sponsored ones.
They certainly did not. The last edition of Scouting for Boys was published in the 1960s. Since then, "Scouting" has been what the Scout Association says it is, and nothing else.
ReplyDeleteBut now it need not be.
ReplyDelete