Trick or Treat

A young university student was walking along with one of his professors when they came across a pair of shoes that belonged to an old man working in a field nearby. Our young friend suggested hiding the old man’s shoes, but the professor objected. “We must never amuse ourselves at the expense of others,” he said. “Why not put a dollar in each shoe and see what he will do?” Together they did this, then hid themselves behind a bush. Soon the old man returned for his shoes. He put one foot into a shoe, then quickly removed it to see what was causing the discomfort. Finding the dollar, he examined it closely, then looked about to see who might have put it in his shoe. There was no one around, so he started to put on his other shoe and, to his amazement, found a dollar in it, too. Overwhelmed, he looked up toward Heaven and thanked God aloud for meeting the need of his distressed family. The student was deeply moved by what he had witnessed. “Now,” said the professor, “is not the treat better than the trick?”

Pearls of Wisdom—Quotes from Baden-Powell

"In all of this, it is the spirit that matters. Our Scout law and Promise, when we really put them into practice, take away all occasion for wars and strife among nations".