The Camping And Camp-Fire Book - Ceremonies, Costumes, Rounds, Songs, Yells, Stunts And Games For Indoor And Outdoor Camp-Fires

D. G. Turner

Description

Originally published in 1932. An entertaining book which will contribute greatly to the enjoyment of Scout and other camp fires in every part of the world. The illustrated contents include: The Camp Fire - Camp Fire Ceremonies - Camp Fire Costumes - Camp Fire Rounds - Camp Fire Songs - Camp Fire Yells - Camp Fire Stunts - Camp Fire Games etc.
Many of the earliest games books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Home Farm Books are republishing many of these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

Informations

• Publié par: Read Books Ltd.
• Date de parution: 28 juin 2021
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781528762502
• Langue: English

Extrait

THE CAMP-FIRE BOOK
CEREMONIES, COSTUMES, ROUNDS, SONGS, YELLS, STUNTS AND GAMES FOR INDOOR AND OUTDOOR CAMP-FIRES
COMPILED BY
D. G. TURNER
EDITED BY
F. HAYDN DIMMOCK
Copyright 2013 Read Books Ltd.
This book is copyright and may not be
reproduced or copied in any way without
the express permission of the publisher in writing
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the
British Library
Camping and Woodcraft
Camping is an immensely popular outdoor activity, in which participants elect to spend time (at least one night) in rural, and often wilderness areas. It is as such closely tied with survival and conservationist aspects - with a healthy respect for the natural world, and our own place within it.
Camping as a recreational activity became popular among elites in the early twentieth century. It was (and still is) a key part of many youth organisations around the world, who promote the ideals of woodcraft, teamwork and self sufficiency. It is frequently combined with elements of hiking and backpacking, or other outdoor activities such as canoeing, climbing, fishing or hunting. The term woodcraft (or perhaps woodlore ) denotes the skills and experiences specifically relating to living and thriving in the countryside - encompassing a broad range of activities, whether on a long or a short term basis. Such techniques include knowledge of wildlife behaviour, identifying and utilizing wild plants and animals (especially for food), camp cooking, orienteering (including hiking skills and use of a map and compass), fire making (including procurement of firewood), selecting and preparing a campsite, lashing and knot techniques, the use of tents and wilderness first-aid.
Traditionally, woodcraft pertains to subsistence lifestyles, with implications of hunting / gathering. In more recent times, and in developed countries, it relates more to either outdoor recreationalism or survivalism, a modern form of living off the land. The father of recreational camping in the UK was Thomas Hiram Holding (1844 - 1930), a British travelling tailor. He experienced camping out in the wild from his youth, when he spent much time with his parents travelling across the American prairies. Later, he embarked on a cycling and camping tour with some friends across Ireland. His book on his Irish experience, Cycle and Camp in Connemara led to the formation of the first camping group in 1901; the Association of Cycle Campers . This later became the Camping and Caravanning Club . Holding also wrote The Camper s Handbook in 1908 - the first complete guide to the relatively new practice of camping.
The first commercial camping ground in the world was Cunningham s camp, near Douglas, Isle of Man, which opened in 1894. In 1906 the Association of Cycle Campers opened its first own camping site, in Weybridge. By that time the organization had several hundred members. Although World War One was responsible for a certain hiatus in camping activity, the association received a new lease of life after the war when Sir Robert Baden-Powell (founder of the Boy Scouts movement) became its president. The scouting movement capitalised on the popularity of such activities, adopting woodcraft techniques as a core skill set known as scoutcraft . The International Federation of Camping Clubs was subsequently founded in 1932 with national clubs all over the world affiliating with it. By the 1960s, camping had become an established family holiday and today camp sites are ubiquitous across Europe and North America.
For Europeans, Scoutcraft grew out of the woodcraft skills necessary to survive in the expanding frontiers of the New World in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Frontiersmen such as Daniel Boone needed these skills to travel through the uncharted wildernesses and difficult terrains. But Scoutcraft was practiced by the Native Americans long before the arrival of the colonists and it was from Indian scouts that the art of Scoutcraft , or Woodcraft as it was more commonly known in the American Old West, passed to the early European pioneers. As the nineteenth century moved on, Scoutcraft began to be adopted by parts of some military forces, as the way in which wars and battles were fought changed. The American scout Frederick Russell Burnham brought Scoutcraft to Africa and, in the Second Matabele War, he introduced it to Lord Baden-Powell.
The term Woodcraft was used by the influential writer and naturalist Ernest Thompson Seton at the turn of the twentieth century, when setting up the American proto-Scouting organisation, the Woodcraft Indians . In this context it meant the skill of living in the open air, close to nature. John Hargrave (1894 - 1982) further admired Seton s work, and aimed to revert it away from Baden-Powell s influence in founding the Kibbo Kift Kindred (1920), an organisation dedicated to pacifism, social responsibility and living in conjunction with nature. Another pro-Seton breakaway Scout group was the Order of Woodcraft Chivalry , founded slightly earlier in 1916.
There is no universally held definition of what is and what is not camping. Fundamentally, it reflects a combination of intent and the nature of activities involved. A children s summer camp with dining hall meals and bunkhouse accommodations may have camp in its name but this fails to reflect the spirit and form of camping as it is broadly understood. Similarly, a homeless person s lifestyle may involve many common camping activities, such as sleeping out and preparing meals over a fire, but fails to reflect the elective nature and pursuit of spirit rejuvenation that are integral aspect of camping. Likewise, cultures with itinerant lifestyles or lack of permanent dwellings cannot be said to be camping , it is just their way of life.
Survivalist campers generally set off with as little as possible to get by - requiring skills in obtaining food from the wild, emergency medical treatments, orienteering, and pioneering; whereas recreational vehicle travellers (i.e. camper-vans) will arrive equipped with their own electricity, heat and furniture. Adventure camping is practiced by people who race (possibly adventure racing or mountain biking) during the day, and camp in a minimalist way at night. They might use the basic items of camping equipment such as a micro-camping stove, sleeping bag, and bivouac bag, and often incorporate aspects of woodcraft into their activities. Backpacking is also a popular adjunct to camping, affording participants the opportunity to enjoy popular local recreational spots as well as accessing the most remote locations.
Camping is an activity with a surprisingly short official history, yet despite this, humans have been practicing this mode of living, for thousands of years. It is a recreational activity, sport and for some - way of life - that continues to change and progress in the present day. It is hoped that the current reader enjoys this book on the subject.
CONTENTS
I.
T HE C AMP -F IRE
II.
C AMP-FIRE C EREMONIES
III.
C AMP-FIRE C OSTUMES
IV.
C AMP-FIRE R OUNDS
V.
C AMP-FIRE S ONGS
VI.
C AMP-FIRE Y ELLS
VII.
C AMP-FIRE S TUNTS
VIII.
C AMP-FIRE G AMES

I NDEX
INTRODUCTION
I WISH I could remember that stunt I saw at the 1st -- Troop s camp-fire.
How often have you said that? We ourselves grew tired of saying it. We grew a little tired, too, of trying to get information about camp-fire songs and stunts for other people, so we decided to make a private collection of all the good camp-fire items we came across or heard about from other folks. We watched it grow and grow, and then we said: We ll publish all these good things in a book and then when people write to us for the words of a song or a particular stunt we can tell them to buy our book. Which is rather cute on our part, don t you think?
That s how this book came into being. Before we sent it to the printers, however, we showed the manuscript to many of our Scout friends. Mr. P. D. Power, Headquarters Commissioner for Scouts, said he liked it and gave us some items which we had either omitted or had never heard about; Mr. Genese, D.C.C. and Ak.L., London, gave us some friendly criticism and permission to use certain material which he originated; Mr. Stuart Monro, Headquarters Dramatic Adviser, voted the book real good and expressed the opinion that many people outside the Scout Movement who run camp-fires would be grateful to us for the book; Mr. Macintosh of Bermondsey very kindly wrote the airs which appear in the book, whilst legions of other friends have offered suggestions.
We are deeply grateful to these kind folk. We owe thanks also to numerous others for their permission to use certain items, and we offer our apologies if we have inadvertently infringed any copyright, permission having been sought in all cases where we could trace the originator or owner.
We feel that this book will contribute in no small way to the enjoyment of many camp-fires in Scout camps all over the world. That alone makes the work of compilation well worth while and may be a little comfort to all those who have contributed to the book.
F. H AYDN D IMMOCK.
CAMP-FIRE BOOK
CHAPTER I
THE CAMP-FIRE AND HOW TO CONDUCT IT

D ID you ever watch the camp-fire
When the wood has fallen low?
And the ashes start to whiten
Round the embers crimson glow?
With the night sounds all around you
Making silence doubly sweet,
And a full moon high above you
That the spell may be complete?
Tell me, were you ever nearer
To the land of heart s desire
Than when you sat there thinking
With y