Lancashire Evening Post 31 August 1931:
SMALL LEAGUE OF NATIONS
SCOUT MOVEMENT’S INFLUENCE ON WORLD PEACE
Presiding, on Saturday, at the opening of a garden party in the Vicarage grounds of Lancaster Parish Church, organised to raise funds to build a new hut for the 12th Lancaster Boy Scouts (St. George’s Mission), Mr. T. W. Helme J.P., C.C. (Commissioner for the South Lonsdale district of Scouts), said he was a strong believer in the Scout movement, because it was one of the finest forces in the country, giving boys something to occupy their minds and time, as well as developing their intelligence and keeping them out of trouble, which they might get into if they were idle in their spare time.
The Scout movement was world-wide, and it had been estimated that the membership was in the neighbourhood of 2,000,000. There was a great international significance about Scouting, and if they developed a friendly feeling amongst representative Scouts of all the countries then it would have a wonderful influence on the peace of the world, and become a small League of Nations in itself.
Mrs. Pollard (wife of the Vicar of Lancaster), performing the opening ceremony, said she did not think they realised to the full what was the value of the Boy Scout and Girl Guide movements in moulding the character of the youth of the country. At this time when the country was going through a black hour the word “patriotism” should awaken a response in every heart, and the more Boy Scouts and Girl Guides they could organise so much safe and better
would their country be in the future. When the history of their time came to be she felt sure that the Scouting Movement would be given a very high place, and their Chief Scout would be mentioned as one of the heroes of his time.
Mr. E. Line (Scoutmaster of the St. George’s troop) said when the Boy Scouts of that section got their own Scouts’ hut they could pursue their activities more conveniently than in the present accommodation at their disposal.
