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Webmaster Favorites from the 1911
Handbook for Boys
There are some things that, in my opinion, our
current handbook is lacking in. This section is completely dedicated to things
that I find in the 1911 Handbook for Boys, the original handbook of the
BSA, that I feel we should know.
Ch.
1c: Scout Virtues
Ch. 6a: Ancient Knighthood
Ch.
6b: Struggle for Freedom
Ch 6c: The Pilgrim Fathers
Please join me for "Chivalry". An
summer-long event that will be updated once to twice a week!
The Pilgrim Fathers
When
the pilgrim fathers founded the American Colonies, the work of Arthur and Alfred
and other great men of ancient days was renewed and extended and fitted to the
new conditions and times. With the English Settlements of Raleigh and Captain
John Smith we might almost say that a new race of men was born and a new kind of
knight was developed. All over America an idea made itself felt that in the eyes
of the law every man should be considered just as good as every other man, and
that every man ought to have a fair and square chance at all the good things
that were to be had in a land of plenty. It was this spirit that compelled the
colonists to seek their independence and that found its way into our Declaration
of Independence as follows:
We
hold these truths to be self evident: that all men are created equal; that they
are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these
are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
The fight of
the colonists was the old-time fight for the knights against the oppression and
injustice and the might that dared to call itself right.
Struggle for Freedom, Pg 238
Of course this struggle of right against wrong was not
confined to the days in which chivalry was born. The founding of the
order of knighthood was merely the beginning of the age long struggle to
make right the ruling thought of life. Long after knighthood had passed
away, the struggle continued. In the birth of the modern nations,
England, Germany, France, and others, there was the distinct feeling on the
part of the best men of these nations that might should and must give way to
right, and that tyranny must yield to the spirit of freedom. The great
struggle of the English barons under King John and the wresting from the
king of the Magna Carta, which became the basis of English liberty, was
merely another development of the idea for which chivalry stood. The protest
of the French Revolution, and the terrible doings of the common people in
these days, although wicked and brutal in method, were symptoms of the same
revolt against oppression.
Ancient Knighthood, Pg 237-238
A
little over fifteen hundred years ago the great order of knighthood and chivalry
was founded. The reason for this was the feeling on the part of the best men of
that day that it was the duty of the stronger to help the weak. These were the
days when might was right, and the man with the strongest arm did as he pleased,
often oppressing the poor and riding rough shod without any regard over the
feelings and affections of others. In revolt against this, there sprang up all
over Europe a noble and useful order of men who called themselves knights. Among
these great-hearted men were Arthur, Gareth, Lancelot, Bedivere, and
Alfred the Great. The desire of these men was " To live pure, speak true, right
wrong, follow the king." Of course in these days there also lived men who called
themselves knights, but who had none of the desire for service that inspired
Arthur and others. These false knights, who cared for no one but themselves and
their own pleasure, often brought great sorrow to the common people. Chivalry
then was a revolt against their brutal acts and ignorance and a protest against
the continuation of the idea that might was right.
Nowhere in all the stories that
have come down to us have acts of chivalry been so well told as in the tales of
the Round Table. Here it was that King Arthur gathered about him men like Sire
Bors, Sire Gawaine, Sire Pellias, Sir Geraint, Sir Tristam, Sir Lancelot, and
Sir Galahad. These men moved by the desire of giving themselves in service,
cleared the forest of wild animals, suppressed the robber barons, punished the
outlaws, bullies, and thieves of their day, and enforced wherever they went a
proper respect for women. It was for this great service that they trained
themselves, passing throught the degrees of page, esquire, and knight with all
the hard work that each of these meant in order that they might better do their
duty to God and country.
Scout Virtues, Pg 8-10.
There
are other things which a scout ought to know and which should be characteristic
of him, if he is going to be the kind of scout for which the Boy scouts of
America stand. One of these is obedience. To be a good scout a boy must learn to
obey the orders of his patrol leader, scout master, and scout commissioner. He
must learn to obey, before he is able to command. He should so learn to
discipline and control himself that he will have no thought but to obey the
orders of his officer. He should keep such a strong grip on his own life that he
will not allow himself to do anything which is ignoble, or which will harm his
life or weaken his powers of endurance.
Another virtue of a scout is that of
courtesy. A boy scout ought to have a command of polite language. He ought to
show that he is a true gentleman by doing little things for others.
Loyalty is also a scout virtue. A
scout out to be loyal to all to whom he has obligations. He ought to stand up
courageously for the truth, for his parents and friends.
Another Scout virtue is self-respect.
He ought to refuse to accept gratitudes from any one, unless absolutely
necessary. He ought to work for the money he gets.
For this same reason he should never
look down upon any one who may be poorer than himself, or envy any one richer
than himself. A scout's self-respect will cause him to value his own standing
and make him sympathetic toward others who may be, on one hand, worse off,
or, on the other hand, better off as far as wealth is concerned. Scouts know
neither a lower nor a higher class, for a scout is one who is a comrade to all
and who is ready to share that which he has with others.
The most important scout virtue is
that of honor. Indeed, this is the basis of all scout virtues and is closely
allied to that of self-respect. When a scout promises to do a thing on his
honor, he is bound to do it. The honor of a scout will not permit of anything
but the highest and the best and the manliest. The honor of a scout is a sacred
thing, and cannot be lightly set aside or trampled on.
Faithfulness to duty is another one
of the scout virtues. When it is a scouts duty to do something, he dare not
shirk. A scout is faithful to his own interest and the interests of others. He
is true to his country and his God.
Another scout virtue is cheerfulness.
As a the scout law intimates, he must never go about with a sulky air. He must
always be bright and smiling, and as the humorist says, "Must always see the
doughnut and not the hole." A bright face and a cheery word spread like sunshine
from one to another. It is the scout's duty to be a sunshine-maker in the world.
Another scout virtue is that of
thoughtfulness, especially to animals; not merely the thoughtfulness that eases
a horse from the pain of a badly fitting harness or gives food and drink to an
animal that is in need, but also that which keeps a boy from throwing a stone at
a cat or or tying a tin can on a dogs tail. If a boy scout does not prove his
thoughtfulness and friendship for animals, it is quite certain that he never
will be really helpful to his comrades or to the men, women, and children who
may need his care.
And then the final and chief test of
the scout is the doing of a good turn to somebody every day, quietly and without
boasting. This is the proof of the scout. It is practical religion, and a boy
honors God best when he helps others most. A boy may wear all the scout uniforms
made, all the scout badges ever manufactured, know all the woodcraft, camp
craft, scoutcraft and other activities of boy scouts, and yet never be a real
boy scout. To be a real boy scout means the doing of a good turn every day with
the proper motive and if this be done, the boy has a right to be classed with
the great scouts that have been of such service to to their country. To
accomplish this, a scout should observe the scout law.
Every boy ought to commit to memory
the following abbreviated form of the scout law.
1. A scout is trustworthy.
2. A scout is loyal.
3. A scout is helpful.
4. A scout is friendly.
5. A scout is courteous.
6. A scout is kind.
7. A scout is obedient.
8. A scout is cheerful.
9. A scout is thrifty.
10. A scout is brave.
11. A scout is clean.
12.A scout is reverent.
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