At one time, the Boy Scouts of America was basically a national institution, with nearly every youth in small towns across the country taking part.

Sadly, those days are long since past.

Today, participation in Scouting has dwindled greatly and it can be argued that this decline corresponds with the turn our culture has taken in terms of morality and integrity.

But, thankfully, we still have the Cody Quillens of the world and those like him.

The Ironton teen is close to achieving an honor that only a handful of young men ever reach — becoming an Eagle Scout.

We applaud Quillen and other Scouts who accomplish this for showing the commitment and dedication to this goal, one that always has a positive impact on the community because of the service project that goes with it.

Hopefully we will someday have a resurgence of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts in our society.

The Boy Scout Oath conveys principles that each of us — youth and adult alike — can utilize in our daily lives. It goes like this:

“On my honor I will do my best

To do my duty to God and my country

and to obey the Scout Law;

To help other people at all times;

To keep myself physically strong,

mentally awake, and morally straight.”

Following these lessons can help all of us learn to be better citizens and better human beings.