SM Minute—A Good Turn

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Scoutmaster Minute—A Good Turn

As you know, the Boy Scouts of America was started in 1910.  Now for a tougher question: Who started the BSA?  Not Baden-Powell.  He started Scouting in England.  It was an American businessman, William D. Boyce.

In 1909, William Boyce was wandering around London and got lost in the dense fog.  He met a young boy who led him to his destination.  The boy refused to accept a tip from Boyce, saying that he was a Boy Scout.  That intrigued Boyce, and he asked the Unknown Scout to take him to meet Lord Baden Powell later.

Because of that meeting, Boy Scouts of America was officially organized in 1910, and there have been more than 93 million Americans involved in the BSA since then.

The Scout slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily.”  That is what that Boy Scout in 1909 did for William Boyce, and that is what you should always try to do, every day–a Good Turn. You never know what it may give return.

You can read more about the Unknown Scout on page 27 of your Centennial Boy Scout Handbook.

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(adapted from Troop Program Resources, p.18)

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