.)

Liars and Sneaks

Punish the liar heavily. Help the boy to see that to make a mistake and
own up to it, is regarded in a much more favorable light than to sneak and
lie out of it. Have him understand that the lie is the worst part of the
offence. It is awful to have the reputation of being a liar, for even when
a boy does tell the truth nobody believes him because of his past
reputation. Never indulge suspicion. Above all discountenance sneaking;
nothing is more harmful than to maintain a feeble discipline through the
medium of tale-bearing.

Never keep a boy in camp who is out of tune with the camp life or its
standards, and whose presence only serves to militate against the real
purpose of the camp. "Grouchitis" is a catching disease.

Meditation Log

The methods of punishment are as varied as the colors of the rainbow. In
one camp, a "Meditation Log," upon which the boy sits and thinks, and
thinks, and thinks, and--. No doubt he is a sadder and wiser boy for his
period of meditation. A "wood pile" where boys saw from one to five or
more sticks of cord wood into stove lengths, is an economic mode of
punishment, for it not only provides wood for the kitchen stove, but
hardens the boys' muscle as well as helps him to remember his mistakes and
to avoid repetition. Walking around the campus for a certain length of
time carrying an oar over the shoulder, is another method. Curtailing a
boy's privileges, such as swimming, boating, taking away his dessert, are
other methods in vogue in boys' camps. When a boy swears, if he is a
"scout," the other "scouts" pour a cup of cold water down the offender's
sleeve or back, for each offence. Some boys have been cured of swearing by
having their mouths washed out with "Welcome Soap," publicly, along the
shore of the lake or stream, with camp-mates as silent spectators. Make
the "punishment fit the crime," but always the kind of punishment which
the boy will acknowledge is deserved and just. Never punish in anger.

Private Talks

A "heart-to-heart" talk with the boy during a walk in the woods, or in
some quiet place of the camp, will do more good to get him to see and
realize his need of adjustment to camp life and enlist his willingness to
try again and to "do his best" than any form of physical punishment.

When it becomes necessary to send a boy home, always telegraph or write
his parents, telling them on what train or boat they may expect him and
the reason for sending