SERVICE BEFORE SELF

Evening Star, Issue 21098, 10 May 1932, Page 6

SERVICE BEFORE SELF

GOLDEN RULE IN ROTARY IDEALS GF WORLD-WIDE MOVEMENT NEW ZEALAND CONFERENCE OPENS TO-MORROW Of tho application of Rotary's ideal to personal life a distinguished American wrote, six years ago:—“ Rotary is not a passing fad, because it is not built on a passing fad. Rotary has a heritage too priceless to die—the heritage of idealism, moral faith, democracy, international goodwill, and tho larger self, to bo applied here and now to til© individual and business life of Rotarians in an age that sorely needs these great tilings ns pervasive and triumphant realities.” And, six years later, his message has greater force of application by reason of tho more intense travails of the

period, when “ Got while the going is good ” is a widely broadcast slogan. Rotary’s slogan is “ He profits most who serves best,” and at the tenth annual conference of the Rotary Clubs of New Zealand which commences in Dunedin to-morrow deliberations will be made in the aim of propagating the spirit of “ Service above self.” This will be the second conference of the New Zealand district to be held in Dunedin, the last having been held hero in 1920. Every club in the dominion will bo represented, and for the final two days of the conference Rotary International President Sydney W. Pascal!, of London, will be in attendance. This will be first occasion on which a world president has attended a New Zealand conference. Rotary had its foundation in Chicago on February 23, 1905, the founder being Paul H. Harris, an attorney, who conceived of a group of business men banded together socially. Then he thought of the especial advantage of each member having the exclusive representation of his particular trade or profession. One thing was certain in the organisation of the club—they must bo friendly men. Sylvester Schiele, a coal man, Gustaves Loehr, a miner, and Harry Ruggles, a printer, were his associates, and in Loehr’s office in Chicago in 1905 the first meeting of the

quartet was held, Hiram E. Shqroy, a merchant tailor, also being invited. From that small meeting lias evolved the world-wide movement known as Rotary. LURE OF FRIENDSHIPS. While tho spirit of tho early days of Rotary has frequently been described, and with some justification, as selfish, as prospective members were frequently appealed to directly on the basis of business gain, the prevailing thought was to give, not to receive. The giving was more reconcilable with the friendship that went along with it. The result was that some who joined the first club with the solo purpose of getting as much as they, could out of it were disappointed and abandoned their membership. “The lure of Rotary has ever been tho friendships that have been found there, and by none has friendship been more highly valued than by the first group,” wrote Paul Harris some years ago. During tho course of one of the first meetings Harris suggested several possible names for the new dub, among them Rotary. It met with general approval and was promptly adopted. The significance of tho name becomes apparent on examination of the general plan of tho dub, which provided for rotation in places of meeting, chairmanship, and even in membership, which was to continue for one year only, sustained membership depending on regularity of attendance. To-day there are 3,491 clubs throughout tho world, with a total membership of 153,000 in about 70 countries. In 1922 there came to New Zealand two Canadians, Janies Davidson and Layton Ralston, as representatives of Rotary International, and they appointed as Dominion Commissioner the Hon.-George W. Fowlds, of'Auckland. Through Mr Fowlds’s agency clubs were started in Wellington, Auckland, and Dunedin in 1922-23, and since then tho movement has rapidly spread. Dunedin has provided two district governors —Mr Peter Barr and the present governor, Mr Henry J. Guthrie. FUNCTIONS OF ROTARY. The functions of Rotary are:— To provide a means of weekly fellowship as delightful as possible by ensuring that it is free from all discussions which bring in party politics or sectarian religion, that shall be as complete as possible by embracing every vocation within the environment of the club, and by means of which it shall be made as easy as possible for members to develop their own personality in an atmosphere where each man is perfectly at homo, knowing that he has tho responsibility of being the sole representative of his classification. This is Rotary’s conception of worth-while fellowship. The second function of Rotary is to discover and interpret the laws of serving as they are capable of being applied to the members’ vocation. It makes all the difference to a man’s thoughts of himself and of his work if Rotary teaches him to attune his business to the service of those who place confidence in him, instead of the older idea of being in business solely with the object of enriching himself. This gives Rotary’s thought about vocation.

Rotary’s third function is to inquire into the causes of present-day conditions, inclusive of the problems of city life, and the ill-will and misunderstanding among all the peoples of the world, and to try to hud remedies that can be applied in the best, easiest, and quickest way. This is Rotary’s conception for tho betterment of the world. Aliens are unknown in Rotary, which aims at holding no prejudices, whether racial, national, political, or religious. Its ideal of service is not new. It has been present in all ages and among all peoples. It is found in all great religious philosophies. In fact, the counterpart of the Golden Rule is found in no less than eight philosophies—the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Mohammedan, the Egyptian, that of Confucius, the Greek, the Persian, and the Roman. At the conference song will be a feature. As President Emeritus Harris wrote: “Indulgence in song and laughter by business men, without artificial stimulation, neither indicates artificiality nor that they are subnormal ; it indicates that their digestions are cither good or about to become so. A laugh is hotter medicine than a pill; it lias no disagreeable after effect.” LIST OF DELEGATES. Delegates are already commencing to arrive from all parts of New Zealand, the visitors expected to attend being : Rotarians D. J. AFGowan and Mrs AFGowan (Wellington), J. A. Norrie and Mrs Norrie (Timaru), C. Rhodes (Auckland), H. G. Toagle and Mrs Teaglo (Wellington), A. C. Steel (Gore), C. B. Norwood and Mrs Norwood (Wellington), Miss F. M. Low (Wellington), Rotarians T. U. Wells {Auckland), 11. T. Goldie and Mrs Goldie (Auckland), E. 11. S. Hamilton (Christchurch). J. M. Stewart and Mrs Stewart (Christchurch), C. E. Jones (Christchurch), A. M. Bums (Christchurch), H. B. Duckworth and Mrs Duckworth (Christchurch), K. S. Brown and Mrs Brown (Timaru)J. M. Thompson (Wellington), A. E. Kincaid and Mrs and Miss Kincaid (Christchurch), Mrs A. H. Roberts (Christchurch), Rotarians T. S. Tomlinson (Invercargill), 11. Johnson (Auckland), F. N. Ambler (Auckland), A. B. Robertson (Auckland), 0. Hutchinson and Mrs Hutchinson (Timaru), Dr AFAra and Airs AFAra (Gore), Percy Witt and Airs Witt (Invercargill), Sam AFDonald and Airs AFDonald (Invercargill), Gilmore and Airs Gilmore (Invercargill), J. B. Reid and Airs Reid (Invercargill), Dr D. Al. Wilson (Wellington), J. E. Astley (Auckland), W. S. Young and Airs Young (Timaru), W. AJartiu ami Airs Martin (Blenheim), Hugh Bailey (New Plymouth), Pr George Home (New Plymouth), B. E. lilodorn and Airs Blodoru (Timaru), R. Alilligan and Mi-s Alilligan (Oamaru), W. C. Carlton and Mrs Carlton (Timaru), F. Al. Ward and Airs Ward (Timaru), S. L. P. Free and Mrs Free (Masterton), P. B. Footo and Airs Eoote (Timaru). E. Bull and Mrs Bull (Wellington), J. H. Edmundson (Napier), R. Al. Chadwick (Napier), Alex. Roberts (Wellington), Will Sutton (Hawera), Al. W. Stevens (Wellington), W. D. Campbell, Aire and Aliss Campbell (Timaru), Fred. Lewis and Mrs Lewis (Timaru), Dr A. Lillies (Wellington), A. Al. S. Satterthwaite (Christchurch), Bill Kinder (Oamaru), Garnik Nisbot (Hamilton), Harry Valder (Hamilton), E. R. Collier (Hamilton), E. K. Boucher (Auckland), F Al. Shortt (Auckland), Harold Lightband (Christchurch), Frank Milner (Oamaru), Smaill (Christchurch), Partridge (Christchurch), E. A Wallace (Wellington), N. Fulton (Wanganui), F. C. Rush Alunro (Hastings), W. G. Black (Palmerston North), J. Buddie (Rotorua), J. B. G. Smith (Lahore, India). THE BUSINESS PROGRAMME. The following is the business programme. a round ol serial linn-turns also haling been arranged:—

Wednesday. Morning, registration and opening addresses; afternoon, group meetings; evening, reception at Tudor Hall. Thursday.—Morning, welcome to in-

ternational president (Sidney Pascall) and his address; afternoon, group meetings; evening, conference hall. Tudor Hall. Friday.—Morning, discussion conference resolutions and addresses; afternoon, address and nomination district governor; evening, free. MR SYDNEY W. PASCALL CAREER CF ROTARY INTERKATIONAL PRESIDENT Mr Sydney W. Pascall, of London, England, who arrives to-morrow to take part in the annual conference of New Zealand clubs, was elected president of Rotary International at the Vienna convention in June, 1931, becoming the first European elected to this office and one of the few Rotary presidents chosen by acclamation. He joined the Rotary Club of London in September, 1919, with the classification of sugar confectionery manufacturing. He is chairman of James Pascall Ltd., manufacturing and export confectioners, London and Mitcham. Rotarian Pascall was Rotary’s representative to the World Economic Conference in Geneva in 1927, where he contributed a study and report on improper and dishonest business practices. He served on the Business Methods Committee of Rotary in the British Isles for several years, and then on the Business Methods Committee of Rotary International. Ho w r as chosen vicepresident fo Rotary in the British Isles (R. 1.8.1.) for 1925-26, and was elected president of R. 1.8.1. in 1926-27. For the next two years he was vice-chair-man of the Aims and Objects Committee of Rotary International, and for the year 1929-30 he served as a member of the Board of Directors of R.l. representing the Rotarians in the British Isles. He was chairman of the Convention Committee in charge of the Vienna convention, the first one held in the heart of Europe. He was one of the original members of the European Advisory Committee of Rotary, on which he served for several years. He wars the first chairman of the European Economic Advisory Committee. He was born at New Malden, Surrey, and educated at the Whitgift School, Croydon, and at Bishop’s Stortford, matriculating from the latter. Ho is a justice of the peace for the County of London, and holds the rank of major (on completion of his command of the 1 / 11th Southwark County of London Volunteer Regiment). He was for seven years president of the Manufacturing Confectioners’ Alliance, and was largely instrumental in the formation of the British Manufacturing Confectioners’ Union, and in the inauguration of the British Association* of Research for the sugar confectionery, chocolate, and jam trades. He was chairman of the industrial section of the Food Manufacturers’ Federation, representing this body on the executive of the British National Council of the International Chamber of Commerce. Ho is a vice-president of the Federation of British Industries, and chairman of the Food Group of that organisation, on which he represents the Manufacturing Confectioners’ Alliance. He is a member of the Trade Board and its administrative committee, and was chairman of the Trade Section of the British Empire Exhibition.

Mr’ Pascall was first chairman of the Association of Whitley Councils, and is chairman of the Trade Board’s (Employers’) Consultative Council. He was among the representatives of the Federation of British Industries’ Grand Council in joint meetings with the Trades Union Council and the national organisation of the Employers’ Federation.

?dr Pascall pioneered the movement towards a Christian order in industry and commerce, and is now honorary treasurer of the Christian Social Council, an interdenominational body which is carrying on the work of the Christian conference on politics, economics, and citizenship..