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.
