Robert Baden-Powell
was a general in the British army who became famous for his leadership during
the Bower War in South Africa between Britain and descendants of Dutch settlers,
the Boers. After the war, Baden-Powell wanted to use his fame to help
boys become better men and to have fun while they were doing it.
In 1907, Baden-Powell invited a group of boys to Brownsea
Island off the coast of England to attend the world's first Boy Scout camp.
Its success led him to write a book called Scouting for Boys.
Thousands of boys read it and wanted to join the new organization. Scouting
spread like wildfire throughout England and, before long, around the world.
Scouting came to America because a boy did a good turn - an act of
kindness for which he expected no reward. It happened many years ago
on the foggy streets of London, England, when an American named William D.
Boyce lost his way. A boy walked up and asked if he could be of assistance.
Mr. Boyce explained where he wanted to go. The
boy led him to his destination, but when Mr. Boyce offered to give him some
money, the boy said, "No, thank you, sir. I am a Scout. I won't
take anything for helping you."
William Boyce was so impressed by the boy's kindness
that he met with Lord Robert Baden- Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts
in Great Britain. He liked what Baden-Powell told him, and he knew that
boys in the United States would want to be Scouts, too.
On February 8, 1910, Mr. Boyce and a group of businessmen,
educators, and political leaders founded the Boy Scouts of America.
Scouts celebrate February 8 as the birthday of the BSA.
No one knows what happened to the boy who guided Mr.
Boyce through the London fog, but he will never be forgotten. Like many
acts of kindness, what was done proved to be far more significant that who
did it. The boy's good turn helped bring Scouting to America.
The Boy Scout Handbook: Eleventh Edition. ©
1998 Boy Scouts of America; Irving, Texas.
