ROTARIAN CONVENTION

Otago Witness, Issue 3519, 23 August 1921, Page 22

ROTARIAN CONVENTION

SERVICE ABOVE SELF. FIRST MEETING IN GREAT BRITAIN. (From Ocr Owx ComtEsroxDrxT.) LONDON, June 21. For the first time in the history of the club the Annual Convention of the Rotarians is being held in Gieat Britain, and attention is being drawn to this miniature league of nations. The Rotary Club is an American institution, which has spread to many other countries, and 1590 of the 3500 delegates who have met. in Edinburgh are from the United .Slates. 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 which standard-bearers representing 25 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 Proves!, to v.hi.-h _ the retiring president replied: “ bellows, are we glad we are here?” he asked. A resounding chorus of “Yes!” crashed from the audhnee. “We come from many lands, but for no selfish purposes,” continued the speaker. "We come riot to extol our own virtue, not to belittle the virtues of others. We come not to barter or to sell, not to change boundary lines, not to play a game of politics of how to get the most for ourselves and give ihe least in return. We tome as men bringing a message of goodwill and friendship from tlie 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 poop’os from whom we come is not truly represented by the mouthy politician nor Yellow Ren ational nor in the trouble-breeding newspapers. Rotary do-ires to blaze out th" trail to the cud that tile nations of the earth shall lie friends We are all crusaders inarching under the banner of Rotary, on which wan emblazoned ‘ .Service above Seif.’ ” “LETT TRY THE LEAGUE OF NATION:-. ' Sir Harry Lauder was one of the speakers at the convention. The audience insisted on a song, and after he had complied by pinging “The thing to Make You CTeerw” fie told them : “\nu have gui e ougli for nothing.” (Laughter.) “Half tlie world is mi the wrung sw-nt iu the pursuit of happiness." Sir Hairy Lauder declared. "Life is too short to be- spent in nursing animcsii v ii! regi-tio mg wrong. What the world wants 10-ilay is statesmanship founded on goodwill. ill. world has been lumgerii g for generations for a world peace. 1 was thinking, lilayhe, the 1, ague of Nations would help in. I would say : 'Let's try the League of Nations, a uy wa \. ’ Mr Arthur F. Sheldon (Chicago) said ihe principle of service for which the rotary

human relationship. When the relations Peivecn employers and employed and beA"on nations were regulated in accordance v.uu the juinciple of t-mice as a natural lyA . tue future progress and security of civilisation were aa hwl. If asked. “What me yon m htisiiu for?” the vast majority "Otis, answer: ''To make monev." T'he c ? : unswer should be: “Tt re der ser- ””‘ ’‘l ’ v,.,r!d. .-ome o; the most n ” ''ten lie had met had barrels cf 11 1 1 N ■ R'o.p.le were beguming to see that T llsh ; ,L V aild dishene.;,: : d not pm, and fa. the .aw ot ri a hte. atsiiOsS was the law of round economies. message was received from tin !■': ■-r welcoming the delegates to Great Britain, and expressing his M 'je.-iyV confidence that die deliberations of the convention woulu he ot maieiia! benefit to the countries represented. THE TONIC AND THE SEDATIVE. Last night the visitors were the guests of the A'c wy. h Club. Mr <'. F. liigham, M.f. (chairman), thinks that every Englishman should go to America as a tonic, and e\ery American should come to England as a sedative lie thinks, too, that the motto t T. io , Rotarians—“ Service, not self”— sfimigl be the world motto to-day.—(Cheers.) jo v,,'i.s hopeful that, as a result of the yi-Mt that motto might take a little stronger hold on (lie industrial life. The real problem which the people of America and this country had to face at present was: How for could they eliminate their own selfish nnd work for tlie common cause o. t.io State? Ever- man in every trade, cvciy member of the Government, every member of Parliament, every preacher. e\ cry speaker, from today onwards, should pieacu the Rot-arian.s motto in every wav. the LAND OF THE ALMIGHTY HEART. In Sir Harry Brittain’s view, England and America must get together, and then they will imd that the things which unite them tt re far greater than the things which dmde them. As visiting Rotarians, they would find almost 100 per cent, of the press of this country was with them. To know the T inted States it was necessary lo 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 ' - e k' ,lc l °f the almighty heart.”— (Cheers.) It was only by co-operation on the part of the English-speaking races that the world could be safeguarded. We had co-operated together magnificently in war; let ns attempt to do so to the best of our ability in pence. Mr L. G. Hicks, Atlanta, said American Lotarums came over for the convention in order to get acquainted and to be better friends with tlie British people, and to build the foundation ot perfect confidence and eternal friendship, which meant great things for the world. Tliev had a wonderful time in Scotland, and lie would never believe in future in the stories about the Scotsman and the penny.—(Laughter.) They found big hearts, generosity, hospitality, and universal courtesy in Scotland, arid they found the same in London. Mr X. Gl Pike, Portland (Oregon), said that, they would take back with them a different impression of the British Tsle* and its people than they had when thev came, and they wanted the English 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 luv-iness men taken plnep. They were getting in touch with British people who. when they fame West, would he welcomed and entort.a : nerl in a similarly hospitable manner. —(Cheers.) ’i here are 998 Rotary Clubs all told. They streteli in the literal sense from China to Pern, and comprise some 65,000 members. Of late special commissioners from the International Association have visited the Antipodes bv request. Three clubs have been formed one in Melbourne, one in Sydney, one in Wellington. A greeting was sent by cnb'e to W.-llington. Tt ran: “Fitv Pntai'v Club® Motherland greet first club New Zealand.”