Cubmaster’s Minutes

Stay On The Right Track

Heart of America Council

There are many different trains—

·         Passenger trains, that carry you through this great country,

·         Freight trains that haul goods to consumers like you,

·         Tourist trains that show you what riding a train was like many years ago.

All of these trains are different, yet they have something in common--they all run on tracks. A train, as large and powerful as it is, can go nowhere without tracks to guide it.

Like these trains, we are all different. But we all need tracks to guide us along. These tracks are faith in God, love of family and service to others.

This month, Cub Scouts, let’s pledge to do our best to stay on the right track. Show your faith in God by living your religion. Show your family how much you love and appreciate them through your words and deeds. Give cheerful service to all you meet. Stay on the right track and you’ll go far.

The Golden Spike

Heart of America Council

The forerunners of the modern railroad were the wagon ways built in England as early as the 1500’s.
They were invented to haul coal, ore, and stone from the mines and quarries.

In 1767 cast iron rails were invented. The first railroad in America was built in 1826 in Massachusetts.

Fifty years later, during the Civil War, construction started on the Union Pacific Railroad. The builders started the railroad line at Omaha, Nebraska and another group started building eastward from Sacramento, California.

The last nail, “The Golden Spike,” driven at Promontory, Utah on May 10, 1869, connected the country from coast-to-coast.

Railroads were important to the growth of America. Each time an inventor made an improvement, the railroads became better. Just like the railroad inventors, we are constantly trying to improve ourselves and we become better with each change.

Railroad Networks

Heart of America Council

If we study maps of the United States, we see that our nation is crisscrossed with a network of railroads. Some carry freight, while other carry passengers from one city to the next. Stations along the way serve as meeting places and warehouses where we store important goods.

In Scouting, we are like the railroad network.

Our leader are like the rail cars, carrying important lessons and information for our Scouts.

The Cub Scout Program is like the railways, guiding our course and showing us the way.

And our Scouts? They are like the stations because they receive and hold the knowledge and skills that help make our future.

Give Him A Day

Heart of America Council

What shall you give to one small boy?

A glamorous game, a tinseled toy.

A Barlow knife, a puzzle pack,

A train that runs on curving track?

A picture book, a real live pet...?

No, there's plenty of time for such things yet,

Give him a day for his very own,

Just one small boy and his Dad alone.

A walk in the woods, a romp in the park.

A fishing trip, from dawn to dark.

Give the gift that only you can.

The companionship of his "old man".

Games are outgrown, and toys not much fun,

But, he'll never forget, if you give him a day in the sun"!