History
of Scouting
History
of Scouts in the U.S.

One
day in 1909 in London, England, An American Visitor, William D. Boyce,
lost his way
in a dense fog. He stopped under a street lamp
and tried to figure out where he was.
A boy approached him and asked
if he could be of help.
" You certainly can," said Boyce. He told the boy that he
wanted to find a certain business office in the center of the city.
" I'll
take you there," said the boy.
When they got to the destination,
Mr. Boyce reached into his pocket for a tip. But the boy stopped him.
" No thank you, sir. I am a
Scout. I won't take anything for helping."
" A Scout? And what
might that be?" asked Boyce.
The boy told the American about
himself and about his brother scouts. Boyce became very interested.
After finishing
his errand, he had the
boy take him to the British Scouting office.
At the office, Boyce
met Lord Robert Baden-Powell, the famous British general who had
founded
the Scouting movement in Great Britain. Boyce
was so impressed with what he learned that he decided to bring Scouting
home with him.
On February 8, 1910, Boyce and a group of outstanding
leaders founded the Boy Scouts ofAmerica. From that day forth, Scouts
have celebrated February 8 as
the birthday of Scouting in the United States.
What happened to the
boy who helped Mr. Boyce find his way in the fog? No one knows. He
had neither asked for money nor given his name,
but he will never be forgotten. His Good Turn helped bring the scouting
movement to our country.
In the British Scout Training Center at Gilwell
Park, England, Scouts from the United States erected a statue of
an American Buffalo in honor
of this unknown scout. One Good Turn to one man became a Good Turn
to millions of American Boys. Such is the power of a Good Turn.
Hence
The Scout Slogan: DO A GOOD TURN DAILY
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