Law 4. A SCOUT IS A FRIEND TO ALL and a Brother to every other Scout,
no matter to what social class the other belongs.
_If a Scout meets another Scout, even though a stranger to him, he
must speak to him and help him in any way that he can, either to carry
out the duty he is then doing, or by giving him food, or, so far as
possible, anything that he may be in want of.
A Scout must never be a snob.
A snob is one who looks down upon another because he's poorer, or who
is poor and resents another because he is rich. A Scout accepts the
other man as he finds him and makes the best of him--
"Kim," the boy scout, was called by the Indians "Little friend of all
the world," and that is the name which every Scout should earn for
himself._
The Arabs of the desert are some of the finest Scouts in the world,
not only because they are brave and manly fellows who can shift for
themselves, but also because they are gentlemen at heart, kind to
strangers, and men of honour.
When you come to an Arab encampment, he does not ask whether you are
rich or lowly born. Once you are within the neighbourhood of his tent,
he expects you to be his guest, and while you are with him he will do
everything that he can to protect you from your enemies.
These kindly people, who always live in tents, have a habit of using
very long tent ropes for the support of their tents, and these stretch
out some distance on to the plain around their encampment.
This is done in order that any stranger passing near will find himself
within the Arab's tent ropes--which means that he must come and be his
guest. He expects you to stay with him for about five days, during
which time he feeds you, houses you, and protects you, and he expects
no kind of payment when you depart.
One of his first acts when you come into his camp is to offer you
water. This is partly in order that you may refresh yourself, but it
is also a secret sign meaning that he will not betray you.
It is considered bad form to decline hospitality offered in this way,
and even if you are in a hurry you must suppress your own desire to
get forward in order to be courteous to the man who wishes to be your
host.
The Arabs have a saying, "None but the base and ungrateful refuse
generosity"; but this does not mean that he will take a reward for
being kind to you. To offer a tip is to insult him, and I hope that
Boy Scouts will take it in the same light.
If you pitch your tent near that of an Arab, and become good friends
with him, he will alter his tent-pegs so that they come within the
line of your own and the tent ropes cross each other.
This again is a secret sign which means that he and those who live in
his tent are for ever friends of you and any who are living with you.
Arabs are honourable fellows, and may be trusted to stick to such
understanding.
One point in which an Arab shows himself more of a gentleman than,
say, the Germans in South-west Africa, is that he will never poison
wells, even though he knows his enemy may use them.
True comradeship does not take any account of what the other fellow's
position in life may be.
I remember that when I took a troop of Boy Scouts to Canada, they all
worked in pairs during the whole of the trip, and one of these pairs
consisted of two boys who were respectively the son of an Earl and the
son of a sergeant in an infantry regiment. Yet, although they had been
brought up on totally different lines, they were boys, they were
Scouts, they were not snobs, and they were the best of pals.
And we see very much the same thing at the Front to-day, where, in the
ranks of every battalion, are to be found men of every class and
standing--
"Cook's son, duke's son, son of a belted earl!"
And so, too, between officers and men there is a splendid feeling of
comradeship, each working for the other so far as he possibly can. And
that is a result that the Germans cannot possibly arrive at, for the
one reason that they are not gentlemen.
I hope to see this spirit kept up and strengthened by the Scouts, and
especially that rule which makes a Scout a friend to every other
Scout, no matter what his class, creed, or country may be. I am
certain that if this rule is carried out in full it will be a very
great help after the war towards bringing real peace between the
different nations, since the Boy Scouts in each will be true friends
and comrades to those in the others.
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