No council fire anywhere within the borders of the United States should open without the pledge to the American flag, and the reciting in unison by all present of the American creed. (See page 268.)
The council should close with the singing of "America." Especially should these ceremonies be gone through with when the assembly is composed of many young people, because what George Washington said in his farewell address is as true to-day as it was a hundred years ago.
"Against the insidious wiles of foreign influences I conjure you to believe me, fellow citizens, the jealousy of a free people ought to be constantly awake, since history and experience prove that foreign influence is one of the most powerful foes of republican government."
There is no reason why we should not have a lot of fun at the council fires, and at times it may even be riotous fun, but always American fun, and the patriotic spirit should never for a moment be forgotten, nor yet the poetic spirit which links us up in bonds of sympathy with all created things so that we may, with seriousness, recite the
O Great Mystery, we beseech thee. That we may walk reverently Beneath Lah-pah our brothers, the trees. That we may step lightly On Kis-so our kinsmen, the grasses. That we may walk lovingly Over Loo-poo-oi-yes our brothers, the rocks. That we may rest trustfully Where the O-lel-le bird sings-- Beside Ho-ha-oe, the talking waters.
Weave for us, O Great Mystery, A bright blanket of wisdom; Make the warp the color of Father Sky, Let He-koo-las, the sun-woman. Lend her bright hair for the weft. And mingle with it the red and gold threads of evening. O Great Mystery; O Mother Earth! O Father Sky! We, your children, love the things you love; Therefore, let the border of our blanket Be bending Ku-yet-tah, the rainbow. And the fringe be glittering Nuk-kah, the slashing rain.
or with abandon we may sing, or chant the song of the elves,
[F]Oh, we are the fays, oh, we are the elves. Who, laughing at everything, laugh at ourselves. If Fortune's wheel is broke. Why, we can put a spoke in it. Misfortune hits no stroke, But we can put a joke in it. The owl can do our thinking. As he sits awinking, blinking. We act from intuition, Fun and mischief is our mission; Solemn duty, we have none of it. What we do is for the fun of it; Fun is none too light to prize, Thought is naught but fancy's flight. Folly's jolly, wit is wise, Laughter after all is right.