Senate Resolution No. 3764

BY: Senator LANZA

COMMEMORATING the 108th Anniversary of the
incorporation of the Boy Scouts of America on
February 12, 2018

WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body to honor the youth
of today, and leaders of tomorrow, whose character and achievements best
exemplify the ideals and values cherished by this great State and
Nation; and

WHEREAS, The Boy Scouts of America (BSA) and its members are
dedicated to the development of character and leadership in the youth of
this Nation; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 108th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Boy Scouts
of America on February 12, 2018; and

WHEREAS, Scouting's history dates back to the turn of the 20th
century to a British Army officer, Robert Stephenson Smyth Baden-Powell;
while stationed in India, he discovered his men did not know basic first
aid or the elementary means of survival in the outdoors; he realized he
needed to teach his men many frontier skills, so he wrote a small
handbook called Aids to Scouting, which emphasized resourcefulness,
adaptability, and the qualities of leadership that frontier conditions
demanded; and

WHEREAS, Upon returning from the Boer War where he became famous for
protecting the small town of Mafeking for 217 days, Officer Baden-Powell
was amazed to find that his little handbook had caught the interest of
English boys; they were using it to play the game of scouting; and

WHEREAS, Officer Baden-Powell had the vision to see some new
possibilities and decided to test his ideas on boys; in August of 1907,
he gathered approximately 20 boys and took them to Brownsea Island in a
sheltered bay off England's southern coast; they set up a makeshift camp
that would be their home for the next 12 days; and

WHEREAS, The boys, who had a great time, divided into patrols and
played games, went on hikes, and learned stalking and pioneering; in
addition, they learned to cook outdoors without utensils; Scouting began
on that island and would sweep the globe in a few short years; and

WHEREAS, The next year, Officer Baden-Powell published his book
Scouting for Boys, and Scouting continued to grow; that same year, more
than 10,000 Boy Scouts attended a rally held at the Crystal Palace; a
mere two years later, membership in Boy Scouts had tripled; and

WHEREAS, About the same time, the seeds of Scouting were growing in
the United States; on a farm in Connecticut, a naturalist and author
named Ernest Thompson Seton was organizing a group of boys called the
Woodcraft Indians and Daniel Carter Beard, an artist and writer,
organized the Sons of Daniel Boone; and


WHEREAS, In many ways, the two organizations were similar, but they
were not connected; the boys who belonged had never heard of Officer
Baden-Powell or of Boy Scouts, and yet both groups were destined to
become Boy Scouts in the near future; and

WHEREAS, But first, an American businessman had to get lost in the
fog in England; Chicago businessman and publisher William D. Boyce was
groping his way through the fog when a boy appeared and offered to take
him to his destination; when they arrived, he tried to tip the boy, but
the boy refused and courteously explained that he was a Scout and could
not accept payment for a Good Turn; and

WHEREAS, Intrigued, the publisher questioned the boy and learned
more about Scouting; he also visited Officer Baden-Powell and became
captivated by the idea of Scouting; when William Boyce boarded the
transatlantic steamer for home, he had a suitcase filled with
information and ideas and subsequently, William Boyce incorporated the
Boy Scouts of America; and

WHEREAS, The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America, incorporated on
February 8, 1910, and chartered by Congress in 1916, is to provide an
educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to
train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to
develop personal fitness; and

WHEREAS, Community-based organizations receive national charters to
use the Scouting program as a part of their own youth work; these
groups, which have goals compatible with those of the Boy Scouts of
America include: religious, educational, civic, fraternal, business,
labor organizations, governmental bodies, corporations, professional
associations, and citizens' groups; and

WHEREAS, Scouting and exploring programs develop excellence in young
people by building their character, values, and self-confidence so they
can become our next generation of leaders; and

WHEREAS, There are various programs and phases within the Boy Scouts
of America, including: Tiger Cubs, Cub Scouts, Webelos Scouts, Boy
Scouting, Varsity Scouting, and Venturing; and

WHEREAS, The Boy Scouts of America have so manifestly contributed to
the preservation of those treasured ideals of compassion, honor,
preparedness and concern for others which are so paradigmatic of our
American Heritage; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 108th Anniversary of the incorporation of the Boy Scouts
of America on February 12, 2018; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Boy Scouts of America.