repair blinds, fix curtain and portiere rods, blind fixtures, lay carpets, mend clothing and upholstery, do small furniture and china repairs, and sharpen knives.
How do they learn?
"To answer that one cannot do better than to quote from an article written by Mr. Basil Clarke in the "Daily Mail" of October 9th, 1913. It describes the work of the special classes that are held to teach Scouts such things, and is entitled:—
"Making a Handyman."
He was outwardly a normal boy—round and cheery—and he whistled as he walked. But he was a new type of boy none the less.
I wanted to get from a certain north-eastern suburb of Manchester to another which is across the fields and more to the north, and I asked him the way. He answered: "It's not very easy to find. You must go by the lane. I'd better draw you a map."
With that he produced a pencil and a bit of paper. "We're here," he said, "at the school,"" and he made a square on the paper. From that point he drew me an excellent field map. "Here's the tannery. Here's the match works. Here you cross the River Irk," and so on past the chemical works, the weaving shed, the fishing pond, and the workhouse, and to my destination.
And then, with something of an artist's pride in his work, he drew a little "north point" in the corner of the map and handed it to me.
The small map-drawer was a member of the "handyman classes." This I found out by a few questions. And some days later, from things he told me. I was able to find
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