Scoutmaster Minute -- 22 June 2021

It is a common question at Eagle Boards of Review: If you were to add another point to the Scout Law, what would it be? This week in a Scouting Magazine article, author Robert Birkby reported that at one point in Scouting history, there was a push to add a 13th point to the Scout Law. In the early days of the Boy Scouts of America, Gifford Pinchot, BSA's first Chief Scout Forester, wanted to add a 13th point related to conservation. He offered three choices:

1. A Boy Scout wastes nothing, but makes the best use of all that he has.
2. A Boy Scout tries to leave the place where he has lived better than he found it.
3. A Boy Scout knows the Nation will continue after he is dead, and tries to stop the waste of natural resources. 

Obviously, none of these roll off the tongue like the other 12. Imagine, "A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, Reverent, and a Boy Scout knows the Nation will continue after he is dead, and tries to stop the waste of natural resources." It is no surprise that the rest of BSA directors said no and thus there was no 13th point to the Scout Law. Yet, we do have points of the Scout Law that already address conservation. Consider:

 

1. A Scout is Trustworthy. The Nation trusts that a Scout will take care of the environment.
2. A Scout is Helpful. If a Scout sees a piece of trash, he picks it up, regardless if it is his or not.
3. A Scout is Courteous. When hiking or camping, a Scout ensures he leaves no trace so that others may enjoy the land with the same benefit of beauty.
4. A Scout is Thrifty. A Scout only uses what he needs and only takes from natural resources what he needs to survive, not destroying plants and wildlife just for sport or play. 

Conservation is at the essence of who we are. It is part of our brand. A Scout is.

Scoutmaster Minute -- 15 June 2021

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.

For want of a message the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

The moral of this proverb dating back to 13th Century Germany is that neglect can have catastrophic consequences. This is an important message as we look to prepare for summer camp. Over my time as a scoutmaster, I have seen many necessary things that Scouts have failed to pack. For example, no water bottle... not the best bet for a week in the summer sun. No soap, towel or shower shoes... how do you think that goes after a couple of days? No rain jacket or waterproof boots... note that we went to the same summer camp last year and I seem to remember that it rained some every day. No red Troop T-shirt... with the Scout knowing that this is our uniform every day. Bottom line: if it is on the packing list, bring it. We carefully built the list after many years of experience. With the right equipment and care in packing, we keep ourselves safe and have a more-enjoyable time.

Be Prepared!

Scoutmaster Minute -- 8 June 2021

I would like to leave you with sage advice from William "Green Bar Bill" Hillcourt, who spent 10 years as a Scout in Denmark, six years as a Scoutmaster and volunteer in Denmark, 39 years as a professional Scouter in the US, and another 27 years as a volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America – yes, 82 years in a Scout uniform. Green Bar Bill was a prolific writer, publishing many leadership manuals for BSA, to include three editions of the Boy Scout Handbook that sold over 12,610,000 copies. I leave you tonight with a passage from Green Bar Bill's Handbook for Patrol Leaders:

The real Patrol Leader will...find that the requirements are not something separate from Scouting. On the contrary, Scouting is the Requirements. When you go hiking and camping the subjects contained in the requirements come up all the time. With plenty of Scouting work before them your boys simply cannot help advancing.

I will do my Best.