The best way to wrap up a meeting and make sure everyone knows it is time to go is to close with ScoutMaster Minutes. This is an opportunity for the ScoutMaster to address the troop and leave them with something to think about. It is usually a short story with a moral, a quote, or a thought.
The Eagle and the Wolf
There is a great battle that rages inside me. One side is a soaring Eagle.
Everything the Eagle stands for is good and true and beautiful, And it soars above the clouds. Even though it dips down into the valleys, It lays its eggs in the mountains.
The other side of me is the Howling Wolf, And that raging, howling wolf represents the worst that is in me. He eats upon my downfalls and justifies himself by his presence in the pack.
Who wins this great Battle?.............
I Can Stop It Anytime
Build a stick of "dynamite" with 7 red road flares. Sand the labels off of them, and tape them together with black electrical tape. Insert a fuse into the back end. You can use model-rocket fuse from a hobby shop.
Be extremely careful with this. I have never had a flare light on me, but I always wear a heavy glove and keep the hot end pointed away from me.
When the fuse reaches the end, it will burn out in between the flares without lighting them. Practice a few times before you do this for real!
Make sure you use flares that light by friction - not by flame!
Pass the "dynamite" around carefully for each boy to hold……..
I have here in my hand a key - a small item as you can see. Yet it will open the door to my car, and when properly placed and turned it will start the engine. With this little key, I can visit faraway places, see wonderful sights, and do so many things that were impossible a generation ago. Is it any wonder that I always carry this key with me?
Your Boy Scout Handbook is a lot like my car key. It is a small item, yet it will open the door to Scouting and will speed you on your way to adventure. Sure, you probably could get by without using your handbook. I could get by without my car key, too, but I'd have to walk and it would be slow……..
Hibernation
Does everybody know what the word "hibernation" means? That's right, it means to sleep through the winter. Woodchucks do it. So do some chipmunks, ground squirrels, bats, and some mice. Bears do a lot of sleeping in the winter, too, but they're not true hibernators because they sometimes get up and yawn and look around a little on a warmish winter day.
Did you know that some Scouts are hibernators, too? They're what we might call warm-weather Scouts. When the air gets cold and there is snow on the ground they'd rather stay home than go outdoors as Scouts do………
Baden-Powell on honesty
You remember that in September I mentioned Robert Baden-Powell, the British general who started Scouting a long time ago. He had a lot of good advice for Scouts, and now I'd like to read what he had to say about honesty. He said, "Honesty is a form of honor. An honorable man can be trusted with any amount of valuables with the certainty that he will not steal it. Cheating at any time is a sneaking, underhanded thing to do. "
"When you feel inclined to cheat in order to win a game or feel distressed when a game in which you are playing is going against you, just say to yourself, "After all, it is only a game. It won't kill me if I do lose. One can't always win though I will stick to it in case of a chance coming. "……….
Frappings of Life
I've asked [Eagle] and [Tenderfoot] to help me out for a minute. [Eagle] would you please start a square lashing on these poles? Now, those wrappings look very good to me. They hold the poles close together and lay them out in the right shape. I'm sure they'll hold the poles together just fine. But, stop for a second [Eagle]. [Tenderfoot] would you please wiggle those poles and see how tight the lashing is? Hmmm, they sure have a lot of loose play in them - not as good as they could be. [Eagle], go ahead and add the frapping turns. I was satisfied with the wrapping turns, but this extra effort of adding the frapping is making a difference. The entire lashing is getting tighter, stronger, and more secure……….
The Snake
A group of Arapaho Indian boys decided it was time to prove to the tribe elders that they were old enough to be considered men. By custom, the rite of manhood included living alone for one week in the wilderness. Each boy was instructed to only take a knife with him and come back seven days later and tell of his adventures. One boy, wanting to prove that he was more of a man than the others, decided that he would climb the snow-capped mountains for his week of adventure. Surely, living in the snow and cold is a hardship that the elders must agree that only a man could endure. So, he walked an entire day across the plains to the foot of the mountains. He climbed halfway up the mountains to the snowline when a snake spoke to him. "Help me," the snake cried."Why should I help you, a rattlesnake? You are known to bite and kill people," replied the Arapaho brave. "Ok. I do not like to see anyone die. Promise you won't bite me?" asked the brave. "I Promise," replied the snake……..
