—– 1st St Benedict’s Cub Pack
THE CUB LAW
“The Cub gives in to the Old Wolf
The Cub does not give in to himself.”
THE CUB PROMISE
“I promise to do my best,
To do my duty to God and my country,
To keep the Law of the Wolf Cub Pack
And to do a good tum to somebody every day.”
In order to understand the Promise properly, it is perhaps better if we look at it step by step.
I PROMISE: When you say “1 promise” it means that you will do your best to do whatever you said you would do. When you make your Cub Promise it is for all the time – at home, at school, at play – not only when you are in uniform. There is no need for your mother or father or Akela, to check whether you are keeping your promise.
TO DO MY BEST: This means that you must try very hard, and be sure that what you do is truly your very best.
TO DO MY DUTY TO GOD: God will help you to do your duty to Him. When you remember Him, it will help you to do the right thing. Remember, too, what God has made – trees, flowers and animals of all kinds. A Cub takes care of God’s creation. Thank God for everything you enjoy, thank Him at your place of worship and whenever you have a moment by yourself. God wants you to help others. Helping others, without thought for yourself, is part of your duty to God.
AND MY COUNTRY: Just as the wolves obey Akela, so the people of our country obey our leaders. Our country has laws for people to live by. A Cub is careful not to make fires which will bum the veld or trees. He does not damage or hurt plants, animals or any wild thing. He shows respect for flags and national anthems and does all he can to be a good citizen.
TO KEEP THE LAW OF THE WOLF CUB PACK: Every game has rules the players must follow, and in Cubs we have two rules. When you follow them you are keeping the Cub Law.
AND DO A GOOD TURN TO SOMEBODY EVERY DAY: A Cub does not only think of himself. He is always looking for ways he can help others, especially those at home. He does his fair share of work and is cheerful while doing it. He accepts no reward because he WANTS to make others happy.Be alert for a chance to help others by doing little jobs like carrying a parcel, or picking up rubbish. There are many things you can do to keep this part of your Promise.
Know and practise the Cub Promise.
THE CUB MOTTO
Show that you are doing your very best by trying hard when you do the Cub activities and when you earn badges. See how quickly you obey Akela’s call or “PACK”
Know the Cub Motto – “DO YOUR BEST”
THE LEFT HANDSHAKE
When you shake hands with another Cub, your Pack Scouters, or any members of the worldwide brotherhood of Scouts, you shake hands with your left hand
THE SALUTE
The salute is a special way of greeting a person. It is used when you greet Akela and other Scouters, and all the other Cubs and Scouts. You also use it when you make your Promise and at Grand Howl and Flag Break. You salute with the forefinger and middle finger of your right hand. Your forefinger touches the side of the peak of your cap. The two fingers remind you of the two parts of the Law you have promised to keep.
CUB PRAYER
Teach me to keep my Promise, Lord
And help me to obey.
And show me what my duty is
To service You day by day.
Amen
THE GRAND HOWL
In the jungle, on the night of the full moon, all the wolves in the Pack creep into a circle around the Council Rock
In the middle on the rock crouches their leader, Akela and the wolves throw up their heads and howl their welcome.
The Grand Howl is used to begin and end every Pack meeting. It is a greeting to Akela and says that every Cub with continue to do their best. When Akela calls “PACK, PACK, PACK” all Cubs answer “P-A-A-A-C-K” and run to fonn a circle around Akela and the Council Rock. In one movement, they join hands and move outwards to fonn a parade circle.
As Akela steps on to the Council Rock, all the Cubs squat with their hands together, fingers pointingJo the ground and call: “AH-KAY-LA, WE’LL DO OUR BEST!”
Then the Cubs jump up to the alert hands to their sides, and the duty sixer calls: “CUBS, DO YOUR BEST” The Cubs answer with a smart salute and reply: “WE WILL DO OUR BEST’
PACK CALLS
Akela has special calls which all Cubs understand. If Akela calls “PACK” just once, stop whatever you are doing, stand still, and listen.
“PACK” means silence.
When Akela calls “PACK, PACK, PACK”, all the Cubs run and join hands to form a parade circle calling “PA-A-A-CK”.
Stand still and listen for further instructions.
“PACK ALERT” means stand with your hands at your sides and your feet together.
No talking, please!
“PACK AT EASE” means stand with your feet apart and hands behind your back. Stand still and do not speak. This is more comfortable than being at the alert.
LEADER OF THE PACK
The leader in charge of your Pack is called Akela.
THE STORY OF LORD BADEN-POWELL
Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell died many years ago in 1941, but each year on his birthday, 22nd February, we remember how he started Scouting and Cubbing for millions of boys in over 150 countries around the world today. Baden-Powell is affectionately known simply as B.P.
HOW CUBBING BEGAN.
Once there was a boy who loved to sleep in a tent with his four brothers on weekends. They could climb trees, sail boats and they loved to play sports.
When this boy grew up, he joined the Army and became a Major-General. His name was Robert Baden-Powell. He was a great hero in Africa, where he saved the town of Mafeking from an attack which lasted 217 days. He had so few soldiers with him that had to use boys to help with first aid, to carry messages and do other jobs. He was pleased to see that they could be relied on. He wrote a book called Scouting for Boys.
THE STORY OF “MOWLGI’S BROTHERS”
It was a warm summer night when Tabaqui, the Jackal- the mean, sly, mischief-maker – crept to the cave of Mother and Father Wolf “Shere Khan, the big one, haw shifted his hunting grounds. He will hunt among these hillst” he told them. Father Wolfwas upset, because Shere Khan, the tiger, killed cattle and angered the villagers, bringing trouble to the jungle. As they listened, they heard the angry, snarly whine of the tiger.
“He is hunting man!” said Mother Wolf. “Listen! Something is coming!” Mowell before Au”.
Father Wolf crouched – then halted in mid-spring. “Man!” he snapped, “a man’s cub. Look!” His jaws closed gently over the little boy’s back and he carried him into the cave and placed him amongst the other Cubs. Then a dark shadow crossed the doorway.
“The man cub is mine, give him to me!’ Shere Khan’s roar filled the cave, but Mother Wolf and Father Wolf were not to be ordered around by somebody not from the Pack. So Shere Khan slunk away.
“I will call him Mowgli – the frog” said Raksha, the Mother Wolf, “because his skin is smooth and without hair, like a frogs”. So Mowgli stayed with Raksha and Father Wolf and their own cubs.
When they were old enough to run a little, they set off on the night of the full moon, through the jungle to the Council Circle to meet Akela.
They found Akela sitting on the Council Rock with all the wolves in the Pack gathered around. The cubs that had been born that month, and Mowgli, were in the centre of the circle.
All the wolves looked over these young cubs so they would know them if they met in the jungle.
Then Shere Khan roared from the trees, “What have the free people to do with a man cub in the Pack?”
Akela, the leader of the wolf pack, reminded the wolves that ifthere was an argument about a cub, two people had to speak for him.
So Baloo, the brown bear, stood and said “I will speak for the man cub”. Then a black shadow dropped from the trees. It was the mighty hunter, Bagheera, the panther. “I have a bull, newly killed, to pay for the man cub’s life” he said.
So Mowgli was allowed to stay. He learned the laws of the jungle from Baloo and how to creep and stalk from Bagheera.
That is how he was accepted as a member of the Pack.