[Sca-cooks] Laurel Vs. Pelican

[kingstaste at mindspring.com]

I've been giving this whole Laurel thing some thought, and it seems to
me that service is a large part of it. You need to be willing to teach,
and serve and so forth. So then, what is the difference between a
Pelican and a Laurel?
Elewyiss

I've actually heard one Laurel say that she wouldn't worry about service at
all for a candidate, that service was for Pelicans.  I was appalled at the
time she said it (long ago and far away), but it stuck with me as one of
those things that would weigh less heavily for consideration.  Certainly the
Laurel is service-oriented, especially in the way that is implied in the
language for the AoA scrolls "...you (insert name here) through diverse
great efforts have considerably enriched our Kingdom..."  meaning that any
efforts you make, be it costuming, C&I, heraldric display, cooking, getting
the King a barber right before Court, etc., are all service and seen as
enriching the overall experience.
A Pelican is more than just service, however.  It is a combination of
Service and Leadership.  It is the ability to motivate others to perform
services as well, not just knock yourself out doing everything.  There is a
semi-joke about the peerages as related to chess.  A Knight should know all
the moves, the strategies of play, the best defenses, etc.  A Laurel should
know the history of the game, the design of the pieces, be able to construct
the pieces out of various media, etc.  A Pelican should be able to influence
the outcome of the game without anyone knowing they are doing it. :)
(There have been times when I've had to tell my associates to back off and
practice the latter after they have been beating their heads in trying to
make something happen.)  It is also knowing when to say no, how to delegate,
when to offer hard-to-accept counsel, and many other things besides. It is
very difficult to define all that an effective Pelican will influence.
	It might interest you to know that there were no Pelicans until after the
Laurels had been around a while (the Knights were there from the begining).
Many Laurels got their honors for work that was actually Pelican related.
When the Order of the Pelican was created in '74 I believe, they were given
the option of changing over to the new peerage if they desired.  Some did,
some didn't, we have one of each living in Georgia right now.  (Mistress
Margarethe the Dog changed hers over, Mistress Signy didn't.)
	A good question, however, and one worth pondering.
	Mistress Christianna MacGrain, one of each