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If
Rip, Jr., Should Wake Up!
By
Paul P. Harris
WHEN Rip Van Winkle awoke, on a certain historic occasion, he
found himself surrounded by things familiar and things
unfamiliar. There were enough of the familiar to convince him of
his own identity‑to link him with the past and to create a
reasonable presumption that he was not at the moment dreaming.
If
Rip Van Winkle, Jr., after the manner of his sire, had laid
himself down for a quarter‑of‑a‑century siesta on the evening of
February 23rd, 1905, he also would have had a rude awakening.
He
would have found changes in the material world without number.
The success of man in his feverish race against time would have
been amazing.
The trouble with Rip, Jr., would have been acute indigestion,
the result of trying to take in too many things at once. If they
had seeped into his consciousness one at a time it would have
been with him as it has been with everyone else, a case of
taking it all in and reaching out for more.
As
it has been with things physical so also has it been with the
metaphysical. To one who had closed his eyes on the twenty‑third
day of February, 1905, and opened them again February 23rd,
1930, readjustment to a new manner of thinking would have been
necessary. He would have gone to sleep in one world, and
awakened in another. Upon awakening, his first question would
have been: "What are men doing with my world? Obviously they are
taking liberties with it. What is the reason for this new view
of life?"
Back in 1905, business was not going to sleep, it was just
beginning to awaken. For generations, it had soothed its
conscience and found contentment in the time‑honored doctrine
Caveat Emptor by virtue of which the tradesman was licensed to
defraud his customer. As a soporific the doctrine worked!
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.
But business and business men were not the only converts to the
theory that it is a good plan to cheat the other fellow and to
cheat him first. Community spirit was conspicuous by its
absence, and nations were making preparations for the war which
was to come. Only dreamers were interested in safeguarding
future civilization.
ON
THE evening of February 23rd, 1905, four young business and
professional men of Chicago assembled to discuss the organizing
of a club on a plan submitted by one member of the group. The
plan was simple and eventually proved to be an excellent
foundation on which to build. From that day to this, building
has never ceased. Rotary has established itself in more than a
half‑hundred countries and its advance is more rapid today than
ever before. Its establishment in all civilized countries is now
but a question of time.
Since the 23rd of February, 1905, more than a score of
organizations patterned after Rotary have come into being,
enjoyed vigorous growth, and are now rendering a good account of
themselves.
The spirit which found expression in the phrases Caveat Emptor
and "When business begins, friendship ends," is facing
unrelenting opposition in business life. The new spirit
expressed in the phrase, "Service above Self" now manifests
itself in business relationships and in community life.
Indifference to international problems is no longer the rule.
"All things whatsoever ye would that others should do unto you,
do ye even so unto them," is an Oriental concept. The Service
Clubs are giving it Occidental interpretation.
Errors of omission and errors of commission are still the rule,
not the exception. If Rip Van Winkle, Jr., had awakened February
23rd, 1930, after a sleep of a quarter century duration, he
would have discovered no millennium here; he would have found,
however, that great changes have taken place, that new ideas
have replaced the old, and that millions of earnest, purposeful
men are working to the end of making this world a better place
in which to live.
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