History
The Origins of the Clarion Cycling Club and cycling in the 1890s
76: Adverts for The Scout
The Scout has been mentioned quite a lot in recent extracts. There was some considerable overlap between the Scouts and the Cycling Clubs. Of course this was all taking place more than a decade before Baden Powell started the Boy Scouts - so the word wouldn't have had the same connotations/resonances as it would to day. I've never seen copies of The Scout (and probably never will) but I thought it would be interesting to look at a couple of the early adverts for it as they appeared in the Clarion.
An advert for The Scout No 2 (1d) promised:
SPECIAL ARTICLES BY NUNQUAM, DANGLE, MONT BLONG, THE BOUNDER, R. LOWERSON, S.HALES, T. GROOM etc etc
Words and Music of
"The Song of the Clarion Scout" By J Leavey and F Pugh
The Ashbourne Conference
Reports from Scouts, Cinderella Clubs and Clarion Cycling Clubs. The new number of THE SCOUT is greatly extended and full of interesting features. No Socialist or Reformer can afford to miss it.
Another ad which appeared in the Clarion on 1 June 1895 promised:
Special articles. R Riley (Red Van), F H Green, J C Richards
Words and Music of
"Since first I Saw Your Face"
"Where the Bee Sucks."
Read Nunquam, article on "The Two Nations" and Dangle's "Whole Art of Cycling"
As people who have been following this series from early on will remember, Nunquam = Robert Blatchford, the editor - he had used "Nunquam" as a journalist before founding the Clarion Dangle, Mont Blong and The Bounder were the Clarion nicknames of Alex Thompson, the deputy editor, Montague Blatchford (Robert's brother, who was mainly concerned with the theatrical and musical activities and reporting of the paper) and Edward Fay, the roving reporter of the paper. I think the name "Red Van" refers to the touring caravan of the English Land Restoration League..
Next time - back to "Swiftsure's" Cycling Notes.