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Message to the Convention
President Emeritus Paul P. Harris, Chicago, Illinois
To
my Rotarian Friends and to New England ‑ Greetings:
It
is always delightful to get back to the home of one's boyhood,
especially to those who were raised in New England. The
mountains are cool and refreshing, good for tired nerves. I am
glad to be here.
What
have these thoughts to do with Rotary? They have
everything to do with Rotary . This new life which men
are looking forward to and talking about is the Rotary
life, which we have summarized in the expression,
"Service above Self."
The year of 1933 is one of transcendent interest: events of vast
importance are taking place. There is a hush of expectancy in
the air. What shall we call the period ‑ the renaissance, or the
period of the bloodless revolution? Life is being cast in new
moulds. It is astonishing how meekly we now listen to the
announcement of new and strange doctrines. What has wrought the
change? The depression; by no other means could our habits of
thought have been so quickly changed. Adversity is not
destructive; it is constructive. Prosperity often is destructive
‑ nations rise in periods of adversity, fall in periods of
prosperity. We have become disgusted at the undependability of
the economic and social structure.
We
humans are worshipful. We have had two gods, one professed and
one real. Our real god has been the god of things. The
possession of things has been our passion and at the same time
our badge of distinction, raising us above the level of common
men, It has been the day of the apotheosis of things.
We
have devoted ourselves to business, not so much because we loved
it as because of what it brought us ‑ things. We permitted
business to obscure life. The craze for things was so pressing
that men even took their own lives when denied them. Such cases
were so numerous that scientists have been searching the cause.
Among other interesting phenomena, they have discovered the fact
that the greatest sufferers were those possessed of many things,
hence the conclusion that the god of things is a false god and
not worthy the worship of men.
The fact that increasing numbers now realize that the craze for
things is more likely to lead to chaos than to peace has
prepared our minds for the acceptance of something new. Men are
not being forced into the present attitude of mind through class
warfare ‑ on the contrary they have come to their conclusion
through the conviction that the old order has utterly failed,
and that to continue it would be silly. According to the new
theory, business was created for man and man was not created for
business. Life has areas far beyond the confines of business.
Such areas must be cultivated if we are to make the most of
life. We want our children to be happy; how can we bring it
about? They must be self‑respecting. We must, therefore, not
deprive them of the sense of achievement. We can give them the
opportunity of a liberal education without depriving them of
that sense. They cannot be educated without their cooperation.
The best inheritance we can provide them is the privilege of
making their own living. The struggle for life is a great
character builder. We must not distort our own lives to provide
means with which to ruin the lives of our children. The new
order does not contemplate that our children shall become drones
or loafers; it will open up new and endless opportunities to
engage their energies.
Art and literature will have their part in this new life.
Emerson said that beauty is a necessity; it is that; one cannot
live in the slums of a great city, he may exist there. There
will be no slums in the cities which our children will build.
Our children will lead future generations out into the sweet
outdoors, and artists whose names will be immortal will arise
from among them.
What has life to offer us to take the place of the worship of
things? Drive over roads which wind among majestic New England
hills. You will find the air perfumed with the smell of balsam
and melodious with the song of birds and babbling brooks. You
will be glad you are alive and you will see life in a new
perspective.
I
am getting to a period when I enjoy looking back at the
lengthening shadows. The friendships of men of many countries
have made me more than millionaire. My stock has always paid
rich dividends: it has always been above par. Life is more than
steels, motors and rails, more than business. Business means to
an end, not the end. The sweetest words of tongue or pen are
not stocks, bonds, interest and dividends: the sweetest words of
tongue or pen are mother, father, wife, son, daughter, friends.
They stand for life's imperishables. This new life will be
sweeter, fuller, happier than any we have known.
What have these thoughts to do with Rotary? They have everything
to do with Rotary . This new life which men are looking forward
to and talking about is the Rotary life, which we have
summarized in the expression, "Service above Self."
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