This is a true story of an event that happened in Troop 61 of the Valley Forge Council in about 1960.
One night during a troop meeting, two of the scouts ate some of the cookies before it was time for refreshments. All in all, it may not seem too serious, but the other scouts were upset and complained to the SPL that the two had violated the Scout Law by stealing the cookies. The SPL decided to call a meeting of the PLC to determine their punishment. The adult leaders waited as anxiously as the two culprits while the PLC met. Some wanted to kick them out of Scouts for violating their word. Others argued that they needed to learn the lessons of Scouting, so they should stay in. After a long discussion, the two were told their punishment. They were not allowed to wear their Scout Uniforms for a month, since they had disgraced them with their act. The Scouts were crushed, but complied, and the adults were astonished at the wisdom of the PLC (they were both new Scouters at the time).
By the way, the Chartering Organization was the local State School for the Mentally Retarded (that's what they were called in the Dark Ages) and the troop was made up of residents there. They may have below average IQ's, but they understood the importance of the scout uniform and the principles of Scouting.
