WHAT SCOUTS DO
Living in the Open – Woodcraft
Chivalry Saving Life – Endurance
Kim Balogun Olamilekan Amos
WHAT SCOUTS DO.
Living in the Open – Woodcraft.
Chivalry Saving Life – Endurance- Love of Country
The following things are what you have to know about to become a good scout:
Living in the Open Camping is the joyous part of a Scout’s life. Living out in God’s open air, among the hills and
the trees, and the birds and the beasts, and the sea and the river that is, living with nature,
having your own little canvas home, doing your own cooking and exploration—all this brings
health and happiness such as you can never get among the bricks and smoke of the town.
Hiking, too, where you go farther afield, exploring new places every day, is a glorious adventure.
It strengthens you and hardens you so that you won’t mind wind and rain, heat and cold. You
take them all as they come, feeling that sense of fitness that enables you to face any old trouble with a smile, knowing that you will conquer in the end.
But, of course, to enjoy camping and hiking, you must know how to do it properly.
You have to know how to put up a tent or a hut for yourself; how to lay and light a fire; how to
cook your food; how to tie logs together to make a bridge or a raft; how to find your way by
night, as well as by day, in a strange country, and many other things.
Very few fellows learn these things when they are living in civilized places, because they have
comfortable houses, and soft beds to sleep in. Their food is prepared for them, and when they want to know the way, they just ask a policeman.
Well, when those fellows try to go scouting or exploring, they find themselves quite helpless.
Take even your sports “hero” and put him down in the wilderness, alongside a fellow trained in
camping, and see which can look after himself. High batting averages are not much good to him there. He is only a “tenderfoot”.
Woodcraft
Woodcraft is the knowledge of animals and nature.
You learn about different kinds of animals by following their tracks and creeping up to them so
that you can watch them in their natural state and study their habits.
The whole sport of hunting animals lies in the woodcraft of stalking them, not in killing them.
No Scout willfully kills an animal for the mere sake of killing but only when in want of food—
unless it is harmful. By continually watching animals in the open, one gets to like them too well
to shoot them.
Woodcraft includes, besides being able to see the tracks and other small signs, the power to read
their meaning, such as at what pace the animal was going, whether he was frightened or
unsuspicious, and so on. It enables the hunter also to find his way in the jungle or desert. It
teaches him which are the best wild fruits and roots for his own food, or which are favourite food
for animals, and, therefore, likely to attract them.
In the same way in inhabited places you read the tracks of men, horses, bicycles, automobiles,
and find out from these what has been going on. You learn to notice, by small signs, such as
birds suddenly starting up, that someone is moving near, though you cannot see him.
By noticing the behaviour or dress of people, and putting this and that together, you can
sometimes see that they are up to no good. Or you can tell when they are in distress and need
help or sympathy—and you can then do what is one of the chief duties of a Scout, namely, help
those in distress in any possible way you can.
Remember that it is a disgrace to a Scout, when he is with other people, if they see anything big
or little, near or far, high or low, that he has not already seen for himself.
Chivalry
In the old days the Knights were
the real Scouts and their rules were
very much like the Scout Law
which we have now.
The Knights considered their
honour their most sacred
possession.
They would not do a dishonourable
thing, such as telling a lie or
stealing. They would rather die
than do it. They were always ready
to fight and to be killed in
upholding their king, or their
religion, or their honour.
Just like Saint George of old, the Boy Scouts of today fight
against everything evil and unclean
Each Knight had a small following of a squire and some men-at-arms, just as our Patrol Leader
has his Second (or Assistant) and four or five Scouts.
The Code of the Knights
The Knight’s patrol used to stick to him through thick and thin, and all carried out the same idea
as their leader—namely:
Their honour was sacred.
They were loyal to God, their king, and their country.
They were particularly courteous and polite to all women and children, and weak
people.
They were helpful to everybody.
They gave money and food where it was needed, and saved up their money to do so.
They taught themselves the use of arms in order to protect their religion and their
country against enemies.
They kept themselves strong and healthy and active to be able to do these things well.
You Scouts cannot do better than follow the example of the Knights.
One great point about them was that every day they had
to do a Good Turn to somebody, and that is one of our
rules.
When you get up in the morning, remember that you
have to do a Good Turn for someone during the day. Tie
a knot in your handkerchief or neckerchief to remind
yourself of it.
If you should ever find that you had forgotten to do your
daily Good Turn, you must do two the next day.
Remember that by your Scout Promise you are on your
honour to do it. But do not think that Scouts need do
only one Good Turn a day. They must do one, but if
they can do fifty, so much the better.
A Good Turn need only be a very small one. It is a
Good Turn even if it is only putting a coin into a poor-
box, or helping an old woman to cross the street, or making room on a seat for someone, or
giving water to a thirsty horse, or removing a bit of banana skin off the pavement. But one must
be done every day, and it only counts when you do not accept any reward in return.
