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Rotary's Power for World Peace
In February 1937, Paul Harris went on a Rotary tour of Florida, visiting among others, clubs in St Petersburg, Miami and Fort Myers.

An brief account of his talk (see below) at the last named appeared in the Fort Myers News Press on February 24, 1937, when the local club celebrated the 32nd anniversary of the founding of Rotary.

Educators and ministers are generally happy although they took up their life work knowing it would not lead to riches. I have seen too many unhappy rich people take their own lives- to put much store by a bank roll. The thing in life that we need is friendliness, kindness, cheerfulness and love for those close to us- yes, love for humanity.

"I am tempted to talk on the 'good neighbour policy.' You people are so close to South America that I can't help but think they would listen to you more than they would to more Northern people. However, since I talked on this subject at St Petersburg, today I am going to talk on the philosophy of Rotary as the philosophy of life. We all need a philosophy of life which is just another way of saying we need life planning just like a growing town needs city planning.

In St Petersburg I saw hundreds of people sitting on the green benches doing nothing. Undoubtedly they were retired businessmen but it seemed to me that a good philosophy of life would have carried them through and not let them down to the extent they had nothing to do but sit on benches in their retirement. Apparently the prevailing philosophy is a desire for profits- for material things- to own or possess castles where we now have cottages, and to accumulate as much wealth and possessions as possible. It is silly to make the acquisition of material things a philosophy or aim of life. The American people are not selfish.

In no other country do people give so much money for education, charity and health. During the recent strike negotiations, I was amazed to see the generosity of big business. The man who just tries to accumulate wealth is doing himself a great injustice - human happiness is not found that way.

Educators and ministers are generally happy although they took up their life work knowing it would not lead to riches. I have seen too many unhappy rich people take their own lives- to put much store by a bank roll. The thing in life that we need is friendliness, kindness, cheerfulness and love for those close to us- yes, love for humanity.

Happiness is impossible for the person with an inward gaze- for a person who loses sight of other people by too much thinking of himself."

Information from Wayne Miller of the Fort Myers Club.

RGHF senior historian Basil Lewis, UK, and RGHF member Wayne Miller, USA, 12 July 2008

 Also see other records of Paul Harris and Fort Myers, Florida, USA
To his surprise, Paul Harris learned that one of the club directors was called Chesley Perry, the name of one of Rotary's long standing officers and a great friend of Paul Harris in Chicago. The Floridian was business manager of the local Fort Myers News Press and Harris insisted that the two be photographed together.

Also see "The Other Ches Perry"
 

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