Cub
Scout Pack 1680
- history
The Birth of
Scouting
Scouting's history really goes back to the turn of
the century with a British Army officer, Robert S. S. Baden-Powell. While
stationed in India, Baden-Powell found that his men didn't know basic first aid
or outdoor survival skills. They couldn't follow a trail, tell directions, read
danger signs, or find food and water. In 1896, Baden-Powell drew upon his
background as an army scout to write a small military handbook Aids to
Scouting. He hoped to teach his men resourcefulness, adaptability and the
leadership qualities demanded by frontier conditions.
Baden-Powell became world famous during the South African Boer War in
1899. He held the small town of Mafeking during a 217 day siege. The enemy force
was estimated to be ten times the size of his defending garrison. He returned to
London a national hero and was promoted to Lieutenant General. In many of the
news stories of the day, he was referred to as B-P, short for Baden-Powell. This
abbreviation was widely used in public and private references to him for the
rest of his life.
When B-P returned to England, he found that his little handbook had
captured the imagination of English boys and was widely read. In August of 1907,
he began a test of an idea that had been growing in his mind for years. He
gathered 22 boys from all parts of England. Some were from exclusive schools,
others from the slums, shops or farms. He took them to Brownsea Island in a
sheltered bay off England's southern coast. Along the shore they set-up a camp
which was their home for the next 12 days.
The boys had a great time! They were organized into patrols. They
played games, took hikes, cooked without utensils, learned stalking and
pioneering skills. In the evenings, around the magic of a campfire, they were
spellbound by B-P's stories of his army adventures. Scouting had begun in
earnest and was destined to spread around the world.
After the Brownsea camp, B-P rewrote his earlier
handbook and called it Scouting for Boys. He incorporated many ideas
from two American programs for boys: The Woodcraft Indians, and The Sons of
Daniel Boone. Scouting for Boys was first published as a five-part series of
magazine articles. People liked the series so well that it was published as a
book in 1908. B-P also published a booklet for Scoutmasters and a weekly
magazine for boys called "The Scout". That same year, 10,000 boys attended the
first Scout gathering at the Crystal Palace!
SCOUTING COMES TO THE UNITED STATES
About the same time, the seeds of Scouting were growing in the United
States. Our rich pioneering traditions had caused Indians and frontier heroes to
be part of every boy's life. Some creative youth leaders saw an opportunity to
develop qualities of independence and resourcefulness in boys, as well as skill
in nature lore and outdoor activities.
On a farm in Connecticut, a naturalist and author named Ernest
Thompson Seton was organizing a group of boys called the Woodcraft Indians.
He sent Baden-Powell a copy of his book, The Birchbark Roll of Woodcraft
Indians. In it, he told how American boys formed "tribes" of Woodcraft
Indians, about the games they played, and the Indian lore they
practiced.
In addition to Seton, another American was working to bring
boys and the outdoors closer together. Daniel Carter Beard, an artist
and writer, organized the Sons of Daniel Boone, which soon became the biggest
boys' club in the United States. In many ways the two organizations were
similar, but they had no connection with each other. And the boys who belonged
had never heard of Baden-Powell or of Boy Scouts, and yet both groups were
destined to become Boy Scouts one day soon.
The Unknown
Scout
In 1909, a Chicago businessman and publisher, William D.
Boyce, was lost in a London fog. As he groped his way through the fog, a boy
appeared and offered to take him to his destination. When they arrived, the
American reached in his pocket for a shilling tip. But the boy stopped him by
courteously explaining that he was a Scout and could not accept payment for a
Good Turn.
Intrigued, the publisher questioned the boy and learned more about
Scouting. The boy took him to Baden-Powell's office, and once there, disappeared
into the fog. No one knows what happened to him. He was never heard from again,
but he will never be forgotten. At the Scout Training Center at Gilwell Park,
England, a statue of a buffalo was erected in honor of this "UNKNOWN SCOUT." His
Good Turn is what brought Scouting to our country.
As Boyce interviewed Baden-Powell, he became captured by the dream.
When he boarded the transatlantic steamer for home, he had a suitcase filled
with information, uniforms and ideas.
The Early
Years
And so, on February 8, 1910, Boyce incorporated the Boy Scouts of
America. Shortly thereafter, a group of public-spirited citizens set up an
organization. Seton became the first chief Scout of the Boy Scouts of America,
and Beard was made the national commissioner.
A search began to find an executive officer. The man chosen
was James E. West, a young Washington lawyer. He had a tragic boyhood. His
father died before he was born, and his mother died when he was 7. He was sent
to an orphan home where it was discovered that he had an incurable disease in
one leg that made him physically impaired for life. In spite of his handicap, he
put all his ambition, ability, and energy into becoming a lawyer. He succeeded
and dedicated himself to helping all children, healthy, sick, or handicapped, to
have a better life. He led the Boy Scouts of America for 32 years as the Chief
Scout Executive. He was a strong, wise leader who helped build Scouting into the
largest boy movement in the country and in the free world.
B-P came to the United States in September, 1910, to meet with all of
BSA's early supporters. He would return many more times for Jamborees and other
events -- always inspiring with his vision, enthusiasm, wisdom and stories.
The Boy Scouts of America received its first national charter from
the Congress of the United States in 1916. President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt
gave his support as a vice-president of BSA and Chief Scout
Citizen.
Wolf Cubbing
Begins
Back in England, Boy Scout troops were being bombarded by younger
boys who were eager to become Boy Scouts. In 1914, Baden-Powell began
experimenting with a program for younger boys, based on Rudyard Kipling's
"Jungle Book". In 1916, he made a public announcement of the Wolf Cub program,
and since that time it has spread with very little change to other European
countries.
How Cub Scouting
Started
As early as 1920, The Boy Scouts of America, saw a
need for a program for younger boys and their families. In 1925 Dr. Harold W.
Hurt, a research psychologist and veteran Scouter working with Ernest Thompson
Seton studied other clubs for younger boys. They recommended that the BSA adopt
a program for younger boys, with older Boy Scouts as leaders, to tie into home,
church, school, and Boy Scouting. In 1929, after four years of studying and
planning, Cubbing (it wasn't called Cub Scouting until several years later) was
taking shape. It was introduced as a demonstration project in a limited number
of communities. It's structure was similar to today's Cub Scouting, except the
dens were led by Boy Scout den chiefs. The plan included a neighborhood mother's
committee to encourage Cubs and their den chiefs.
In 1930 Cub Scouting was formally launched. In 1933 all experimental
restrictions were removed and the first national director of Cub Scouting was
appointed. Cubs advanced from Bobcat (for all new members) to Wolf (age 9), Bear
(age 10), and Lion (age 11), and joined the Boy Scout troop at age 12. In 1949
the age requirement was lowered to include boys from 8 to 10 years. In 1941 the
Webelos rank was added. It was for the 11 year old boy who had completed his
Lion badge and had also completed certain requirements for the Boy Scout Rank of
Tenderfoot. The Webelos badge at the time looked like the Arrow of Light patch
we know today. In 1986 the age requirement for Cub Scouts was lowered again to
include second grade boys.
In 1967, the Lion rank was replaced by the Webelos Scout program.
This was for the 10 year old Cub Scout and offered him a program with fifteen
activity badges in a variety of areas such as geology, engineering and sports.
The Webelos program pointed the Webelos Scout toward the Arrow of Light, Cub
Scouting's highest award. The Webelos Scout program also better prepared the
Webelos Scout for the transition to Boy Scouts.
The Tiger Cubs program was introduced in 1982 and is a program for
first graders (or 7-year olds) who register with an adult partner who is at
least 18 years old. The goal of the program was to bring the boy and his parent
closer together by providing a program to allow quality time with the boy while
sharing his experiences with others in his Tiger Group.
In 1985 BSA introduced an expanded program. Prior to this time, age
had been the primary factor for determining a boy's eligibility to join.
Starting in 1986, with a phase-in that lasted through 1991, grade became the
primary factor, with age as a backup requirement. This phase-in added the second
year to the Webelos program and meant that a Scouting program is offered to all
boys of grades 1 through 12. These changes also made it easier for boys to
remain with the same peer group all through scouting.
The Chief Scout Says
Farewell
Baden-Powell remained active in scouting throughout his
life. B-P was knighted and created a baronet, Lord Baden-Powell of Gilwell, in
recognition of his vision and tireless efforts on behalf of Scouting. During his
later life, he was revered as Chief Scout of the World. In 1938, heeding his
doctor's advice, Baden-Powell and his family moved to Nyeri in Kenya. His health
gradually lapsed, and on January 8, 1941, he died peacefully. Scouts of
different races carried him to his final resting place in a small cemetery at
Nyeri on the slopes of the Aberdares, facing Mount Kenya. Today, in Westminster
Abbey, a tablet records his name, along with the names of the greatest Britons
of all time, but his final resting place is marked with a simple headstone which
bears his name and the Scout sign for "I have gone home."
After his death, a letter
was found in Baden-Powell's desk: a letter he had written to all Scouts. In
it he said: "Try and leave this world a little better than you found it." These
words are a fitting epitaph, for as he won the respect of the great by his
strength, he won the hearts of youth by his own example.
The Movement begun by Baden-Powell now exists in almost every country
in the world. From 22 boys camping on Brownsea Island in 1907, it has grown to
more than 25 million members.
