Page:Scouting for girls, adapted from Girl guiding.djvu/263

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PATROL SYSTEM FOR SCOUTS
249

Character

In any case sense of honour, truth, self-control, fairness, discipline, responsibility and good humour have been too little inculcated among girls in the past, and this important omission we endeavour to make good in the practices and activities of the Scout work adapted to the psychology changes as they come.

The Patrol System for Scouts

I remember when we first started the Boy Scout and Girl Scout Movements in England, I received some valuable advice from a prominent business man with regard to organising the Head-quarters Office.

He told me that women were far the best clerks to employ in preference to men, but he said the pity of it was that they only rose to a certain height in their work and they could not be made managers of departments because they could not take responsibility.

War conditions have since shown that if he meant this as a rule he was wrong. Women have risen splendidly to the occasion, and in very many cases have shown themselves perfectly qualified to take higher duties upon themselves.

At the same time there is no doubt that if more of them were prepared for it early in life, many more of them would be so employed in ordinary times of peace.

In the Girl Scout Movement, as in the Boy Scouts, we also have the small unit—the Patrol—commanded by its own girl Leader.

This in the first place conduces to the Patrol Spirit