Short Stories of Science and Invention

A Collection of Radio Talks by

Charles F. Kettering

INDEX

Weekly, from September 1942 to July 1945, Charles F. Kettering gave five-minute intermission talks about Science and Invention during the radio broadcasts of the General Motors Symphony of the Air.

Kettering invented the first automobile self-starter, and for 31 years directed a research laboratory for General Motors.

These radio talks are a fascinating legacy from the mind of a prolific inventor. The obvious anachronisms now add a historical perspective of the war-time period in which they were written.

These web pages now preserve some of the most popular stories for a new generation to read The text and art come from a General Motors booklet of selected talks. (Reprint, March 1959)

49. Scouts of the World - Brothers Together
A Radio Talk by Charles F. Kettering

Next Thursday [Febraury 4, 1945] marks the beginning of Boy Scout Week. This year commemorates the 35th anniversary of its founding in the United States. Since the Boy Scout Movement has become an integral part of America and has exerted such a constructive influence, I feel we should review its objectives with respect to the changing world today, and also its hopes for the world of tomorrow.

     The Boy Scout movement was established in England in 1908 by Lord Baden-Powell to actively promote good citizenship - among the youth of that nation. There are many ways that this could be accomplished, but the originator felt they all fell into three fairly definite classes. Let us take a look at these objectives and see what they mean today.

     First of these aims is the development of character and initiative. The fundamental result of Scout training is the cultivation of individualism without developing egotism - a thing not easily done but one so important in a Democracy.

     The movement fosters self-expression and emphasizes the desire to learn rather than a passive reception of instruction. In other words, young people are encouraged to think and act for themselves rather than to follow blindly a fixed pattern of thought and action.