In Cub Scouts, a Whittlin' Chip card conferred the privilege of carrying my very first pocketknife -- a Camillus official model, circa 1964.Three years later a Totin' Chip card signified that I'd shown sufficient knowledge of (and responsibility with) knife and axe, granting me "totin' rights" for my BSA-edition Ulster.
It's hard to convey how important those rites of passage were to me at the time. I'm sure I still have my "chips" tucked away somewhere, probably in a hand-laced leather wallet I made as a Cub Scout.
The knives themselves are close at hand.
You're looking at the first two pocketknives I ever owned. That's my Camillus in the foreground, the Ulster behind, resting on page 67 of my original BSA Fieldbook, 1967 edition.
Yeah, I tend to keep the good stuff.
That old Ulster, though I seldom carry it these days, came up in conversation with one of my high-school classmates last month. His late father was our Scoutmaster, a good and patient man who imparted enthusiasm as well as wisdom. This master woodsman and gifted woodcarver had a great influence on me.
Now, 40 years on, I have the knowledge he shared and the simple edged tool I used to practice what he taught. At the same time, I acknowledge that Scouts in the UK are explicitly prohibited from carrying knives, and on our own shores knife laws are getting more restrictive every day.
We must do whatever we can to hold on to our independent heritage and the legacy of personal responsibility we seek to pass on to the next generation. For my part, I'll also be holding on to those two old pocketknives -- both for what they are and for the boyhood milestones they represent.
