SCOUT NEWS

Waipa Post, Volume 42, Issue 3303, 30 May 1931, Page 5

SCOUT NEWS

Ist. TE AWAMUTU TROOP. (By " Scouter.") Last week we dealt with the Scouts' promise, and I promised to go further into the third point of it. As I said, it covers the ten Scout laws, and this week we will go into them.

One way to help you to remember your Scout laws is to check them off on your fingers, each finger representing a law. Their headings are: Honour, loyalty, helpfulness, friend- . ship, courteous, kindness, obedience, cheerfulness, thrift, pureness. The ' first law says: "A Scout's honour is to be trusted." That means that when you say a thing is so, it is so; there can be no question of your word because you say only what is true. Next, a Scout is loyal to his King, his country, his officers, his parents, his employers, and to those under him. To be loyal is to be true in thought, word, and deed. Don't let anyone run another down. If you cannoit say anything good of another, say nothing at all; but, remember, no matter how bad a person is, there is some good, in him, so bring it out. As regards loyalty to the King, country, ofiicei's, > and parents, that, as I said last weejk, is a natural instinct, but what of lpyalty to the employers ? They are , not there just to give you a job and . pay your wages; they pay you for |jj pertain duties, and it is up to "you not \ only to do what they set you to do, but something over. When the clock strikes five don't throw down your tools, and say, Another day finished.'". •'" Another five minutes may save an" hour next day, and it won't hurt you to give those five minutes. Be loyal to those under you; stick up for them, and show them you are their friend as well as their employer; give them full credit for all they do, and they will do more. The third point: A Scout's duty is to be useful and to help others. To be useful you do not need to wait to be told what to do; look about and find something. There is always plenty of jobs to be done no matter where you are; and to help others at all times will give you lots of work. A Scout is a friend to all, ' and a brother to every other Scout, no matter to what social class iV? other belongs. That law is very clear: you must always be friendly to others, and, as I said before, say nothingbad about them. Do not worry about their social standing; the boy with his clothes all patches may be poor, but he is still a boy. It is what is inside the clothes that counts, so don't be a snob and turn your nose up at the other chap. A Scout is courteous, is our fifth law. That means you must be respectful and polite at all times, and those little acts of kindness to elderly people and cripples are sure signs of a courteous boy. Guiding an old lady through traffic or assisting one who is crinuled, and showing due respect to your seniors, all come under this heading. The sixth law, a Scout is a friend to animals. This is an easy law to keep, and, like all ten, a good one.

Don't throw stones at that stray dog or cat. If you must throw something then see it is something to eat. Remember, a Scout kills only for food, so don't go round the country firing your little gun at every bird you see, or robbing the eggs from a nest; they are of no use to you, and you are only causing useless suffering. A Scout obeys the orders of his parents, patrol leader, and scoutmaster without question. You must not pick out the orders that please you, but do as you are told, no matter how unpleasant the job. Someone has to do it, so why not you ?—and do it with a smile, as the next law tells you. Smile and whistle under all difficulties, and half the work is done. Don't growl: off with your coat, and get busy. Be thirfty is the next. As sure as eggs, if you spend that last threepence on sweets you'll find very soon that there was something else of real use you needed, and if you get the idea of saving it soon becomes a habit, and you are then prepared for the hard times.

The last of our laws is, to my mind, one of the most important. A Scout is clean in word, thought, and deed. Perfect bodily cleanliness is the first essential, for the body is not kept clean the mind cannot be clean; and, remember, too, bodily cleanliness means both inside and out: plenty of soap and water for the outside and plenty of exercise and good, plain food for the inside. Be clean in thought and deed. No Scout ever says, or does, or even thinks of anything unclean; don't do anything you would be ashamed to let your mother or sister know; don't say or think anything you would not like them to know. Follow out the Scout laws I've'tried to explain to you, and you will be what we all wish to be: true citizens and real Britons.