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SCOUTING FOR GIRLS 
2. Carelessness at Home. As, for example, starting the 
fire with kerosene; leaving gas jets burning where cur- 
tains or clothing may be blown into the flame; leaving 
clothing or paper too near a fire ; throwing matches you 
thought had been put out into paper or other material 
which will catch fire easily ; leaving oily or greasy rags 
where they will easily overheat or take fire spontane- 
ously; leaving objects on stairs and in hallways which 
will cause others to fall ; leaving scalding water where a 
child may fall into it or pull it down, spilling the scalding 
water over himself ; leaving rags or linoleum with up- 
turned edges for someone to fall over; and innumerable 
other careless things which will occur to you. 
3. Disobedience, playing with matches; building fires 
in improper places ; playing with guns ; trying the “med- 
icines” in the closet ; throwing stones ; playing with the 
electric wires or lights; playing around railroad tracks 
and bridges. We could multiply the accidents from dis- 
obedience indefinitely. Remember, a caution given you 
not to do something means there is danger in doing 
it, which may bring much sorrow and suffering to your- 
self and to others. 
It is a very old saying that “An ounce of prevention 
is worth a pound of cure,” but it is just as true today 
as it was hundreds of years ago. 
After the Accident 
When the time for prevention is past, and the acci- 
dent has happened, then you want to know what is 
the best thing to do, and how best to do it in order to 
give the most help and relief immediately, before ex- 
pert help can arrive, and to have the victim in the best 
condition possible for the doctor when he comes, in 
order that he may not have to undo whatever has been 
done before he can begin to give the patient relief from 
his suffering. 
