Boy Scouts, organization, originally for boys from 11 to 14 or 15 years of age, that

aimed to develop in them good citizenship, chivalrous behaviour, and skill in various
outdoor activities. The Boy Scout movement was founded in Great Britain in 1908 by a
cavalry officer, Lieutenant General Robert S.S. (later Lord) Baden-Powell, who had
written a book called Scouting for Boys (1908) but who was better known as the
defender of the town of Mafeking in the South African (or Boer) War. Baden-Powell’s
book described many games and contests that he had used to train cavalry troops in
scouting, and it became popular reading among the boys of Great Britain. Prior to the
book’s publication, Baden-Powell held an experimental camp on Brownsea Island off
the coast of southern England in which he put into practice his ideas on the training of
boys.

Baden-Powell’s idea was that boys should organize themselves into small natural
subgroups of six or seven under a boy leader—the patrol and patrol leader. Their
training would consist of such things as tracking and reconnaissance, mapping,
signaling, knotting, first aid, and all the skills that arise from camping and similar
outdoor activities. To become a scout, a boy would promise to be loyal to his country,
help other people, and in general obey the scout law, itself a simple code of chivalrous
behaviour easily understood by the boy.

That basic pattern of scouting aims and emphases has continued. In every country
where scouting exists, it involves a scout oath or promise; a scout law, with such small
variations as national traditions and culture demand; an emphasis on the delights of the
outdoor life and the pursuit of such outdoor activities as camping, swimming, sailing,
climbing, canoeing, and exploring caves; a progressive training rewarded by the
granting of certain badges; and the encouragement of a daily good deed. In every
country, too, the highest proficiency is marked by the award of a special badge (e.g., the
Eagle Scout Badge in the United States and the Queen’s Scout Badge in Canada and
Great Britain). The symbols of the scouts include the handshake with the left hand, the
fleur-de-lis badge, and the motto “Be prepared.”

The Boy Scout movement was intended for boys 11 to 14 or 15 years of age, but it soon
became apparent that programs for younger and older boys were needed. Accordingly,
in 1916 Baden-Powell founded a parallel organization for younger boys, the Wolf
Cubs (known in some countries as Cub Scouts). Programs have been developed for even
younger boys (Beaver Scouts in the U.K. for age 6 to 8, Tiger Cubs in the U.S. for age 7).
In the U.S., Varsity programs are open to boys 14 through 17 years old and Venturing to
young men and women 14 through 20 (16 to 20 in the U.K.). In 1967 the word Boy was
dropped from the name of the British organization, and in the 1980s girls were allowed
to join at the Cub level and upward.

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Now
In the late 20th century the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) faced growing criticism over
its ban on homosexual troop leaders. In 1999 James Dale, an openly gay assistant
scoutmaster, sued the organization after he was expelled. Boy Scouts of
America v. Dale eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in favour of
the BSA in 2000. The controversy continued, however, and some corporate sponsors
stopped funding the BSA. In 2014 Robert M. Gates—the former U.S. secretary of defense
who helped oversee the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell—became president of the
organization. He subsequently sought to end the ban, and in July 2015 it was lifted,
though exceptions were made for church-sponsored troops.

In 2017 the BSA announced that it would admit younger girls to its Cub Scout
organization starting in 2018 and would introduce a program for older girls, enabling
them to earn the rank of Eagle Scout, in 2019. In 2018 the BSA announced that in 2019
its Boy Scouts program would be renamed Scouts BSA and would admit girls as well as
boys. In 2020, facing numerous lawsuits stemming from allegations of child sexual
abuse by some Scout leaders, the BSA declared bankruptcy.

Daniel Beard, in full Daniel Carter Beard, also called Uncle Dan, (born June 21,
1850, Cincinnati, Ohio, U.S.—died June 11, 1941, Suffern, New York), American
illustrator, author, and outdoor enthusiast who was a pioneer of the youth scouting
movement in the United States.

Beard was the son of James Henry Beard, a well-respected painter. He received a degree
in civil engineering from Worrall’s Academy in Covington, Kentucky (1869), and worked
as an engineer and a surveyor in the Cincinnati area. In the 1870s Beard moved to New
York City, where he studied at the Art Students’ League and began working as an
illustrator. His work appeared in such publications as Harper’s Weekly and The New
York Herald, and he illustrated a number of books, including Mark Twain’s A
Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court (1889) and Tom Sawyer Abroad (1894).

Beard’s interest in outdoor activities led him to write The American Boys’ Handy
Book (1882), which served as an instruction manual for a broad range of amusements
suitable for young boys. In 1905 Beard became an editor of the magazine Recreation,
and, to help promote the magazine, he founded the Sons of Daniel Boone, an
organization that fostered outdoor recreation among boys. The Sons of Daniel Boone
later became the Boy Pioneers of America, and in 1910 it was incorporated, along with
other similar scouting groups, into the Boy Scouts of America. Beard served as the
organization’s first national commissioner and was active in youth scouting until his
death. He was the author of more than 20 books on various aspects of scouting and
served as an associate editor of Boys’ Life magazine. His autobiography, Hardly a Man
Is Now Alive, was published in 1939.