ROTARY

Northern Advocate, 23 October 1936, Page 2

ROTARY

ITS IDEALS AND POSSIBILITIES

District Governor of Rotary, W. Thomas, was the guest of honour at the Whangarei club’s weekly luncheon today. Also present was Rotarian Coltman, of Auckland, who is accompanying the District Governor on his visit to the North.

The District Governor is just back from America, where he attended the conference of Rotary International, and he had a most interesting story to tell of Rotarians he had met and the impressions contact with them had made. The address was of a .particularly intimate nature, bearing upon the spirit pf Rotary and the qualifications of its members. He emphasised that the reputation of Rotary as a whole was in the hands of the individual member, and just in so far as Rotarians were true disciples or hypocrites would the great cause fulfil its destiny. Rotary was likened to the city whidh the Knights of King Arthur saw when in quest of the Holy Grail. It was built to music, and therefore never built at all; anything which broke the harmony would wreck the city. There was in Rotary something common to all, something delicate, and if that were smashed the movement would be smashed.

The growth of Rotary to 4000 clubs, with 170,000 members, within the short period of 32 years was a remarkable achievement, and the Dis-

trict Governor spoke of the transformation which it had worked in the lives and methods of adherents and the communities in which they lived. The friendliness of the people of the United States to the people of Britain was a fact which impressed itself upon the observant, and the need for fostering understanding not only between Britons and Americans, but among all the nations, was earnestly emphasised. This was a great responsibility which the international committee of every club could not fail, save at its peril, to disregaid. The breaking down of misunderstanding among the nations was a great aim. Especially was this so in respect of Britain and America, for if the nations of Europe saw Britain anl America standing together shoulder to shoulder, the great ideal of a League of Nations would become a reality.