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To my Brother Scouters and Guiders
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To my Brother Scouters and Guiders:
Cecil Rhodes said at the end of his life (and I, in my turn, feel the truth of it),"So
much to do and so little time to do it." No one can hope to see
the consummation, as well as the start, of a big venture within the
short span of one life-time.
I have had an extraordinary experience in seeing the development of
Scouting from it's beginning up to it's present stage. But there is
a vast job before it. The Movement is only now getting into its stride.
(When I speak of Scouting, I include Guiding also.) The one part which
I can claim is mine towards promoting the Movement is that I have been
lucky enough to find you men and women to form a group of the right
stamp who can be relied upon to carry it on to its goal. You will do
well to keep your eyes open, in your turn, for worthy successors to
who you can, with confidence, hand on the torch. Don't let it become
a salaried organization: keep it a voluntary movement of patriotic service.
The Movement has already, in the comparatively short period of its existence
established it self onto a wide and so strong a footing as to show most
encouraging promise of what may be possible to it in the coming years.
Its aim is to produce healthy, happy, helpful citizens, of both sexes,
to eradicate the prevailing narrow self-interest; personal, political,
sectarian and national and to substitute for it a broader spirit of
self-sacrifice and service in the cause of humanity; and thus to develop
mutual goodwill and cooperation not only within our own country but
abroad, between all countries. Experience shows that this consumption
is no idle or fantastic dream, but is a practicable possibility - if
we work for it; and it means, when attained, peace, prosperity and happiness
for all. The "encouraging promise" lies in the fact that hundreds
of thousands of boys and girls who are learning our ideals today will
be the fathers and mothers of millions in the near future, in whom they
will in turn inculcate the same ideals - provided that these are really
and unmistakably impressed upon them by the leaders of today.
Therefore you, who are Scouters and Guiders, are not only doing a great
work for your neighboor's children, but are also helping in practical
fashion to bring God's Kingdom of peace and goodwill upon earth. So,
from my heart, I wish you God-speed in your effort.
Baden-Powell
