ANNIVERSARY OF ROTARY

Press, Volume LXXII, Issue 21710, 18 February 1936, Page 18

ANNIVERSARY OF ROTARY

r 'V Sfliml DA. DTT\ fi*WAHTWrtt «%t v amm \y jm JuASX Siitoday* next; the Rotary mbveachievement of 31 years" in giving service to whatever cause? from time to time have merited assistance. The movement is young, as institutions.gg; and it will surprise many that what.has become so firmly established, a feature of communal life should' be no older than 31 years. This week' Rotary Clubs in 4000 dtiesih nearly every country of the world will remember the foundation of the parent club and honour its creator, and the principles for which Rotary stands .will be recited in a hundred tongues and .in many latitudes.

The. great world-wide movement had its genesis at a meeting in Chicago on February ( 23, 1905, between Mr Paul P. Harris,' a lawyer, and three friends. It was the founder’s purpose to bring

together some of his friends arid their friends in a club designed primarily to encourage fellowship among the leading business and professional men of a community. He conceived that such men lived too far apart from each other; they were often so remote humanly that they became self-centred. His idea was to bring them together and to achieve more sympathetic relationships, not only among themselves, but among all with whom they had dealings. Movement Spreads

The* enthusiasm generated by the first club led the founder to organise Rotary Clubs in other cities. It was three years before the second chib was established in San Francisco, but within five years, 16 of the largest cities, of the United States had their

Rotary Club. Representatives of these 16 clubs met in Chicago in August, 1910, and formed the National Associa-

tion of Rotary Clubs, with Mr Paul Harris as president. At a convention in 1912 the name International Association of Rotary Clubs was adopted

and Rotary Clubs in Winnipeg, London, and Dublin received charters. Since then the history of Rotary has been one of almost spectacular progress and

in' December last there were 3894 clubs in the world, with a membership of 164,773. If statistics tell the story of advancement better, it may be mentioned that in the last 25 years new Rotary Clubs have been chartered on an average ,of one every two and onethird - days. Motto and Emblem “ The name “Rotary” was suggested

by* Mr-Paul Harris from the early custom of holding the meeting of the club in the. offices of the members in rotation. . The founder' also Revised the classification principle, restricting membership of a club to one man in each distinct profession or line of .business. , Frdm the name "Rotary” and the thought of rotation among One’s friends cam© the idea, of the Rotary emblem, ’ first a simple wheel and later' the cog wheel, which was

officially adopted in 1924. At the second convention, in 1911, t&e expression “He profits most who, serves best” was

adopted, as. the-best expression of the principles of Rotary,' Some years later the phrase “Service Above Self” was coined and the two expressions were united iri' 1916 to form the Rotary motto of to-day. .... It was in 1921 that ( the movement, spread to New Zealand and the Christ-

church Club was formed, in the next year. Mr J, A. Frostick being the first president. To-day the club will hold

a special meeting, at which Rotarlan Professor' James Shelley, who was the second president of the club, will preside and '.deliver an appropriate' address. Mr I*. G. K. Steven is now president of the club.