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By Root 1215 0

in his khaki uniform and white neckerchief with the big First Class badge pinned to his breast pocket. The next rank was Star. The insignia was smaller and simpler than First Class, with greater dignity, and represented a sharp advance and separation. The examinations were more detailed. Five merit badges were required. Douglas earned five merit badges without much effort, and his mother sewed the little felt emblems on his sash. To become a Life Scout, privileged to wear a brilliant red metal heart, an additional five merit badges were required; and here a familiar problem came up because these five were not optional and one of them was First Aid. The consequence of this was that he remained a Star Scout for almost a year, with nine merit badges on his sash.

His mother encouraged him. She was sure he could do it. He was not so sure. He pointed out to her, as well as to anybody else who cared to listen, how difficult it was, how practically impossible it was to earn the Merit Badge in First Aid. For instance, one had to demonstrate preparations for transporting a person with a compound fracture of the forearm. Prepare and apply a splint to a broken thigh. Demonstrate control of bleeding from a varicose vein in the leg. Control arterial bleeding on wrist and calf of leg simultaneously. Show what to do in case a person chokes from drawing water or food into the windpipe. Tell the dangers involved in transporting an injured person when the extent of injury is not known. Demonstrate what to do if a companion dives into shallow water, strikes his head, staggers ashore, and falls unconscious. Demonstrate treatment by covering, position, and heating devices for severe shock.

And all of this, Douglas claimed, was only the beginning. But his mother said she was sure he could do it. Finally he believed her, and he became a Life Scout.

Eagle Scout, the culmination, required twenty-one merit badges. Thirteen of these were mandatory, including Bird Study, Cooking, Personal and Public Health, Pathfinding, Pioneering, Physical Development, and Civics. But the bete noire of First Aid had been vanquished. One colorful little emblem after another was sewn to the khaki sash, which was beginning to resemble a flower garden, until he had nineteen of them. But again he became discouraged. He had been a scout for more than three years. It would be a fine thing to become an Eagle Scout, and only two more merit badges were necessary; but he had gone through the list of requirements in the handbook again and again looking for two easy ones and had not found any. He doubted if he could make it. His mother said she was sure he could.

He qualified just in time to receive his badge at the annual Boy Scout Roundup in the municipal auditorium. Scouts from all the troops in Kansas City and nearby towns were to be there, and more than one hundred Eagle badges would be awarded. The mother of each new Eagle Scout was invited to accompany her son during the ceremony. When Douglas somewhat diffidently inquired if his mother would be interested in this she told him she would not miss it for the world.

So on that night one hundred mothers, each with a red rose pinned to her breast, were seated on folding chairs on the floor of the arena, and beside each mother stood her son. They listened to speeches, and the audience enthusiastically applauded every speaker. Then the Scouts were summoned to the front of the auditorium where they filed across the stage, received their Eagle badges, and shook hands with the mayor. After this they marched back to stand at attention beside their mothers. Next came the moment Douglas had been dreading. At a signal he was expected to bend over and kiss his mother on the cheek. The idea of one hundred Eagle Scouts bending over to kiss their mothers at exactly the same instant gave him a feeling of extreme discomfort. What was wrong with this public act of devotion he did not know, but something was wrong. When the signal was given and the band struck up “America the Beautiful” he pretended to be confused; he remained standing more