Scout Master Matters: Upholding the Boy Scout Ideals in Everyday Life.

Clean– orderly, neat, stainless, pure, unblemished, unpolluted

One thing parents everywhere understand is clean.  How often do you have to say clean your room, clean your dishes, change your clothes, brush your teeth??  A scout is clean but beyond the everyday mundane this can mean a lot more to the world around us.

The last few weekends our scouts had the opportunity to work at the fairgrounds picking up litter.  The simplest act of picking up after themselves and the people around them had more impact than they realized.  It made the fairgrounds beautiful so that people could enjoy themselves more.  It helped those fair goers stay healthy by avoiding unwanted pests like flies and vermin.  It kept nearby wildlife safe by removing possible threats to their safety.  It gave each scout pride in their surroundings and a job well done.  Finally, it gave the community itself a sense of appreciation and pride in their youth and The Boy Scouts in general.

Cleanliness is by scouts often the most overlooked item in the scout law. But, as you can see by the example above it is by no means unimportant. Be sure to show your appreciation when your scouts take the initiative each day and those little acts build into a foundation which will be support to us all.

 

Quote of the Month: 

It seems as if an age of genius must be succeeded by an age of endeavor; riot and extravagance by cleanliness and hard work.”

Virginia Woolf