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 of
America. 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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