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John Wayne:
What the Scout Law Means to Me
A great American, John Wayne, passed away many years
ago. One of his last public appearances was at a dinner.
He was riddled with cancer and knew he was close to
death. The purpose of the dinner was to benefit a land
purchase for a Scout Reservation called John Wayne Outpost
Camp. At this dinner, Wayne recited the Scout Law. Then
he did something unusual, he said the twelve points
of the Scout Law are "nice words". "Trouble
is" he continued. "We learn them so young
we sometimes don't get all the understanding that goes
with them. I take care of that in my family. As each
boy reaches Scout age, I make sure he learns the Scout
Law. Then I break it down for him, with a few things
I have picked up in more than half a century since I
learned it."
Then Wayne proceeded to explain the importance of the
Scout Law, breaking it down for the guests at the dinner;
much like he would have for his grandson.
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TRUSTWORTHY
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The badge of honesty. Having it
lets you look at any man in the eye. Lacking it
he won't look back. Keep this one at the top of
your list.
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LOYAL
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The Very word is life itself, for without loyalty
we have no love of person or country |
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HELPFUL
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Part sharing, part caring. By helping each other,
we help ourselves, not to mention mankind. Be
always full of help -- the dying man's last words. |
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FRIENDLY
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Brotherhood is part of that word. You can take
it in a lot of directions - and do - but make
sure and start with brotherhood. |
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COURTEOUS
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Allow each person his human dignity which
means
a lot more than saying, "yes ma'am"
and "thank you sir". It reflects an
attitude that later in life you wish you had
honored
more... earlier in life. Save yourself that problem.
Do it now. |
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KIND
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This one word would stop wars and erase hatreds.
But its like your bicycle, its just no good unless
you get out and use it. |
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OBEDIENT
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Starts at home. Practice it in your family.
Enlarge it in your friends. Share it with humanity. |
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CHEERFUL
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Anyone can put on a happy face when the going
is good. The secret is to wear it as a mask for
your problems. It might surprise you how many
others do the same thing. |
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THRIFTY
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Means a lot more than putting pennies away,
and it is the opposite of cheap. Common sense
covers it just about as well as anything. |
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BRAVE
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You don't have to fight to be brave. Millions
of good, fine, decent folks show more bravery
than heavyweight champs just by getting out of
bed every morning, going out to do a good day's
work and living the best life they know how against
the law of odds. |
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CLEAN
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Soap and waters help a lot on the outside. But
it is the inside that counts and don't ever forget
it. |
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REVERENT
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Believe in anything that you want to believe
in, but keep God at the top of it. With Him, life
can be a beautiful experience. Without Him, you
are just biding time. |
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