Scouts Lost
The Decline of a Legendary Organization
The Boy Scouts of America is in the process of rebranding, to combat claims of sexual abuse and a lack of diversity. I do not think rebranding is the answer. I think the answer is a return to the principles on which the Boy Scouts were founded – to be prepared.
· On my honor, I will do my best
· To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law;
· To help other people at all times;
· To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake and morally straight.
When I was just a lad I joined the Boy Scouts. Thought it would be cool. It wasn’t. The problem for me was that I had a grandfather and father who had trained me in the ways of natural world and manhood. I guess you could say I was kind of raised as a scout, and I didn’t need what the Boy Scouts were offering. However, that was not the case for a lot of other young men who greatly benefited from the organization.
You may or may not have any affiliation with the Boy Scouts, and you may not give a damn. But what you should know – if you’re a man and an outdoorsman – is how the Boy Scouts became a thing. Though an Englishman Robert Baden-Powell is credited with founding the scouting movement, the story of the Boy Scouts really began in the United States with a man named Frederick Russell Burnham. If you doubt this, consider that in 1927 the Boy Scouts of America made him an Honorary Scout, and for his noteworthy service to the Scouting movement, in 1936 he was bestowed the highest commendation given by the BSA, the Silver Buffalo Award.
But who was Frederick Russell Burnham? Most plainly put, he was a man, a gentleman, and a scout. He was…
