BP on drinking and regulations

Every so often the issues of Scouts drinking and smoking comes across the
list. [Last time was Nov-Dec at a point when my system configuration
allowed me to read the list but not post to it. Hoewever I saved my planned
posting for the next time round. So with a few words of introduction here
it is...]

Excessive rules and regulations are often developed by those in authority
who don't trust the responsibility of those "under" them. Often they are a
symptom of the rule makers feeling superior to the ruled. Rules weren't the
way of our founder. Instead of rules which he knew led to rules being
broken (as per the explosion in Scouting membership when it was banned in
Ireland - ref. Harcourt's book on BP), BP stressed the teaching of
responsibility for ones actions.

In response to the question [posted in Nov 1994]:

>Would B-P have smoked or drank in front of his charges?? Doubtful.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

I would think the reason he likely wouldn't is the phrase "in front of"
which suggests a lack of sharing, of equality, and of responsibility. Each
of these issues could be delat with, BUT the real issue is would BP have
condoned drinking among Scouts and Scouters AND the answer is YES, so long
as it was done responsibly.

It would be better for us all, if all the rule makers who want to protect
the good name of Scouting would take the time to read what Scouting is all
about as expressed in the words of our founder.

BP wrote the following in ROVERING TO SUCCESS (which he first wrote as a
letter to his son Peter to be read upon his 16th birthday, in case BP
didn't live that long):

"Wine? I like a glass of good wine - for its flavour, its color and
refreshment.
"And equally I like a glass of beer or cider in its turn. Somehow a
second glass seldom appeals to me as much as the first, because the flavour
no longer strikes me with its novelty and the first edge of appetite has
worn off. ...
"It is the third glass - if not the second - that puts you out of
condition for running and exercise; and a young man will keep his eye on it
accordingly."

Rovering to Success also provides guidance on safe sex and enjoying
sporting wagers while avoiding becoming adicted to gambling, among other
pieces of practical advice. BP generally recommended moderation rather than
abstenance. The only thing BP told his readers to avoid, as opposed to be
careful with, is smoking which he recognized as bad for your health in any
measure!

BP disliked the development of excessive rules dictating behavior:

" I notice whenever we have people rising up to improve our code of
Scout Law, etc., they are generally blind to the spirit which underlies it.
They think that we have forgotten some of the boyish vices, and they start
to set us right by ordering boys not to do this and that." BP May 1914

BP later wrote:

"Personally I fear there is a danger that a kind of synthetic
Scouting may creep into our training in place of the natural article
described in Scouting for Boys. ... By 'synthetic scouting' I mean the
Scout system obscured by overclothing the natural form with rules and
instructive literature, tending to make what originally was, and should be,
an open-air game into a science for the Scouter and a school curriculum for
the boy." BP Aug 1936

Unfortunately despite our founder's warnings, there are those among us who
still wish to make rules that, however well motivated, are just plain
wrong. It is wrong to tell members of the organization that they can't
drink in the piece of clothing which they have purchased with their own
money. It is wrong to tell adults of legal age that they can't drink at
times when they are not directly responsible for minors. To do so is to try
and deny them their rights.

There is nothing wrong with responsible drinking - in fact it is even
supported by significant medical research. Irresponsible drinking can
create problems whether the substance be alcohol or water. I remember the
medical corps shutting down a water chug-a-lugging challenge at the 1967
World Jamboree, when the large quantities of water involved was making sick
those individuals who had mistakenly allowed themselves to get dehydrated
in preparation for the event. However the potential for irresponsible use
of water does not justify establishing a rule to ban its consumption.

I have consumed alcohol in uniform and will continue to do so, in adult
circumstances where I am not directly responsible for minors. At the same
time, when I wear my uniform, I recognize that my behavior is tied to the
organization I am part of, and I act accordingly not to discrace it. Thus I
do not get drunk in uniform (or out of it for that matter). Responsible
drinking in uniform is not a bad example - it is a good one - provided it
is responsible. There's nothing wrong with seeing a group of young adults
(Rovers of legal age) or Scouters responsibly drinking. It shows that they
are prepared to practice responsibility. BP would have approved and been
proud!

Jim Carter

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