Scouting The Net

THE YARDSTICK CLOSING

Advance preparation: Mark and score on the yardstick where it will be broken.

If you consider that the average man lives about 72 years, then every half inch of this yardstick represents one year. (Hold up the yardstick) When you realize that after the age of 21, you really don’t have any say over how that person thinks, what he does or what he believes, (take the stick and break it off at 10 1/2 inches) we have lost this whole section of time. It is not available to us. (Toss the large piece on the floor) Now all we have left is this. (Hold the 10 1/2-inch piece up) But, then you have to realize that at the age of 18, a boy can vote, own property, be married or in the military. That leaves us this much. (Break off the 9-inch section and toss the 1 1/2-inch piece on the floor) A boy goes into the Boy Scouts'sometime after he is 11 years old. So, we as Cub Scout Leaders really only have this (break off the 5 1/2-inch section and toss the 3 1/2-inch piece on the floor) to influence these boys. ''(Hold the 5 1/2-inch piece up) But then, when you realize that these boys are already at least 6 years old, we have already used this (break off the piece at 3 inches) part and it is no longer available to us. It is gone, and we can’t get it back. That leaves us with this. (Hold up what is left) Not a lot, is it?