Privileges Of A Patrol Leader

By giving the Patrol Leaders and Seconds special privileges, one is able to make it easier for them to assert their authority over their Patrols.
The Chief Scout has sometimes compared the position of a Leader to that of a school prefect. If the comparison were carried at all far, one cannot help thinking that the Leader would get the best of it, but the special point of comparison is that in giving privileges one is conferring authority.
We have already spoken of the privilege of attending the Court of Honor, of having special access to the Scoutmaster, of possessing a special library, and of exercising unquestioned leadership in all matters of work and administration. It may now be helpful to mention one or two other methods of developing the position of the Leaders and Seconds.
Where the Scoutmaster can give the time, it is an admirable thing to have an evening on which the Leaders and Seconds should receive special instruction. Such an evening might be once a week, once a month, or even once a quarter. Two or more Troops can often combine for this purpose. On one occasion somebody may give a lecture on Map Drawing and Surveying, on another a first-rate Ambulance man may be the speaker, and on another a Royal Engineer may give instruction in Bridge Building. There is no limit to the number of useful and instructive talks which may be given to Leaders in this way, and afterwards be passed on by them to their Patrols.
A further development of this idea is carried out in some of the larger Associations in the towns. For instance, many of the Associations in London (usually comprising between ten and twenty Troops) bold quarterly meetings of their Leaders and Seconds. The average attendance is about fifty boys, and addresses are given by the Patrol Leaders themselves on subjects of special interest in Patrol work. These addresses are followed by questions and animated discussion. A Commissioner or Scoutmaster usually takes the chair, but a Patrol Leader, who is secretary, reads out the minutes and sends out notices of the meetings. (These notices are addressed to the secretaries of the Courts of Honor of the various Troops concerned.) In well-organized Troops of some years' standing it is often found a good thing to run a special week-end camp for Leaders and Seconds. Much useful instruction can be given in this way.