' THE UNKNOWN SCOUJ. (A Good Turn To A Stranger)
The British Capital lay in the grip of a dense "pea soup"fog. It had rolled in
during the night and had enveloped the wholy. city in its smokey yellowness. Street
lamps that had been lit before noon. They shone with a feeble glow that penetrated
only a few feet into the murkiness ,
A man walking slowly along the poorly lit street stopped under a lamp post and
tried to.oreient himself*He had the feeling that he had gone astray but in what
direction was he to turn.
A dark figure emerged from the gloom. A boy moved past him then turned and ask
ed;. "Can I help you, Sir?"
"You certainly can, "said the man. "I have a business appointment somewhere
around here. I111 be much obliged if you111 tell, me how to get there." There was
no mistaking the man*s nationality—he was an American.
"If you*11 give me the address 1*11 take you there,"
As they reached the destination the‘American pulled a shilling from his pocket
for a tip*
"No thank you,"sir," the'boy said, "not for doing a good turn," "And why not?"
the American asked, "Because I am'a Scout." "A Scout? And what does that mean?"
"Haven’t you heard about Baden-Powell*s Boy Scouts?" The Boy then told him
what, he could of himself and his brother Scouts and a]l the fun they were having
in Scouting., But the American wanted to know more, "I know where to find out,"
said the boy, "Our headquarters ‘is close by, in Victoria Street, The General may
even be in the office today,"The General?" "Baden Powell himself, sir," "Fine,"
said the American, "Let me ’finish my errand, then if you have time we*11 go to
your, headquarters."
The' boy waited, then showing the way to the Scout office-and disappeared before
the American had a chance to learn his name.
At the. Boy Scouts* headquarters, the American-Sl year old William D, Boyce,news
paper and magazine publisher from Chicago, Illinois-met the founder of the Boy
Scout movement, the British Military hero, Lieutenant-General Robert §.S. Baden
Powell, and learned about Scouting from the Chief Scout himself,
Boyce became tremendously impressed with the possibilities of the movement that
Baden-Powell. had started and when he left for the U,S. a few days later, he carried
with him a trunk full of Scout literature, uniforms and insignia. The moment he
arrived home, he took steps to introduce the Boy Scout idea to America* With his
friend, C.H, Livingstone, of Washington, D.G* and others he established a new corp
orations The Name BOY SCOUTS OF AMERICA. The Date: February 8, 1910,
In this way, a good turn done to a stranger by an unknown English Scout brought
Scouting to the.U.S, and 17 years after he had done his good turn, the boy who had
wanted nothing for himself received the highest award the Boy Scouts of America
has to offer; the Silver Buffalo presented'for "distinguished service to boyhood."
The boy himself was not present for the ceremony at the International Boy Scout
Training Center at Gilwell Park, England where a large bronze cast of a buffalo was
erected in his honor instead of the regular Silver Buffalo which is a small replica
ofan American Buffalo suspended from a white and red ribbon around the recipients
neck. The Prince Of Wales received the award for the Unknown Scout, from American
Ambassador Alanson Bigelow Houghton in the presence of the Chief Scout Baden-Powell
and other prominent men of Great ^ritain and the United States.
The Bronze and plaque were unveiled and the following simple but eloquent
inscription was reads "*
To the Unknown Scout Whose Faithfullness in the
Performance of the ’Daily Good Turn1 Brought the
Scout Movement to the United States of America
FEBRUARY-8th, 1962 MARKS THE FIFTY-SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF
SCOUTING: IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA