Stránka:the spirit of the woods 1921.djvu/7

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fire, they had to climb a tree or get into a cave when night came, and there shiver in fear of the beasts till morning. Man was the under dog in those days, and one of the first great changes came when man discovered fire, doubtless as the accidental effect of a thunderbolt, for all the legends say it came down from heaven. Thanks to this great mystery, men could sit on the ground at night without fear; for the fire that warmed and comforted them also scared the beasts away.

In this circle about the fire all social customs grew up; language developed, art, sciences, and government were born. This was indeed the focus of human life and interest. And the mystery of the fire, protecting, incomprehensible, led men to think about the Great Mystery over all, and thus was the beginning of religion. Angel of the Night

Know Ye the Angel of the Night Whose influence hallows slum bis light

With such a history and significance behind it, we always assemble our young people in a circle about the fire, and as soon as it is ceremonially lighted, we get at once the decorum, the reverential attitude, the primitive simplicity that were common to the race in the bygone days of the firecentered circle.

The fire, then, is the central point of Woodcraft. Even when indoors, and a central fire is impossible, we have at least its symbol, a light surrounded by a protection. Then recognizing the power of the picturesque, the appeal of the symbol, we adopt a Navajo sand painting to express the thought of Woodcraft.

Here it is. The central fire is and always has been the symbol of the one Great Spirit, whether we see it in the altar fire of the patriarchs, the vestal fires of Greece and Rome, the burning bush of Moses, the sacred fire of Persia, or the altar candles of our own day.

From this come the four lines of human development, spirit, body, mind, and service, each leading to a lamp or little fire. The lamps are fortitude, beauty, truth, and love. But with the column that joins them to the great fire are read: spirit of fortitude, body of beauty, mind of truth, service of love, and from each of these are three rays that, read together, are the twelve laws of Woodcraft in their short form:

Fortitude: Be brave, be silent and obey.
Beauty: Be clean, be strong, protect wild life always.
Truth: Speak true, be reverent, play fair when you strive.
Love: Be kind, be helpful, glad you are alive.

These nine principles are recognized in the activities:

1, Recreation for both sexes and all ages.
2, Camp-life, the outdoors, as the ideal surrounding.
3, Self-government, with adult guidance, as the wise trail for youth.
4, The magic of the camp-fire, with its appeal to ancestral memory.
5, Woodcraft activities, for Woodcraft was the ancient, earliest science of mankind.
6, Honors by standards: i.e., non-competitive. Competition means, “Down the other fellow”. Standards means, “Raise yourself”.
7, Personal decorations for achievement on arm-badge or on robe.

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