Saltus Grammar School - Yearbook (Hamilton, Bermuda)

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13 ing, especially for the smaller boys. The camp is always made most com- fortable, and beneficial for all boys, and I would like to take this oppor- tunity of asking the parents of all boys, who are members of the Corps, to allow their boys to come to camp. When we have left camp, drills are again commenced in the first week of the Christmas Term. They are held every Wednesday, on the School grounds at 2.30 p.m. The training for the year consists of marching, platoon formations, war formations and all the general work, such as turning, forming fours, etc. Promotion generally takes place during camp. The Commanding Officer of the Bermuda Cadet Corps now is Major Murdoch, who is liked by all the boys very much. The present instructor is Sergeant Major Price, just recently come out from the depot in England. R. L. Browne, Form VI. Sgt. of S.G.S. Platoon. Scout Notes Last year in September, the whole Scout Troop of Bermuda was re- organized. Instead of having outside troops, each school was to organize its own, each troop to choose its own colours and uniform. Mr. Loyns, who had previously been in charge of a troop in England, was given charge of ours. Under his command we managed to get three full patrols. Patrol leaders were chosen by vote, and they were allowed to pick their own seconds. At first we had to use the Trinity Hall for our meetings. This hall proved an excellent meeting room, being a large room without any uprights or posts of any sort to obstruct our games or drills. When the school is properly settled, we shall have a hall of our own, and then a keener interest will be taken in Scout work. With four Patrol-leaders chosen, we then picked the members for each patrol. Names were chosen and then came the difficult problem of deciding the senior patrol. Mr. Loyns suggested a tournament lasting the first three months. The Hawks won it by a close margin, and are the seniors for this year. Mottos were chosen, the Bulldogs, under P.L. K. N. Doe, have We hold on. The Eagles have We fly high, their P.L. being E. H. Young. The Hawks have We take all, their P.L. being Ferguson. When the H.M.S. Danae was in port, we received an invitation to visit her with the rest of the Scouts and Guides. The invitation was eagerly accepted, and the Troop turned out in uniforms of khaki. On Board we were shown all the points of interest from stern to bow, and from the deck to the top of the bridge. All the technical points about the guns and tor- pedo firers, were ably explained by the officers. A delicious tea was served and then we left for shore. This summer we hope to have a camp and here we feel confident that many merit badge tests will be taken and passed. R. L. Ferguson, Sen. P.L.

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12 The Bermuda Cadet Corps The Bermuda Cadet Corps sprang from an organization which was started by Mr. Waddington, the first headmaster of the Saltus Grammar School, in 1898. This corps was known as the Saltus Grammar School Cadet Corps, and was the first of its kind in the island. The first instructor was Sergeant Major Bellmore. In 1905 the Bermuda Government made a grant for this Corps, so that other schools might also join it. The Corps was then affiliated to the Ber- muda Volunteer Rifle Corps, and remained so until 1931. Two years ago, the Cadet Corps in England was dissociated from Government control, by the Labour Government. But with the new Gov- ernment, it has been re-established by the War Ofifice, and is governed by the National Cadet Association. In 1931 Bermuda Headquarters sent in an application for the Bermuda Cadet Corps to be affiliated to the National Cadet Corps, and in July of the same year, papers were received affiliating us with them. The Corps was at its best about 7 years ago, when the cadets were practically all the same size, but since then it has gradually become weaker and weaker. Today it consists of a large majority of small boys. The Cadet year is from July to June. A camp, extending over a period of 7 days, is held every year, during the first week of July. The camps are generally quite successful, except for one or two years when the food was very poor; last year, I am glad to say, was excellent. The routine for the day is as follows: — Reveille at 6.00 a.m. Bathing parade at 6.30 a.m. Breakfast at 8.00 a.m. 1st Drill at 9.00 a.m., lasting until 9.50 a.m. 2nd Drill at 10 a.m., lasting until 10.50 a.m. 3rd Drill at 11.00 a.m., lasting until 11.50 a.m. Dinner parade at 12.00 noon. After dinner there is either a lecture or sports. Bathing parade again at 5 p.m. Supper at 6.00 p.m. Guard Mounting at 6.30 p.m. After this there is always either physical training or boxing, Last Post is sounded at 9.00 p.m. and Lights Out at 9.30 p.m. Among the sports held at camp are cricket, swimming, shooting. The track sports, which take place on the Thursday, are always upheld with the greatest enthusiasm. There is also an entertainment evening, generally organized for the 6th or 7th evening of camp. Church parade is always held. For the last two years it has been held in camp in the afternoon; but before that, the boys had to march as far as St. Mary ' s Church in Warwick; but this was found to be too exhaust-

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14 CONCERNING A NI W DEVELOPMENT In an age in which specialists govern much of our thought and work, there are still certain matters which tl)e average modest human reserves for his own special consideration. Rarely does a man argue with a loco- motive driver, seldom will he reject the advice of a tried physician or lawyer, but he is rarely without clear viev s upon the best way of educating his children. The pedagogue is allowed a certain competence, but he is notori- ously conservative and cannot be expected to know the child so well as the parent does. Moreover schools have so often aimed at so little, however essential that little may be; knowledge of the 3 R ' s and a smattering of grammar and wider subjects is a useful modicum of learning, but what about those long out-of-school hours and the whole process which we may con- viently call character building? Those hoary institutions the boarding or public schools offer a solution, the parent is eased of a load of responsibility and the pedagogue takes charge. Perhaps it is unfair to see in the products, some of the uni- formity and consequent defects of this method of mass production. In any case many parents feel that the lack of home influences during long periods of a boy ' s life is a definite loss and schoolmasters have evolved some sort of compromise. Day secondary schools have developed in organisation and scope, for certain useful features of boarding-school life have been adapted to their needs. The house-system, delegation of power and duties to prefects, a stress upon games and athletics — all foster a corporate spirit and a feeling of individual responsibility in the actual school life. More practical sub- jects such as handicrafts and commercial courses have invaded the already over-burdened curriculum. But perhaps most important of all these developments, is the growing interest in and consideration for out-of- school activities, — debating societies, a school magazine, dramatics. Scouting and other activities of undoubted educational value, to occupy part of the boy ' s out-of-school or leisure time. A boy ' s leisure is not so much time to be wasted and the problem of filling it with enjoyable yet useful recreation is difficult. All can appreciate the wide educational value of organised games of any sort, play-acting too and the imitation of the old heroes of history and legend have a natural appeal to the boy which hides the real education by example. If we bear these two factors in mind we get some conception of the ethical purpose and the practical method which justify Scouting as an educational move- ment. Baden-Powell founded the Boy Scouts because of his conviction that the race was deteriorating; comparative ease and security and the decline of personal skill and effort in a machine age, were destroying the virile individualism of the old race. The schools did not seem to be making great efforts to combat this evil but numerous other youth movements saw the danger and each in its sphere, was fighting the menace. Scouting was