Scouting keeps us in touch with a bygone age

My brother is leader of a Scout troop – and I'll hear none of your puerile jokes. We should none of us feel anything but gratitude and admiration for the magnificent, selfless work he and the 60,000 or so adult volunteers around Britain do to make the Scout Association one of the few success stories in our wheezing, overweight, broken nation.

The figures speak for themselves. This week, the Scout Association of Britain has announced its biggest surge in membership – a 3.5 per cent...