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Did you ever wonder why Scouts greet
each other with a left handshake? This is a tradition started
by Robert Baden-Powell and is used in all of the world's
Scouting and Guiding programs where custom accepts a handshake
as a form of greeting, as a sign of friendship.
Truth
is stranger than fiction
"When my husband
was in West Africa on that campaign in 1895-96 he heard of the
legend of two tribes who lived next door to one another and
were always having trouble and even wars between them. This
was very bad and disastrous for both, with cattle thieving and
so on.
"Then the very fine
Chief of one of them realizing how wrong it was, gathered his
councilors together and they then decided not to have fighting
again, but to try to come to terms with their warrior
neighbours. "So when, after a time, the enemy came
advancing towards them expecting them also to advance and
start fighting, this good army stood still instead of
advancing to attack back.
There was a code of
honour which said that an un-armed man who could not defend
himself was never attacked, so this good chief of the
peace-loving tribe dropped his arms and walked slowly out
ahead of his men and after standing alone for a moment walked
towards the enemy (who had stopped with surprise at this
unexpected turn of events) and, holding out his left hand
after flinging down his shield and spears, said:
"I come unarmed and
I hold out my left hand to you as a sign of friendship and
trust. " We are neighbors and should not live in enmity.
From now on we wish to live in peace and we trust you do do
the same and to be friends."
"Well, all those
years later when my husband founded the Boy Scouts he knew
that boys and girls like secret signs and so he suggested that
we should have and use this "secret sign" of shaking
hands differently from the ordinary way. As we all in our
Movement truly trust each other, this method of our own
shaking with the left hand instead of the right, would be used
throughout the movement.
The
Left hand is nearer to the heart.
"Whether it is true
or not, I for one know that the friendship part of it is as
true for our Movement as it was for those tribes of long ago;
and please God it will always remain part of the backdrop and
essence of Scouting and Guiding".
LADY
BADEN-POWELL
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