February is Scout Anniversary month. Are you aware of the long-standing history between Scouting America (formerly known as the BSA) and Rotary? As we are near the 115th anniversary of Scouting America, the organization is still as important today as it was in 1910.
As you know, the purpose of Scouting is simple: It’s to build the character and integrity of America’s youth and prepare them to become responsible adults: adults who are leaders and adults who participate in society according to our Scout Oath and Law. That Oath and that Law is founded on trustworthiness, loyalty, bravery, and values that put community and family first.
Every Scout lives out a set of principles that were laid down a long time ago. The Oath teaches duty to God, country, others, and self. The Scout Law describes how to live a life of honor by being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent.
Rotarians are familiar with these ideals. Rotary International and Scouting America go back nearly a century. In fact, in 1918 Rotary was the very first service club in the nation to adopt Scouting. Paul Harris and James E. West, the first Chief Scout Executive, were good friends. They traveled the country together establishing Boy Scout councils. Our relationship continues to be strong today. Because of the support of Rotarians, countless young men and women across the nation can enjoy the benefits of Scouting.
The reason for a strong relationship after all of these years is the commonality. First, both organizations are very close to the same age. Both have seen our nation evolve and grow over the decades. Both share strong codes of behavior that define and shape who we are.
Rotary has the “Four Way Test” that asks: “Is it the truth?” “Is it fair?” “Will it build goodwill and better friendships?” And “Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” Those are the same types of principles at work in our Scout Oath and Scout Law. Scouting’s founder, Lord Robert Baden-Powell, knew the value of these kinds of principles. He knew that by placing the Scout Oath and Law in front of young men it would guide their behavior much like a compass. It continues to guide young people, urging them to become better citizens and better people and to seek ways to serve others.
You may know that the Scouts’ slogan is “Do a Good Turn Daily.” But you may not know why. It has to do with how American Scouting came to be—and why today, that phrase is at the heart of a program that gives every Scout a chance to serve the people around them.
In 1909, a Chicago publisher named William Boyce got lost in the London fog. A young boy helped him find his way but wouldn’t take the shilling Boyce offered. He said Scouts don’t take payment for “doing a good turn.” Boyce, on the other hand, had never heard of Scouts, but he was so intrigued that he learned all about the British program, then came home and helped create the Boy Scouts of America. For almost a century, Scouts have honored the memory of that day by doing “good turns.” This “service above self” attitude is a true representation of the shared values of Rotary International and Scouting America. You can see the same type of commitment in the work clubs do every year through your support of several causes dear to you—not to mention your support of Scouting.
Helping young Americans make the most of themselves and serve their communities is a high calling. For 115 years, parents, friends, and community leaders in towns across America have answered that call and made Scouting what it is today.
All of these ideals are found in Rotary’s “Four Way Test” and in two precepts that every Scout recites and lives—the Scout Oath and the Scout Law. Individually, the words in the Oath and Law are simple—but collectively they become words to live by. These principles make Scouting more than what we do—but rather who we are—and what we will be.
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