Chapter 14

HAPPY AND SANE SUNDAY IN CAMP

It is a good idea to carefully plan for your Sundays in camp, have every hour mapped out and never allow the time to drag. Make special effort and determine that the day shall be the very happiest day of each week, a day in which every one of the campers will be especially interested and will look forward to with genuine pleasure.

Sit down quietly and think it all out. You will want the day to differ from week-days; you will want it filled with the real life, not half-life, the life only of the physical and mental, but the true, entire life for each camper; you will want to emphasize this higher, inner life, which is the spiritual.

To this end, when you arise in the morning, form the resolution that the day shall be a peaceful, enjoyable one for all the girls. When you take your morning plunge resolve that not only will you be physically clean, but you will also be both mentally and spiritually clean; then all through the day keep in mind that you _can_ rule your thoughts and that you _will_, for power to do this will be given to you from the source of all power. Allow not one thought to remain which is not kind, friendly, cheerful, and peaceful. Should other thoughts intrude be firm and severe with them, have no mercy on them, talk to those thoughts as you would to robbers and thieves, tell them to go, _go_, GO, BEGONE, that you have nothing in common with them and you _command_ them to _go_; then immediately busy yourself with active work, building the fire, cooking, tidying up the camp, etc.

Have your Sunday breakfast especially nice, with a few flowers, vines, leaves, or grasses on the table for a Sunday centrepiece, and keep the conversation on wholesome, happy topics.

After breakfast is over and the camp in order, with all the campers go for a short walk to some attractive spot either by the water or inland, and when the place is reached, having previously selected certain songs containing cheerful, religious elements, ask the entire camp to join in the singing. If one of the girls can sing a solo, let her do so, or it may be that two can sing a duet; then sit quietly while one of the group reads something helpful, interesting, and beautiful, which will be verses from the Bible probably, but may be one of Emerson's essays, or extracts from other thoughtful and helpful writers.

Close the simple exercises with another hymn and return to camp.

In addition to the camp dinner prepare some one dish as a pleasant surprise for the other girls. When dinner is over, the dishes washed, and camp again in order, the girls should have one hour of quiet, to read, write letters, sketch, or lie down and rest. Each camper should respect the demands of the hour for quiet and rest and _not talk_, but leave her companions to their own thoughts and occupations. If you should see your special friend seated off by herself, do not disturb her during the rest hour; it is each girl's right to remain unmolested at that time.

When the hour is up, the campers can each pack her portion of the evening meal, and in a moment's time be ready to hit the trail, or take the canoe for a paddle to the place previously selected where supper is to be enjoyed, and if the trip be on land, all may play the observation game while on the way.

=Observation Game=

The leader counts 3 to the credit of the girl who first sees a squirrel, 2 for the girl who sees the second one, and 1 for every succeeding squirrel discovered by any member of the party. A bird counts 6, if identified 12. A wood-mouse counts 4, when identified 8. A deer 20, beaver 12, muskrat 8, chipmunk 10, porcupine 14, eagle 30, mink 16, rabbit 1. The player holding the highest record when reaching the supper grounds is victor. Keep your records tacked up in your shelter to compare with those you will make on the following Sunday.

In this game every time a player stumbles on the trail 5 is taken from her credit; if she falls, she loses 10.

It is a rule of the game that the winner be congratulated by each camper in turn, that she be crowned with a wreath of leaves, grasses, or vines and sit at the head of the table. Keep this game for your Sunday afternoons and play others during the week.

In the evening, as the campers sit quietly around the camp-fire, if the camp director will talk to the girls gently and seriously for a little while on some phase of their real life, the talk will be welcome and appreciated; then just before retiring all should stand while singing the good-night song.

It is hardly possible to present Sunday plans for each variety of camp and campers. The suggestions given are for helping girl campers to look upon Sunday in its true light, and to aid them in working out plans in accordance with the purpose of the day, that they may enjoy happy, sane Sundays in camp.

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Transcriber's Notes:

Obvious punctuation errors repaired.

Hyphen added to bow-line twice in list of illustrations to conform to text usage.

Hyphen added to illustration of High-Bush Blueberry to conform to text usage.

Hyphen was removed from illustrations involving footprints to conform to text.

Page 27, hyphen added to fire-wood to conform to rest of text. (chop fire-wood)

Page 78, hyphen removed from cheese-cloth to conform to rest of text. (piece of new cheesecloth)

Page 221, double word "the" changed to one. (stand near the edge)

End of Project Gutenberg's On the Trail, by Lina Beard and Adelia Belle Beard