Note: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this file which includes the original illustrations. See 40574-h.htm or 40574-h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40574/40574-h/40574-h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/40574/40574-h.zip) Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://archive.org/details/rancheonoxhidest00inma THE RANCHE ON THE OXHIDE * * * * * OFFICERS OF THE NATIONAL COUNCIL Honorary President, THE HON. WOODROW WILSON Honorary Vice-President, HON. WILLIAM H. TAFT Honorary Vice-President, COLONEL THEODORE ROOSEVELT President, COLIN H. LIVINGSTON, Washington, D. C. Vice-President, B. L. DULANEY, Bristol, Tenn. Vice-President, MILTON A. McRAE, Detroit, Mich. Vice-President, DAVID STARR JORDAN, Stanford University, Cal. Vice-President, F. L. SEELY, Asheville, N. C. Vice-President, A. STAMFORD WHITE, Chicago, Ill. Chief Scout, ERNEST THOMPSON SETON, Greenwich, Connecticut National Scout Commissioner, DANIEL CARTER BEARD, Flushing N. Y. NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA THE FIFTH AVENUE BUILDING, 200 FIFTH AVENUE TELEPHONE GRAMERCY 545 NEW YORK CITY FINANCE COMMITTEE John Sherman Hoyt, Chairman August Belmont George D. Pratt Mortimer L. Schiff H. Rogers Winthrop GEORGE D. PRATT Treasurer JAMES E. WEST Chief Scout Executive ADDITIONAL MEMBERS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD Ernest P. Bicknell Robert Garrett Lee F. Hanmer John Sherman Hoyt Charles C. Jackson Prof. Jeremiah W. Jenks William D. Murray Dr. Charles P. Neill George D. Porter Frank Presbrey Edgar M. Robinson Mortimer L. Schiff Lorillard Spencer Seth Sprague Terry July 31st, 1913. TO THE PUBLIC:-- In the execution of its purpose to give educational value and moral worth to the recreational activities of the boyhood of America, the leaders of the Boy Scout Movement quickly learned that to effectively carry out its program, the boy must be influenced not only in his out-of-door life but also in the diversions of his other leisure moments. It is at such times that the boy is captured by the tales of daring enterprises and adventurous good times. What now is needful is not that his taste should be thwarted but trained. There should constantly be presented to him the books the boy likes best, yet always the books that will be best for the boy. As a matter of fact, however, the boy's taste is being constantly vitiated and exploited by the great mass of cheap juvenile literature.