THE "ORDER OF THE ARROW" -
SCOUTING'S HONOR SOCIETY
by Jim Howes
The Order of the Arrow is a recognized official program activity of the
Boy Scouts of America, intended to recognize those scouts who best ex-
emplify the scout virtues of cheerful service, camping, and leadership.
Founded in 1915, just seven years after the acclaimed English war hero
Robert Baden-Powell started scouting in Great Britain, the Order of the
Arrow is the uniquely American "honor society of scouting". The "OA's"
origin and development are tightly intertwined, like a well-made square
knot, with scouting itself in the United States. Its history is a re-
markable saga of a good-hearted visionary's effect on many generations
of youth.
The new scout movement was enjoying halcyon days in an America still at
peace in 1915, while young men in Europe were dying by the thousands in
a war more terrible than any before in history. Boys in the U.S. seemed
to be donning scout uniforms everywhere as membership grew rapidly from
coast to coast. Prominent businessmen, civic and religious groups, and
politicians, including Congressmen and the President, vied to match the
enthusiasm of boys surging into scout camps across the nation, eager to
be part of the great wave of scouting which had reached American shores
in the years before World War I.
As E. Urner Goodman, then a 25 year old scoutmaster, walked along Chest-
nut Street in downtown Philadelphia, PA, in May, 1915, he heard newsboys
hawking the Philadelphia "Inquirer's" headlines, blaring the sinking of
the Cunard oceanliner "Lusitania" hit by a U-boat's torpedoes within view
of the Irish coast. Urner was busy with plans that would also have far-
reaching effects, for he had agreed to take the job of Camp Director at
the Philadelphia scout council's camp perched on idyllic Treasure Island
in the Delaware River. What he had in mind was to leave a lasting imprint
on thousands of American youth in the twentieth century.
Urner's thoughts in 1915 were focused on development of methods to teach
the scouts attending summer camp that skill proficiency in Scoutcraft was
not enough; rather, the principles embodied in the Scout Oath and Law
should become realities in the lives of Scouts. As a means of accomplish-
ing this without preaching and within a boy's interest and understanding,
he decided to launch an innovative program that summer based on peer rec-
ognition and the appeal of Indian lore. Troops would choose, at the con-
clusion of camp, those boys from among their number best exemplifying
these traits, who would be honored as members of an Indian "lodge". Boys
so acknowledged in the eyes of their fellow scouts would form a fraternal
bond joined together in a richly symbolic brotherhood.
Assistant Camp Director Carroll A. Edson helped Urner research the lore
and language of the Delaware Indians who had inhabited Treasure Island,
which they combined with characters from James Fenimore Cooper's "Last
of the Mohicans", to develop dramatic induction ceremonies for the
"Order of the Arrow", as the fledgling honor society was dubbed. Even
today, these rites make a lasting impression on scouts who have been
elected to the "Order of the Arrow".
By 1921, the idea had spread to a score of scout councils in the north-
east and the first national meeting of the Order of the Arrow was held.
Although the OA was initially viewed with suspicion by some scouters as
a secret society, if not an affront to the egalitarian ideals of scouting,
legendary Chief Scout Executive James E. West permitted those councils
desiring Order of the Arrow lodges to establish them as an "experimental"
program under a "National Lodge". Not until 1948 was E. Urner Goodman's
innovation fully integrated into the Scouting program.
Having observed its Diamond Anniversary in 1990, membership in the Order
had grown to 160,000 of the one million eligible Boy Scouts in the U. S.,
organized into almost 400 lodges nationwide. Rare indeed is the council
today that does not have an Order of the Arrow lodge with its own Indian
name and "totem", or emblem.
It is evident that the Order of the Arrow has made a significant contribution
to Scouting, as we know it today in the United States. The OA's motto,
"Brotherhood of Cheerful Service", is more than just an empty slogan for
many Arrowmen, who constitute a valuable council resource for camp
promotion, improvement projects, and summer camp staff. The OA, at its
best, continues to be a powerful teaching tool for Scouting ideals.
The OA helps in retaining older boys in Scouting, who otherwise often tend
to lose interest upon reaching high school age. Notably, OA guidelines place
great importance on preserving Lodge leadership in the hands of its youth
members, headed by a Chief, Vice Chief(s), and an Executive Committee, all
of whom must be under age 21, who plan and implement Lodge activities,
service projects, ceremonies, publications, budgets, and conduct troop
elections as arranged with Scoutmasters. In larger councils, lodges are often
sub-divided into "chapters", with youth chapter officers and committeemen
running chapter events. At the Section, Regional, and National levels, Chiefs
and Vice-Chiefs are typically young men of college age, since Arrowmen are
considered youth members until age 21.
Adults are crucial to the OA's success as advisors and resources, such as
transportation, service project skills, and the like. Many adult scouters
find participation in the OA to be rewarding, as they help kindle anew the
spirit of brotherhood in scouting's honor society.
To be inducted into the Order of the Arrow, a Scout must:
* Be at least First Class rank;
* Have at least 15 nights of camping, including a 6-day
long-term camp;
* Participate in the "Ordeal" and induction ceremony,
after election by his Boy Scout troop or Varsity unit.
Each Scout troop may schedule an Order of the Arrow election once annually.
In many Councils, these elections are held at summer camp, in line with the
traditions of the OA's founding. This is not mandatory, however. All regis-
tered active youth troop members have a vote, both current Arrowmen and
non-Arrowmen. Membership selection is thus predominantly by non-members.
While Explorer posts cannot have OA elections, a boy in an Explorer post who
has dual registration with a Scout troop (or Varsity unit) is, of course,
eligible for election by his troop or Varsity unit.
Adult scouters may be proposed for membership in the Order of the Arrow by
unit or district committees or the Lodge. Once selected, they, too, undergo
the "Ordeal" and participate in the induction ceremonies.
To alleviate lingering concerns in some quarters regarding the ceremo-
nial aspects of the Order of the Arrow, the BSA has officially stated:
"The induction is not a hazing or an initiation ceremony. The
Order is not a secret Scout organization, and its ceremonies
are open to any parent, Scout leader, or religious leader.
There is an element of mystery in the ceremonies for the sake
of its effect on the candidates. For this reason, ceremonies
are not put on in public. The ceremonies...are not objection-
able to any religious group."
Following 10 months as an "Ordeal" member, the Arrowman may participate
in the "Brotherhood" ceremony, which signifies the sealing of his mem-
bership and an additional emphasis on OA ideals and purposes.
After an additional 2 years have elapsed, exceptional OA leaders may be
recognized by conferring of the "Vigil Honor". Generally speaking, only
two percent of the Lodge membership may be selected each year for this
highest of Lodge honors. A special ceremony, devised by Dr. Goodman in
1915 and closely based on ancient Indian traditions, culminates this ex-
perience.
All Order of the Arrow members are reminded that their primary duty al-
ways remains to their own troop, which elected them in the first place
as a result of their cheerful service to their fellow unit members. OA
Lodge activities are intended to SUPPLEMENT, and not REPLACE, troop
activities. Probably the single most often-heard complaint directed to-
wards the OA program is that of Arrowmen who have forgotten this cardi-
nal principle.
OA Lodges meet with other lodges in their sections each year and attend
a nationwide gathering held on the campus of a major university every 2
years. These National Conferences, as they are called, feature individ-
ual and Lodge competitions in ceremonies, Indian dancing and costumes,
and sports, along with seminars and gala arena shows. More than 6,000
Arrowmen attend, which for many is an exciting highlight of the scout-
ing experience on a par with a National Jamboree.
For over a half century after founding the Order of the Arrow, E. Urner
Goodman continued to be a towering figure in American scouting, attaining
a doctorate in education and becoming National Program Director of the
BSA for many years, all the while steadfastly devoted to the OA. He en-
joyed meeting Arrowmen at his Order of the Arrow "lodge" home in Vermont
and continued to attend events held by Unami Lodge #1 in Philadelphia for
the rest of his life.
Dr. Goodman's keynote speeches were a traditional and inspiring highlight
of OA National Conferences, until his final appearance in 1979 at Colorado
State University, just six months before his death at 89. He was hailed by
the 4000 Arrowmen present with a thunderous standing ovation. He spoke
movingly of his creation of the OA as a "Thing of the Spirit" in that place
... so distant in time... on the misty shores of the Delaware River. He bade
us farewell, there in the shadows of the snow-capped Rockies, with a memor-
able peroration to keep the OA's flame of fellowship glowing brightly in our
hearts. Though a frail, elderly man stood before us, stooped with age, yet
the spirit borne within would truly live on in our hearts, firm bound eter-
nally in youthful brotherhood, wherever men strive to love and serve one
another.
Used with Permission of:
Atlas Communications.(c) 1991, 1994, 1997, 1998 All rights reserved.
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