As soon as a sufficient number of boys (at least eight above the age of twelve) have qualified as Tenderfoot Scouts, the Troop should be registered and a Troop Charter applied for.

"Seize the Bacon" is a game that is always fun. A very brief explanation will prepare any group to play it.

Registration Essential

Until the Troop is duly registered and its leaders commissioned by the Boy Scouts of America, it is not a Scout Troop. Indeed, according to the Federal Charter given by Congress to the Movement in 1916 and the Constitution thereby provided, a boy is not a Scout, can purchase or wear no Uniform or Insignia until he is registered (through the Local Council) at the National Office.

Why The Registration?

In the earliest days of Scouting in the United States, no Registration System was in effect. Reports of the Movement's progress were based on estimates. Any boy in anything that looked like a Scout Uniform could claim himself a Scout and set out on expeditions which were often damaging to the good repute of Scouting.

It was soon found that if Scouting were to prosper as a character building Movement, it had to talk facts and not estimates, it had to safeguard itself against interlopers making use of its name to its detriment.

The Registration System came into being. This has made possible business-like organization and administration by definitely establishing who is a member and how many are members of the Boy Scouts of America, not only in each Troop, but in each city and state, as well as the nation as a whole. It has made possible the protection of the Uniform and Badges of the Movement by making certain that only duly registered members can secure them. It has put into practice one of the principles of Scouting-that a Scout is self-reliant-by giving each member an opportunity to share in the operation and administration costs of his own organization, which in turn makes possible the upholding of the standards of Scouting, the service of the National Office to every Troop and every Council in the country and the extension of Scouting to boys not yet Scouts.

Charter And Certificates

To make this connection between the Troop and the National Organization tangible there is issued annually to the Troop Committee, or to the institution it represents, a charter authorizing it to conduct a Scout Troop; there is granted to the Scoutmaster and to each Assistant Scoutmaster, a commission authorizing him to perform the functions of his position; and there is given to each boy a certificate of membership, entitling him to all the privileges of membership in the Boy Scouts of America.

These privileges, in order to make Scouting and all that it stands for real and vital to the boy, are made very definite. They include the right to wear the Scout Uniform and the Scout Badge, the right to designate himself as a Boy Scout, the right to a credit concession on the subscription price of "BOYS' LIFE," the official Scout magazine, and the right to earn various awards for achievement in Scouting activities - privileges which are open to none but registered members of the Boy Scouts of America.

Application For Troop Charter

The application for Troop Charter is transmitted through the Local Council to the National Council. The form used (Form 690) provides for the following sections to be filled out:

(a) Formal application of the institution or group of citizens for a charter to maintain a Troop of Scouts. This must be signed by the executive officer or chairman of the institution or group.

(b) ACTUAL signatures of each member of the Troop Committee, indicating readiness to meet the responsibilities of their office and recommending their Scoutmaster and Assistant Scoutmaster. Ages and citizenship data must be included.

(c) ACTUAL signatures of Scouters applying for commissions-the Scoutmaster and possible Assistant Scoutmasters. Also ages and citizenship data.

(d) Alphabetical list of at least eight boys, showing that they meet the age and Scout rank requirements. If the list contains the name of a Scout transferring from another Troop, a transfer blank (Form 502A), signed by the Scoutmasters of both Troops concerned, must be sent with the application blank.

Fees

The share which each boy and man pays toward the administration and growth of our Movement through the Registration System amounts to 50 cents yearly for a Scout, $1.00 yearly for a Scouter.

Since the minimum number of members with which a Troop may be registered is three Committeemen, a Scoutmaster and eight Scouts, the minimum fee for the registration of a Troop is $8.00-namely 4 Scouters at $1.00 ($4.00) and 8 Scouts at $.50 ($4.00). For each additional Scouter such as Troop Committeeman or Assistant Scoutmaster, $1.00 each is to be added; for each additional Scout, 50 cents. These FEES MUST ACCOMPANY THE APPLICATION, and checks for registration fees be made payable to BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. The fees are sent with the Application to the Local Council office, which forwards them to the National Office.

Submitting The Application

All difficulty regarding the "Application for Troop Charter" will be eliminated if the blank (Form 690) is promptly and completely filled out, and forwarded through the Local Council office.

Every question on the application blank has been asked for a definite purpose. The blank should therefore be filled out accurately, after a careful study of the information attached, every signature should be secured, and the required fee computed and transmitted.

If this is done, immediate action can be taken on the application, and the charter can normally be forwarded the day the blank is received at the National Office, or the following day at the latest. Otherwise, weeks or even months of delay may ensue, with much correspondence, expensive and annoying to all concerned, and the morale of the Troop may be seriously injured through disappointment to the boys in not receiving their certificates promptly. Do not subject your boys to this lowering of their morale.

The Tenderfoot Badge tells the world he's a Scout. His threefold card gives him the right to buy his Official Uniform.

The Troop's First Hike

The time between the mailing of the charter application and the installation meeting is an appropriate one for the Troop's first hike.

Make it only a day trip to some nearby point of interest with the object of starting the practice of advanced Scoutcraft-fire building, cooking, tracking and the like. For numerous suggestions, see Chat cn Hiking in Volume II.

Preparation and Program are two essentials for the success of the hike. See to it that the boys know what to bring, how to carry it, what to wear, as well as the time for starting, meeting place, distance, car fare, and the time for arriving home. Unless you make an early morning start the boys will probably reach the camping place hungry. Therefore let things happen in this order:

1. Assign cooking places by Patrols, and clear them off.

2. Have boys gather and cut wood, by Patrols.

3. Demonstrate how to lay a fire and arrange cooking materials.

4. Let the boys "go to it" on their Patrol sites. Have them light their fires and cook their first Scout meal. There's a thrill for everyone!

The afternoon's program should consist of Scouting activities-games requiring skill which can be played only out-of-doors. (See Index: Games.)

The possibilities of real Scouting while on a hike are great. Make the best use of your possibilities. Be on the look-out for and encourage all talent which "blossoms" in the open. Some boys are specially suited to outdoor life and you'll be pleasantly surprised at some of the things the boys already know. Games such as Hare and Hounds, Flag Raiding, or Stalking, the study of nature in its true element, the practice of the use of the knife are all good hike activities.

If possible, make part of your hike home across country for the adventure of exploration.