them
become handy, capable men and able to hold their own with anyone instead
of being mere drilled machines._

_You have read about the Wars in your country against the Red Indians,
of the gallantry of your soldiers against the cunning of the Red Man,
and what is more, of the pluck of your women on those dangerous
frontiers._

_Well, we have had much the same sort of thing in South Africa. Over and
over again I have seen there the wonderful bravery and resourcefulness
of the women when the tribes of Zulu or Matabeles have been out on the
war path against the white settlers._

_In the Boer war a number of women volunteered to help my forces as
nurses or otherwise; they were full of pluck and energy, but
unfortunately they had never been trained to do anything, and so with
all the good-will in the world they were of no use. I could not help
feeling how splendid it would be if one could only train them in peace
time in the same way one trained the young soldiers--that is, through
Scoutcraft._

_I afterwards took to training boys in that way, but I had not been long
at it before the girls came along, and offered to do the very thing I
had hoped for, they wanted to take up Scouting also._

_They did not merely want to be imitators of the boys; they wanted a
line of their own._

_So I gave them a smart blue uniform and the names of "Guides" and my
sister wrote an outline of the scheme. The name Guide appealed to the
British girls because the pick of our frontier forces in India is the
Corps of Guides. The term cavalry or infantry hardly describes it since
it is composed of all-round handy men ready to take on any job in the
campaigning line and do it well._

_Then too, a woman who can be a good and helpful comrade to her brother
or husband or son along the path of life is really a guide to him._

_The name Guide therefore just describes the members of our sisterhood
who besides being handy and ready for any kind of duty are also a jolly
happy family and likely to be good, cheery comrades to their mankind._

_The coming of the Great War gave the Girl Guides their opportunity, and
they quickly showed the value of their training by undertaking a variety
of duties which made them valuable to their country in her time of
need._

_My wife, Lady Baden-Powell, was elected by the members to be the Chief
Guide, and under her the movement has gone ahead at an amazing pace,
spreading to most foreign countries._

_It is t