Adventure Magazine Cover — page 189: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Camp-Fire I know that you are perfectly willing to boost the magazine, that many of you miss no opportunity of doing so, and I am grate- ful to you for every single boost. But boosting is something that should be left to each man’s inclination and judgment, not in any way forced upon him through the Stations, Id. cards or anything else started or fostered by us here in the office, and of course you agree with me on this point. Well, so far as I can see, we have elimi- nated from the Station plan every possible factor advertising the magazine. Nowhere in connection with a Station does the name ’ of our magazine or of Camp-Fire appear. ~ The sign displaved is merely the Camp-Fire button enlarged, and on the button we had already eliminated the advertising feature by using the figure ‘‘71” instead of the word “Camp-Fire.” The signs thus far sent out have carried the word ‘Adventure’ in rather small type at the bottom, but we are cutting this word off the remaining signs and are asking the Keepers who have al- ready received signs to remove this word. There is the fact that a Station main- - tained in a store or other place where com- modities are bought and sold serves to advertise that place and to help sell its commodities, but I think nobody will object to that small advantage accruing to any member of Camp-Fire who offers the rest of us the advantage of a Station on his premises. SECOND big point is that the only things required of a Station are that it shall display the sign so that the Station can be recognized as such, keep a register for Camp-Fire visitors, and, without any responsibility therefor, hold or forward mail at sender’s risk and cost. (Signs and registers furnished free by this magazine.) Those are very light duties, and the general responsibilities are only such undefined ones as any decent member of Camp-Fire will feel toward the rest of us. The keeper binds himself to only the above duties, to surrendering signs, on demand, to this magazine as its property and to making no use, without its permission, of anvthing serving to connect Stations, Camp-Fire or this magazine with anything not authorized by us. — This, of course, does not limit what a keeper may offer. He is more than free to offer hospitality and the friendly hand to any extent he pleases. But the point is that 179 in each case the keeper himself is the sole judge and final arbiter as to whether his Station shall offer anything beyond the bare duties required and, if he so pleases, may change his custom in these matters to suit each particular case that comes up. We can furnish printed cards to put up in Stations, listing various possible services, the keeper striking out any he does not wish to offer. Also copies of the general list of Stations. HIRD, who has aright to use a Station? Any member of Camp-Fire, as things stand now. And any one is a member of Camp-Fire who is sufficiently congenial te its spirit to wish to belong. This, to me, seems the right basis, but it can be changed if experience shows the need, by any process that seems fair to you—a vote open to all Camp-Fire members, a vote by Keepers, or by both with a Keeper’s vote counting more than that of an ordinary member. It has been suggested by some of vou that no one be permitted to use a Station unless he has a Camp-Fire button or carries one of our Id. cards. I can not see that this would be much protection against unde- sirabies and I think it would be a bad thing thus to compel some members to get a card or button. Cardboard cards are given free, on buttons we make a negligible profit over manufacturing cost (probably a loss if handling, etc., are considered), metal cards we sell a mite below manufacturer’s price to us. Nevertheless I do not like the principle of forcing any one into getting them. The user of a Station has a right to only two things—to register in the Station book, using what the Keeper may consider rea- sonable space for his name and other data, and to use the mail service as outlined above. That is all. For the rest, he is in another man’s house and it is altogether up to that other man whether the user shall be made a guest and to what extent. My personal experience with Camp-Fire members (and I’ve met a Jot of you) has been that most of you are men and few of you sponges or parasites, but it might be well to add that a Keeper is not supposed to be a bank or an organized charity. O MUCH for the “have to”’ of a Keeper. On the other hand, using his own judg- ment and following his own inclinations, he has opportunity to get for himself some CO MICLOOOKS C©