Rudyard Kipling & Kim's Game 1865-1936
Source: The Ultimate Boy Scouts of America History Site
http://members.aol.com/randywoo/bsahis/r-k.htm
Baden-Powell needed an concept around which to build the younger boy program
of Scouting. He found it with a popular book by the respected British author,
Rudyard Kipling.
Rudyard Kipling was born in Bombay, India. From 1892 to 1889, he was on the
editorial staff of the Civil and Military Gazette, the daily newspaper of
Lahore, India, for which he wrote short stories. In 1892, he married an American
girl, Caroline Balestier. Many of his first writings were about the British
soldier in India.
The Jungle Book was written in 1894. It was originally published in chapter form
in the American children's magazine, Saint Nicholas. From 1892 to 1896, the
Kiplings lived in Brattleboro, Vermont on an estate belonging to Mrs. Kipling's
family. In the pleasant New England surroundings, he wrote Captains Courageous
and the two Jungle Books. These books earned him the Nobel prize in Literature
in 1907.
Kipling was the author of "The Scout's Patrol Song" which was the official Boy
Scout song. Part I of the 1908 booklet, "Scouting For Boys" included a condensed
version of Kipling's Kim. He was also the father of a Scout and later a
comissioner in the British Scouting program.. In 1924, he attended a rally of 6
thousand Wolf Cubs at the Imperial Jamboree at Wembley where he witnessed what
Baden-Powell had made of his writings..
Jungle Book and Cub Scouting
The Origins of Kim's Game
One of the games used in many Boy Scout camps is Kim's game.
The game is so well known that many times it is referenced without even an
explanation of how the game is played. It is simple, fun, and challenging.
However many American Scouters have forgotten its origins. The original Handbook
For Boys refers to it simply as "Kim's game" without the lengthy explanation
that Baden-Powell had in his handbook.
Rudyard Kipling was a friend of Baden-Powell. B-P borrowed much from Kipling's
ideas in Scouting. He wrote the story of Kim which was published in 1901. Part I
of the 1908 booklet, "Scouting For Boys" included a condensed version of
Kipling's Kim.
In Kipling's story, Kim becomes friends with a dealer in old jewelry and
curiosities. who is a member of the government intelligence service. The man saw
that Kim had potential for the same. He gave Kim lessons on noticing small
details and remembering them. A tray full of jewels was uncovered. Kim looked at
them for a minute before they were again covered up. Kim is beaten by a youth in
this game. He then played the "Jewel Game" often to increase his powers of
observation.
Here are the instructions as given in the first BSA handbook.
Place about twenty or thirty small articles on a tray, or on the table or floor,
such as two or three different kinds of buttons, pencils, corks, rags, nuts,
stones, knives, string, photos - anything you can find - cover them over with a
cloth or a coat.
Make a list of these, and make a column opposite the list for each boy's
replies.
Then uncover the articles for one minute by your watch, or while you count sixty
at the rate of "quick march." Then cover them over again.
Take each boy separately and let him whisper to you each of the articles that he
can remember, and mark it off on your scoring sheet.
The boy who remembers the greatest number wins the game.
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