ROTARIAN CONVENTION

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 38, 13 August 1921, Page 5

ROTARIAN CONVENTION

SERVICE ABOVE SELF

FIRST MEET-ING IN GREAT -

BRITAIN.

(FltOH OBR OWN COMUSrONDKNT.) LONDON, 21st June.

For the first time in the history of the club the annual convention of the Rotarians is being held in Great Britain, and attention is drawn to this miniature league of nations. The Rotary Club is an American instituti&rf'which has spread to many other countries, and 1500 of the 3500 delegates who have met in Edin: burgh are from the United States. It consists of men elected from a distinct business or. profession ■ with the • object of bettering the individual member, his business, home, town, State, country, and society as a whole.

The convention opened with a pageant in H'hich standard -bearers representing twenty-five nations marched through the' streets of the city. Enthusiasm grew to a great pitch when the. Scottish Lion • and the Stars and Stripes closed the procession, and the audience sang with great fervour the various national anthems. A civic welcome was given by the Lord Provost, to which the retiring president replied > "Fellows, are we glad we are here?" . he asked. . A resounding chorus of "Yes!" crashed from the'audience. "We come from many lands, but for no selfish purposes," continued the speaker. "We come not to extol our own virtue, not to belittle the virtues of others. We come not'to barter or to sell, not to changs boundary lines, not to play a game of politics of how to get most for ourselves and give the least in 1 return. We come as men bringing a message of goodlwill and friendship from the hearts of men who think for themselves, .and will not be blinded or guided by those who feed upon hate and discord. The true heart of the peoples from whom we, come is not truly represented by the mouthy politician nor Yellow .Sensational, nor in the troublebreeding newspapers. Rotary desires to blaze out the trail, to the end that the nations of the earth shall be friends. We, are, all crusaders marching under the banner of Rotary, on which was emblazoned 'Service above.Solf.'" "'LET'S TRY THE LEAGUE OF v ■ NATIONS." Sir Harry Lander was one of the speakers at the convention. The audience .insisted on a song, and after he •had complied by"singing "The Thing to ■Make You Cheery," he told them : "You have got enough far nothing. (Laughter.) . Half the world is on the wrong scent in the; pursuit of happiness," Sir Harry Lander declared. "Life is too" short to be spent' in liuising animosity or registering wrong. What the world wants to-day is«a statesmanship founded on* good-will. The world has been hungering for generations for a world peace. I was thinking, maybe, the League of Nations would help us. I would say, 'Let's try the League of Nations, anyway.' " .-Mr. Arthur F. Sheldon (Chicago) said the principle of service for which the rotary stood was fundamental to harmonious human relationship. When the relations between employers and employed, and between nations were regulated in accordance with the principle :Of service as a natural law'the future progress and security of civilisation were assured. If asked, "What are you in business for f", the vast majority would answer, "To make money." The correct answer should be} "To render service to the world.,'.' Some of^fche most miserable iraen he had met had barrel^ of money. People were beginning to see that sel- ' fishness and' dishonesty did not pay, and that the law of righteousness was the \ law of sound* economics. A message was received from the 'King,_ welcoming' the delegates to Great Britain, and expressing•'. His Majesty's confidence that the deliberations of the convention would be of material benefit to.the countries represented. THE TONIC AND 'THE SEDATIVE. Last night the visitors were the guests of the Aldwych Club. Mr. C. F. Higham, M.P. (chairman) thinks that every Englishman should go to America as a tonic, and every American should come to England as a sedative. He thinks, too, that the motto of the Rotarians—"Service; not self"—should be the world motto to-day. (Cheers.) He was hopeful that, as a result of the ■ visit,' that motto might take a little stronger hold on the industrial life. The real problem which the people of/ America and this country had to face at present was: How far could they eliminate their own selfish interests and work for the cpmmon cause s of the State? Every man in every trade, every member of the Government, every member i of Parliament, every preacher, every speaker, . from to-day onwards, should preach the Rotarians' motto in every way. ■"' THE LAND OF THE ALMIGHTY HEAKT.. Tn Sir Harry Brittain's view, England «nd America "must get together, and then they will fjnd, that the things which unite them are far greater than the things which divide them. "As'visiting Rotarians, they, would find almost 100 per cent, of the press of this country was with/them. To know the United Spates it was necessary to make many visits, but after the first one discovered that the country which was known to many as\"the country of.the almighty dollar" was also "the land of the almighty heart." (Cheers.) It was Only by co-operation on the part of the Eng-lish-speaking races that the world could be safeguarded. We had\co-operated together magnificenty in war; let us attempt 4o do so to the best of our, ability in peace. ? Mr. L. G. Hicks, Atlanta, said American Rotarians came over for the convention in order, to get acquainted and to be better friends' with the British people, and to build the foundation of perfect.' confidence and eternal friendship, which meant great things for the world. They had a wonderful time in Scotland, and he would never believe in future in the stories about the Sootsman and the 'penny. (LaugM&er.) They found big,hearts, generosity, hospitality, and universal courtesy in Scotland, and they found the same in London. Mr. N. G. Pike, Portland (Oregon), said that they would take back with them a different impression of the British Isles and its people than they had when they came; and they wanted theEnglish, people also to have a different impression of the American people. Never in the history of ■ his country had such a pilgrimage of 2000 real representative business men taken place. They were getting in touch with British people who, when they Icpme Wast, would be welcomed and entertained in. a similarly hospitable jmannw. (Cheers.) There were 908 Eofcary Chibs all told. They, stretch. r in the literal sense from China to Peru^ and comprise some 65,00% members. Of late, special commissioners from tho International Association have visited the Antipodes by request. Three clubs have been formed, one in Melbourne, one in Sydney, and one in Wellington. A greeting was sent by cable \po Wellington. It ran: "Fifty' Rotary "Clubs- Motherland greet ftr*t club New. Zealand."