We may as well face the fact from the outset. The Patrol Period at the Troop meeting is often a rather artificial fixture, incense offered in the name of the Patrol Method.

The ever-present danger of this period on a Troop meeting program is that many Scoutmasters confuse it with the Patrol Method itself. They feel that this "sacrifice" suffices to make it possible for them to say, "Certainly we are using the Method."

This danger can only be offset by a definite realization of the fact that the Patrol Period at a Troop meeting is primarily meant to serve the purpose of providing a breathing space, during which each Patrol may gather with its leader for a check on plans, personnel and projects. If, for example, announcements have been made at the start of the meeting relative to a Troop hike or other Troop undertaking, the Patrol may plan during its period how it may gear itself into the general scheme. If volunteers have been called for a Troop service project, the Patrol may at this time prepare its list of boys to submit to the Scoutmaster. If stunts, contests or games have been planned for later periods of the meeting program, this is the time the Patrol will have its dress rehearsal or choose its representatives.

In other words, the Patrol Period is mostly motivated by the Troop meeting itself or by the leadership of the meeting, seldom by the Patrol's own intentions. And that is as it should be. At Troop meetings, Troop spirit, Troop discipline, Troop pride assert themselves, functioning into and influencing the Patrols. The important thing is that every effort should be made to have each Patrol fe^l that the sum of the Patrols' efforts makes the Troop meeting successful.

Purposes Of The Patrol Period

The Patrol Period serves diverse purposes in the various stages of a Troop's life.

In the early days, a slant entirely different from the one suggested above may be attached to the Patrol Period. The Scoutmaster may use it for a preliminary training ground for his Patrol Leaders in Patrol Leadership, in an effort to have a sound procedure established at the outset for individual home Patrol meetings. Using the suggestions for Patrol meetings in the Handbook for Patrol Leaders (Chapter V), a program can be developed in the Troop Leaders' Council which will be applicable to the Patrols. This program may be tested in full at a meeting of the Council whereupon the necessary time to put it across —45-60 minutes—will be set aside at the following Troop meeting for its application by the Patrols. The Scoutmaster will follow the procedure carefully and will be ready to make his suggestions—or friendly, constructive criticism—to the Patrol Leaders at the succeeding meeting of the Troop Leaders' Council— whereupon a schedule of individual Patrol meetings may be launched, with the Patrol Period at Troop meetings assuming its main purpose of serving the Patrol as an in-between-Patrol meetings check and occasion for fitting the Patrol in with the Troop's immediate undertakings.

Unless a definite line of items to be accomplished faces each Patrol at the Patrol Period, unless it is thoroughly motivated, it would be better to dispense with it altogether. To tell the Patrols, "Now go to your corners and do something!" will make the period a waste of time, and may possibly end up in rough-housing. On the other hand, with scheduled things to do, the Patrol Period may become one of the most profitable parts of the Troop meeting. The necessary thought to keep in mind is that, even at best, this Period is a part of the Troop meeting and therefore the Troops' life, rather than a part of the Patrol's.

Other Patrol Period Suggestions

1. Give the Patrols the project of developing a new yell—to be demonstrated later, the best to be used by the whole Troop under the leadership of the Patrol that invented it.

2. Have each Patrol make up a couple of new verses for the Troop's favorite stunt song—to be presented by the Patrol at the Camp Fire Period.

3. Have each Patrol run an elimination contest in knotting, signaling, fire by friction, Scout Quiz, talk fest or the like—the winners to enter as representatives for the Patrols in the Troop contest period, which follows immediately.

4. Prepare dramatization of assigned point of Scout Law, or of such subjects as "Washington crossing the Delaware," "Starting the old Model T Ford," etc. Or the development of a charade over familiar proverbs.

5. Make a suggested menu for the Troop's next outing, or sketch of route to be taken, schedule of suggested program for the day, lay-out of camp, to be presented later during the meeting.

6. Discussion of the Scout Law for the purpose of having each Patrol present a short speech: "Why our

Patrol considers the-point of the Scout Law of greatest importance."

7. Similar presentations on "The most important Scout Requirement (or Merit Badge)."

Games

A game period is a natural part of every Troop meeting. Games help to "blow off steam" and get rid of accumulated excess energy. But they have other values. Most games demand alertness and thus tend to develop quickness of reaction. Many provide physical exercise, fun, practice in Scout knowledge, development of the sense, comradeship, sportsmanship. Baden-Powell says: "The training of Boy Scouts is done mainly by means of games, practices and competitions such as interest them ..." But he adds, and this is an important point: "And at the same time bring into use the attributes of manliness and good citizenship which we desire to inculcate into them."

Games for fun and fellowship—yet with a definite purpose behind them—help the boy to grow in Scouting.

In other words: There must be a purpose even behind our games. To play games just for the sake of playing games is poor Scouting practice. Furthermore, games alone have very little holding power. Only an inexperienced Scouter will try to hold his Troop together by giving the boys "plenty of games." As the games grow stale, the leakage starts.

So let us not make the mistake of understanding the phrase "Scouting is a game" as "Scouting is games." Let us provide worthwhile games to play for fun and for practice, but let us realize at the same time that most of what we men may call "work" in Scouting, the boys consider "play."

As a general rule, let it be said that the games of the Troop meeting should not be the games the boys play in their playground. They should be "different" —if in no other way than by being provided with a "Scouty" flavor of rules and conditions slightly changed to fit the Patrol set-up of the Troop.

For games to play, see Chat 31,