High praise for the Boy Scouts

Where would you be if an emcee said, "Let's give Johnny a round of applause," and an audience of gangly, boisterous boys began to holler and vigorously clap their hands in a circular motion? At a Scout meeting, of course! And, as a worldwide program, and with its 100th year anniversary in the United States, Scouting deserves congratulations.

I love Scouting. I must admit when I first became involved as a Primary leader, I didn't appreciate the program as I do today. I went to camp and saw men "goofing around" with the boys, and doing dorky things. I didn't get it. Over the years, however, I have come to realize that of all the men that serve in the church, Scout leaders are, in every sense of the word, the "salt of the earth."

You see, these people do not do what they do to "be seen of men." Their calling doesn't land them on the stand, or in front of other adults ooh-ing and ah-ing over their every word. They aren't the high profile people; they are often the underappreciated people in the ward, and this is OK with them. Some serve for decades and do so feeling it a privilege to help prepare boys to become men who will make meaningful and moral contributions to society. It is a selfless calling, and they revel in it. Is there occasionally a "bad apple" in Scouting? Sure, but overwhelmingly the character and quality of the leaders and boys testifies to the worth of the program.