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"To My Fellow Rotarians:
"One more year in the great cycle of human events has swung
around. The progress of Rotary is rapidly gaining momentum. The
Allen D. Albert year will take its place in history as a year of
marvelous progress. New heights have been attained. Allen
Albert's leadership has been an inspiration toward loftier
ideals. The leaders of the future will be put to the necessity
of finding new things to excel in. To attempt to excel in the
same manner in which Allen Albert has excelled would be to
attempt the impossible. The inspiration of his work in Rotary
will be felt for all time.
"We have come within the past year into a semblance of
consciousness of our power. Rotary is beginning to understand
itself and is, therefore, beginning to be understood. Indefinite
inarticulate Rotary is giving way to a Rotary definite and
describable.
"Let us give high praise to the work of the Committee on
Philosophy and Education. The service they have rendered will be
of inestimable value. To my mind, more has been accomplished
during the past year toward the 'writing down' of Rotary in
straight and understandable English than in all preceding years.
A working knowledge of Rotary is now for the first time readily
available. He who will, may know.
"It will be in keeping with the tendency of the times if
Rotarian activities narrow rather than broaden. The narrower the
stream the deeper and swifter the current and the more clearly
defined the channel. This is a day of specialization. Perhaps
Rotary will prove to be an exemplification of specialization in
clubdom.
"Faith, hope, charity and clean business, these four and the
greatest of these is clean business. Charity sometimes destroys
initiative and demoralizes character; clean business never does.
If business is clean, there will be much less need of charity
because clean business means not only a fair deal to the buyer,
but also a living wage to the employee. Rotary will continue to
be charitable but it can do more than that; let it remove the
cause of that which makes charity necessary.
"The world's encomiums of the future will be for him of the
square deal and living wage rather than to the monument builder.
"The rapid growth of Rotary is constantly creating new
conditions. During the year past, all of the resourcefulness of
President Albert, Secretary Perry and our able board of
directors has been required. The opening up of South America,
Australasia and other parts of the world will materially augment
our complexities but I am glad to be able to say that
difficulties arise no more rapidly than the ways to meet them;
thanks to the splendidly systematized headquarters organization
and the generous support of all Rotary. The spread of Rotary
will eventually mean that nations will gain better understanding
of other nations and their ideals, and provocations of war
‑will, therefore, be less frequent.
"As Rotary matures, the incoming of young men gives us a Big
Brother situation all of our own. Let us make the most of it.
Middle aged Rotarians will sense a higher degree of
responsibility in their relationship to the younger men. The
influences of older companions are frequently even more
effective than the influences of parenthood.
"The standing of Rotary is, of course, largely dependent upon
the standing of its individual members. This thought naturally
leads us to seek new members from the ranks of strong well‑known
business men.
Let us continue to seek the best, not necessarily the largest.
It will not be necessary to select between big bad men and small
good ones; there are good and strong men always available. Let
us not, however, become obsessed of the idea that a prospective
member will necessarily become a good member just because he has
a large bank roll. There are considerations far more important
than those of possessions. We must guard the democracy of Rotary
beyond all things. The democratic spirit is essential to the
welfare of all worth‑while organizations, but it is the very
life‑spark of Rotary. Rotary must never be permitted to become
merely a rich man's club. With the democracy of our organization
kept always pure, we may hope to attain hitherto undreamed‑of
heights in the elevation of business standards.
"Yours very sincerely,
"PAUL P. HARRIS."
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