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Scouting With A Neckerchief
Source: The Boy Scout Service Library, Series B, No. 6, Boy Scouts of America, 1927

Introduction
(This article was written by Commodore W. E. Longfellow, "American Red Cross Life Saving Service, Veteran Scout, Member of the National Sea Scout Committee and National Council, Boy Scouts of America" for "The Boy Scout Service Library, Series B, No. 6, Boy Scouts of America, 1927")

Within the past five years the woodland tan of the Scout Uniform has been brightened by the addition of the colorful Scout kerchief, which is now regarded as an indispensable article of equipment for every member of the Boy Scouts of America. It is more than a part of the Scout Uniform; it is actually one of the most useful items of a Scout's equipment. More than sixty distinct uses have been developed for this characteristic and distinctive touch of color which has completed the outfit of the Boy Scout in America and made him one of the most picturesque figures in our national life.

The many origins of the Neckerchief
Within the past five years the woodland tan of the Scout Uniform has been brightened by the addition of the colorful Scout kerchief, which is now regarded as an indispensable article of equipment for every member of the Boy Scouts of America. It is more than a part of the Scout Uniform; it is actually one of the most useful items of a Scout's equipment. More than sixty distinct uses have been developed for this characteristic and distinctive touch of color which has completed the outfit of the Boy Scout in America and made him one of the most picturesque figures in our national life.

The Scouts of Old

After all, the Scout of today is the legitimate heir to this bright and distinctive neckerchief which was worn by the scouts of old. The buckskin scout was obliged to dress in sober hues that would blend with the leafy coloring of the woods, the dead leaves and the earth itself. He could not afford several suits of clothes, and a new suit of buckskin was a great event in his life—not because of the difficulty in killing deer for the purpose, because that was comparatively easy, but for the trouble it was to make up a suit. Tailor shops were not common in the wilderness of those days, neither were there skilled craftsmen with the needle who could work the buckskin into a serviceable garment, so one suit of clothes had to do a long time. Whatever his love of bright color, the woods-running scout was a hunter of animals, or birds, or men, who was in turn hunted by his enemies, and so was obliged to forego this color while in the forest. The less conspicuous his garb, the better bag of game and the safer his hair rested upon his head.

But when he came to a settlement, seeking relaxation, there was no need for restraint in the matter of color, and so, by means of a crimson scarf to tie his long hair, or a purple or blue sash, he was able to satisfy this yearning for bright things. On those occasions when a woods runner was visiting a settlement wearing his bright scarf, it was quite clear that he was resting from the trail and seeking relaxation; he was wearing his best and was on parade, willing to be reviewed by the finest people in town. On the trail, his scarf or kerchief took up but little room in his meager bag; moreover, in case of a wound it had great possibilities. The Scout of today is heir to the many worth-while things of that earlier forest runner who could shift for himself under the most difficult circumstances.

Plains Scouts

In later days, when it became necessary to settle the great plains and blaze the trails for the railroad, the telegraph and the broad highroads of today, a sturdy breed of plains scouts came into existence to guide and guard the workers and hunt and trap for them to provide food. These plains scouts rode horseback, and as their ponies kicked up the sand and dust, some of it filled with alkali, it made breathing difficult, so that in defense they wore around their necks a broad kerchief. Whatever the color of their work-a-day kerchiefs, and however drab they might be if Indian wars were under way, even the poorest of them could carry a bright red, blue, green or yellow scarf for dress up occasions. So from this scout too today we inherit the bright neckerchief.

Neckerchief Uses

In those days these neckerchiefs were worn with the broad point to the front and were loosely knotted behind the head, thus it was possible, in case the dust became very bad, to tighten it over the mouth and nose and use it as a filter against the dust and as a protection against the blinding sand storms which sometimes bothered travelers on the wide expanses of the great western basins. To be sure, many of the lawless bandits that infested the plains in those perilous times used the neckerchief as a facial disguise, and it proved effective because most men looked alike as to their outer garments, with wide felt hats flannel shirts and overalls or "chaps" of the plains rider.So the Scout of today uses his neckerchief soaked in water to filter the fire from heat-laden air and to cool smoke when entering a burning building as he crawls along the floor in the only strata of fresh air left. The Scout of today knows that it is not a gas mask, but merely a smoke screen and filter.

The Man O'Warsmen of old originally wore the neckerchief as a mourning badge after the death of Lord Nelson. This British Naval hero was revered on both sides of the water, and by the time the American Navy was separated from the British Navy and in conflict with it, it was natural enough to continue to use this folded square of black silk as a part of the sea-going uniform of the mariner fighting under orders of the Continental Congress. Made as it is of tough silk of very light weight, this kerchief has been found to be of great value as a first aid appliance to stop hemorrhage, sling a fractured arm or bind up a broken head. And so its continued use in the modern Naval uniform has the support of both tradition and custom, and of the medical authorities who see in it a first aid appliance of the very highest emergency and greatest utility.

In view of these facts, it is clearly no exaggeration to say that the neckerchief is one of the most characteristic and distinctive parts of the uniform of a Scout. It identifies he district to which he belongs; by the knot in the end it reminds him of his Daily Good Turn; it reminds him that he is a Scout with traditions to sustain, and every time he adjusts it on his neck he is challenged to devise more and better uses for it.