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 CONVENTION
MESSAGE [Nice, 1937]
By
Paul P. Harris, President‑Emeritus
Friends in attendance at the twenty‑eighth convention of Rotary
International, we are here to celebrate the closing of one of
the most remarkable years in the history of Rotary. Under the
capable and devoted leadership of our president, Rotary has made
great progress in many directions. Attention has frequently been
called to the large number of new clubs organized during the
past year and all who believe in Rotary are thrilled with the
story of accomplishment in this direction.
It
 is
not, however, the only story of accomplishment. A great advance
has been made along the entire front. Rotary is not only a
bigger movement than it was one year ago; it is also a better
movement. Things which were obscure have become more clearly
discernible. We have a better sense of direction. Future
administrations will be able to press forward with greater
confidence and courage.
The progress of Rotary to date has challenged the attention of
students of international affairs. Nothing like it has been
known. In international affairs heretofore, emphasis has been
placed upon the differences between men; differences in race,
religion and politics largely.
In
Rotary, the approach is entirely different. Emphasis is not
placed on the differences between men; it is placed on their
similarities. All men regardless of race, religion or politics
believe that the ideal of service is ennobling. Rotarians of
more than sixty nations, Rotarians of divergent and conflicting
views concerning religion and politics have subscribed to the
ideal of service.
 In
clubs in the Far East, representatives of a score of races and a
dozen religions have for the first time in history been brought
together. Before the day of Rotary, such things were considered
impossible.
But behold these are greater wonders: a transformation little
short of miraculous has taken place in that supposedly sterile
soil, the flower of friendship has taken root. What about the
many points of difference between the members of such clubs,
have they been removed? No, none of them have been removed. The
Mohammedan is still a Mohammedan. The Buddhist still a Buddhist;
the Christian still a Christian, but what does that matter? They
are friends, all friends. Heretofore they have always thought
ill of each other, that is over now. Friendship has spread a
mantle of charity and tolerance over all these extreme
differences. In common sense and good conscience it no more
matters what my friend's religion is than what the color of his
hair or eyes.
Rotary is not concerned with the differences between men, it is
concerned with their common ideal, the ideal of service. One can
make allowances for men in whose hearts and minds the ideal of
service dwells.
Of
course, we continue to love friends of our own race, our friends
who have the same historical background as we, but we are going
to expand the capacities of our hearts to include others whose
homes are far away and who have entirely different historical
backgrounds. Their friendship also will gladden our hearts. From
them, we shall learn new things. They will take us out of our
old channels of thought and give us new fresh viewpoints. Their
culture will prove to be complementary to ours. They will
enrich, broaden, sweeten our lives. Every nation has something
of value to give to every other nation but we must prepare our
minds for this new orientation. We must abandon the habit of
looking for the faults in other countries and gloating in them;
we must cultivate the habit of looking for lovely things and
glorying in them, and we must give our children opportunity to
search with us. In our public schools they will study the
languages and customs of the people of foreign countries. Are
these thoughts visionary, Utopian? No, we have tried them out in
Rotary and we have demonstrated the fact that they are
practical, that they will work.
To
be sure we are still an inconsiderable number in the world
population, but we are growing. Our present membership of
180,000 will multiply time and again; but that is not all. Along
the trail which we are blazing other organizations in increasing
numbers will follow. We must not be without vision in these
things.
Civilization advances by leaps and bounds. After the thoughts of
men have remained on a dead level for a sufficient length of
time, suddenly they begin to rise. No more fitting illustration
of this truth can be found than in Europe's renaissance. But
Europe's renaissance in art and literature is not the only
illustration of this truth.
Once upon a time a Polander of scientific turn of mind advanced
a new theory and astronomy had its renaissance. A Frenchman
advanced a new theory and the science of medicine had its
renaissance; an Englishman, a theory and life was given new
meaning; an American, an inspiration and darkness gave way to
light.
Neither Poland, France, England, nor America were the sole
beneficiaries of the devoted efforts of any of these men.
National boundaries could not impede the advance of their ideas.
The people of the entire world were the beneficiaries of these
gifts and of gifts of great Germans, Italians, Scandinavians and
others. The world is made up of a family of nations and all
members of the family are entitled to share in the products of
the genius of men of the ages. Such gifts to the world could not
have been foreseen and no man now living, looking back at the
calamitous days of the world war, can say which of those whose
lives were snuffed out was a Copernicus, a Pasteur, a Darwin or
an Edison. No one can say how far civilization would have
advanced had the youth of that generation all been permitted to
live.
The Rotary plan is one of prevention rather than cure. Rotary
makes its overtures of good will and understanding before the
war clouds arise.
During the past three years it has been the privilege of Mrs.
Harris and myself to visit many Rotary clubs on all five
continents besides Australia and New Zealand and wherever we
have gone, we have considered ourselves ambassadors of good
will, both going and coming. In public parks and playgrounds on
all of the continents
we have planted good
will trees and they stand there now as living
testimonials of the good will and understanding which Rotary
seeks to extend throughout the entire world.
A
year ago in Buenos Aires, we saw a sight that gladdened our
hearts. On one of the avenues of that beautiful city a monument
was being erected by the good people of the city of Montevideo
in the neighboring little country of Uruguay symbolizing the
respect and love of Uruguayans for Argentinans.
And have you heard of the monument known as the Christ of the
Andes? It is a titanic statue erected high up in the Andes
mountains on the border line between Argentina and Chile with
the momentous inscription which reads: "These mountains will
crumble to dust before Chile and Argentina break their faith to
their oath of peace made at the feet of Christ". (Applause).
May there be many such monuments erected on border lines between
countries throughout the world. In the way pointed out by these
South American countries may the citizens of many countries
cross their border lines and erect monuments and plant trees
symbolizing respect and love of their neighbors. These are mere
gestures of good will, of course, but multiplied time and again
they will eventually bear fruit. There have been gestures in
plenty in the past but unhappily they have been gestures of ill
will. It is time for a renaissance in our thinking on
international affairs. Rotary is blazing a trail over which many
of the present generations and of generations yet to come will
follow. Great international conventions like this convention
will, as means of transportation improve, be the order of the
day. Like great birds, transport planes will arise from cities
scattered throughout the earth, take flight across the seas, and
land their precious human cargoes in beautiful cities like Nice
where men and women of many nations will work and play together
as we are doing here. The coming and going will be free as the
coming and going of migratory birds. Passports, visas, customs
and all other impediments to the free intercourse of the
children of the earth will have been abandoned as obsolete. Now
that art, music, literature, science, and industry each has had
its renaissance, it is time that human relationships, the most
important of all in the affairs of men, have their renaissance
and Rotary is leading the way to that happy event.
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