At the meeting of the Troop Leaders' Council following the short-term camp, it should be discussed in detail. Not from a sentimental but from a practical point of view.

The discussion should evolve around (1) What was good? (2) What wasn't so good?

How was the site? The activities? Did the Patrols function properly? In what respects do the Patrols and their leaders need further training? How were the menus? Was the cost of them too high? Were the meals well prepared? Were they easy to cook? What kind of an experience should we plan the next time?

All of this should be done promptly while the memories of the camp are freshly in mind. The findings should be properly recorded. They will constitute valuable pointers for the Troop's further camping experiences.

The Scoutmaster's Part

About this time, a voice is heard from the background: "That all sounds very simple. But it would never work as easily as that in my Troop. I have to help the boys a lot more than that to make a success out of our short-term camps."

Which makes this exactly the place to tell the Fable of the Scoutmister and the Scoutmaster *

The Scoutmister

It seems that once upon a time, the Scoutmister took his Troop, his Troop! on a camping trip. When it finally arrived on the camp site, he laid out a straight line and told the boys, "This is where the tents go." But since the boys didn't know how to put up tents in a straight line, he had to do most of the work for them, with a couple of the bigger Scouts to help him. In the evening, they had a camp fire. He knew he was pretty good at story-telling and singing so he told them a story—a good long one—and entertained them with his songs.

And so they went to bed ....

Next day he taught the boys how to cook stew. He peeled onions while the tears poured from his eyes. He also peeled potatoes. He opened cans of tomatoes and cut up good chunks of beef. He labored manfully and the boys all enjoyed the stew. He asked the boys if they got the idea and they all confessed that they had it. (Their idea was, "Let's eat!").

On the next hike he showed the fellows how to cook bean-hole beans. He had to go out before the Troop and get things started. Then he came back and got the boys—and they liked the beans. He told them how he had done it, and they got the idea—("Let's eat!").

There came a time when one of the Scoutmister's Patrols wanted to go Patrol camping. But they decided not to. They didn't know how to put up the tents and didn't care for sandwiches anyhow....

*Adapted from E. H. Rice. Atlanta. Ga.

Keep your perspective. Let your Patrol Leaders and your Assistant Scoutmasters show their mettle in making your camps successful.

The Scoutmaster

The Scoutmaster took his Troop on a camping trip. As soon as he had looked over the camp site with his Patrol Leaders he said "Go to it!" and found a nice soft rock to sit on. Once during the camp fire, he almost interfered when a song was started off key. He caught himself the last moment, just as one of the boys said, "Let us start this all over and make it good this time!"

The next day the boys cried as they peeled onions, but it was fun. A Tenderfoot cut his finger peeling potatoes and the Scoutmaster managed to raise a finger to point out the First Aid Kit of the Patrol Leader.

Occasionally the Scoutmaster spoke — like this, "That sized hunk will cook in about three hours, Johnny. Cut it up."—or like this, "You need heat, not light, Bobby. Throw away the pine and get hard wood."

The Scoutmaster's stew wasn't quite as good as the Scoutmister's. Neither were his beans the next time. But he enjoyed them thoroughly nevertheless.

There came a time when one of the Scoutmaster's Patrols wanted to go on a Patrol camping trip. They went.

The moral? You suggest your own!