Lord Baden-Powell: what a merchant banker!!

Hairy Homer

Yesterday's Mirror had a story about the latest edition of Lord Baden-Powell's seminal (if that is the mot juste) work 'Scouting for Boys' which will be republished next week, almost 100 years after it first came out.

Restored to the text, apparently, will be some passages on 'beastly frightfulness' which were originally scripted by the Good Lord, who founded the Boy Scout movement, but were expunged from the Edwardian editions on the grounds of poor taste.

Some examples:

'You all know what it is to have at times a pleasant feeling in your private parts, and there comes an inclination to work it up with your hand or otherwise. Well, lots of fellows, from not knowing any better, please themselves in this way until it often becomes a sort of habit with them which they cannot get out of.

'The practice is called self abuse and the result is that the boy after time becomes weak and nervous and shy. He gets headaches and probably palpitation of the heart, and if he still carries it on too far he very often goes out of his mind and becomes an idiot.'

Isn't that what they say about Ecstasy today? Thing is, they could be right, but unfortunately because of this old buffer and his rantings about the hand shandy it's no surprise that today's youthful generation are as unconvinced by these arguments as our grandparents and great grandparents were about the perils of a discreet Joddrell.

And there's more:
'The use of your private parts is not to play with when you are a boy but to enable you to get children when you are grown-up and married. But if you misuse them while young, you will not be able to use them when you are a man.
'Remember too that several diseases come from indulgence—one especially that rots away the inside of men's mouths, their noses and eyes.'

The words Yeah and Right spring to mind.

Didn't the 'Biscuit Game' originate at Boy Scout jamborees?

Beruthiel

not the place for this HH
off to Humanities with you!
B

Atreides

A friend was telling me of the fondness for teabagging nowadays in the boyscouts, as a form of punishment, and no I'm not making this **** up.

patch

Originally posted by Skanger
A friend was telling me of the fondness for teabagging nowadays in the boyscouts, as a form of punishment, and no I'm not making this **** up.

If you think about that, you'll probably realise that there are safer ways of punishing people than putting your sack between their teeth. So it most likely was made up.

Walter Ego

Sheeet. I didn't even know what teabagging was! I thought fiddling with my woggle was bad enough!

dr_manhattan

I'm gonna just laugh at the teabgging thing, that's hilarious and very dubious IMHO. I'm picturing Russ Meyer or Roger Corman as a scout leader now... heh.

Can I ask, skanger, how your friend has heard about this? And what construes a 'fondness'...? just curious....

Very good point though as regards "educational messages": back then, the words of tradition and your elders were what was respected, so they made up ridiculous maladies that would happen when you went against this sacred word. Now that science is more respected, they make up scientific reasons why things are bad for you...

For example, connecting cannabis with psychosis: I'm sure there are connections there allright, but constantly saying that "many people who smoke cannabis develop psychosis" makes me immediately ask for the statistics for those who drink alcohol and develop psychosis.

And given that, in my experience, anyone under 16 who tries cannabis has almost certainly tried alcohol as well, it makes the statistics seem very hollow indeed... and makes the whole thing sound like "listen, just don't smoke dope, allright? We know it's bad for you. And yes, booze is bad for you too, but it's legal, so shut up"

But those quotes were great: that "malady" sounds like a description of advanced syphillis to me, no? Which is what you get from NOT relying on hand shandies, hahahaha.

Atreides

Friend is actually a member of the ventures(teenage/adult boy scouts), says its common enough, I didn't push him on exact details. This is internal scouts doing it, its not like its done by scout leaders or anything.

Specky

Yeah...I've met a fair number of venture scouts and I'd have to say (not trying to tar everyone with the same brush...I never did get my tar-ing with the same bruch badge...) they do seem to be a somewhat unique bunch of individuals.

Main enjoyment seems to be leading a pack of youngsters off on country jaunts so that you can leave them in their tents to "teabag" each other while you head off down the pub with the other venture boys...

I have absolutely no objection to heading off down the pub but can't really understand the requirement for a pack of small boys, tents, brown shorts or woggles.

Dib Dib Dob

Moriarty

From what I've heard you're rather partial to a bit of a woggle.

Specky

oooo Matron!!