SSScout

The "OUTING" in SCOUTING applies to everything else, without a classroom, pedagogical situation. THAT is Scouting's advantage. Math? Physics? Compass, mapping, rough surveying..... Electromagnetism? That's the compass, flashlights & batteries. Simple machines? Action reaction? Ropes and Pioneering and set up a tent/dining fly in the rain.... Psychology? Interpersonal relationships? outside of the family, dealing with "work to be done to survive (Patrol cooking? Duty roster? )", contests to test your skill? History? Citizenship, Patriotism? depends on where you take your hikes and camping. Biology? Naturestudy? Ecology? Camp sanitation, trees have certain purposes. Some burn better, some stay straight better. Birds can tell you things if you listen well . . . It is all involved. Why do we have to keep relearning all this?

Change in attitude... My mom grew up in Boston in the 1920's and 30's . Bus and interurban trains were her thing. When it came to visiting the city, we often drove to the local bus/streetcar terminal(20 miles away) and rode the car into the city to the museums (Washington DC.). No more streetcars, but DC had to fight to gain the Metro it so appreciates now. True story: One of my assignments before I retired was to close up the local bus service. Last bus came into the depot around 1:15am. One friday night, about 11pm, I answered the phone. Man's voice asks if I could answer some questions about using Metro. I said I'd be glad to, what was his question? He said his son was going from Colesville (a MD suburb) into George Washington University to attend a special "honors" class. I asked him, are you going with him? He answered "of course not !" "How old is your son? 14. Then shouldn't I be talking to him? . >>>Silence...... He said, just a minute.... A younger voice came on. "hello?" "Hello. You going down to GW tomorrow?" Yeah. Do you know how to ride the Metro? No. How did you expect to get there? . . . . . We had a good conversation, and I HOPE the kid got to his class and home successfully. It is multi block walk from the closest Metro station to GW's campus , which itself covers several city blocks....... When I was "walking the platform" in the Metro stations, I often saw sub teens , loaded with backpack, on their way to school mornings.....

This might be seen as too long for merely a "Scoutmaster's Minute" but it bears consideration in this time. Robert Fulghum is known for his list of "All I Really Need To Know I Learned in Kindergarten." , but his astute observations and ruminations deserve our consideration. Here is the best rendition I could find of a chapter from his book, "It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It" . What is the Meaning of Life? "Are There Any Questions?" An offer that comes at the end of college lectures and long meetings. Said when an audience is not only overdosed with information, but when there is no time left anyhow. At times like that you sure do have questions. Like "Can we leave now?" and "What the hell was this meeting for?" and "Where can I get a drink?" The gesture is supposed to indicate openness on the part of the speaker, I suppose, but if in fact you do ask a question, both the speaker and audience will give you drop-dead looks. And some fool -- some earnest idiot -- always asks. And the speaker always answers. By repeating most of what he has already said. But if there is a little time left and there is a little silence in response to the invitation, I usually ask the most important question of all: "What is the meaning of life?" You never know, somebody may have the answer, and I'd really hate to miss it because I was too socially inhibited to ask. But when I ask, it's usually taken as a kind of absurdist move -- people laugh and nod and gather up their stuff and the meeting is dismissed on that ridiculous note. Once, and only once, I asked that question and got a serious answer. One that is with me still. First, I must tell you where this happened, because the place has a power of its own. In Greece again. Near the village of Gonia on a rocky bay of the island of Crete, sits a Greek Orthodox monastery. Alongside it, on land donated by the monastery, is an institute dedicated to human understanding and peace, and especially to rapprochement between Germans and Cretans. An improbable task, given the bitter residue of wartime. This site is important, because it overlooks the small airstrip at Maleme where Nazi paratroopers invaded Crete and were attacked by peasants wielding kitchen knives and hay scythes. The retribution was terrible. The populations of whole villages were lined up and shot for assaulting Hitler's finest troops. High above the institute is a cemetery with a single cross marking the mass grave of Cretan partisans. And across the bay on yet another hill is the regimented burial ground of the Nazi paratroopers. The memorials are so placed that all might see and never forget. Hate was the only weapon the Cretans had at the end, and it was a weapon many vowed never to give up. Never ever. Against this heavy curtain of history, in this place where the stone of hatred is hard and thick, the existence of an institute devoted to healing the wounds of war is a fragile paradox. How has it come to be here? The answer is a man. Alexander Papaderos. A doctor of philosophy, teacher, politician, resident of Athens but a son of this soil. At war's end he came to believe that the Germans and the Cretans had much to give one another -- much to learn from one another. That they had an example to set. For if they could forgive each other and construct a creative relationship, then any people could. To make a lovely story short, Papaderos succeeded. The institute became a reality -- a conference ground on the site of horror -- and it was in fact a source of productive interaction between the two countries. Books have been written on the dreams that were realized by what people gave to people in this place. By the time I came to the institute for a summer session, Alexander Papaderos had become a living legend. One look at him and you saw his strength and intensity -- energy, physical power, courage, intelligence, passion, and vivacity radiated from this person. And to speak to him, to shake his hand, to be in a room with him when he spoke, was to experience his extraordinary electric humanity. Few men live up to their reputations when you get close. Alexander Papaderos was an exception. At the last session on the last morning of a two-week seminar on Greek culture, led by intellectuals and experts in their fields who were recruited by Papaderos from across Greece, Papaderos rose from his chair at the back of the room and walked to the front, where he stood in the bright Greek sunlight of an open window and looked out. We followed his gaze across the bay to the iron cross marking the German cemetery. He turned. And made the ritual gesture: "Are there any questions?" Quiet quilted the room. These two weeks had generated enough questions for a lifetime, but for now there was only silence. "No questions?" Papaderos swept the room with his eyes. So. I asked. "Dr. Papaderos, what is the meaning of life?" The usual laughter followed, and people stirred to go. Papaderos held up his hand and stilled the room and looked at me for a long time, asking with his eyes if I was serious and seeing from my eyes that I was. "I will answer your question." Taking his wallet out of his hip pocket, he fished into a leather billfold and brought out a very small round mirror, about the size of a quarter. And what he said went like this: "When I was a small child, during the war, we were very poor and we lived in a remote village. One day, on the road, I found the broken pieces of a mirror. A German motorcycle had been wrecked in that place. "I tried to find all the pieces and put them together, but it was not possible, so I kept only the largest piece. This one. And by scratching it on a stone I made it round. I began to play with it as a toy and became fascinated by the fact that I could reflect light into dark places where the sun would never shine -- in deep holes and crevices and dark closets. It became a game for me to get light into the most inaccessible places I could find. "I kept the little mirror, and as I went about my growing up, I would take it out in idle moments and continue the challenge of the game. As I became a man, I grew to understand that this was not just a child's game but a metaphor for what I might do with my life. I came to understand that I am not the light or the source of light. But light -- truth, understanding, knowledge -- is there, and it will only shine in many dark places if I reflect it. "I am a fragment of a mirror whose whole design and shape I do not know. Nevertheless, with what I have I can reflect light into the dark places of this world -- into the black places in the hearts of men -- and change some things in some people. Perhaps others may see and do likewise. This is what I am about. This is the meaning of my life." And then he took his small mirror and, holding it carefully, caught the bright rays of daylight streaming through the window and reflected them onto my face and onto my hands folded on the desk. Much of what I experienced in the way of information about Greek culture and history that summer is gone from memory. But in the wallet of my mind I carry a small round mirror still. Are there any questions? ------------------------------------------------------------- (from the book, It Was On Fire When I Lay Down On It, by Robert Fulghum, the same guy who wrote All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten)

Mission statement: "" The mission of the Boy Scouts of America is to prepare young people to make ethical and moral choices over their lifetimes by instilling in them the values of the Scout Oath and Law."" Goals and aims : "" The Aims of Scouting are: Character, Citizenship, Personal Fitness and Leadership."" Methods and objectives: Ask this of the BSA website and you get this: https://www.scouting.org/resources/guide-to-advancement/advancement-definied/#2004 ""(advancement) is a method, not an end in itself...."" The TRADITIONAL Scout stuff (outdoor safe adventure, physical challenge, Patrol (the gang?) working &learning cooperation together, service to others, earning one's way, etc.) is not readily findable. The question should be NOT why we want kids to join Scouting, but WHY DO THE KIDS want to join Scouting?

Now we know... Truth will out....

Maurice Chevalier please call your office. Aw, aw, aw,,,

I dunno, I just feel moved to post something that was used in another thread some years ago. This is the original, it is often "adjusted" to allow for certain sensitivities, but I always like to go back to the original.... Maybe not appropriate for a ScoutsBSA Troop SMMinute, maybe more appropriate for an IOLS or Wood Badge Scoutmaster Minute, or maybe an EDGE Training session, but worth putting away in one's back pocket, "just in case"... Within My PowerBy Forest E. Witcraft (1894 - 1967), a scholar, teacher, and Boy Scout Executive and first published in the October 1950 issue of Scouting magazine. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *I am not a Very Important Man, as importance is commonly rated. I do not have great wealth, control a big business, or occupy a position of great honor or authority.Yet I may someday mold destiny. For it is within my power to become the most important man in the world in the life of a boy. And every boy is a potential atom bomb in human history.A humble citizen like myself might have been the Scoutmaster of a Troop in which an undersized unhappy Austrian lad by the name of Adolph might have found a joyous boyhood, full of the ideals of brotherhood, goodwill, and kindness. And the world would have been different.A humble citizen like myself might have been the organizer of a Scout Troop in which a Russian boy called Joe might have learned the lessons of democratic cooperation.These men would never have known that they had averted world tragedy, yet actually they would have been among the most important men who ever lived.All about me are boys. They are the makers of history, the builders of tomorrow. If I can have some part in guiding them up the trails of Scouting, on to the high road of noble character and constructive citizenship, I may prove to be the most important man in their lives, the most important man in my community.A hundred years from now it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove. But the world may be different, because I was important in the life of a boy.

I always favor correct quotations. Here is the website to view the "official" , original version of this iconic poem: https://www.theguyintheglass.com/gig.htm

Wonderful. Included in our District News....

Okay, I am still confused by this... I had the impression that the Vanguard Scouts was to be "THE" official LDS Youth scouting type program. No? Is it only the Religious Award Oversight Committee? The LDS Youth Program is something different ? As a Scout Chaplain, a member of my faith Scouting Committee, Assistant District Commish and RoundTabler, who fields questions like this, I am just trying to understand the new world order here....

I would never try to disparage a faith's decision about how to teach their youth, but I too am confused... If the Vanguard International Scouting Association is the new "Scout" organization for the CoJCoLDS youth, why the claim that it is "approved" by the BSA? The BSA would never need to "approve" another youth organization. BP Scouts? Four H? Ambassadors? Campfire? Royal Rangers? None of them have sought BSA approval of any kind. If the LDS church (out of Salt Lake City, yes?) has divested itself of it's connection/approval etc. of BSA, and formed a new youth Scouting type organization, why the need to have (seemingly) two religious awards, ie, the "old " awards (approved for wear on the BSA uniform) and the new Vanguard awards? Are the Vanguard awards to be "approved" for wear on the BSA uniform? It's a Vanguard award. What happens with the "old" LDS awards? And, if it is allowed that LDS youth may continue their participation in BSA Packs and Troops (and earn ranks up to and including Eagle) , utilizing the BSA program unfettered by the old LDS adaptations, why the apparent desire to keep some "official" LDS connection with the BSA? Wow, a hyper achieving LDS kid could be a VISA, a GSUSA, a BSA member too ?

Polio, Tuberculosis, AIDS, Influenza, Diphtheria, Scarlet Fever, Cholera, Bubonic Plaque, Whooping Cough, Lyme, Muscular Dystrophy, Cancer, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Malaria, Ebola, Dengue, Rocky Mountain Fever, Mumps, Measles, , , , A Doctor friend did a study of the headstones and records of our local graveyard. The earlier graves included many with dates indicating death before age five. There was a distinctive drop in childhood deaths about 1920. He decided it was due to success in medical treatments leading to the lessening of the incidence of Diphtheria and Measles and better sanitation overall. First the scientists must be convinced. Then the politicians and businessmen have to be convinced. The general public will be the eventual beneficiaries, but the individual cost is always high. Shall we add the movie "Dr. Ehrlich's Magic Bullet" to our watch list ?

My favorite local restaurant still has peach cobbler (with ice cream), but you have to ask it to go, .

*sigh* another candidate for the Darwin award ; https://www.cnn.com/2020/05/12/us/woman-burned-fell-yellowstone-trnd/index.html

Parents not overly supervising their Scouts? Allowing, even ENCOURAGING them to go exploring on their own? Must be a new concept for some. For some... What a concept. https://www.atmuseum.org/1936-boy-scout-thru-hike.html

Once upon a time, I held the position of "First Assistant Everything Else". Even had a badge of office. My wonderful wife was the Cub Scout Day Camp Director. Son was a Wolf. (much later, an Eagle. Another story...) I went and got Archery Range Safety Officer trained, and "did the Range" many years. Scout Son even grew up to help. Later, his Troop wanted to do archery, so we arranged with a private Archery Club to visit their range (archery Merit Badge, among other things). They had Scout Leaders and abided with all BSA rules, so it was a good thing. Before we went, Scoutson asked me if he could do a Safety Talk with the Troop. I said sure, "you know my methods", I'll watch. He did a good job, but I thought he had neglected some items, so I interrupted and spoke up. Later that evening, Scoutson gently chastised me about how I had embarrassed him by publicly (!) interferring with his talk, that he had not yet mentioned the things I interjected. I realized what I had done, and promised not to be so "parenty" again. I tried hard not to. Scoutson became "THE" Totin' Chip Instructor for the Troop. Oh, and the Archery Camp was a large success.

The alleged Rule of 25 hasn't been around for awhile, if ever. As is often asked, "show where it is written". There are several Faith Awards that the BSA allows and to my knowledge, the named faith has few Charter Orgs, if any, listed in the BSA ranks. Deny Wiccan faith awards? Well, maybe not allow on the uniform officially. But again, where is the rule ?

I always liked the authoritative sound they made closing. Gotta practice my morse . . .

History that needs to be remembered. Here in Pandemic land, Ken Burns is a source of much enlightenment. His documentaries on the Civil War, Baseball, and specifically the Viet Nam War are well worth the effort. https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/

Oscar, right. Thank you for the correction. I guess it boils down to visual vs useful vs tradition. A uniform is meant to identify the wearer as a member of a group. Note the recent posting from our German brother Scout.

Aha... this changes things. The mom submitted the pics, not the Scouts? I am not familiar with some of the technology involved, admittedly. If you can say for certain the pics were taken in a certain way, perhaps you, not your Scout should approach the MBC.

This "debate" goes back to that debacle with Yve St. Larent (spelling? ) back in the 70's when for some god forsaken reason, the BSA decided they needed to "update" the uniform, and so asked that fashion decider, Mssr Larent to redesign the Scout uniform. The short sleeves gained cuffs, the no collar gained a collar, the pockets got smaller, the long sleeve shirt was (I think) abandoned, the material became softer and lighter (and more snag prone) and the necker shrunk from the usual (then ) 36" or larger (either fully square or on a side triangle) to a polite 24" on a side ONLY triangle. It became a cravat, a fashion accessory, rather than the possible tool previously mentioned. As a fashion accessory, the necker became superfluous, and gradually became "optional", rather than something a Scout might need to have. Slides/woggles became (at least for Cubs) a REQUIRED profit item. I wore one yellow necker and one Cub slide thru my 5 years of Cubs. When I joined the Troop, I was presented with the Troop Necker, a large one, with some ceremony. It was noted that the necker was designed by Scouts in the Troop and had some important history behind it. It identified the Troop at events. Need to have ? Did I say that? Yep. Originally, in Pleisticene Scout time, it was encouraged to wear the uniform (If your family could afford it) with the necker because it was a piece of expected, included gear in a Scout's kit. The whole uni was intended for camping, hiking, special events (patrol a parade?) , it was not intended merely as ceremonial. Then came YSL. I have an old book, "Matching Mountains With The Boy Scout Uniform" by Edward F. Reimer from 1929. It lists no fewer than 55 different uses for the necker, from identification in games (tie around the arm ) to first aid (sling, bandage, ankle support), to signal flag, dust mask (!), and horse bridle . Yes, the slide was intended to allow the necker to be QUICKLY removed for use. And some of the older slides in my collection are noticeably larger. That tradition, that historical reference (if not the actual utility) is what is lost when the necker is reduced in size and reduced to "optional". That red necker of my yoooth with the dusty boots labeled ""ALWAYS ON THE GO 759"" has several small tears and holes in it where it was turned into a wigwag flag or tied onto an ankle for Capture the Flag Tough cotton. Friendship knot? That I know was first intended to be tied low on the necker so the whole thing can be whipped off to trade with others at the World Jamboree, so I was told by a fellow some years ago. It lends itself for that purpose. Big Necker on Cubs? They can grow into it. We did. Small necker on Scouts and Scouters? It is a cravat, and on a tall man or woman, looks like . . . . a cravat, not a tool or tradition worn proudly to remind us of what Scout was and (as if it ever wasn't) could be again .

Ditto. There are too many ways this could be done. There are diplomatic ways to approach this, but your Scout should not be seen as accusing another Scout of not really "doing his best". If the MBC is worth his/her salt, they will ask the proper questions of the candidates. MBs are supposed to be a learning experience, yes? Once the blue card is signed, the MB is passed, no further discussion is proper. I would counsel my Scout to do HIS best , and be proud of his accomplishment. Maybe he will see his Scout buddies later and, around the campfire so to speak, discuss their techniques and approaches to the requirements. Encourage him to study the work of other successful photogs, Mathew Brady, Margaret Bourke-White, Edward Steichen, Ansel Adams come to mind.

Guten tag, wie gehts? Welkomen zu Scouter dot com..... In Germany, I could understand how someone of a certain mindset might try to connect a Pfadfinder mit die Hitler Jungen. Your unfortunate history needs to be remembered and dealt with. Here in the US of A, Scouting has sometimes been thought to be part of our military. It is important to politely disabuse (explain how it is wrong) that idea , both with words and actions. Ignorance must be forgiven, when possible, yes? Education is a blessing. The uniform should look different. Ours is decidedly not military, in my opinion. You should compare how your present uniform is or is not similar to that unfortunate "other organization", and try to adjust it thereby. Make sure your symbols are markedly different. It is well known that Hitler did not agree with the ideals of Scouting and actively suppressed it. His ideals were not Scouting's ideals. Make that plain. Let your life show that difference. I hope my comments have helped. Auf wiedersehn, sehe sie auf der spur ?

I ask for peach cobbler and get a request to participate in a political poll.