Norwich bulletin., 1917-10-20
CONGRESSMAN FIREMAN
 ADDRESSES NORWICH SCOUTS
Hon. Gardiner Greene Also a Speaker
 at Town Hall Rally.

In spite of the indictment weather on Friday evening the rally of the loca! Boy Scouts of America was largely at- tended by parents md friends of the scouts. The rally was held at the town hall in connection with the Lib- erty Loan campaign. Twenty-Five ot the scouts were presented with war service medals for their work in the
 Owing to the rain the parade of the scouts which was to have taken place on Union square was omitted and tho scouts assembled in the lower corridor of the town hall and marched to their places in the auditorium. The meet ing was called to order by Scout Com missioner B. M. Bruce. The scout buglers sounded Assembly and Te the Colors and the scout oath and salute to the flag were carried out by the troops. Commissioner Bruce is a short address introduced Judge Gardiner Greene of the superior court who spoke on A Scouts Honor and a Nations
 Honor. Judge Greene said in part:
 Mr. Scoutmaster and Boy ScoutS:--
 You come together tonight to see
 war service emblems presented to some of your number in recognition of their successful effort in the hon. orable and useful service of selling Liberty loan bonds of the first issue Such sight encourages you to simi- lar effort in the new opportunity which thes second Liberty loan pres 'ents.
 Such work is in line with the plan of a scouts life and work. The scout promises, upon his honor, to do his best;
 1. To do his duty to God and his country, and obey the scout law; times:
 < 8. To keep himself physically strong mentally awake, and morally straight.
 Hl,: the idea of duty. You commonly hear people insisting on having their rights, but few insisting on doing their du- ties. Let, if everyone always did his duty. everyone would, enjoy his rights, for one of the first duties of every one boy or man, is to respect the rights of others.
 One of the first duties of a scout is truthfulness If you break your do 8, dishonorable thing.
 Be slow to give your word of honor. but remember that, once given, it mus. be kept, though keeping it involves difficulty or loss. The word of an his bond.
 Now consider for a moment the three things that you have promised upon honor to try your best to do.
 First, to do your duty to God, your creator: that is. to try to be. as far as you can understand, all that God would have you be in this world. i shall not go into details of religious belief. Those you may raceive from your various pastors and religious teachers, but this much, I think, We shall all agree on as 8 great part of your duty to God and to your coun- try and as involving also the second and third promises. Every boy should become as strong and as unselfsh as possible.
 Strength means physical strength, mental strength, moral strength.
 Without physical strength the best boy or man is greatly handicapped. He can neither accomplish nor enjoy what he otherwise could.s Without some mental strength he is an idiot, and his efficiency increases with his men tai strength. and alertness. Without moral strength. the boy or man goes wrong, and all the physical and mem tai strength he has is wasted
 The we'll developed boy or man is strong, physically, mentally and mo- rally, and he can best do good work, and best enjoy himself.
 You boys are old enough to know that a boy or man who feels that he is not making good. that he is not ap- more or less to the standard of attainment which he sees he ought to reach, can net be satisfied with himself, or be really happy.
 You want then to cultivate strength l of every kind, and. as you cultivate | It, use 1t unself1shly.
 If you think. you will see that most | of the crime and most of the misery 1 and trouble in the world come from | . ----'-r-
 A boy or man wants to have some hing or to do something, to have or 10 which hurts either himself or oth- ers, or both. He takes the thing, or loes the thing, which he knows he ought not to take or to do, and he ! s hurt, or his neighbor Is hurt. He g teInpted and yields. Now that is to all three scout promises.
 To absolutely and always do all tfrst he scout promises to try to do wAl ,e impossible as long as human nal ure remains imperfect, batA-to do ,ne's best to keep the scout promises s the duty of everyone. whether he s a scout or not
 So the scout promises to try to do he chief duties of every human be-lI ng; and to enter an organization