6 The Book of Woodcraft 



which Wild Animal Photography is an important branch; 

 but above all, Heroism. 



Over three hundred deeds or exploits are recognized in 

 these various departments, and the members are given 

 decorations that show what they achieved 



(6) Honors by Standards. The competitive principle is 

 responsible for much that is evil. We see it rampant in 

 our colleges to-day, where every effort is made to discover 

 and develop a champion, while the great body of students is 

 neglected. That is, the ones who are in need of physical 

 development do not get it, and those who do not need it are 

 over-developed. The result is much unsoundness of many 

 kinds. A great deal of this would be avoided if we strove to 

 bring all the individuals up to a certain standard. In our 

 non-competitive tests the enemies are noV the other fellows," 

 but time and space, the forces of Nature. We try not to 

 down the others, but to raise ourselves. A thorough appli- 

 cation of this principle would end many of the evils now 

 demoralizing college athletics. Therefore, all our honors 

 are bestowed according to world-wide standards. (Prizes 

 are not honors.) 



(7) Personal Decoration for Personal Achievements. 

 The love of glory is the strongest motive in a savage. Civil- 

 ized man is supposed to find in high principle his master 

 impulse. But those who believe that the men of our race, 

 not to mention boys, are civilized in this highest sense, 

 would be greatly surprised if confronted with figures. 

 Nevertheless, a human weakness may be good material to 

 work with. I face the facts as they are. All have a chance 

 for glory through the standards, and we blazon it forth in 

 personal decorations that all can see, have, and desire. 



(8) A Heroic Ideal. The boy from ten to fifteen, like the 

 savage, is purely physical in his ideals. I do not know that 

 I ever met a boy that would not rather be John L. Sullivan 



