Scouting, Volume 60, Number 6, September 1972 Page: 6
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two sticks and a Clark Bar."
Mr. Barnum went on to teach us
the Cub Scout promise, sign, hand-
shake and the secret writing. Mr.
Barnum also told us about the three
Cub Scout books: the Wolf Book,
the Bear Book and the Lion Book.
We would receive badges for com-
pleting the exercises and challenges
in each book, Mr. Barnum ex-
plained. Actually, the books sound-
ed to us like parents between
covers.
"Of course," said Mr. Barnum,
"as Cub Scouts you will be trained
to be good leaders, but first you
must learn to be good followers.
Good leaders," said Mr. Barnum,
"are good followers."
Later in life, I discovered that
statement to be untrue. Good lead-
ers are rotten followers because
they're always gunning to be lead-
ers.
"Now," said Mr. Barnum, "we're
going to do something that all Cub
Scouts love to do—sing." He held
up his hands as if he were allowing
them to drip dry. "And remember,
men, use those hands to express the
words of the song."
This was what I had been waiting
for. An area of skill in which I could
immediately establish my supre-
macy. I limbered up my fingers,
ready to perform to perfection the
dictations of the song.
Mr. Barnum started us off. "One,
two, three . . ."
Do your ears hang low,
Do they wobble to and fro?
Can you tie them in a knot,
Can you tie them in a bow?
Can you throw them over your
shoulders
Like a Continental soldier?
Do your ears hang low?
That is not an easy song in which
to excel. At first I was panic-
stricken. I couldn't do any of the
things the song said. My ears didn't
hang low, they didn't wobble to and
fro. I couldn't tie them in a knot or
tie them in a bow. I looked around
at the other Cub Scouts. They were-
n't doing any of those things, either.
They were just waving their hands
around their ears as Mr. Barnum
was doing up in front of us.
The next song consumed by our
lungs was the national anthem of all
Cub Scouts, the "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
song.
The itsy bitsy spider ran up the
water spout.
Down came the rain and washed
the spider out.
Up came the sun and dried up all
the rain,
And the itsy bitsy spider crawled
up the spout again.
We sang "Itsy Bitsy Spider"
about 14 times, each round faster
than the previous one. This entire
song is accompanied by intricate
finger movements. Considering I
was a novice, I did fairly well, ex-
cept when "the itsy bitsy spider ran
up the water spout." I almost
broke my thumb. You do not get
cheered for that, not even in Cub
Scouts.
I was assigned to Mrs. Dunne-
water's den and a week later at-
tended my first den meeting.
Demented David was in my den.
He was convinced that the Cub
Scouts were destined to become a
military power and, marching to the
"Itsy Bitsy Spider" song, go off and
totally wipe the Girl Scouts from
the face of the earth. Two other
members of the den were Bobby
Felgen, a massive piece of flesh, and
Anthony Trielli, who wanted noth-
ing more out of life than to be Vice-
President of the United States.
At the den meeting, Mrs. Dunne-
water announced that Pack 3838's
candy drive was beginning. We
could pick up our boxes of candy at
the next meeting.
This was my chance. I would be-
come a supersalesman and lead the
pack in selling candy. No doubt I
would be rewarded by a standing
ovation of three cheers at the next
pack meeting. I realized that this
would be no minor achievement as
Cub Scout candy tasted like choco-
late-covered grease. But I knew I
could do it. Besides, I had a lot of
relatives living in the neighborhood.
On the way home from the meet-
ing, I told Demented David of my
plans.
"Forget it," he said, "you'll never
beat Alex Schietzer."
"Why? Does he have that many
relatives in the neighborhood?"
"Now," said Mr. Barnum, "we're going to do something
all Cub Scouts love to do—sing." He held up his hands as
if he were allowing them to drip dry. "And remember,
men, use those hands to express the words of the song . . ."
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Boy Scouts of America. Scouting, Volume 60, Number 6, September 1972, periodical, September 1972; New Brunswick, New Jersey. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth353553/m1/10/: accessed April 25, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Boy Scouts of America National Scouting Museum.