Heat, Fuel, And Oxygen

(Hold a lighted candle while talking. Room lights may be turned off, if desired. )

Scouts, here you see a plain ordinary candle - a candle such as we use in our Court of Honor ceremonies.

This candle needs three things to keep it burning. These three things are heat, fuel and oxygen. The heat was provided by the match I used to start it burning. The fuel is the melted wax which is absorbed by the wick. The oxygen comes from the air around us.

If we remove any one of these three things, the candle will go out. If there is no heat, the wax will not melt. If the wax is not melted, the wick cannot absorb the fuel, and if the air were cut off, the candle would soon go out.

In the same way, Scouts, you and I need three things to do our tasks in life. These things are related to your body, your mind and your spirit.

In dedication yourselves to the Scout Oath, you pledge that you will do your best to make these three things meaningful in your life. You pledge to keep yourselves physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.

We need these three things to do our job, just as the candle needs heat, fuel and oxygen to keep burning.