A Good Scout
By Halford E. Luccock. Five-Minute Shop-Talks. New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1916. pp. 102-106.
NOTE: Some of this is antiquated, like the word “sand.” It can be updated so that it speaks to the Scouts of the 21st Century.
[Scripture: Numbers 13; Joshua 14:6-15; Joshua 15:13-19.]
What would you like to have written about you on your tombstone after you are gone?
I think I’d be satisfied with this—“He was a good scout.” There are no frills about it; nothing fancy. It is every-day stuff. But it wears well, and it kind of gets down to the heart of things. It means more than that a man is a “jolly good fellow.” It may not mean that at all. It means that a man has “sand”; there is no “yellow steak” in him; he is not a “quitter.” You can count on him for a lift when you need one and he will not make a whole lot of fuss about it.
In the oldest and best story book in the world—the Bible—there is a story of a man who was a good scout, a man named Caleb. It was not just a title that was given him; that was his business. He was a scout, one of twelve scouts sent to spy out the land that belonged to his people the Israelites, but of which the Philistines were in possession. He had some qualities which show what “a good scout” is made of, whether he lived several thousand years ago or to-day, and he is a good man to know.
For one thing, he had his nerve with him. The leader of his people, Moses, wanted to know whether there was any chance for them to beat the Philistines, if it came to a fight for their rights, and Caleb went and took a look at them and said, “Sure, we can beat them.” Ten of the men who went along with him got “cold feet.” They said, “Look at those fellows. They are bigger than we are. We look like grasshoppers beside them. The best thing we can do is to keep under cover.” And they hunted for cover. But Caleb brought back some good samples of the things that grew there and wanted to go and take the country for his people.
That kind of “sand” is a part of every good scout. If you don’t believe in yourself, don’t blame other folks for not believing in you. Of course, nobody has much use for the swell-head “know-it-all,” and he usually gets in bad before very long. But a healthy self-confidence is not conceit and Caleb was not conceited. He knew it was a big job he was facing. He knew his own limitations. But he wasn’t afraid to tackle it. More men fail for want of grit than fail for want of ability. Caleb didn’t get his chance then; the “quitters” were in the majority. But years later, when they were looking for leaders, it was no accident that they picked Caleb for one of them. He had shown what he was made of. It always works that way. Whether it is a job in the shop or anywhere else, “sand” is a good thing to mix in with it.
“Somebody said that it couldn’t be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That maybe it couldn’t, but he would be one
Who wouldn’t say so till he tried.
So he buckled right in with a trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn’t be done—and he did it.
Another thing that made Caleb a good scout was that he could make up his own mind. He and his partner were out-numbered ten to two. Ten for quitting; two for going on. But he didn’t vote with the majority just because every one else thought that way. He was right and the ten were wrong, as frequently happens.
Can you make up your own mind? Plenty of men never do. They never know what they think until some one tells them. Some always think just what the rest of the crowd around them do. They like to be on the winning side. I’ve seen people wait to buy their colors after a football game is over, so as to be sure to have the winning colors.
We never know what politics some men have till after the election is over. Then they do a great deal of shouting and say, “I told you so.” The man who deserves the title of a good scout is one who can decide for himself what he believes is right, and go ahead with it, whether the majority think or do the same thing or not.
The last thing about Caleb to remember is this: He wasn’t always looking for a soft snap. When his people finally won the land, years afterwards, and divided it up, Caleb got the first choice. Part of the land was in the valley, good farm land. Part was in the hills, rocky, steep and a hard row to hoe. A good many men would have taken all the valley they could get. Caleb said, “Give me some in the hills.” He didn’t want to have Easy Street all to himself and own the only house in it. He was willing to share a good thing with some one else. Do you know the fellow who wants to keep all the easy jobs for himself—carry the light end of the beam and let the other chap take the heavy end? There are lots of them. They may be “smart”; but there are lots of better things in the world than being “smart.” Being a good scout is a better thing any day.