-By John Armor
Today I read an obscure book which is adequately written. Its subject is not of front-burner importance, all things considered. And yet, it tells a story that entirely too many Americans are unaware of, but should be. The book is “Legacy of Honor, the Values and Influence of America’s Eagle Scouts,” by Alvin Townley.
There are now about two million people in the US who hold the rank of Eagle Scout, of the 110 million Americans who have ever been part of the Boy Scouts of America. The Eagles are a small fraction of Scouts, a tiny fraction of the nation’s population. Yet, they are present far out of their proportion among astronauts, Congressmen (not necessarily a recommendation), business leaders, military officers, and last but best, among the winners of the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Why is this all true?
What are the qualities that Eagle Scouts are taught? They teach love of God, love of country, commitment to help people, communities, and families. They teach a wide variety of skills. But most of all, they teach a dedication to task; they teach the skills that in many circumstances lead to success, and in some circumstances lead to saving lives.
I didn’t learn these things by reading this book. I learned them by spending six years under the guidance of Dr. Karl Zapffe, Scoutmaster of Troop 35 in Baltimore, Maryland. He served in that post for 41 years. He graduated almost 250 Eagle Scouts in that time. I am honored to be the 11th Eagle from that Troop, and one of the first four who received that rank entirely under his guidance.
The larger theme is the permanent impact of early influences. Dr. Zapffe had instilled in me, and many, many others, excellent habits of mind and character before we were halfway through our adolescence. Scholarship is another quality that remains forever if it starts early enough.
My parents were both educated, and were lifetime readers. I became one too, thanks to the efforts of Paul Hyde, the son of my first babysitter, who was at the time a student teacher in the college across the street. He taught me to read and do simple math before I entered elementary school. My parents encouraged that. The first real-world reading I did was the headlines in the Baltimore Sun.
I would spread the paper on the floor of our home in Salisbury, Maryland, and figure out the headlines a syllable at a time. Back then, every issue had a little map above the fold, which showed where the battle lines currently were in Korea.
These experiences explain why I spend much time and energy now fighting the ACLU, which wants to tear down the Scouts. I also spend time fighting the “edukashun” unions, which have been tearing down the quality of American education for five decades, now.
All young men and young women in America deserve the kind of opportunities which I was honored to have. These are opportunities which will help everyone function better as adults. The opportunities can be recreated in later years – not as well, but perhaps well enough.
But where are the swans, I hear you cry. Six months ago, I wrote a story about the death of one swan from a dedicated pair on a lake near here. The title was “One Swan a-Swimming.” Many folks enjoyed that. This is the update.
A local couple have taken on the project of keeping swans on this lake. The surviving swan was taken up in December to avoid the bitter cold. The lake has been drained, the dam repaired, and four swans are now on the lake.
For about three months, the swans were swimming and associating in a group of three, plus an outlier of one. It wasn’t Bob and Carol, Ted and Alice. But we could not tell if the group of three was Bob and Ted and Alice, or Carol and Alice and Ted. But now the swans have settled out as two pairs. Oh, plus a white duck who has attached himself to them. We call him Igor.
Wild creatures in their natural environments seem able to settle out their lives and function fine on their own. It is only humans who insist on messing up their lives at an early age – with the help of adults who ought to know better – which leads to failures further down the road.
I think this is an optimistic column. But I’m not sure of that.
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John Armor is a graduate of Yale, and Maryland Law School, and has 33 years practice at law in the US Supreme Court. Mr. Armor has authored seven books and over 750 articles. Armor happily lives on a mountaintop in the Blue Ridge. He can be reached at: John_Armor@aya.yale.edu
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