Not long ago a child fell into a deep irrigation ditch and was washed through a 50-foot culvert. When his cold, limp body was found, most people thought he was dead. But a Boy Scout at the place of the accident began at once to give artificial respiration to the youngster. With no one to encourage him or help him, he worked on and on. At last, as thought by a miracle, the child began to breathe. A life that had seemed lost had been saved.
This is but one of hundreds of real cases in which boy scouts have saved lives as a result of their scout training. They knew what to do in emergencies. They lived up to their scout motto: “Be prepared”.
Boys get much from scouting besides training for emergencies. They find fun and fellowship with other boys and the men who lead them. They find adventure in hiking, camping, boating, and the other outdoor sports. They gain useful knowledge and skills, and have many chances to take part in the life of their community and nation.
THE BEGINNINGS OF SCOUTINGThe man who started Scouting was born in England in 1857. His name was Robert Baden Powell. He was one of the 10 children of an Oxford University professor. As a boy, he loved outdoor life, especially camping. His hobby was sketching.
At 19 Baden Powell joined the army and became an officer. His duties took him to the frontiers of India and South Africa. There he spent much of his time training his men for military scouting. They learned to operate on their own in small groups and to remember and report what they saw. Baden Powell made up many training games and contest, which he later described in book called Aids to Scouting.
In 1899 and 1900, during the Boer War in South Africa, Baden Powell led a garrison of 1,250 men that held Mafeking through a 217 day siege. When he returned to England he was a hero. He was surprised to find that some leaders of boys had started using his scouting games and contests. He was asked to work out a program of scouting more directly suited to the needs of boys. He began to think of scouting as a game. But he wanted it to be a game with a goal, so his program was built around the high ideals of the Scout Promise and Law.
In 1907 Baden Powell held a camp on Brownsea Island in southern England, to test his ideas. He then wrote his handbook, Scouting for Boys, published in 1908. With only this handbook to guide them, troops of Boy Scouts began to spring up at once throughout Great Britain and the British Empire, and in many other countries.
Baden Powell was made a knight in 1909. In the following year he retired from the army as a lieutenant general to give all his time to scouting. In 1922 he was made a baronet and in 1929 a baron. Lord Baden Powell, the chief scout of the world died in Kenya in 1941.
Shortly after the Boy Scout movement started in Britain, William D. Boyce, an American publisher, became lost one day in a London fog. An English Scout helped him find the address he was looking for. This led Boyce to become interested in scouting. Upon his return to America he got help from leading citizens, and on February 8, 1910, the Boy Scouts of America was organized. In 1916 Congress gave the organization a federal charter.
Among those who helped found the Boy Scouts of America was Daniel Carter Beard (1850-1941). “Uncle Dan” had formed an earlier outdoor organization for boys, the Sons of Daniel Boone, about 1905. He became the first National Scout Commissioner. James E. West (1876-1948) was the first Chief Scout Executive. When he retired in 1943 the Boy Scouts of America had about 1,600,000 members. By 1973 it had more than 6,500,000 members.
The first scout troop in Canada was formed in 1908. Six years later the Canadian General Council of the Boy Scouts Association was formed by an act of Parliament. In 1961 this name was changed to Boy Scouts of Canada. By that time there were more than 300,000 Canadian Scouts and leaders.
WORLD SCOUTING TODAYThere are about 12,000,000 Scouts and leaders in the world today. They are found in nearly all but the Communist countries. They have different uniforms, badges, and customs, but their aims and ideals are alike. The motto “Be prepared” is known in many languages. The headquarters of the Boy Scouts World Bureau is in Geneva, Switzerland.
World jamborees are held every 4 years. These are huge camps that bring together Scouts from many nations to join hands in friendship. The first world jamboree was held in England in 1920. Many countries also hold national jamborees. The Boy Scouts of America held its first in 1937; Canada its first in 1949.
THE BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICAThe National Council of the Boy Scouts of America is made up of men who come from about 500 local councils across the country. This body meets each year. It makes the rules of scouting. The president of the United States is the honorary president of the Boy Scouts of America.
Their home office is at North Brunswick, New Jersey. A full time staff headed by the Chief Scout Executive publishes handbooks and magazines for boys and leaders. It prepares films and other leaders training materials. It controls the manufacture and sale of uniforms and equipment through stores. The staff also aids the local councils in their work.
Each local council is made up of volunteers who offer to help scouting in a city, county, or larger area. The council must, among other things, have a camp for its members. A small group of professional scouts work full time on council tasks.
Scouting reaches boys through churches, schools, and other organizations. Each group that sponsors a troop or any other scout unit offers a meeting place, good leaders, and other needed support. Outstanding men in the community are chosen as scout leaders.
The Boy Scouts of America provides a long term program for a boy from the time he is 8 years old until he is 21. At 8 he may become a Cub, at 11 a Scout, and at 14 an Explorer.
CUBBING—FOR BOYS 8 TO 10The Boy Scouts of America started Cubbing for younger boys in 1930. At that time the lowest age limit was 9.
The home is the center activity in Cubbing. There a boy learns to do many things with the help and encouragement of his parents or guardians. He starts out as a Bobcat. By completing 12 achievements he can earn his Wolf badge. Then, for earning elective credits in a variety of activities, he receives arrow points to wear under his badge. When he 9 years old he begins to work for the Bear rank. At age 10 he may join a Webelos den and earn the Arrow of Light, the highest award in Cub Scouting. Webelos Scouts can also earn activity badges for learning special skills. “Webelos” stands for “We’ll Be Loyal Scouts.”
A Cub belongs to a neighborhood group of boys called a den. The den meets each week at the home of one of the boys, under the guidance of its Den Leader, who is helped by a scout called Den Chief.
Once a month the several dens that make up a Cub pack meet each together. Their leader is a Cub Master. Often the pack meetings take the form of group outings.
The Cub uniform is dark blue with yellow trim. A yellow and blue neckerchief is worn by all Cubs.
Cub Motto: “Do your best.”
Cub Promise: “I, [name], promise to do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people, and to obey the law of the pack.”
Law of the Pack: “The Cub Scout follows Akela. The Cub Scout helps the pack go. The pack helps the Cub Scout grow. The Cub Scout gives good will.” (“Akela” means “good leader”.)
SCOUTING—FOR BOYS 11 AND OLDERA boy may become a scout any time after he is 11 years old. By understanding the Scout Oath and Law and by passing a few simple test, he may join and be called a Scout. Skill awards and merit badges lead him on to Second Class and then on to First Class. Scouts may earn merit badges in any over 100 different fields. Certain merit badges help him meet the requirements for Star (9 merit badges), Life (15 merit badges), and Eagle (24 badges). Eagle is the highest award in scouting.
A small group of scouts forms a patrol. Several patrols make up a troop. The troop usually meets once a week with its adult leader, Scout Master.
Hiking and camping are parts of the adventure that scout enjoy. They learn how to take care of themselves in the open and how to help others in case of accidents. They also learn to be useful citizens.
The scout uniform is khaki. Neckerchief colors and designs are chosen locally.
Scout Oath: ”On my honor I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout law; to help other people at all times; to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
Scout Motto: “Be prepared.”
Scout Slogan: “Do a good turn daily.”
Scout Law:
