Pokračování textu ze strany 37
He always salutes an officer — that is, a patrol leader, or a scoutmaster, or any commissioned officer of the national forces, army and navy — with the full salute.
Also the hoisting of the Stars and Stripes, the colors of a regiment, the playing of the National Anthem, and any funeral.
A scout who has the "Silver Wolf" honor is entitled to make the sign with the first finger and thumb opened out, the remaining fingers clenched, thumb upwards. This is a sign with the Red Indians of America.
A man told me the other day that "he was an Englishman, and just as good as anybody else, and he was blowed if ever he would raise a finger to salute his so-called 'betters' ; he wasn't going to be a slave and kow-tow to them, not he!" and so on. That is a churlish spirit, which is very common among fellows who have not been brought up as scouts.
I didn't argue with him, but I might have told him that he had got hold of the wrong idea about saluting.
A salute is merely a sign between men of standing. It is a privilege to be able to salute any one.
In the old days the free men of England all were allowed to carry weapons, and when they met each other each would hold up his right hand to show that he had no weapon in it, and that they met as friends. So also when an armed man met a defenceless person or a lady.
Slaves or serfs were not allowed to carry weapons, and so had to slink past the freemen without making any sign.
Nowadays people do not carry weapons; but those who would have been entitled to do so, such as knights, esquires, and men-at-arms, that is, any living on their own property or earning their own living, still go through the form of saluting each other by holding up their hand to their cap, or even taking it off.
"Wasters" are not entitled to salute, and so should slink by, as they generally do, without taking notice of the free men or wage-earners.
To salute merely shows that you are a right sort of fellow and mean well to the other; there is nothing slavish about it.
If a stranger makes the scout's sign to you, you should acknowledge it at once by making the sign back to him, and then shake hands with the left hand. If he then shows his scout's..text pokračuje
