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MESSAGE TO THE CONVENTION
Paul P. Harris
Greetings and best wishes to my friends in Convention assembled
in the beautiful city of Minneapolis. May the Convention of 1928
set a new high mark in the annals of Rotary!
Whither Are We Going and Why?
We
are going to the hills. The Creator must have had man's welfare
in mind when he gave him hills to climb; dead levels are
monotonous and yet they have their part in the eternal scheme of
things; they serve to throw in bold relief the hills we have to
climb.
When civilization was young, men were content to eat and drink
and live and die in the monotonous levels of life until there
was born one whose eyes were frequently fixed on the distant
hills. He was discontent with the dead levels of life, and often
absented himself from his fellowmen. In course of time, it was
learned that it had become his custom to climb the distant
hills. The pilgrimages seemed but to increase his discontent.
On
his return to the levels of life, he made effort to communicate
his spirit of discontent to his fellow tribesmen, but to no
avail; nor could be induce them to visit the hills. Thus lived
and in the course of time, died, the first reformer.
Whither Are We Going and Why?
As
the ages slipped by, came and went other souls discontent with
life's dead levels; they looked yearningly to the hills and some
yielding to temptation, climbed to inspiration points. Most of
those who climbed, gained ‑ not happiness ‑ further discontent
with dead levels. They contended for greater faith, more hope
and more abundant charity. For want of a better name, they were
called reformers. Their converts were few. Men of the dead
levels maintained that reformers lived too much in the hills;
that their vision was skyward and not toward the earth where
dead level men and women were destined to have their being, but
there were converts; some preachers, others philosophers, others
scientists and they preached, wrote and wrought the spirit of
the hilltop. Though dead level men continued to proclaim
reformers impracticable dreamers, yet, somehow, the spirit of
the hilltop began to get its grip on men whose abodes were on
the dead levels.
A
generation ago, hilltop men were all to be found in the ranks of
reformers. Not infrequently, they were impracticable, unreal and
entirely ignorant of the problems of life. The dreamer has
always been able to prescribe rules of conduct for the worker.
The worker has not always found the rules of the dreamer
adaptable to the affairs of every day life.
Bystanders frequently said: "What a pity that reformers have so
little understanding of the problems of life," and "What a pity
that business men have so little of the spirit of reformers."
Then came the day ‑ it was a great day, the great day; the dead
level men paid a visit to the hills and gazed skywards, never
permitting themselves, however, to forget the problems of life
on the dead levels.
Whither Are We Going and Why?
Business, while noting the insufficiencies of the reformers,
has, nevertheless, been impressed with their high mindedness and
has resolved to create a reformation of its own, to conduct a
veritable crusade for higher ideals – higher ideals, not
highbrow ideals. Each prospective reform is first tested in the
crucible of experience. In the vanguard of the movement, Rotary
has taken its place.
To
say that business standards are rising would be but to half
express the truth. They are rising in that definite precise
careful way which assures permanence; there can be no ebb to
such a flow. They are already beginning to attract the attention
and to inspire the actions of that even wore numerous class,
organized labor. High mindedness is contagious.
Whither Are We Going and Why?
We
are going to the hilltop, because the Creator had man's welfare
in mind when he created the eternal hills for men to climb.
[1928 Minneapolis Convention]
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