Post by Waverley on Mar 18, 2010 6:07:15 GMT 1
The earliest of the uniformed voluntary youth organisations - The Boys' Brigade - achieved its centenary in 1983.
The founder of The Boys' Brigade, Sir William A. Smith, was once asked the purpose of his organisation; his reply of "discipline and religion" was subsequently expanded into The Brigade's formal object: The Advancement of Christ's Kingdom among Boys and the promotion of habits of Obedience, Reverence, Discipline, Self-respecf and all that tends towards a true Christian Manliness. The motto "Sure and Stedfast" incorporated into the Crest strengthens the religious aspect in that it is taken from the Epistle to the Hebrews, hence the unusual spelling of the final word.
The Scouts and The Boys' Brigade share much common ground. The latter does however pnde itself on its band and the related drilling. Sir William Alexander Smith was born in 1854 at Scrabster on the north coast of Scotland. He acquired a firm grounding in religion at home and a sound education in the nearby village school, where his qualities of leadership became manifest at an early stage. The Smith family had a tradition of military service which William followed by joining the 1st Lanark Rifle Volunteers. His migration to the city of Glasgow had followed the sudden death of his father and the sale of the family home; his uncle owned a wholesale merchant"s business there in which William was to find employment.
A subsequent venture was to found his own business together with his younger brother. Several years' service in the Rifles led to a commission and from the control of a body of men it was but a small step to the control of a body of Sunday School pupils. Membership of a church had not surprisingly been undertaken soon after his arrival in Glasgow and, given his own introduction to matters spiritual at an early age, the involvement with religious teaching was almost inevitable. Here then was the combination of discipline and religion that was to lead to the foundation of The Boys' Brigade.
It was the sight of former Sunday School lads congregating in the streets without a purpose in life that inspired Smith to action. He discussed the problem at length with two close friends who were later to become his lieutenants and from these discussions sprang the fundamental principles of The Brigade as set out in the Object quoted above The day on which the ideas of the three pioneers were put into practice was 4th October, 1883, and the place the North Woodside Mission Hall in Glasgow.
On the formation of his thirty-strong group, Smith had no inkling that the idea would spread beyond the four walls of his unit. Only after the appearance of similar groups in neighbouring districts did it dawn upon him that a wider organisation was conceivable but even then the scope seemed very limited. Initial steps were to call a meeting of Glasgow leaders and to form a Council of The Boys' Brigade_ A Constitution was drafted and this has formed the basis of all subsequent B.B. activity, a later important proviso being that each Company should have a Church affiliation.
By 1887 the movement had taken a sufficiently firm hold, not only in Scotland but also south of the border, for the setting up of an office in Glasgow and for the appointment of a small full-time secretariat, to head which Sir William relinquished his business interests. The idea spread to the Domonions ( Australia initially) and the U S of A and missionaries set up Companies in the countries in which they were working the first being established in Natal in 1891 and comprising of Zulu Boys.
The B.B. spotlight began to drift away from Glasgow with the establishment in 1902 of a London office, not until 1914 however did the latter achieve equal status and it was a further sixteen years before the Headquarters moved south. From 1892 the English capital witnessed an Annual Display which from 1901 has taken place at the Royal Albert Hall. That of 1903 was particularly significant in that it was attended by Robert Baden-Powell following his return from the Siege of Mafeking. The national hero made a great impression on the Boys and they in turn made an equally great impression on him. He and Sir William immediately became firm friends and the friendship lasted despite the somewhat divergent precepts on which The Boys' Brigade and the Scouting Movements are based.
The year 1914 was a momentous one for the B.B. in more ways than the obvious - Indeed the climax, the outbreak of war, was perhaps of least immediate Impact on the corporate body of the organisation. Firstly the Founder's son, Stanley, was acclaimed on his appointment as initial Assistant Brigade Secretary; but secondly, in May, Sir William collapsed during an Executive Meeting and passed away two days later.
The Brigade supplied many Old Boys and Officers for war service, whilst B.B. activities were sustained at home by those precluded by virtue of their age. A Junior movement came into being and in the inter*war years The Boys' Life Bngade and its juniors joined forces with the B.B. The Second World War also saw members on active service, but, after enforced suspension of activities in many Companies, there suddenly began a resurgence and, in the midst of hostilities and destruction, new ones were formed
This growth was continued after 1945 and The Boys' Brigade now numbers over 400,000, covering some sixty countries. Its activities are many and varied and encompass, apart from the band and associated drill already mentioned, camping, first aid, physical education, crafts, orienteering, rock-climbing and sport in numerous forms.