As you surely know, Scouting was started by Lord
Baden-Powell. When Baden-Powell was growing up in the mid 19th century, it was
very popular for boys to write down their "Rules for Life." One such rule that a young Baden-Powell,
"Lord Bathing Towel" to his young companions, wrote in his diary was,
"I must try to be cheerful under all circumstances." When he wrote Scouting for Boys forty years later this became, "A Scout
smiles and whistles under all difficulties." Today this is a part of the Scout Law and we
say, "A Scout is Cheerful."
For what Baden-Powell knew was that anyone can be a grouch.
It takes no special effort to grumble and complain, whenever anything goes
wrong. But if you have a song in your heart, and a smile on your lips, when
it's raining, and you're tired, and your feet hurt, then you will be sure to
have more fun in life.
Now one of Baden-Powell's favorite stories was Peter Pan. If you remember this story, you may recall that Peter Pan was afraid to grow up because he was afraid that adults didn't know how to have fun. But you know that the young people in our Scouting programs do not have to afraid to grow up as Peter Pan was. They will all know the secret to a happier life, because we have taught them Baden-Powell's Rule “... to be cheerful under all circumstances."