A fond mother watches her boy where he stands
Apart from his comrades tonight,
As they place on his camp-battered tunic, a badge…
An Eagle, the emblem of right.
It seems just a few short months have passed
Since he joined with the youngster next door…
How proud he was then of his Tenderfoot Pin
As they told of the message it bore.
But the years have gone as he struggled along
To learn what the Scout law’s about;
He practiced them daily, the Oath and the law
Until now, he’s an Eagle Scout.
You may smile in your worldly old wisdom at this
And say, “Why, it’s only a pin.”
But I tell you no honors he’ll gain as a man
Will mean quite as much to him.
The Red, White and Blue of the ribbon you see
Are the symbols of honor and truth.
He has learned how to value these fine attributes
In the glorious days of youth.
And the outflinging winds of the eagle that rests
On the breast of this Knight of Today,
Are the things which will lift him above petty deeds
And guide him along the right way…
Yes, it’s only a pin, just an Eagle Scout Badge,
But the heart that’s beneath it beats true
And will throb to the last for the things which are good,
A lesson for me.. and for you.
S. Kurtz Hingley (1931), BSA (1955)