He saw several boxes of a kind of soap which his mother was accustomed to buy from the family grocer. Hastening to the grocery store he asked the price of the soap. "Twelve cents a pound" was the reply. On being pressed for a lower figure the shopkeeper remarked in a bantering tone that he would buy all that the boy could bring to his store at {247}nine cents a pound. The boy hurried back to the auction and bought the soap at six cents a pound. It was in this way that he made his first money in trade and laid the foundation of his fortune.
The knight never waited for opportunity to come to him. He went out looking for it, and wore his armor in order that he might be ready for it when it came. There is a story of a Greek god who had only one lock of hair upon his forehead. The remainder of his head was shining bald. In order to get this ancient god's attention, it was necessary to grip him by his forelock, for when he had passed, nothing could check his speed. So it is with opportunity, and the hour of opportunity. A good scout is ready for both and always grips "time by the forelock."
Individuality
If the foregoing qualities enter into a scout's training, an individuality will be developed in him, which will make itself known and felt.
Every scout should read over the following list of scout virtues, and should strive at all times to keep them before him in his training, thus making them a part of his life:
Unselfishnes The art of thinking of others first and one's self afterward.
s:
Self
The giving up of one's comfort, desires, and pleasures for the benefit of some one else.
Sacrifice:
Kindness:
The habit of thinking well of others and doing good to them.
Friendliness: The disposition to make everyone you meet feel at ease, and to be of service to him if possible.
The desire to give to every one a square deal and the same fair chance that you yourself wish to enjoy. It means also Honesty:
respect for the property and rights of others, the ability to face the truth, and to call your own faults by their right name.
Fair Play:
Scorning to take unfair advantage of a rival and readiness even to give up an advantage to him.
Loyalty:
The quality of remaining true and faithful not only to your principles but also to your parents and friends.
Obedience:
Compliance with the wishes of parents or those in places of authority.
Discipline:
That self-restraint and self-control that keep a boy steady, and help him in team work.
Endurance:
A manly moderation which keeps a boy fit and strong and in good condition. {248}
Self
The ambition to get on in life by all fair means.
Improvemen
t:
Humility:
That fine quality which keeps a scout from boasting, and which generally reveals a boy of courage and achievement.
Honor:
That great thing which is more sacred than anything else to scouts and gentlemen; the disdain of telling or implying an untruth; absolute trustworthiness and faithfulness.
Duty to God: That greatest of all things, which keeps a boy faithful to his principles and true to his friends and comrades; that gives him a belief in things that are high and noble, and which makes him prove his belief by doing his good turn to some one every day.
This list of virtues a scout must have, and if there are any that standout more prominently than the others, they are the following: Scout protecting child from mad dog
Courage
It is horrible to be a coward. It is weak to yield to fear and heroic to face danger without flinching. The old Indian who had been mortally wounded faced death with a grim smile on his lips and sang his own death song. The soldier of the {249} Roman legions laughed in the face of death, and died often with a "Hail, Imperator!" for the Roman Caesar upon his lips.
One of the stories connected with the battle of Agincourt tells us that four fair ladies had sent their knightly lovers into battle. One of these was killed. Another was made prisoner. The third was lost in the battle and never heard of afterward. The fourth was safe, but owed his safety to shameful flight. "Ah! woe is me," said the lady of this base knight, "for having placed my affections on a coward. He would have been dear to me dead. But alive he is my reproach."
A scout must be as courageous as any knight of old or any Roman soldier or any dying Indian.
Loyalty
Loyalty is another scout virtue which must stand out prominently, because it is that which makes him true to his home, his parents, and his country. Charles VIII, at the Battle of Foronovo, picked out nine of his bravest officers and gave to each of them a complete suit of armor, which was a counterpart of his own. By this device he outwitted a group of his enemies who had leagued themselves to kill him during the fight. They sought him through all the ranks, and every time they met one of these officers they thought they had come face to face with the king. The fact that these officers hailed such a dangerous honor with delight and devotion is a striking illustration of their loyalty.
The scout should be no less loyal to his parents, home, and country.
Duty to God
No scout can ever hope to amount to much until he has learned a reverence for religion. The scout should believe in God and God's word. In the olden days, knighthood, when it was bestowed, was a religious ceremony, and a knight not only considered himself a servant of the king, but also a servant of God. The entire night preceding the day upon which the young esquire was made knight was spent by him on his knees in prayer, in a fast and vigil.
There are many kinds of religion in the world. One important point, however, about them is that they all involve the worship of the same God. There is but one leader, although many ways of following Him. If a scout meets one of another religion, he should remember that he, too, is striving for the best. {250} A scout should respect the convictions of others in matters of custom and religion.
Scout helping old lady across street
A Boy Scout's Religion
The Boy Scouts of America maintain that no boy can grow into the best kind of citizenship without recognizing his obligation to God. The first part of the boy scout's oath or pledge is therefore: "I promise on my honor to do my best to honor my God and my country." The recognition of God as the ruling and leading power in the universe, and the grateful acknowledgement of His favors and blessings is necessary to the best type of citizenship and is a wholesome thing in the education of the growing boy. No matter what the boy may be--
Catholic, or Protestant, or Jew--this fundamental need of good citizenship should be kept before him. The Boy Scouts of America therefore recognize the religious element in the training of a boy, but it is absolutely non-sectarian in its attitude toward that religious training. Its policy is that the organization or institution with which the boy scout is connected shall give definite attention to his religious life.
If he be a Catholic boy scout, the Catholic Church of which he is a member is the best channel for his training. If he be a Hebrew boy, then the Synagogue will train him in the faith of his fathers. If he be a Protestant, no matter to what denomination of Protestantism he may belong, the church of which he is an adherent or a member should be the proper organization to give him an education in the things that pertain to his allegiance to God. The Boy Scouts of America, then, while recognizing the fact that the boy should be taught the things that pertain to religion, insists upon the boy's religious life being stimulated and fostered by the institution with which he is connected.
Of course, it is a fundamental principle of the Boy Scouts of America to insist on {251} clean, capable leadership in its scout masters, and the influence of the leader on the boy scout should be of a distinctly helpful character.
Work, Not Luck
Life, after all, is just this: Some go through life trusting to luck. They are not worthy to be scouts. Others go through life trusting to hard work and clear thinking. These are they who have cleared the wilderness and planted wheat where forests once grew, who have driven back the savage, and have fostered civilization in the uncultivated places of the earth. The good scout is always at work--
working to improve himself and to improve the daily lot of others.
The thing that is to be noticed in all of these men, those of the Round Table, and those of American pioneer days, is the fact that they were ever ready to do a good turn to some one. The knights of the Round Table did theirs by clash of arms, by the jousts and the tourney, and by the fierce hand-to-hand fights that were their delight in open battle.
The old scouts, our own pioneers, very often had to use the rifle and the hatchet and the implements of war. However, those days have passed, and we are living in a non-military and peace-loving age; and the glory of it is that, whereas these men took their lives in their hands and by dint of rifle and sword did their part in helping others, our modern civilization gives the Boy Scouts of America an opportunity to go out and do their good turn daily for others in the thousand ways that will benefit our American life the most.
Sometimes they will have to risk their lives, but it will be in case of fire or accident or catastrophe. At other times they will be given the privilege of showing simple deeds of chivalry by their courteous treatment of their elders, cripples, and children, by giving up their seats in street cars, or by carrying the bundles of those who are not as physically strong as themselves. And in it all will come the satisfying feeling that they are doing just as much and perhaps a great deal more than the iron-clad men or the buckskin clothed scouts in making their country a little safer and a little better place to live in. Chivalry and courtesy and being a gentleman mean just as much now as they ever did, and there is a greater demand in these days to live pure, to speak true, and to help others by a good turn daily than ever before in the world's history.
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Notes
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CHAPTER VII FIRST AID AND LIFE SAVING Major Charles Lynch, Medical Corps, U. S. A. Acting for the American Red Cross PREVENTION OF ACCIDENTS General
Considerably over a million persons are seriously injured in the United States each year. The enormous loss of life and the great suffering involved certainly demand that every boy scout do what he can to improve conditions in this respect. Some accidents happen under all circumstances, but, on the other hand a great many accidents are avoidable and probably quite one half of the injuries which occur in the United States yearly could be prevented if common care were exercised.
Panics and Their Prevention
In case of a panic, at an in-door assembly, scouts, if they live up to their motto, "Be Prepared," will be able to save hundreds of lives.
There is usually plenty of time for people to get out of a building if the exits are not blocked by too many crowding them at once. One should, if possible, try to arrange to have the performance go on, and the others could reassure the people and get them to go out quietly through the exits provided. Almost all scouts know how quickly and safely our school buildings are cleared by means of the fire drill.
Fires
Fires constitute a danger as great as panics, and scouts should be equally well informed what to do in case of fire. It is the duty of a scout to know how to prevent fires. Many fires are caused by carelessness. Never throw away a lighted match, for it may fall on inflammable material and start a fire. Reading in bed by the light of a lamp or candle is dangerous, for if the reader goes to sleep the bed clothing is likely to catch fire. {256} A scout may often have to dry his clothes before a fire and if so, they should be carefully watched. Hot ashes in wooden boxes, or in barrels, are responsible for many fires.
In camp, dry grass should be cut away from the locality of the camp fire; and not to put out a camp fire on leaving a camp is criminal.
Many of the great fires in our forests have been due to carelessness in this respect. Fires also result frequently from explosions of gas or gunpowder. A room in which the odor of gas is apparent should never be entered with a light, and in handling gunpowder a scout should have no matches loose in his pockets.
How To Put Out Burning Clothing
If your own clothing should catch fire do not run for help as this will fan the flames. Lie down and roll up as tightly as possible in an overcoat, blanket, or rug. If nothing can be obtained in which to wrap up, lie down and roll over slowly at the same time beating out the fire with the hands. If another person's clothing catches fire, throw him to the ground and smother the fire with a coat, blanket, or rug.
What To Do in Case of Fire
A fire can usually be put out very easily when it starts, and here is an occasion when a scout can show his presence of mind and coolness.
At first a few buckets of water or blankets or woollen clothing thrown upon a fire will smother it. Sand, ashes, or dirt, or even flour, will have the same effect.
[Transcriber's note: Flour dust suspended in air is explosive.]
If a scout discovers a building to be on fire, he should sound the alarm for the fire department at once. If possible he should send some one else, as the scout will probably know better what to do before the fire-engine arrives. All doors should be kept closed so as to prevent draughts. If you enter the burning building, close the window or door after you, if possible, and leave some responsible person to guard it so it will not be opened and cause a draught. In searching for people, go to the top floor and walk down, examining each room as carefully as possible. If necessary to get air while making the search, close the door of the room, open a window, and stick the head out until a few breaths can be obtained. Afterward close the window to prevent a draught. If doors are found locked and you suspect people are asleep inside, knock and pound on doors to arouse them. If this produces no results, you will have to try to break down the door. While searching through a burning building it will be best to tie a wet handkerchief or cloth {257} over the nose and mouth.
You will get a little air from the water.
Remember the air within six inches of the floor is free from smoke, so when you have difficulty in breathing, crawl along the floor, with the head low, dragging anyone you have rescued behind you.
If you tie the hands of an insensible person together with a handkerchief and put them over your head, you will find it fairly easy to crawl along the floor dragging him with you.
Learning by doing
Never jump from a window unless the flames are so close to you that this is the only means of escape.
If you are outside a building, put bedding in a pile to break the jumper's fall, or get a strong carpet or rug to catch him, and have it firmly held by as many men and boys as can secure hand holds.
In country districts, scouts should organize a bucket brigade which consists of two lines from the nearest water supply to the fire. Scouts in one line pass buckets, pitchers, or anything else that will hold water from one to another till the last scout {258} throws the water on the fire. The buckets are returned by the other line.
Drowning
Drowning accidents are very common. Every scout should know how to swim and to swim well, but this is not all that is necessary. He should also know how to prevent accidents that may result in drowning. In summer, boating and bathing accidents are common.
Remember a light boat is not intended for heavy seas; do not change seats except in a wide and steady boat; and above all things do not put yourself in the class of idiots who rock a boat.
At the sea-shore, unless you are a strong swimmer, do not go outside the life line, and if the undertow is strong be careful not to walk out where the water is so deep it will carry you off your feet. Very cold water and very long swims are likely to exhaust even a strong swimmer and are therefore hazardous unless a boat accompanies the swimmer.
Rescue of the Drowning (See pages 279 to 285) Ice Rescue
To rescue a person who has broken through the ice you should first tie a rope around your body and have the other end tied, or held, on shore. Then secure a long board or a ladder or limb of a tree, crawl out on this, or push it out, so that the person in the water may reach it. If nothing can be found on which you can support your weight do not attempt to walk out toward the person to be rescued, but lie down flat on your face and crawl out, as by doing this much less weight bears at anyone point on the ice than in walking. If you yourself break through the ice remember that if you try to crawl up on the broken edge it will very likely break again with you. If rescuers are near, it would be much better to support yourself on the edge of the ice and wait for them to come to you.
Restoring the Drowning and Artificial Respiration (See pages 286 to 288)
Electric Accidents
For his own benefit and that of his comrades, the scout should know how to avoid accidents from electricity. The third rail is always dangerous, so do not touch {259} it. Swinging wires of any kind may somewhere in their course be in contact with live wires, so they should not be touched.
A person in contact with a wire or rail carrying an electric current will transfer the current to the rescuer. Therefore he must not touch the unfortunate victim unless his own body is thoroughly insulated. The rescuer must act very promptly, for the danger to the person in contact is much increased the longer the electric current is allowed to pass through his body. If possible, the rescuer should insulate himself by covering his hands with a mackintosh, rubber sheeting, several thicknesses of silk, or even dry cloth. In addition he should, if possible, complete his insulation by standing on a dry board, a thick piece of paper, or even on a dry coat. Rubber gloves and rubber shoes or boots are still safer, but they cannot usually be procured quickly.
If a live wire is under a person and the ground is dry, it will be perfectly safe to stand on the ground and pull him off the wire with the bare hands, care being taken to touch only his clothing, and this must not be wet.
A live wire lying on a patient may be flipped off with safety with a dry board or stick. In removing the live wire from the person, or the person from the wire, do this, with one motion, as rocking him to and fro on the wire will increase shock and burn.
A live wire may be safely cut by an axe or hatchet with dry, wooden handle. The electric current may be short circuited by dropping a crow-bar or poker on the wire. These must be dropped on the side from which the current is coming and not on the farther side, as the latter will not short circuit the current before it is passed through the body of the person in contact. Drop the metal bar; do not place it on the wire or you will then be made a part of the short circuit and receive the current of electricity through your body.
What To Do for Electric Shocks
Always send for a doctor, but do not wait for him. Treatment should be given even if the man appears to be dead. Loosen the clothing around neck and body. Proceed to restore breathing by artificial respiration as in drowning. (See pages 286, 287.) Gas Accidents
The commonest gas encountered is the ordinary illuminating gas. To prevent such gas from escaping in dangerous {260} quantities, leaks in gas pipes should be promptly repaired. Be careful in turning off gas to make sure that gas is actually shut off. It is dangerous to leave a gas jet burning faintly when you go to sleep: as it may go out if pressure in the gas pipe becomes less, and if pressure is afterward increased gas may escape into the room.
Coal gas will escape through red-hot cast-iron, and very big fires in such stoves are dangerous, especially in sleeping rooms. Charcoal burned in open vessels in tight rooms is especially dangerous. In underground sewers and wells other dangerous gases are found. If a lighted candle or torch will not burn in such a place, it is very certain the air will be deadly for any person who enters.
To rescue an unconscious person in a place filled with gas, move quickly and carry him out without breathing yourself. Take a few deep breaths before entering and if possible hold breath while in the place.
Frequently less gas will be found near the floor of a building, so one may be able to crawl where it would be dangerous to walk.
What To Do for Gas Poisoning
Proceed to restore breathing by artificial respiration as in drowning.
(See pages 286, 287.)
Runaway Horses
The method for checking a horse running away is not to run out and wave your arm in front of him, as this will only cause him to dodge to one side and to run faster, but to try to run alongside the vehicle with one hand on the shaft to prevent yourself from falling, seizing the reins with the other hand and dragging the horse's head toward you.
If when he has somewhat slowed down by this method, you can turn him toward a wall or a house he will probably stop.
Mad Dog
The first thing to do is to kill the mad dog at once. Wrap a handkerchief around the hand to prevent the dog's teeth from entering the flesh and grasp a club of some kind. If you can stop the dog with a stick you should hit him hard over the head with it, or kick him under the jaw. A handkerchief held in front of you in your outstretched hands will generally cause the dog to stop to paw it before he attempts to bite you. This will give you an opportunity to kick him under the lower jaw.
Another way suggested is to wrap a coat around the left arm and let the dog bite it; then with the other hand seize the dog's throat and choke him.
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FIRST AID FOR INJURIES General Directions Keep cool. There is no cause for excitement or hurry. In not one case in a thousand are the few moments necessary to find out what is the matter with an injured man going to result in any harm to him, and of course in order to treat him intelligently you must first know what is the matter. Commonsense will tell the scout that he must waste no time, however, when there is severe bleeding, or in case of poisoning.
If possible, always send for a doctor, unless the injury is a trivial one.
Don't wait until he arrives, however, to do something for the injured person. A crowd should always be kept back and tight clothing should be loosened. If the patient's face is pale, place him on his back with his head low. If his face is flushed, fold your coat and put it under his head so as to raise it slightly.
In case of vomiting, place the patient on his side. Do not give an unconscious person a stimulant, as he cannot swallow, and it will run down his windpipe and choke him.
If the injury is covered by clothing, remove it by cutting or tearing, but never remove more clothing than necessary, as one of the results of injury is for a person to feel cold. Shoes and boots should be cut in severe injuries about the feet.
Shock
For example, a scout is riding on a trolley-car. The car runs into a loaded wagon. The wagon is overturned and the driver thrown to the pavement. Part of the load falls upon his body and when you reach him he is unconscious. So far as you can find out, nothing else is the matter with him. This is called shock. It accompanies all serious injuries and is itself serious, as a person may die without ever recovering from shock. Of course, there are different degrees of shock. In severe shock the person is completely unconscious or he may be only slightly confused and feel weak and uncertain of what has happened.
In shock always send for a doctor when you can. Before he comes, warm and stimulate the patient in every possible way. Place him on his back with his head low and cover him with {262} your coat or a blanket. Rub his arms and legs toward his body but do not uncover him to do this. If you have ammonia or smelling salts, place them before the patient's nose so he may breathe them.
This is all you can do when unconsciousness is complete. When the patient begins to recover a little, however, and as soon as he can swallow, give him hot tea or coffee, or a half teaspoonful of aromatic spirits of ammonia in a quarter glass of water.
Warning: Remember always that a person with shock may have some other serious injuries. These you should always look for and treat if necessary.
Injuries in Which the Skin is Not Broken--Fractures A fracture is the same thing as a broken bone. When the bone pierces or breaks through the skin, it is called a compound fracture, and when it does not, a simple fracture.
Splints for broken thigh
A scout is in the country with a comrade. The latter mounts a stone wall to cross it. The wall falls with him and he calls out for help. When the other scout reaches him, he finds the injured scout lying flat on the ground with both legs stretched out. One of these does not look quite natural, and the scout complains of a great deal of pain at the middle of the thigh and thinks he felt something break when he fell.
He cannot raise the injured leg. Carefully rip the trousers and the underclothing at the seam to above the painful point. When you have done this the deformity will indicate the location of the fracture. You must be very gentle now or you will do harm, but if one hand is put above where you think the {263} break occurred and the other below it and it is lifted gently you will find that there is movement at the broken point.
Splints for broken leg
Send for a doctor first, if you can, and, if you expect him to arrive very soon, let your comrade lie where he is, putting his injured leg in the same position as the sound one and holding it there by coats or other articles piled around the leg. But if the doctor cannot be expected for some time, draw the injured limb into position like the sound one and hold it there by splints. Splints can be made of anything that is stiff and rigid. Something flat like a board is better than a pole or staff; limbs broken off a tree will do if nothing else can be found. Shingles make excellent splints. In applying splints remember that they should extend beyond the next joint above and the next joint below; otherwise, movements of the joint will cause movement at the broken point. With a fracture of the thigh, such as that described, the outer splint should be a very long one, extending below the feet from the arm pit. A short one extending just below the knee will do for the inner splint. Splints may be tied on with handkerchiefs, pieces of cl