Every Scout meeting I attended when I was a Boy Scout started with the Scout Oath. That was standard procedure. During the early 80 membership numbers started to decline, and in some Troops you only had 2-3 scouts.. Some troops hanging on just be the will power of their Scout Master. But overall the organization stayed strong until the National Council decided to allow girls. Thats when many of us decided we had enough and the customs and traditions were going to be lost. What many nay sayers fail to understand is that the Scout Troops were made of normal teenage boys, and that at age sex was always in their mind. I think that each and every one of these boys developed into good citizens, primarily thought the experiences they went through in the Scouts.