of the flag, and one of the first things they learn is the Pledge:

I pledge allegiance to my flag, and to the republic for which it
stands; one nation indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

_Organization and Drill._ Some observers have criticized the Girl
Scout organization because of its apparent military character. It is
true that the girls wear a uniform of khaki, and are grouped in
Patrols, corresponding to the "fours" in the Army; that they salute,
and learn simple forms of drill and signalling. But the reason they do
this is because the military organization happens to be the oldest
form of organization in the world, and it works. It is the best way
men have found of getting a number of persons to work together.
Following directions given to a group is quite a different matter from
doing something alone, and most of us need special training in this. A
group of eight has been found to work the best because it is the
largest number that can be handled by a person just beginning to be a
leader, and moreover elementary qualities of leadership seem to exist
in just about the proportion of one in eight. It is probably on this
account that children take so kindly to the form--rather than because
of any glamor of the army, though this must be admitted as a factor.
In actual practice the drill and signalling take up a very small
portion of the program, and are nowhere followed as ends in
themselves, but only as a means to an end.

_The Uniform._ The uniform is simple, durable and allows freedom of
action. It is of khaki because this has been found to be the best
wearing fabric and color. It is not easily torn and does not readily
soil. Wearing it gives the girls a sense of belonging to a larger
group, such as it is hard to get in any other way. It keeps constantly
before them the fact that they represent a community to whose laws
they have voluntarily subscribed and whose honor they uphold. It is
well, too, to have an _impersonal_ costume if for no other reason than
to counteract the tendency of girls to concentrate upon their personal
appearance. To have a neat, simple, useful garb is a novel experience
to many an over-dressed doll who has been taught to measure all worth
by extravagance of appearance.

Organization

_Scouts of Different Ages._ The original Girl Scout program was
designed mainly with the needs of the young adolescent in mind and the
age was fixed from 10 to 18 years. But the little g