Modern Americans: A Biographical School Reader for the Upper GradesSanford, Chester Milton
General
Modern Americans: A Biographical School Reader for the Upper Grades
Sanford, Chester Milton
Biography -- Juvenile literature; United States -- Biography
One reason for the growth of the Boy Scout movement is the fact that
scouting usually makes boys cleaner and more manly than they were
before. Should you like to know the Scout Laws that they learn and
practice? The first law is this: "_A scout is trustworthy._" This
means a scout's honor is to be trusted. Boy Scouts everywhere make a
great deal of the word _honor_. The following story shows the scout's
idea of honor: "A little newsboy boarded a crowded car the other night
with a very large bundle of papers, and the conductor, with coarse
good-nature, tried to favor him by not taking his fare, although of
course he could not do this without cheating the railway. The boy
looked at him with indignation, and could not believe that he was the
conductor. He went all through the car hunting for the real conductor
to whom he might pay his fare."
"_A scout is loyal_," is the second law. _Loyalty_ is another word
that is dear to the scout. Have you ever heard a scout say bad things
about his scout master or about his fellow scouts behind their backs?
Not very often, I am sure. If a scout has anything to say against any
one, he goes directly to him and talks it over. The Scout Law explains
loyalty saying: "He is loyal to all to whom loyalty is due, his scout
leader, his home and parents and country." He must stick to them
through thick and thin against any one who is their enemy, or whoever
talks badly of them.
Have you ever seen the scouts salute the flag? The smiling faces and
beaming eyes show that they love the flag dearly. Few can sing better
than the scouts, for they mean every word they sing.
The instant our nation entered the great world war the Boy Scouts
offered themselves to their country to do whatever the president
asked. Since most of them were too young to enlist, it was at first
thought that they could not do much. As the months passed, however,
the boys have found one task after another, until now they are so busy
that they put to shame many older people.
Then, too, the Boy Scouts have worked so silently, without making a
fuss about what they were doing. In many of our large cities they have
planted "war gardens" on every vacant lot they could get. In most
cases all they raised in these gardens was given to the Red Cross.
Furthermore, they have been the best friends the farmers have had.
These scouts in large numbers have left their comfortable city homes
to work on farms. They have not asked for the easy, pleasant jobs,
but have been willing to do the thing that needed to be done most
whether it was pleasant or not. Have you ever wondered who put up the
thousands of posters asking the people to save food and buy bonds? In
many cases this work has been done by the scouts.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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