Sons of the Empire: The Frontier and the Boy Scout Movement, 1890-1918

J.L. Granatstein is a history professor at York University and co-author
of the Dictionary of Canadian Military History and Shadows of War, Faces
of Peace: Canada’s Peacekeepers.

General Robert Baden-Powell was a South African War popular hero, the
man who led the resistance at the siege of Mafeking. BP, as he called
himself, persuaded himself (and the world) that army scouts had played a
critical role. Back in England, in his view a decayed, corrupt society,
he hit upon the idea of transforming army scouting into the Boy Scouts,
an institution shaped by his conception of frontier virtues. Dressed in
uniforms of his invention, equipped with guidelines and lore that he
created, the Boy Scouts spread around the world. To BP, “Be
Prepared,” the Scouts’ motto, meant to be prepared for war; to most
Scouts, however, it more likely meant to be prepared to help little old
ladies across the road. This book is largely based on British sources,
but it is interesting that Baden-Powell had not been impressed by the
Canadians under his command in South Africa, seeing them as “wasters
and loafers.” Hence his insistence on discipline for his Scouts. As
always, Canada’s influence was all-pervasive. This is a well-written
interpretation of the development and dissemination of an idea.