Scoutmaster – by Norman Rockwell

The Boy Scouts is no more, but there are still boys. There are still vast woods and lots of sticks with which to build fires. There are still plenty of good men who want to introduce boys to manhood. One doesn’t need a corporate-funded super-organization to take a pack of boys into the woods and learn about survival. It’s time to begin anew.

I have titled this post “Boy Scouts Version 3.0″ to identify what comes next. I was fortunate enough to have been a Boy Scout during version 1.0 – before political correctness did what it always does and destroy the traditional culture. I was in Scouting in the early 1960’s. What we are seeing now is version 2.0, but it won’t be long before 2.0 will be so different from 1.0 as to be unrecognizable as the same organization. In time, the Boy Scouts will be much like a church that decides it is more important to please Man than to obey God. The good people begin to leave as the worldly people take over. The process accelerates until it becomes little more than a social club for nice people.

What happens to those who leave because Scouting has become what it was intended to protect boys and young men from? The Thinking Housewife is correct:
• There are still plenty of good men who want to help boys become men.
• There is no requirement for a massive organization and corporate sponsorship.

It is time for the Scouting equivalent of Home-schooling.

Part 7 of our series on the Southern Gentleman and the Boy Scout movement. Obedience is the seventh point of the Boy Scout Law.

Obedience is a tough one for many of us. The main reason we have trouble with obedience is pride – the sin that is at the root of all other sins. Another reason it is tough is because we are so often faced with demands from illegitimate authority. The legitimacy of authority is an important matter, and one that today’s society (and government) would like us to ignore.

The Yankees called us “Rebels”, claiming that the seceding states were in rebellion against the legitimate authority of the federal government. The Yankees were wrong. A rebellion is disobedience to legitimate authority, and that was simply not the case since secession was (and still is) completely legal. Any Southern gentleman should find the term “Rebel” to be offensive; we would do well to gracefully inform others who do not understand.

The real question comes down to “Obedience to whom?” The answer to that is actually pretty straightforward.

Obedience to God is, of course, the primary point. That means that we must first know and understand God’s word – not what we would like for God’s word to say; not what some self-proclaimed “expert” says; not just the parts of His word that we agree with – all of God’s word. That also means rightly dividing God’s word. We cannot take what was written to the Hebrew people of the Old Testament and apply it our lives; it wasn’t written for us as New Testament Christians.

We must also understand that in an evil world, there are always forces trying to claim authority that they do not have. Our Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It holds the same place as the king in an absolute monarchy. If a lawfully elected leader proclaims that we must do something, and the Constitution says otherwise, then being obedient means that we must follow the Constitution and not the illegitimate authority of those who disobey the Constitution. The same holds true for those appointed to enforce the law.

It must also be pointed out here that each of us routinely obey illegitimate laws and illegitimate authority on a daily basis. It is part of the price of living. While I would rather live here in America than any place else in the world, it is still a system run by man, and therefore, it is a corrupt system. Each of us must determine our own line that we will not cross. We must also understand that we willingly accept the penalties that the system imposes on those who oppose it.

“There are two types of people who are doomed to failure in this world:
Those who cannot give orders and those who cannot follow orders.”
Author unknown

“Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”
Benjamin Franklin’s suggested motto for the Great Seal

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land”
Isaiah 1:19

“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.”
2 Corinthians 2:9

“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work”
Titus 3:1

“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”
1 Peter 2:17

Friendly – Having the temper and disposition of a friend; kind; favorable; disposed to promote the good of another.
Courteous – Polite; wellbred; being of elegant manners; civil; obliging; condescending.
Kind – Disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants or assisting them in distress; having tenderness or goodness of nature; benevolent…
— Websters Dictionary of 1828

For this post, I am combining three points of the Scout Law into one. Friendly, Courteous, and Kind are three sides of a triangle that makes society work smoothly. When any of those are missing, we all suffer.

So much of the world today seems to be coarse and cruel. We see videos posted on the internet showing gangs beating and humiliating an innocent person while the mob of thugs laughs and videos this cruelty as though it were a great spectator sport. Although it is currently almost exclusively a Black phenomenon, history has shown that Whites tend to follow the worst traits of Black culture. That makes it all of society’s problem – it is not just a Black problem such that we can smugly point our fingers at someone else. While Whites have little or no influence over Black culture, we do have influence over our own. The question is – will we exercise that influence in a powerful way to assure that our culture, at least, is friendly, courteous, and kind. We must become active role models. The best outcome would be for other cultures to see and emulate this so that their culture is taken to a higher, nobler level.

Our objective here at Confederate Colonel is to preserve and build up the culture of the Southern gentleman. While the most immediate benefit is to ourselves and our families and our circle of friends, it also benefits all of society. Ideally, others will observe, appreciate, and then follow the life pattern of the Southern gentleman. That is what makes a successful culture.

A few quotes on manners and etiquette:

Traditionally Southern statesmen have been orators. A society emphasizing social rituals and manners requires a kind of reverence for words to adequately express sentiment and feeling. The dregs of this rhetoric remain the stock in trade of the grass roots politicians. The Southerner generally does not shy away—to the extent the Northerner does—from a use of language that is something more than bare statement. The Northerner, with his conditioned respect for practicality and getting-to-the-point is more likely to possess a far greater reading than speaking vocabulary and to associate anything more than simple expression with ostentation.
William Van O’Conner 1947

Manners are of more importance than laws…. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in.
Edmund Burke 1796

Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.
Ralph Waldo Wmerson 1876

I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
James Russell Lowell 1873

More quotes about manners.

When my father first started walking with a cane, and my mother with a walker, they were  both amazed at the politeness they experienced – often by the people they would least expect it from. They routinely had doors held open for them, they were quickly ushered to the front on any lines, and were generally given the preferential treatment that an elderly person dealing with a handicap should be given.

Simply holding a door open for another person is not only “helpful” but it shows respect for others that a decent and orderly society needs to maintain itself.

A Scout is Loyal - by Norman Rockwell

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines Loyal as:

Faithful to a prince or superior; true to plighted faith, duty or love; not treacherous; used of subjects to their prince, and of husband, wife and lovers; as a loyal subject; a loyal wife.

It’s easy to be loyal when things are going smoothly and going the way you like them to go, but that’s not loyalty – that’s convenience. Loyalty is sticking with someone no matter what. Be very careful about who you give your loyalty to; it is a commitment not to be taken lightly.

Scoutmaster - by Norman Rockwell

Trustworthy doesn’t just mean that a person is trusted. It means that the person is worthy of trust. We trust many people in our day-to-day life, but few of them are actually worthy of that trust. A man who is trustworthy is one who can be absolutely counted on to do the right thing, even when that action would never be discovered by others. He does what is right because he knows that while many things can be hidden from the eyes of men, nothing is hidden from the eyes of God.

A trustworthy man is one who is trusted to look out for the well-being of others. They can rest easy knowing that a trustworthy Southern gentleman is quietly watching over them, making sure that all is well.

Every Day Carry - Business card case, wallet, key ring with whistle, tweezers, and micro-light, revolver, spare ammo, note card case and pen, handkerchief, pocket knife, flashlight.

The Boy Scout Motto is “Be Prepared”- good advice for any Southern gentleman on a number of levels. Being prepared starts with mental preparation. You wouldn’t go to a job interview without learning all you can about your prospective employer. You wouldn’t go to work on a project without knowing what is involved, what tools and materials are required, and what the expected completion criteria are. You wouldn’t leave on a trip without knowing the route you are going to take and approximately how long it will take. You wouldn’t go on a fishing trip without knowing what gear would be needed and how to effectively use it.

Preparedness also involves physical preparedness. “Every Day Carry” (EDC) is a common phrase among those who actively practice preparedness.

It used to be common practice for every man to always have a pocket knife in his pocket. It was carried to school, it was carried on commercial airliners, it was carried into the courthouse – everywhere. Somewhere along the way, pocket knives were demonized and became thought of as potential weapons rather than utilitarian tools. At one point in my life, I worked as a substitute teacher in the public schools. I was with some students when I needed to open a box. I pulled out my pocket knife, opened the box, and put it back into my pocket without even thinking about it. The look of horror on their faces and what they said told me that things had changed. It never occurred to me that it might be against the rules to carry a pocket knife. Had I been a student, I probably would have been expelled; had another adult seen it, I probably would have been fired and perhaps arrested. Life had changed. I still carry a pocket knife with me at all times, but there are now places where America’s Nanny State treats me as an irresponsible child who cannot be trusted with sharp objects; I avoid those places whenever possible.

Other items of Every Day Carry would include a clean handkerchief, a pen and something to write on, and the usual wallet, keys, and cell phone. Another item that is a part of being prepared is a small flashlight. With the advent of high quality LED flashlights, one can carry a very powerful flashlight in a very small package. Those using AA or Lithium 123 batteries each have their own advantages; I use both. Being someplace when the lights go out is a very helpless feeling. Don’t let that happen to you. I am amazed at the number of times during the day when I use my flashlight.

Those concerned with being prepared to defend yourself and your family would also add the means to effectively do so. In most cases, that means a handgun and some spare ammunition. Some, because of legal restrictions, would be limited to pepper spray or something similar.

Being prepared also includes another level – preparedness for major disasters. We have an absolute responsibility to care and provide for ourselves and our families at all times. There is no exemption for times when grocery stores are not open or are empty. There is no exemption for situations where there is no electricity. There is no exemption for times when predators roam the streets with no law enforcement to keep the thugs in check. There is no exemption. Period. That means that we, as husbands and fathers and grandfathers and Southern gentlemen have a responsibility to be prepared to meet the challenges of times of crisis. Read, learn, plan, and prepare.

We had a ritual when I was a Boy Scout. The leader would say, “Be Prepared”. We would all shout the reply, “We ARE Prepared!”

Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scout movement.

Who do we pattern our lives after? For the Southern gentleman, Robert E. Lee has been the “gold standard”. Today, we start a series of posts looking at the Boy Scout movement as a pattern for the Southern gentleman.

I was active in Boy Scouts during the mid to late 1960’s. My father was the Cub Scoutmaster when I was in Cub Scouts, and he became Scoutmaster when I was in Boy Scouts. My two brothers were also active in Scouting. Boy Scouts, at that time anyway, did a wonderful job of helping turn boys into men.

In this series, we will go through each of the key points of the Scouting program and see how they relate to the Southern gentleman.

Here’s a quick overview of this series:

The Boy Scout Motto – Be Prepared

The Scout Law – A Scout is:

• Trustworthy
• Loyal
• Helpful
• Friendly
• Courteous
• Kind
• Obedient
• Cheerful
• Thrifty
• Brave
• Clean
• Reverent

The Scout Oath
On my honor, I will do my best,
to do my duty to God and my country, and to obey the scout law;
to help other people at all times;
to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Like any man who was a Boy Scout, I did not have to look those up – they are burned into my memory from repeating the Scout Motto, Scout Law, and Scout Oath at each meeting. Any man aspiring to live as a Southern gentleman would do well to adopt the Boy Scout Motto, Law, and Oath as their own. No one starts their life from scratch – we choose people and ideals to pattern our lives after. The Scouting pattern is what this series will explore.