The Twelve Scout Laws

The Twelve Scout Laws" With Correlated Outlines from the Junior Manuals

For Boys in the Junior Class Doing Regular Scout Work

Lesson VII. —A Scout is Friendly "A scout is a friend to all and a brother to every other scout." The English version of this law adds the following: "Thus, if a scout meets another scout, even though a stranger to him, he must speak to him, and help him in any way that he can, either to carry out the duty he is then doing, or by giving him food, or, as far as possible, anything that he may be in want of. A scout must never be a snob. A snob is one who looks down upon another because he is poorer, or who is poor and resents another because he is rich." "Being friendly" means being willing to serve anyone at any time, without having any ax of our own to grind. What do you think of this definition? Have you a better one? What is meant by "having an ax to grind?" Do you know the song, "A Boy's Best Friend is His Mother?" Is this generally true? Why? One boy drew from another boy's hand a big sliver. Was that a friendly act? Yes, but it hurt terribly. Is it friendly to cause pain to another? Is it a friendly act for one boy to protect another boy from the consequences of wrong doing? Did you ever hear the expression, "You're no friend of mine" in such cases? Which one is usually right? What do you understand by this saying from the Bible? "Faithful are the wounds of a friend." Prov. 27:7. Tell of some beautiful friendships of which you have heard or of which you know. Here are some examples: Damon and Pythias, David and Jonathan, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum.

Lesson VIII. —A Scout is Courteous

The teacher as well as the boys themselves will find much interest- ing matter bearing on the subject of this lesson in the Junior Manual, Number Three, Lessons on Success, Lesson X. "A scout is polite to all, especially to women, children, old people, and the weak and helpless. He must not take pay for being helpful or courteous." "Politeness consists in doing the kindest thing in the kindest way." Do we have to learn to be polite? Where is the very best place to begin to be courteous? Sometimes boys who are very polite to strangers do not treat their brothers or sisters courteously. Can you explain this? This motto should be in every home: "Please, and Thank You." A monkey can be trained to take off a eap and bow. Is the monkey polite? What is counterfeit courtesy? From what, in a boy's very nature, does courtesy spring? Give some illustrations of acts of courtesy at home, at school, on the street, in the cars.

172 IMPROVEMENT ERA

Lesson IX. —A Scout is Kind "A scout is kind to animals. He will not kill nor hurt any living creature needlessly, but will strive to save and protect all harmless life." "Be ye kind to one another, tenderhearted * * * " Eph. 4:32. It is taken for granted that a scout will be kind to all human beings, and especially to little children. No scout wil be found teasing children or making them afraid of him. "The bravest are the tenderest." Do you understand and believe that? A warrior who is not afraid of the enemy's biggest guns, will protect from harm a stray kitten. A scout gets in close touch with nature, and so he should train him- self to distinguish between what animal life he should kill and what he should protect. When life must be taken, it should be done as painlessly as possible. A scout will not torture any creature. Why should we kill rats, mice, flies, etc.? Here is an interesting incident in the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith. When he, with a party of men, called "Zion's Camp," were traveling from Ohio to Missouri, one day they found three rattle-snakes near where they were to camp. The men were about to kill the snakes when the Prophet said: — "Let them alone don't hurt them! How will the serpent ever lose its venom, while the servants of God possess the same disposition, and continue to make war upon it? Men must become harmless, before the brute creation; and when men lose their vicious disposition and cease to destroy the animal race, the lion and the lamb can lie down together, and the suckling child can play with the serpent in safety. The brethren took the serpents carefully on sticks and carried them across the creek. I exhorted the brethren not to kill a serpent, bird, or any animal of any kind during our journey, unless it became necessary in order to preserve ourselves from hunger. "I had frequently spoken on this subject, when, on a certain occasion, I came up to the brethren who were watching a squirrel on a tree, and lo prove them and to know if they would heed my counsel, I took one of their guns, shot the squirrel, and passed on, leaving the squirrel on the ground. Brother Orson Hvde, who was just behind, picked up the squirrel and said, 'We will cook this, that nothing may be lost.' I perceived that the brethren understood what I did it for, and in their practice gave more heed to my precept than to my example, which was right." Discuss this incident.

Plans for a reunion of the Church of England and the Wesleyans were announced bv the Bishop of London in an address, November 9, in St. Paul's Cathedral. He added that he believed the time would come when the Church of England would be in close association not onlv with the churches of Greece and of Russia, but even with the Church of Rome. Ac- cording to the plan, after January 1, 1921, there should be no ordinations in either of the two churches which were not recognized in both. There would be a bishop with the presbyters at the laying on of hands, and at the end of forty years there would be no Wesleyan minister who would not have been ordained by a bishop of the Church of England. In order to have Wesleyan ministers episcopally ordained at once, twelve presbyters would be consecrated bishops. The bishop asserted that the Church of England was powerless when the war broke out, because of the divisions of Christendom. It was equally powerless in dealing with the great labor disputes of today. The church as an organized society, he said, really did not count in any of these great affairs.