|
DATE |
TITLE |
QUOTE |
CONVENTIONS, OTHER |
|
1910 |
 |
"Of
course, the Rotary Club idea means much to me. It could
not be otherwise. I have been living with this project
since 1904, and during the major portion of that time it
has been my conviction that all of these things, or
nearly all of these things which have transpired now,
would eventually come to pass." |
Address to the 1910 Convention by
President-Elect Harris |
|
1910 |
|
1910 Banquet Program |
|
1910 |
"The first speaker
we have this evening is one who is extremely well known to all Chicago
Rotarians, and is extremely well known to all Rotarians throughout the
country and very well known to the American people. It is singularly
appropriate that Mr. Sheldon should be asked to talk on the National
Organization work. Humanity is divided, in my estimation, into two
classes: there is the man who is a metropolitan, and the man who is a
cosmopolitan." |
Harris as
toastmaster at the 1910 banquet |
|
1910 |
"Delegates from
North, South, East and West, delegates from all parts of the United
States: We have been called here to organize a national association of
Rotary Clubs, and we have a great deal of business to transact." |
Paul Harris' first address, as president, to the
1910 National Convention |
|
1911 |
 |
"We have sometimes
varied a little at first, but in time we have been able to arrive at
harmonious conclusions in almost every instance, and I want here to call
your attention to one thing, that the longer Rotarians deliberate upon
any particular subject pertaining to Rotary the more certain they are to
arrive at pretty nearly uniform conclusions." |
Harris' report to the convention of 1911 in Portland |
|
1911 |
Rational
Rotarianism |
"Life in Rotary
should consist of a rational mixture of business with civic activities
and good fellowship" |
Rational...
(Essay)
David Nicholl
response |
|
1911 |
November
Messages to Rotary |
It is almost paradoxical to say that it
is essential to the success of the efforts of the National Association
that there be perfect harmony of action among its members, the
constituent clubs; and that there is, for the National Association, no
more promising method of obtaining harmony than that of working as far
as is consistent and proper toward the standardization of ideals. Most
troubles in life arise from dislocation of viewpoints, not from desire
to disagree. |
|
|
1911 |
President's Corner |
"There was a time
[...] when Great Britain and the planet Mars seemed about equal-distant" |
|
|
1912 |
Messages
Jan 1912 |
Good fellowship remains while laughter rings, but vanishes with
the first intimation of tears.
True friendship is worth while because it costs. Everything that
is worth while costs. Cost measures worth; the greater the cost
the greater the worth. Liberty means more to the American people
than to any other people in the world. Why? Because the American
people paid the highest price for it.
He
who pays the price of friendship by doing friendly service knows
its value, and he would not barter one little spark of it for a
whole constellation of the other. The most permanent friendships
are born in service. May Rotary ever be a living protest against
the words, "There is little friendship in the world."
|
Last
message
of
"President"
Harris
in The
Rotarian.
 |
|
1912 |
Messages
Mar 1912 |
I
have a moment to spare but not to squander. I will address a
word to Rotary. As I shift about trying to make up my mind where
to begin, my desk calendar stares me in the face, Feb. 22nd,
Washington's birthday; and the thought comes to me what would
the father of our country have thought of Rotary? |
|
1912 |
Messages
Apr 1912 |
Rotarianism is a step in the evolution of humanity and in the
emancipation of man from the exactions of unceasing servitude to
the interests of self. |
|
1912 |
Messages for May
1912 |
The Rotary Club of Boston has taken the
initiative in a trans‑continental highway project, and they hope to be
able to interest the National Association in it to the end that a
committee be appointed to advance its interest in systematic and
effective manner. |
|
1912 |
Messages
for June 1912 |
My work in Rotary is nearly done. |
|
1912 |
Messages
for July 1912 |
Rotarianism is to you and to me what you
and I would have it. Intellectual conceptions may be reduced to exact
phraseology or pretty near it, but your grasp of Rotarianism is not a
mental process alone ‑ it involves the necessity of heart action. If you
have more of the milk of human kindness in your heart than I have in
mine, then your conception of Rotarianism is higher than mine.
Rotarianism runs through the whole gamut of human sentiment, and may be
as exalted in the mind of one as it is debased in the mind of another.
Rotarianism will endure. May your Rotarianism and mine pass muster. |
|
1912 |
Messages
for August |
Fare Ye Well!
Now, at the close of this, my last year
of activity in the National Association, and just before the drop of the
curtain in the final scene of the last act, I shall give myself the
honor of a moment's pause before the footlights while I make a low bow
and with heartfelt sincerity tremblingly repeat the old stereotyped but
soulful words: "Thanking you one and all, on the part of my little
company, and myself, for your very kind attention, I bid you God speed,
Fare ye Well!" |
|
1912 |
How to Get Your Money's Worth, Even Out of a Lawyer |
"He who employs a
lawyer whose ability or honesty he distrusts is not making the best use
of his money." |
|
1912 |
Annual Report of
President Paul P. Harris |
"...men have
questioned the propriety of attempting to establish Rotary clubs in
particular localities." |
|
1912 |
|
The Third Annual Convention of this
Association will convene at Duluth, Minnesota, on Tuesday, August 6th,
1912, for the purpose of receiving and acting upon reports of its
officers and committees, for the election of officers and directors and
for the transaction of such other business as may be brought before the
convention. |
Call to the Duluth Convention |
|
1912 |
Addresses
Kansas City Club, by telephone from Chicago |
Mr. Harris talked to an audience of 150
men at the Richelieu Cafe. At the same time a similar gathering in
Kansas City heard his remarks over the long‑distance telephone, an
instrument being adjusted at each plate. As the Chicago men cheered and
sang those in Kansas City, 458 miles away, responded. |
|
|
1912 |
|
"In order that
there may be some competition and a friendly spirit of rivalry, we have
conceived the idea of appointing international teams." |
Message from the
President 1912 Convention |
|
1913 |
The Old Guard - "Fall In!" |
"As you hold the
honor of your ideals let there not be one man 'missing'" |
|
|
1913 |
The Message of
Paul P. Harris President Emeritus |
"May Rotary during
all the years that are to come continue to be a voltaic touch to
civilization's nerve centers, awakening men to a new sense of the
dignity and importance of business as a redemptive and regenerative
influence in the lives of men ‑ and nations." |
|
|
1913 |
|
"The
grandeur of the Rotarian movement is no longer a question; it is a
present realization. Three years ago, none but the eyes of a prophet
could have foreseen the majesty of this march to Buffalo; none but the
eyes of a prophet can this day foresee the progress of the years that
are yet to come. With the increasing grandeur of the movement, come
increasing responsibilities. It is a far greater undertaking to be a
good Rotarian today than it was yesterday; it will be a far greater
undertaking tomorrow than it is today." |
1913 Message to the
convention in Buffalo, NY, USA |
|
1914 |
|
|
1914 Letter to the
convention in Houston, TX, USA |
|
1914 |
The Distant
Sense |
"We need a
philosophy of life, one that enters its unceasing protest against the
all to prevalent belief that happiness is to be found in the mere
accumulation of dollars or in the acquisition of power" |
|
|
1915 |
Passing our Tenth
Milestone |
"I devoutly believe
happiness to be the natural order of things. Health, happiness' first
prerequisite, and not sickness, is the natural order of things. It is
not God's fault, if we are unhappy." |
Also see Harris' address to the US
Central Division Conf in Chicago |
|
1915 |
|
"Business is the method by
which man works out his existence, It isn't a mere matter of selling
things for money. It is trading things one has and does not need for
things which others have but do not need." |
A Convention
Message from Paul P. Harris |
|
1915 |
Hopes for the
Rotary of Tomorrow |
"Men work and play,
fight and make peace, love and hate, live and die all in pursuit of
happiness, and how often in ill considered pursuit of happiness. Men
barter the joy of years for the mirth of a day" |
|
|
1916 |
The Future of Rotary |
"The growth of
Rotary has been phenomenal. The present membership of approximately
23,000 is, to those who have given of themselves for the material
development of Rotary, an extremely gratifying achievement. I doubt very
much, however, whether Rotarians will be for all time satisfied with the
present restrictions. To expand is to obey nature's law." |
|
|
1916 |
|
"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." |
Message to the 1916
Convention in Cincinnati |
|
1916 |
|
"I think that
Rotary's fundamental purpose will be with business; that civic and
charitable activities should not be discouraged, but should be given
secondary consideration, not because of any lack of importance, but
because there are specialized organizations to take care of their needs.
Civic and charitable activities seem to me by‑products." |
Paul Harris' message to
a "Round Table" at the 1916 Convention in Cincinnati
|
|
1917 |
Rotary Just at the
Threshold |
"Dishonesty's great ally is extravagance." |
|
|
1917 |
A Man's Job to be a Rotarian |
"It is a man's job to be a
good Rotarian, and he who lives up to the precepts will be a good
neighbor, a kind friend, a loving husband, a companionable father, and
an asset to the community in which he lives." |
|
|
1917 |
Rotary's Greatest Opportunity to Serve |
"Rotary, even in its most
sanguine moments, has fallen short of realizing its own strength. On no
occasion has the cumulative power of all Rotary ever been felt. We shall
strike a mighty blow some day and we thenceforth shall know ourselves." |
Full Convention Message with remarks by President Klumph and Secretary
Perry |
|
1918 |
At the 13th Milestone of Rotary |
"The Christian World of
London says that denominationalism is dead; that the war killed it. If
such is the case, religion will come into its own. Religion is broader
than creeds. Possibly some day someone will be unorthodox enough to say
that he who springs to his country's defense has heard the call of
religion." |
|
|
1918 |
The
True Spirit of Service Can Redeem World |
"We are in no further need
of politicians; we need some statesmen now. We can dispense with
Democrats and we can dispense with Republicans in this time of national
crisis. We need real patriots now." |
|
|
1918 |
AN UNDIVIDED CHURCH? |
"Is my day today or
yesterday? If the church of today fails to take its part in the affairs
of today, other agencies will rise to take its place and the church will
be left to study the affairs of yesterday." |
|
|
1918 |
|
"I think that Rotary ought
to find the one thing that it can do better than any other agency; then
permit nothing to interfere with its accomplishment. Such a plan would
be of benefit to all and of especial benefit to the weaker clubs who
would be carried along by the power of the movement. Of course,
individual clubs should be permitted to render whatever additional
service the necessities of their respective communities may dictate.
There is inspiration in the precision of the march, provided, of course,
that the men keep step." |
Convention Message from
Rotary's Founder |
|
1918 |
|
GUS LOEHR IS DEAD "Impetuous in the extreme, he would roar like a
lion at friend or foe but he would instantly capitulate on the very
first indication that his words hurt. He would do more than that, he
would melt, I have never seen rage more torrential than his, but he
couldn't bear the sight of a tear." PPH |
|
|
1918 |
Comment in the
November 1918 Issue |
"If you, Brother Rotarian,
think that you have a great mission to perform in Rotary, remember that
great missions are serious undertakings. Do not expect to perform great
missions in a day. First, live with the principles of Rotary till they
are as familiar to you as your own business, and associate with
Rotarians until they constitute your warmest and closest friends. If
your desire is results, mould your propaganda to conform to the
recognized principles of Rotary before attempting to make it a part of
Rotary."
Paul P. Harris, President Emeritus,
International Association of Rotary Clubs. |
|
|
1919 |
|
"A
material Rotary would soon be a dead Rotary. A Rotarian who sees nothing
in Rotary beyond the business he can get out of it is a dead Rotarian
and the sooner he can be buried the better for the cause." |
The Invisible Power of Rotary, 1919 Convention Message
Also see:
In
Flanders Fields |
|
1920 |
|
"Thank God for our
struggles, because without them we cannot gain strength. Aye, thank God
for our failures, for without them we cannot succeed. The lives of great
men and of great nations are measured by difficulties overcome, not by
luxuries indulged in. Men rise from their Gethsemanes, nations from
their Waterloos." |
ROTARIANS, FRIENDS ‑ To All, GREETINGS 1920 Convention Message |
|
1921 |
The Faith of Rotary |
"There is a vast
difference between the life of the man who has caught the vision and
taken it into his everyday affairs and the life of the man who scoffs at
it as impracticable: and yet, as it has been said, the best of us at
heart are not so very much better than the worst of us. What we are
depends upon so many little and seemingly unimportant things." |
|
|
1921 |
Big Brothering Albert |
"St.
James fixed our attention on the creed or faith rather than on the deed
or works. "Faith without works is dead." In other words: if there are no
deeds there can be no creeds. Faith must express itself in deed
or die. Let us take that thought home." |
|
|
1921 |
|
"If
our philosophy is unsound, rest assured it will be known; if the
principles we profess to stand for do not find expression in actual
deed, we shall come face to face with the disapproval which our conduct
will merit." |
Message of the President
Emeritus at the 1921 Edinburgh convention |
|
1922 |
|
"Friendship is a living
force, not a mere indulgence. Friendship is something more than
conviviality. If it were nothing more than conviviality, Rotary might
well turn back for precept and example to the roistering days of long
ago. Friendship, like happiness, is frequently elusive when directly
sought, while it as frequently comes to men unsought when they are
working together in a worth‑while cause." |
The Friendship of Rotary, the 1922 Los
Angeles Convention Message |
|
1923 |
|
"Let
the Rotary way be the quiet, unostentatious, modest way. Let us not lay
ourselves open to criticism by boasting of our achievements. Rotary is
capable of cultivating a far finer sense. Good deeds never need
advertising. There is one proper use for publicity and that is to create
public sentiment whenever public sentiment is necessary to enable us to
accomplish some worthy objective. If the public needs to be educated as
to Rotary, let that education come from what we do and not from what we
say of ourselves. I am confident that Rotary is capable of taking and
maintaining this high ethical position." |
Barometers of Success, the 1923
Convention Message |
|
1923 |
18th Anniversary
Greeting to all Rotarians |
"He who tries to find the good in others
will be rewarded for others will surely find the good in him. Of all of
earth's sad and lonesome creatures, the most hopeless is he love not his
fellow-men. As it is with individuals, so it is with nations." |
|
|
1924 |
An Opinion Regarding Rotary |
"To
me, Rotary has been something of an experimental laboratory. I have
never been able to qualify as a prophet. Some of my most cherished
dreams have faded away, while some of my least valued conceptions have
gained vigor with the passage of time. One thing has never failed me and
that has been the power of friendship. I have been time and again
astounded at the way it proves out. I have come to believe it to be
unfathomable. Its ways are mysterious; it is to be found where one might
well think that it could not exist. There is a depth of friendship in
the hearts of some otherwise very commonplace men, which is nearly
sublime. It refreshes and invigorates the soul to observe its workings.
In the final analysis it seems to me that it must have been intended as
the salvation of mankind. Is there anything more potent than man's
impulse to hate? I think that there surely is and that it is man's
impulse to love. What have we been advertising throughout the centuries?
We have been advertising war. The pages of history reek with it. In the
days of my childhood, no education was considered well begun until
hatred of alien races had been burned into one's mind. It was surely
wonderful advertising and done just in the nick of time. The child mind
is a delicate film, wonderfully impressionable. Love is mightier than
hate. Give it one half the advertising that hate has had, and there will
be no more war." |
|
|
1924 |
|
"Is
there not prophetic significance in the fact that in this city, located
as it is on the unfortified frontier between the United States of
America and the Dominion of Canada, this great meeting is to be held?" |
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT EMERITUS for the
1924 Conventioin |
|
1925 |
A Sentimental Journey Through Hoosierdom |
"The
poet says of the November day - "The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;" ‑ and yet to my mind there is no
month in the year when the Northern States are more interesting than in
November. Nature throws herself wide open during the November days; all
secrets are disclosed. Hills and valleys that were hidden away beneath
the foliage come forth to claim one's attention.
There is a mysticism in the atmosphere and a sweet melancholy at times." |
|
|
1925 |
|
MESSAGE FROM PRESIDENT EMERITUS
Paul
P. Harris
"To
my Rotarian friends in convention assembled in the beautiful and
hospitable city of Cleveland, Greetings:
"Twenty never to be forgotten years have given Rotary standing as one of
the impressive movements of the age. And yet we are not deeply concerned
with what we have left behind us.
"The
question is: 'What lies out yonder, beyond the distant horizon?
"Where sight fails faith begins and upon faith empires have been
builded.
"I
have no fear. He who has thus far sustained our cause will never fail
us.
"Success to the Cleveland Convention and health, happiness and
prosperity to all assembled there.
"Sincerely yours,
"PAUL P. HARRIS" |
1925 Convention Message (not printed in The
Rotarian)
The Convention was held in Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
|
1925 |
|
“Where sight fails faith begins and upon faith empires have been
builded.
“I
have no fear. He who has thus far sustained our cause will never fail
us.
“Success to the Cleveland Convention and
health, happiness and prosperity to all assembled there. |
message to the
Cleveland Convention
of 1925 |
|
1925 |
International Friendliness and the Sixth
Object |
"Does
the Sixth Object of Rotary have any practical meaning? Is it possible
for an organization of limited membership, like Rotary, to have any
appreciable effect on the destinies of a nation?
Can
personal friendships grow into national friendships in such manner as to
promote the interests of peace?" |
|
|
1926 |
Some
Miracles of California |
THIRTY‑FOUR years ago, fourteen years before the birth of Rotary, I
drifted into San Francisco in search of adventure. I found it then ‑ in
1891 - and I again discovered it in 1925, although the city has
undergone great changes and made rapid strides, especially since the
fire and earthquake in 1906. |
|
|
1926 |
|
Rotary cannot go until its
destiny shall have been fulfilled. Its destiny will not be fulfilled
until Rotary shall have been established in every country of the
civilized world and until men shall be content to dwell together in
peace. |
Paul Harris' message to the
Denver
convention of 1926 |
|
1927 |
|
Harris did not write any articles in 1927 for The Rotarian magazine.
However, he did public "The
Founder of Rotary" in 1928 and may have been pre-occupied with that
work in 1927. |
|
|
1927 |
|
A mother whispers the
blessed words to listening children gathered at her knees - "Peace,
peace on earth" and far away in another land, no less fair, no less
honorable, comes the answer from the lips of another mother and other
children: "Good will toward all men." The children of the one land think
of the children of the other as children of the one father, blest with
the inheritance of peace. The words: "On earth peace, good will toward
men" are simple words, little children know their meaning.
But children advance in
years and sooner or later, they must meet life's tragedy, the tragedy of
misunderstanding. Understanding is constructive; misunderstanding is the
shortest and straightest road to destruction. Understanding makes for
peace, misunderstanding makes for war. Understanding for prosperity,
misunderstanding for poverty. The greatest resource which a nation can
have is the resource of peace; it counts for more than arable lands,
more than mines of untold riches. |
Harris' message to the 1927 Convention at
Ostend |
|
1928 |
Then
Came the Enemy
Message to the Pacific Rotary Conference at Tokyo |
"The
best antidote for international fear is international understanding; the
best way to cultivate international understanding is through business
and social intercourse. All nations are respectable and covet the
goodwill of mankind. Racial superiority most frequently exists in the
minds of men. The backward nations of today become the forward nations
tomorrow, and the world realizes rich dividends from the change.
National progress spells international progress; we must encourage, not
discourage, the initiative of men. As a means thereto, let us make
common cause of the extermination of the most deadly of all enemies,
vigilant, conscienceless, remorseless, relentless ‑ Fear." |
Also see Harris' journal of
his 1928 trip to Europe
"The Founder of Rotary" Harris' first book was also published in 1928 |
|
1928 |
|
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. |
Convention Message to the Minneapolis
Convention |
|
1929 |
|
No articles by Harris this year |
|
|
1929 |
|
Rotarians are playing a
game bigger than baseball, cricket or golf, a game that can be played
until the mortal curtains fall, the game of life; it requires all of our
individual and collective spirit of fair play, courage and the will to
win. |
Convention Message to the Dallas
Convention of 1929 |
|
1930 |
If
Rip, Jr., Should Wake Up! |
"Another
characteristic aphorism of the period was, "When business begins,
friendship ends." The tragedy of the latter doctrine was that it
broadened the scope of Caveat Emptor to include one's friends, thus
knocking the last prop from under the vagarists who were preaching the
Golden Rule. Business men and tradesmen from time immemorial had been
held in general disrepute and their very human reaction was to enjoy the
game if they must suffer the name." |
|
|
1930 |
|
"Just as Rotary has the purpose of promoting understanding and
goodwill amongst the many and varied vocations found in our
present day society, so it has an ever increasing purpose in
promoting friendship and goodwill amongst nations of the world.
If we are to achieve that goal which for centuries has been the
dream and the hope of the people of the earth ‑ the abolition of
war as a means of settling international disputes, then the
hearts of men must be so touched and moulded that mutual
understanding and goodwill will take the place of fear and
hatred."
|
GREETINGS FROM THE FOUNDER |
|
1930 |
|
"In studying great
movements, it seems to me that it is with them as it is with
individuals. The formative period is the early period. The youthful mind
is impressionable, the mature mind has become set. As movements get
older, they become institutionalized. Tradition hampers the exercise of
reason. Conventionalities enter and assume undue importance. Unworthy
and irrational features are permitted to continue merely because they
have always been. No one cares to disturb precedent even though it may
be manifest that its reason, if there was one, no longer exists. The
spirit becomes lost in the letter of the law." |
MESSAGE TO THE CONVENTION |
|
1931 |
|
"And yet,
we of the younger lands modestly believe that in Rotary we too have made
and are making a worth‑while contribution to the welfare of the entire
world with respect to the simplicity and the genuineness of the appeal
of Rotary." |
1931
Message to the Vienna Convention |
|
1932 |
He Lost a Castle to Gain a Home |
"THE
sailing of a boat in fair weather is not the best test of seamanship;
the maintenance of good cheer when everything is coming one's way is not
the best test of disposition; the pursuit of an enemy who is on the run,
is not the best test of courage." |
Also see Harris' journal of
his 1932 trip to Europe |
|
1932 |
|
"What the world needs today is another renaissance, one as mighty
and as resistless as that which swept over Europe at the close
of the Middle Ages. Rotary should play a leading part in such
renaissance; it would be in keeping with the tenets of Rotary." |
1932 Seattle message |
|
1933 |
|
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. |
Address to the convention |
|
1933 |
|
"Would
this mean to open the door to all manner of discord? One might think so.
In fact many have said that human ingenuity could hardly divide a plan
of organization more fraught with peril. Here in lies the genious and
the Rotary, the glory of Rotary."
|
 Address on
Radio |
|
1934 |
A Road I have
Traveled |
"Friendliness is not a
lone star; it is one of a constellation. Its sister stars are
kindliness, neighborliness, and cheeriness; they are scarcely less
luminous." |
Harris' journal of his
South Africa Trip was written in 1934 |
|
1934 |
|
"The old catalogue listed
goods which were considered sacred. Men, women and children bowed before
them in abject humility. Whether in church, on the golf course or at a
Rotary club luncheon, their thoughts were upon them. They were listed in
the catalogue as possessions. Whatever the spoken prayer may have been,
too oft the inner prayer was: "God grant us abundant possessions." The
hunger for possessions obscured the desire for the wholesome things of
life; it was pervasive of morals, inimical to higher concepts,
destructive of real happiness, devastating." |
1934 Message to the
Detroit Convention |
|
1935 |
Rotary is
Thirty |
"Presidents come and
presidents go, but the movement's keynote remains unchanged –
Happiness Through Fellowship and Service." |
Peregrinations II was
published in 1935 |
|
1935 |
|
|
"This
Rotarian Age" Harris' second book was published in 1935 |
|
1935 |
|
"Sir Norman Angell,
placing responsibility for all wars on misunderstandings, says that all
of the nations engaged in the World War firmly believed that their cause
was just and honorable and that the cause of their enemies was unjust
and dishonorable. If at any time during that cruel devastating war the
belligerents had been able to look into the minds and hearts of their
enemies, they would have found no consciousness of guilt. They would
have found only the spirit of crusaders in the interest of a righteous
cause for which they were willing to die. What a tragedy that
misunderstanding should continue. Ambassadors of good will dedicate
themselves to the eradication of misunderstanding." |
1935 Convention speech, delivered by
Harris, in Mexico City
In this year, two publications were
undertaken by RI: Paul's "This Rotarian Age" and the articles by Mrs.
Lillian Dow Davidson, wife of the (then) late honorary commissioner, Jim
Davidson, which appeared in TR during 1930, '31 and '32, were brought
out in book form. "Making New Friends". |
|
1936 |
A North American looks South |
"Rotary has served to
promote goodwill between the countries of South America. For example,
bad feeling existed between Peru and Chile for nearly 50 years after the
great war of the Pacific in the '70's. There were no points of contact
and every relation between the countries was suspended. Then it occurred
to the Rotarians of Chile to send Christmas greetings to those of Peru.
Peruvian Rotarians sent New Year's greetings in reply and through this
simple wedge was opened a channel through which cordial relations have
been resumed between the two countries." |
|
|
1936 |
|
"History must always be in
the background of our thinking when considering international problems.
In the light of history, if we want to be consistent and rational, we
shall be less disposed to be harsh and critical in our judgment. We
shall remember that this is not, and never has been a world of pure
idealism, and recognize the fact that it cannot be made so by force. The
best and the most that we can expect of the future is that we shall
gradually grow more tolerant and kindly, and wiser as well." |
Convention message to Atlantic City, 1936 |
|
1937 |
|
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. |
Convention Message at Nice, 1937 |
|
1937 |
|
|
Peregrinations III was
published in 1937 |
|
1938 |
|
One not infrequently hears
some Rotarian inveigh against Rotary for its so-called lackadaisical
policy in international affairs. He goes on bitterly denouncing
countries, representatives of which are included in the Rotary
fellowship. He forgets how his words must make his fellow Rotarians of
those countries suffer. He demands that the countries in question be
branded public enemies and outlawed. He declares that it is high time
that Rotary abandon its Pollyanna policies and take position in
international affairs worthy of full‑grown men. He demands that the
forces of Rotary International be mobilized and its influence brought to
bear to the end that international marauders be brought to justice in
order that democracy may survive, etc., etc. |
1938 Convention Message at San Francisco |
|
1939 |
Where Is Rotary Going? |
"Friendliness is the
motive power of Rotary. Friendliness is more powerful and smooth running
than any Diesel engine ever built. Friendliness is a virtue in its own
right; it begets others as well. Neighborliness, kindliness, tolerance,
and usefulness are children of friendliness; they attack enemies of the
social order, not only banishing care, worry, envy, greed, suspicion,
fear, and anger, but also stimulating hope and courage. They are the
solvents of labor problems and, given a chance would be solvents of
international problems as well." |
|
|
1939 |
|
Rotary was conceived,
born, and bred in friendship and tolerance. Much is being said today
about conflicting ideologies, and some go on to say that there is room
enough in the world for one ideology only, and that ideology is of
course our own. Such folks contend that it is a battle to the death
between democracy and the dictators. There are enough different
ideologies in Rotary to blow it into a million pieces if that statement
is true. Rotary exists in seventy countries of the world, not in spite
of the innumerable conflicting ideologies but because of them. To deal
with conflicting ideologies is and always has been Rotary's specialty,
one of the main reasons for its existence. Is Rotary's hope of building
and sustaining a worldwide organization of business and professional men
a fatuous dream? How stands Rotary today in the light of world‑wide
dissensions with respect to its fourth object, the promotion of
international understanding and good will? Should the fourth object be
deleted or should it merely be suspended until the war fever subsides? |
1939 Convention
Message at Cleveland |
|
1940 |
We
Must Plan for Peace |
"But, we ask, must the
best genius of men be devoted to the science of war and none to the
science of averting it?" |
|
|
1940 |
|
Are the countries of the
Western Hemisphere prepared in mind and spirit to accept the
responsibilities of leadership in the establishment of a new order‑an
order based on Friendliness, Tolerance and Usefulness ‑ in other words
on the Rotary plan? |
Convention Message at Havana |
|
1941 |
|
Life never has moved
smoothly. Cataclysm after cataclysm has marked progress in human
affairs, but the significant fact remains that progress actually is
being made though it is difficult to see it during such turbulent times.
When the river of life seems to be running most smoothly, thunderous
cataracts may be heard pounding below if one has ears to hear them; but
the courses of great rivers are subject to the control of men when the
thoughts of men turn in that direction. Even so, the current of
international affairs will be subject to the control of men when men
become wise enough and earnest enough and courageous enough to control
it. To live in peace one with another is the greatest problem which the
Creator has ever left man to solve.
In the midst of all this
tumult and darkness the still, small voice of Rotary may be heard:
"Peace on earth to men of good will." These words were not spoken first
by Rotary, but Rotary carries them along. |
Convention Message at Denver |
|
1942 |
|
God be with us to give us
wisdom, judgment, discernment, love for all, under all conditions. |
Jean Harris addresses the Toronto
Convention |
|
1942 |
|
Rotary's most glamorous
purpose is to foster international understanding and good will, and
during our many years of experimentation we have accumulated
considerable knowledge on
that baffling subject. We
have actually succeeded in creating a world‑wide fellowship of business
and professional men united in the ideal of service. Our membership
includes representatives of more than 50 countries and devotees of
practically all of the major religious faiths and most of the political
ideologies. We have been able to accomplish this by adhering strictly to
the one matter in hand and avoiding all others. If the nations of the
world will take a leaf from the pages of Rotary leaving all countries
free to follow their own political and religious ideas and unite in the
one purpose of effecting lasting peace they will succeed. If on the
other hand they attempt to force their political conceptions on each
other, chaos will come again. We still continue to hear men say there is
not room enough for more than one political ideology. Well, several will
be represented at the peace table. Which country will be first to
surrender its ideology?
Rotary is an expression of
a doctrine which is precisely the antithesis of this ‑ and Rotary still
lives. |
Harris delivers his message at Toronto |
|
1943 |
A Salute to Rotarians of 2043! |
 |
|
|
1943 |
|
I see many flags here
today from all the lands, but I miss the faces of their representatives.
I miss their friendship and their love and their individual
contributions. We cannot do without these. God hasten the day when we
shall again meet all those clear friends from those lands, whose hearts
are heavy today because they are not here. We hope that God will deal
with us in mercy; that we seek His wisdom and His understanding and His
knowledge; that we shall do so quietly, calmly and prudently, and with
wisdom and mercy and in love.
We hope for that day ‑
there is a day of hope always, and I don't think it is very far away.
Let us, then, pray for that day soon, with victory for the allies, when
we may again meet in peace and love and in harmony. |
Jean
Harris' remarks to the St. Louis Convention |
|
1943 |
|
We Rotarians have an
antidote for this mental and moral breakdown. Our slogan is "Service
above Self." If applied earnestly and unremittingly, it will restore the
patient to normalcy and bring him the happiness he has been seeking in
vain. Happiness is not to be found in possessions. That truth has been
borne home to us time and again. Happiness is a state of mind, it comes
unsought and it is the by‑product of wholesome, sensible and unselfish
living and thinking. |
Paul
Harris delivered his message at St. Louis |
|
1944 |
Anniversary Message |
"My birthday wish on this
thirty-ninth anniversary is for the continued advancement of goodwill
between men and between nations. I have no higher hope, nor do I know of
one." |
|
|
1944 |
Harris on "How
Rotarians Get That Way" writing on attendance records |
"Such records, of course,
tell stories of great sacrifices. I venture to say that the doors of
hospitals have swung prematurely open at times to permit these loyal
Rotarians to go to their meetings; and it wouldn't surprise me in the
least to learn that the atmosphere of the meetings has done more to
restore their health than hospitals, doctors, and nurses would have been
able to do. I know something about the healing power of fellowship with
Rotarian friends." |
|
|
1944 |
|
I have been privileged to
visit many countries in the name of Rotary, and the more I visit, the
more I am disposed to conclude that there are no great fundamental
differences between men and between nations. None are entirely good,
none entirely bad. The great mischief‑maker is misunderstanding. Every
nation has contributed much to the sum total of human happiness. |
Harris' message to the 1944 convention at
Chicago |
|
1945 |
The Best Is Yet to Be |
"Is everything all right
in Rotary? No, thank God, everything is all wrong.
There probably is no part
or parcel of Rotary which can't stand improvement. Quoting Kettering
again: "A reasonable discontent is what makes it possible to improve our
product." The poet Milton expressed the same sentiment when he coined
the phrase "a divine discontent."" |
|
|
1945 |
My
Friend ‘Chape’ |
"Yes, Rufe was a strange
man, never quite fully understood. I have known him intimately for 40
years and yet to his very last day he was disclosing new qualities of
mind to me. He was not always puckish, not always eccentric. In the face
of joy, in the face of sorrow, he was always unruffled. His amazing
philosophy of life rendered him immune from pain. Sometimes I think that
Rufe was the most unforgettable character I have ever known. He was a
combination of bank official, Rotarian, and Will Rogers, and as son of a
widowed mother he arose supreme. No, Rufe was not always clowning.
Clowning was a recreation of his, and he gave multitudes of worn and
weary folks hearty and refreshing laughs. But does clowning go with
banking? Yes, if you don't try to do both things at the same time." |
|
|
1945 |
Rotary’s Great Day |
"But do we not see
something more as we peer at the panorama of peace? Yes! We see a family
of 2 billion members which, by the grace of a God whose patience must
long ago have worn thin, has won a new chance at getting along with
itself. We see, too, that the family has learned, at the cost of
millions of its beloved sons and billions of its treasure, that it is a
family, that all men are God's children, that they share one world. We
see the ideal of the brotherhood of man given standing in countries of
great power and countries of no power. We see that ideal acknowledged as
the only kind of cement that can, in the final stress, hold the nations
together." |
|
|
1945 |
|
 
A
total of 141 Rotarians were attending
in four session, due to travel restrictions. |
Chicago, 1945: The only convention without a message from Paul. |
|
1946 |
Fear and Hate Must Go! |
"There's
the Golden Rule, but every nation believes its way is the Golden Rule
way. Sir Norman Angell has wisely observed that no nation, however
aggressive and inhuman its course may be, is conscious of guilt; its
people are taught that they are superior to all others and that destiny
calls them to lead. Most nations are overeducated in their virtues and
undereducated in their vices." |
|
|
1946 |
Here Is a Job to Do, Mr. Rotarian! |
"Has your town a City Beautiful Plan, Mr. Rotarian? No? What a
pity! It would engage the interest of every man, woman, and
child in your community. No town can be too large, none can be
too small, to realize benefits from a City Beautiful Plan.
What a noble thing it would be if the Rotary Clubs of 70
countries where our movement is established would create a wave
of enthusiasm for the beautifying of cities throughout the
world!"
|
|
|
1946 |
|
Now, for the first time in
the world's history, the nations have joined together and organized what
men know as the United Nations. Rotarians are deeply thankful that the
governments of the world are following the trail blazed by Rotary
forty‑one years ago. In more than seventy countries, Rotarians have been
doing the spade work; they have been preparing the minds of their
respective countrymen, and now comes the harvest; the nations of the
world have at long last come together in the name of the United Nations.
Rotary has worked
patiently and prayerfully for the coming of this day. God has answered
these prayers. The United Nations have their enemies and scoffers as
Rotary had its enemies and scoffers years ago.
What should Rotarians do
to back up the United Nations? Just what they are doing. Rotarians were
chairmen of seven national delegations at the San Francisco Conference,
and in all, as delegates or consultants at the San Francisco Conference,
there were fifty Rotarians. Thus the spirit of Rotary was very
definitely in evidence in San Francisco during the writing of the United
Nations Charter. |
Harris' message to
the 1946 Atlantic City Convention |
|
1947 |
Rotary's Two Score and Two
(Harris' Last Published Article) |
"Note
how it is spreading knowledge of the United Nations, wherein
civilization itself is at stake. How could Rotary do otherwise?" |
"My Road to Rotary" was published
after Harris' death |
|
1947 |
|
Tributes delivered
or presented at the 1947 Convention at San Francisco. |
|
|
2043 |
|
 |
Harris' message to the Rotarians of 2043 |
