Of any one hundred boys who become Scouts, it must be confessed that thirty will drop out in their first year. Perhaps this may be regarded as a failure, but in later life all of these will remember that they had been Scouts and will speak well of the program.
Of the one hundred, only rarely will one ever appear before a juvenile court judge. Twelve of the one hundred will be from families that belong to no church. Through Scouting, these twelve and many of their families will be brought into contact with a church and will continue to be active all their lives. Six of the one hundred will become pastors.
Each of the one hundred will learn something from Scouting. Almost all will develop hobbies that will add interest throughout the rest of their lives. Approximately one-half will serve in the military, and in varying degrees, profit from their Scout training. At least one will use it to save another person's life and many will credit it with saving their own.
Four of the one hundred will reach Eagle rank, and at least one will later say that he valued his Eagle above his college degree. Many will find their future vocation through merit badge work and Scouting contacts. Seventeen of the one hundred boys will later become Scout leaders and will give leadership to thousands of additional boys.
Only one in four boys in America will become a Scout, but it is interesting to know that of the leaders in this nation in business, religion and politics, three out of four were Scouts.
This story will never end. Like the "Golden Pebble" of service dropped into the human sea it will continue to radiate in ever-widening circles, influencing the characters of men down through unending time.
More Statistics
Scouting's alumni record is equally impressive. A recent nation-wide survey of high schools revealed the following information:
85% of student council presidents were Scouts
89% of senior class presidents were Scouts
80% of junior class presidents were Scouts
75% of school publication editors were Scouts
71% of football captains were Scouts
Scouts also account for:
64% of Air Force Academy graduates
68% of West Point graduates
70% of Annapolis graduates
72% of Rhodes Scholars
85% of FBI agents
26 of the first 29 astronauts
Other interesting Statistics
104 million The number of members since 1910.
1,209,077 The number of adults providing the Scouting program to America's youth.
124,660 The number of Cub Scout packs, Boy Scout troops, and Venturing crews.
40,029 The number of Eagle Scout badges earned.
240 The number of individuals who earned a heroism award.
1,363,795 The number of subscribers who learned to read or improved their reading skills with Boys' Life magazine.
136 The number of chartered organizations the BSA worked with during the year.
75,000+ The number of religious emblems earned.