stars. He needs to place
himself where nature can speak to him. He ought to get close to the soil.
He ought to be toughened by sun and wind, rain and cold. Nothing can take
the place, for the boy, of stout physique, robust health, good blood, firm
muscles, sound nerves, for these are the conditions of character and
efficiency. The early teens are the most important years for the boy
physically... Through the ages of thirteen and fifteen the more he can be
in the open, free from social engagements and from continuous labor or
study, the better. He should fish, swim, row and sail, roam the woods and
the waters, get plenty of vigorous action, have interesting, healthful
things to think about."--Prof. C. W. Votaw.

The Purpose

This is the real purpose of camping--"something to do, something to think
about, something to enjoy in the woods, with a view always to
character-building"--this is the way Ernest Thompson-Seton, that master
wood-craftsman, puts it. Character building! What a great objective! It
challenges the best that is in a man or boy. Camping is an experience, not
an institution. It is an experience which every live, full-blooded,
growing boy longs for, and happy the day of his realization. At the first
sign of spring, back yards blossom forth with tents of endless variety. To
sleep out, to cook food, to search for nature's fascinating secrets, to
make things--all are but the expression of that instinct for freedom of
living in the great out-of-doors which God created within him.

Too Much House

"Too much house," says Jacob Riis; "Civilization has been making of the
world a hothouse. Man's instinct of self-preservation rebels; hence the
appeal for the return to the simple life that is growing loud." Boys need
to get away from the schoolroom and books, and may I say the martyrdom of
examinations, high marks, promotions and exhibitions! Medical examinations
of school children reveal some startling facts. Why should boys suffer
from nerves? Are we sacrificing bodily vigor for abnormal intellectual
growth? Have we been fighting against instead of cooperating with nature?

The tide is turning, however, and the people are living more and more in
the open. Apostles of outdoor life like Henry D. Thoreau, John Burroughs,
William Hamilton Gibson, Howard Henderson, Ernest Thompson-Seton, Frank
Beard, Horace Kephart, Edward Breck, Charles Stedman Hanks, Stewart Edward
White, "Nessmuck," W. C. Gray, and a host of others