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A Christmas Recollection For Sunday December 28 2003

"One Christmas morning, I found in the chimney corner a brightly painted sled with a picture of a reindeer painted on the seat. it was the gift of my father then working in a toy factory in Springfield. That was the most joyous of all the many Christmas Days of my boyhood".

from "My Road to Rotary" [p74]

Though Harris would be the first to agree that the most important message of Christmas is peace on earth and goodwill to all men, it is also a time for family. We can see from this short paragraph how much Paul missed his father as he grew up in Vermont.

An Objective Led Me On For Sunday 21 December 2003

“Frequently have the words been heard:  "You little thought that Rotary would become the world-wide power for good that it is today. You  builded better than you knew." Very true, my friend, and yet while in the very beginning the road was not all clear all the way ahead there was an objective which led me on.” Page VII from the Forward to "My Road to Rotary" by Paul P. Harris 1947, published in 1948

Today we call this "Goal Setting".  The goal does not have to be totally clear and defined.  But an idea or a vision that can be worked on, developed and moulded into something.  That something may not be quite what we thought of at the outset but will certainly be something that satisfies the "need to create something" that we had at the beginning.

The desire and passion that set PH on his way to form Rotary came from an original thought/idea.  The same thought/idea drove the development of Rotary into what it is today, the "Goal" that Paul Harris had set.  Not then specified, probably nothing like he thought it would be.  But then again everything and more than he thought it would be.  Everything and more that he, or we could imagine.

A Philosophy Convention for Sunday 7 December 2003

"Would it be too much to hope for a philosophical convention, or even an annual philosophical convention, where men who have shown particular interest in the philosophy of Rotary may get together undisturbed by entertainment and the rush of business which characterize annual conventions and devote themselves to the development of our Rotarian philosophy? I would love to know that there would some day be a great convention of Rotarian philosophers to, be held well outside the entertainment zone of some centrally located city.” Anniversary Address of President Emeritus Paul P. Harris, delivered at the U. S. Central Division Conference at Chicago, 22 February, 1915, (Rotary’s 10^th Anniversary) http://www.rotaryhistoryfellowship.org/philosophy/harris

In a longer address on the occasion of the 10^th anniversary of Rotary, Harris is concerned that there is no philosophy of Rotary. In fact there was an effort at the 1914 convention in Houston to do just that, but no record exists of the results. In the full document, found at the fellowship website, he calls for Rotarians to change the way we live our lives and in doing so, change the world. 

Jack Selway, Founder, Chairman and Webmaster RGHF, Pueblo, CO, USA

Understanding, goodwill, and international peace for Sunday 30 November 2003

An Anniversary Message for Sunday 23 November 2003

An anniversary message from the Father of Rotary' in which he gives expression to his personal and unofficial views upon Rotary and passing events.

“He who breathes deeply has the better chance of thinking clearly. He whose mind is right is most likely to be morally right and to understand the doctrine of ‘Service above Self.’” Paul P. Harris, The Rotarian, February 1917

“Rotary Just At The Threshold” Found at Rotary’s Global History Project at

http://historynewsletter.org/philosophy/harris/02_1917rotarian.htm

Harris’s 1917 letter to Rotarians, on the 12^th anniversary of Rotary is a philosophical work. It is also interesting to note the attitude, at least his, regarding temperance, at that time. Rotary International had banned advertising for alcoholic beverages. Harris in this letter is strongly apposed to drinking.

Religion and Politics for Sunday 16 November 2003

”Grandfather was an ambassador of good-will in the eyes of the youngster who sat at his table during his impressionable years; he never spoke evil of any man nor of any man's religion or politics."   (My Road to Rotary, by Paul Harris, page 208, copyright Rotary International)

Obviously Howard Harris, Paul’s Grandfather had an incredible influence on Paul’s life.  Paul placed many precepts learned at Howard’s knee into practice in Rotary.  Historically we have high standards to live by as Rotarians.

As Rotarians, your responsibility is to represent Rotary within your communities with dignity and high moral and ethical standards.  Wear your Rotary pin proudly and be aware of your responsibilities.  Dr. Edward “Eddie” Blender, Vail-Eagle Valley Rotary D5470 Vice President of Rotary Global History Fellowship.

Burned at the Stake - For 9 November 2003

Possibly within the next ten years we shall arrive at the point where it will be thought as sacred a duty to train the character of youth as to train the intellect, when sociology will be considered as essential a feature of religious training as the books of Moses. How much better a place to live in is the world today than it was two or three centuries ago. Can you realize the fact that men of those times were burned at the stake just for thinking? Paul P. Harris, The Rotarian, February 1917, on the 12th Anniversary of Rotary.  http://historynewsletter.org/philosophy/harris/

In his bio of Paul Harris, Ruggles wrote about him: "[...] he just naturally liked people" so I think his expectations were overly optimistic. You can educate people only so much, the rest is in the genes. No way to make a Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart out of a Wolfgang Ziegler.

Maybe the world today is in general a better place to live in than it was two or three centuries ago, but individually it still depends on the lot you draw  ... AND THINKING ALOUD CAN STILL BE DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH! 

Dr. Wolfgang Ziegler, RGHF History Fellow, RC of Ammersee D1840, Germany

Tolerance for Sunday 2 November 2003

“Unfortunately there are some folks in the world who actually cherish ancient and hereditary animosities, fanning the flame of century-old hatreds as matters of religious or racial duty. They habitually speak evil of representatives of countries other than their own, and in fact, seldom speak a kindly word of anyone even of those who are supposed to be their friends.” Paul P. Harris, Page 59 from "This Rotarian Age", 1935, complete and online at http://www.rotaryhistoryfellowship.org/library/rotaryianage/rotarianage.htm

Some folks are just downright intolerant!  The opening minute of “meditation” or “prayer” at Rotary clubs may be an opportunity to help overcome that problem.

Wouldn’t it be brilliant if in Rotary clubs worldwide we would share a diversity of positive proverbs or sayings from multiple religions?

It would be fascinating to use that one minute to "seek ye first to understand (others)" through being exposed to others' beliefs. PDG, Dr. Edward “Eddie” Blender, RGHF vice president, Vail-Eagle Valley Rotary D5470

A Changing World for Sunday 26 October 2003

     Past International Rotary Director Keith Barnard-Jones from the Rotary Club of The Island & Royal Manor of Portland, District 1200, U.K. has collected Paul Harris quotes over the past 27 years and sent us his favorite Paul Harris quotes.

This is a changing world and Rotary must be prepared to change with it.  The story of Rotary will be written over and over again. (This Rotarian Age, 1935, page 253) I would like to think that the pioneering days of Rotary have only just begun.  There are just as many things to do now as there ever were. Rotary must certainly continue to pioneer or be left in the rear of progress.

Rotarians have to realize that we must change with the times.  Paul Harris said this in 1947 just before he died and it is even truer nowadays. KB-J (Keith Bernard-Jones, Past RI Director Zones 17/18)

ON VOCATIONAL TRAINING for Sunday 19 October 2003

“Vocational training has accomplished much in the direction of enabling young men to find the work for which they are best adapted. The entire outlook upon life can frequently be changed for the better by shifting an employee from work he does not like to work that he enjoys. Progressive employers now recognize this fact and make the most of it.”  Paul P. Harris, page 141 from "This Rotarian Age" 1935

Vocational Service, one of Rotary’s four avenues of service is often overlooked and not celebrated in our clubs.  Today businesses and professionals worldwide are wrestling with ethical and moral dilemmas.  Concerned with the bottom line, cutthroat competition and fast passed changes the world needs Rotary more than ever to help bring stability and a solid ethical and moral outlook to our communities.

Rotarians should be interacting with the students and must continue set the example as the solid citizens and stalwarts within their communities.  Dr. Edward “Eddie” Blender. D5470 Vail-Eagle Valley Rotary

A Ghastly Blunder for Sunday 12 October 2003

     Past International Rotary Director Keith Barnard-Jones from the Rotary Club of The Island & Royal Manor of Portland, District 1200, U.K. has collected Paul Harris quotes over the past 27 years and sent us his favorite Paul Harris quotes.

War is always a ghastly blunder – even the winners lose.

     This is very appropriate now that we have started the Peace Centers.  Paul Harris was obviously ahead of his time KB-J (Keith Bernard-Jones, Past RI Director Zones 17/18)

Friendship and Understanding

”It has been the way of Rotary to focus thought upon matters in which member are in agreement, rather than upon matters in which they are in disagreement. Rotary has satisfactorily demonstrated the fact that friendship can easily hurdle national and religious boundary lines.” Paul P. Harris, page 61 from "This Rotarian Age" 1935

The focus of Rotary may have seemed to some to be simplistic. But Rotary is seen as one of the real forces for peace in the world and it starts at the roots of Rotary within its clubs.  Provided by Dr. Edward “Eddie” Blender, PDG, Vail-Eagle Valley Rotary D5470

“In the days to come” 28 September 2003

"Rotary has a long way to go. One who thinks of the movement as a finished product is indeed short sighted; there is nothing in the past to justify such a view; those who have been long identified with it think of it as having made a beginning only; the grandeur of Rotary must be in the days to come".  Paul Harris - “The Founder of Rotary" p. 122

     I love to quote Paul Harris’:  “.... the grandeur of Rotary must be in the days to come". 

     It is my firm conviction that Rotary's best days lie ahead. We have demonstrated our strength and our ability to solve the problems of mankind on this globe. In immunizing the children of the world, we have demonstrated the ability of Rotarians united to make the 21st century the prime of Rotary service, and because of Rotary service, mankind's best century ever I see the day when people everywhere will recognize the Rotary wheel as the hope, help, and life of mankind the people who solve problems. Richard D. King, RI Past President 2001-2002, Mankind is our Business

An article in the British Rotary Magazine 21 September 2003

Between March 1 and June 8, 1934, Paul and Jean Harris embarked on a major tour of Britain and South Africa.  While they were in Britain, they attended many Rotary functions. In April 1934, the British Rotary magazine, 'The Rotary Wheel', published a report of the District 6 Conference at Worcester, England, held in March, when one of the guests was Paul Harris.  His speech at the Conference luncheon was reported in 'The Rotary Wheel'. It should be read in the context of the political developments taking place round the world at this time.

“Paul Harris, who expressed his appreciation of the Cotswold country- the loveliest he had seen in England, made a plea for tolerance of other countries’ customs and experiments.  Rotarians in the United States did not expect there to be the same kind of expression of Rotary in the British Isles as in the United States.  There must be many different expressions of Rotary.  He did not believe it was going to be possible to use Rotary as an instrument for deciding momentous international questions.

Rotary would have done well enough if it did some of the spade-work in preparing the minds of the peoples for the acceptance of the doctrine that it was better to be at peace than at war.

He could look with a good deal of composure at the experiments in Russia.  He did not believe in communism; he believed that a person could be as selfish under that system as under capitalism; but he felt that the rest of the world should be happy that Russia was conducting these experiments, for they would profit by learning from Russia's successes and mistakes.  The same applied to Germany and Italy, and his own country was making an experiment to help the unemployed from which the rest of the world might benefit at some time.”  April 1934, the British Rotary magazine, 'The Rotary Wheel'

Contributed by History Fellow Basil Lewis, RC of Humberside, UK

Philosophy be Realized for 14 September 2003

"The most urgent need at the present stage in the development of Rotary is not `more clubs' nor `larger clubs'; it is the evolution of a truer and stronger philosophy.

It is not only necessary to the permanency of the success of Rotary that its philosophy be idealized and standardized. It must also be practicalized and trued.

Rotary presents even now after several years of existence and after all of its wonderful growth, many problems which reach to the very center of its being, and the rarest of opportunities for definite constructive work."  Paul P. Harris The National Rotarian, November 1911 (from "Honoring our Past" copyright Rotary International)

      Those words were written almost 92 years ago and ring true today.  Recently in Brisbane at the Rotary Institute and Plenary Sessions, addresses from the podium and floor spoke to morals and ethics and history and philosophy and leadership.

       Speaker after speaker spoke about the need to strengthen and teach our History and Philosophy.  What better place to teach our history then at PETS and Rotary Institutes.  What better time then now as we approach our Centennial.

Edward “Eddie” Blender, Vail-Eagle Valley Rotary D5470

Great Missions for 7 September 2003

"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 recognised principles of Rotary before attempting to make it a part of Rotary." Paul Harris, 1912 Convention at Duluth. Visit http://www.rotaryhistoryfellowship.org  then select “conventions”

It is refreshing to see the word “propaganda” used in a wholesome, healthy way. It reminds us of times when, perhaps communication was simpler. Or was it? The challenges faced by their world and by the early leaders of Rotary were likely no less than today. Time spent reading some of the history of Rotary will help all of us realise that the good old days were just as good as today.  Jack Selway, Rotary Club of Pueblo #43, Colorado

Charity for Sunday 31 August 2002

Past International Rotary Director Keith Barnard-Jones from the Rotary Club of The Island & Royal Manor of Portland, District 1200, U.K. has collected Paul Harris quotes over the past 27 years and sent us his favorite Paul Harris quotes.

“Rotary will continue to be charitable, but it can do more than that.   Let it remove the cause of that which makes charity necessary.” “The Rotarian” August 1916

      Surely the basis of what Rotary is all about, simply put in a few words.  KB-J (Keith Bernard-Jones, Past RI Director Zones 17/18)

“A Changing World” for 24 August 2003

"It is well that there is nothing in Rotary so sacred that it cannot be set aside in favor of things better. This is an experimental age in a changing world, and all things which are worth while and progressive are the cumulative effects of preceding successes and failures.” From Peregrinations, Volume III "Our Neighbors on the South" by Paul P. Harris, President Emeritus, Rotary International - copyright 1937, Jean T. Harris, courtesy of the Rotary International Archives

    The quote above is one of my favorites from Paul Harris: “….there is nothing in Rotary so sacred that it cannot be set aside in favor of things better.”

     And those Rotarians who have accomplished the most share an important characteristic: they are not afraid of change.

      If I could wipe out any single sentence from the Rotary vocabulary, it would be “But that's the way we've always done it.”  We should never let this be the excuse we give for missed opportunities. 

RI Past President Jim Lacy, Follow your Rotary Dream

Please forward this to your club members and friends. Please inform webmasters in your area of Rotary to change the website for “Rotary History” to www.historynewsletter.org and we would especially wish to thank Rotary International for their promotion of our project on the Centennial web site under “A Look Back.”

“What Paul Harris Said” From Rotary Global History Fellowship (An Internet Project), a project of volunteer Rotarians from around the world.

May Rotary Continue for 17 August 2003

“May Rotarians continue to be ambassadors of good-will to high and low, rich and poor, to all races, to the devotees of all religious faiths and to members of all political parties, purveyors of tolerance, forbearance, justice, kindliness, neighborliness and friendliness to the inhabitants of this snug little world, the best little world of which we know.” Paul P. Harris, Page 256 from “This Rotarian Age”, 1935, complete and online at http://www.rotaryhistoryfellowship.org under Paul Harris writing.

With very few words, Paul Harris’s final words from his “text book” on Rotary tell it all. This was what his life was about and would continue to be for 12 more years. Even as he wrote those words, he had suffered a grave illness, yet travelled on long trips to both Europe and South Africa. When you’ve read his entire book and his other books, you’ll find that your own thinking about Rotary and life on this snug little world will be changed. The founder of Rotary was a man for our time and it is still timely to study him.

Travels to England with Jean 10 August 2003

In the second part of his tour of Britain in 1934, Paul Harris, accompanied by Jean, decided to explore parts of North East Scotland, visiting clubs that rarely saw the RIBI President let alone anyone from RI.   Travelling East from Inverness, the couple went along the coast to the small town of Elgin, where the famous public school of Gordonstoun was founded the following year by Kurt Hahn. Both Prince Philip and Prince Charles attended this school.

In his address to the Rotary Club of Elgin on June 2 1934, Paul Harris spoke about  the part which Rotary might play in the promotion of international goodwill.

"If there is any one of the many different things in the Rotary movement which seems to me appropriate at the moment, it is the promotion of international goodwill.  I think that when we review that object we recognize it is one of the important things of Rotary. If we can play only a minor part in bringing nations more together, we shall have done something to justify the existence of our movement.  Our membership is not large.  There are only about one hundred and sixty thousand Rotarians in the world, and it is difficult to know what we can do to play a part in this work.

I think one of the things open to everyone is to encourage as far as possible a feeling of tolerance between nations.  It is quite natural that we should think of our own nations as THE nations, and think that the culture, educational processes, etc, of the other countries are essentially wrong if they differ from our own. I think that is the case with every nation on earth.  In the spirit of tolerance and in trying to find things that are beautiful and illustrious in other countries, I think we can do something. We travel in other countries

and the more we travel, the less serious the differences appear. It seems to me that we ought to do the best we can to suspend judgment until we give things a fair trial.  We should get reasonably well advised as to what other people are trying to do before pronouncing judgment.  If we cannot encourage that feeling of tolerance in our own country and in every country, only God can save the world.  We Rotarians ought always to be looking for the beautiful in life, not the ugly."   From the “Elgin Courant” of June 4 1934

Friendship for Sunday 3 August 2003

“He resolved to organize such a club. Who should be asked to join? Of one thing he was certain—they must be friendly men. He thought of his client, Silvester Schiele, the coal man, and Gustavus Loehr, mining engineer, and then he thought of Harry Ruggles, a printer who had been supplying the needs of his office. All these were approachable, friendly men.” Paul Harris, Page 93 “The Founder of Rotary” 1928

“What Paul Harris Said” CONCERNING VALUES for 27 July 2003

"One of the chief responsibilities laid upon the shoulders of man, be he young or old, is the responsibility of conserving his moral, mental and physical resources and making the best possible use of them." Paul P. Harris, Page 125 from “The Founder of Rotary”, 1928, complete and online at http://www.rotaryhistoryfellowship.org/http://www.whatpaulharriswrote.org/library/founder/book

MY COMMENT:

To discover, to give full care and feel responsible for our own gifts and values and to make the best of it was also the central theme of one of the greatest psychiatrists of the last century, Viktor Frankl (26.3.1905 - 2.9.1997) for whom I always had the highest admiration.

Frankl, as Prof. Dr. George Kovacs from Florida International University described him, was a thinker for Hard Times and in fact one of the great thinkers of his century; he was able and had the courage to grasp and see through the shocking, tragic events of our times, to look for the future, to decreed meaning in being, in living even again the odds. He was deeply shaken by Auschwitz and by Hiroshima; in the depth of human degradation and in the pervasiveness of despair, he found an opening for a vision intuiting possibilities for meaning and being, for hope and goodness against the forces of monstrous evil, against the seductive powers of scepticism, and despair.

“What Paul Harris Said” Without Friendship we’ll be blown to bits.

“Friendship was the foundation rock on which Rotary was built and tolerance is the element which holds it together. There is enough atomic energy in every Rotary club to blow it into a thousand bits were it not for the spirit of tolerance; just such tolerance as marked the life of my grandfather from which my own faith sprang.” Paul P. Harris, Page 270 from “My Road to Rotary”, 1947, online at http://www.myroadtorotary.org/

Without friendship, without tolerance we can “blow the whole organization to bits.” It won’t matter how large the organization becomes, when negative human emotions prevail over friendship and tolerance, Rotary is as fragile as an egg on its side. Can we all look ourselves in the mirror today and know that we’ve done our best as friends… with tolerance?

Jack Selway, editor for the history project. Pueblo, Colorado

“What Paul Harris Said” A visit to the UK 13 July 2003

In June 1934, Paul Harris visited Shrewsbury and spoke at a lunch meeting of the local club.  The Shrewsbury Chronicle for June 8, 1934, on page 8 made the following comment on the visit:-

FROM CHICAGO AND NO PISTOLS!

President Emeritus Paul Harris, a very gentlemanly and unassuming inhabitant of notorious Chicago, visited Shrewsbury on Wednesday, and so far as could be seen, he had no pistols hanging at his waist. True, the Chief Constable was present, and kept a close guard over the Mayor, but no untoward incident occurred.  Mr Harris spoke a good deal of the need for Rotarians to be ambassadors of goodwill.  I wonder if he realised what a fine ambassador he himself was for his own much maligned city?  He must have shattered many illusions about the people who live in Chicago.

THE PILGRIM FATHERS

Talking of the Pilgrim Fathers, Mr Harris said it was not the Pilgrim Fathers who were the heroes, but the Pilgrim Mothers who had to put up with those Fathers.  There was at least one thing that could have

happened that would have been better for America than the landing of the Pilgrim Fathers on the Plymouth Rock, and that would have been the landing of the Plymouth Rock on the Pilgrim Fathers!  Evidently the Pilgrim Fathers are held in no great esteem in America.

Contributed by THOR History Fellow Basil Lewis, RC of Humberside, UK

"What Paul Harris Said" -  6 July 2003 

MAINTAINING ROTARY STANDARDS

"The importance of placing and maintaining Rotary standards and ideals aloft cannot be overestimated. The star of hope in the Rotary ethical firmament must be high. It is hardly possible for it to be too high. May it be high enough so that there will always be something to strive for."  Paul Harris in the National Rotarian, September 1912.  

Over ninety years ago Paul Harris wrote those words.  We exist today in a world in which moral and ethical dilemmas are commonplace and yet throughout our history Rotary is still held sacred for its high standards. 

Strive to be proactive and maintain standards and ideals in your communities and to hold your heads high as the uncommon folks proudly known as Rotarians.

Contributed by PDG, Dr. Edward "Eddie" Blender, Vail-Eagle Valley Rotary D5470

Next week: A visit to the UK

BE A CONTRIBUTOR

Harris Visits South Africa

In just two days, Rotary will welcome its first president from Africa. 69 years ago, the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris. It was his only trip to Africa.

“In all countries where there are Rotary clubs, there are distinct channels of thought which must not be overlooked by Rotarian leaders. It is not a question of what men ought to be thinking about; it is a question of what men are thinking about. If the possibilities of future wars constitute ninety per cent of the thinking of men of Rotarian caliber, then manifestly Rotary’s opportunity lies in serving the sixth object in some suitable manner. It is a case of devoting Rotary to the form of service required, or else resigning ourselves to being very small and inconsequential factors. Rotary can keep in the tide without drifting in it.

Our work in Cape Town in the company of the best and most earnest thinkers gathered together from all parts of South Africa will never be forgotten.” Pages 27-28 from “A Visit to Great Britain and South Africa” by Paul P. Harris, 1934.

Next week: Maintaining Rotary Standards

BE A CONTRIBUTOR

“What Paul Harris Said” The struggles of South Africa

In just two weeks, Rotary will welcome its first president from Nigeria, a country in West Africa. 69 years ago, the founder of Rotary, Paul Harris, visited South Africa and wrote of the social struggles of that time. It was his only trip to Africa.

“It would be fair to assume, even if it were not otherwise made apparent, that the Afrikans love their civilization, their culture as it was, and that they had profound ambitions for its development along lines which they considered more noble than any that had ever been conceived by man before. We can only dimly sense what it must mean to the Afrikans to fear that eventually all that they have learned to reverence and to consider sacred must give way to something else which they do not reverence or consider sacred.

This is one side of the picture. On the other hand, the dominant order believe that no more generous peace terms were ever granted a conquered people than those granted the Boers at the time of the termination of the British. Boer war, and that they had the right to believe that the terms were unequivocably accepted.

Of course, there is no possible determination of the question of rights. At every step a new issue, relevant or irrelevant, will arise. The one out standing thing in the eyes of an unprejudiced observer is the fact that both British and Afrikans are seriously trying to reconcile their differences. The bilingual plan is adopted in the public schools, even though little Afrikan is ordinarily spoken in the commercial centers of South Africa. In other ways the desire to placate and to remove, as far as possible, the sting of defeat was manifest.

The present national party, a compromise of the extremes, is in power. General Smuts, once an Afrikan, now an Imperialist, and General Herzog, until very recently an irreconcilable Afrikan, are for the time being working in harmony. I had the pleasure of lunching once with General Herzog, now premier, and twice with General Smuts. The fact that General Smuts was educated in an English university undoubtedly made it much easier for him than it was for General Herzog to accept British rule. General Smuts is at present Lord Chancellor of St. Andrews University in Scotland where he spends a few weeks every year.

The great solvent of difficulties between the British and Afrikans in South Africa would seem to an observer to be free inter-communication between the two white races. The children go to school together and friendships 8pring up, and in thousands of cases Sons of British ancestry take unto them selves daughters of Afrikans. I learned of one case where every one of the twelve daughters of an Afrikan father and mother married young men of British stock. Segregation is a poor instrumentality for the promotion of understanding. Inter-communication promotes understanding and eventually heals the wounds of discord, grievous though they may be. Success to South Africa in its Anthropological experiments!”  Pages 23-34 from “A Visit to Great Britain and South Africa” by Paul P. Harris, 1934.

Next week: Community Service in Africa

“What Paul Harris Said” Problems in South Africa, For Sunday 15 June 2003

69 years ago, Paul Harris visited South Africa. Next month the first African Rotarian, Jonathan Majiyagbe, of Kano, Nigeria, becomes the world leader of Rotary. In his journal of that trip, Harris wrote of the Rotarians and the society of South Africa at that time.

“The Afrikans take Rotary, as they take everything else seriously, and their representation in high offices is proportionately large. This, however, may be partially due to the English spirit of fair play. In any event, it is a wise policy to encourage the Afrikan in every practicable way to enter into the fellowship of Rotary. I was glad to learn that Rotary had done much to bring about better understanding between the British and the Afrikan elements.

It would be absurd for me to attempt to write in any other than a most general way of the racial problem in South Africa. It would, however, seem improper, even in a brief report, to ignore entirely matters of such commanding importance. Racial problems certainly loom large in South Africa, both as respects the British-Afrikan relationship, and also as respects the relationship of the whites, blacks and mixed elements. The Afrikans are principally of Dutch forebears and are commonly known to us in America as Boers. The blacks in Natal are mainly Zulus, a strong and unusually intelligent tribe, who have swarmed down from the equatorial belt to participate, as far as is compatible with their lowly state, in the civilization of the white man. The transformation of these war lords of the tropics into law-abiding menials in Durban is fascinating to the observer. The Zulus retain much of that which is colorful in their native life long after they have become domesticated in the temperate zone of South Africa. These aristocrats of the black tribes make ideal household servants; but they are not oblivious to the fact that the white man’s civilization has something beyond. They want that some thing and are willing to pay the price for it. I am told that they have a veritable passion for education, and therein lies the problem. What is to become of a country in which the blacks outnumber the whites in a ratio of ten to one if and when the blacks become educated?

The whites are not at all unconscious of this problem; they see it and face it in commendable spirit. The shortest cut to permanent white control would seem to be to close the doors to further immigration and to deprive the remaining blacks of educational advantages. I found no strong sentiment in favor of either policy. Even conceding the fact that the available supply of cheap and efficient labor presents economic advantages which intelligent South African whites have undoubtedly not overlooked, their sane and dispassionate consideration of the question of granting educational advantages, which may result in converting black household servants and laborers into lawyers, doctors, ministers and legislators, seems to me highly commendable.

I write a few lines on the so-called “Afrikan” problem with fear and trembling. My time in South Africa was brief and impressions are frequently misleading. When problems of such great importance to the parties most concerned are being treated by an observer, a slight deviation from the truth may do one or the other party great injustice. I therefore find myself inclined to avoid expression of conclusions in controversial matters and to confine what I say to that which, at least on the face of it, would not seem likely to give offense.

Proceeding in this manner, I may perhaps say that I found myself as most detached observers would be in sympathy with the servient rather than with the dominant element. In other words, with the weak rather than with the strong. The unorganized Afrikan element in South Africa is not impressive when compared with the British Empire.” Page 23 from “A Visit to Great Britain and South Africa” by Paul P. Harris, 1934.

Next week: Further signs of struggle in South Africa

“What Paul Harris Said” 1934 Trip to South Africa

Though Paul Harris did not visit Nigeria, the home of Jonathan Majiyagbe, who is about to become the first African president of Rotary, we thought it never the less fitting to pass on some of our founder’s recollections from 69 years ago.

“No American reception of visitors from abroad, extolled as they are, could have been more spontaneous and friendly than that awarded us by the Johannesburg Rotarians. They had been good enough to arise at an unconscionable hour, meet us at the station and show us about South Africa’s metropolis. Johannesburg (Joburg, as it is familiarly called) has a population of six hundred thousand, and an elevation of six thousand feet. In some respects it reminds one of Denver. The gold mines in and about the city were working full blast as a result of the purchases which were being made by the United States government. It’s an ill wind that blows no one good. One thing only mars the beauty of Johannesburg, and that is a succession of ponderous refuse heaps around the mouths of the gold mines. How to convert these heaps into things of beauty is a problem which is engaging the attention of the esthetic minded people of the gold city.

During the forenoon we drove to Pretoria where a meeting of Rotarians had been called. Tea was served and fellowship and brief speeches followed. Among other things I told the gathering, which consisted of both men and women, of the youth who was making his home in their midst. Judging from the enthusiasm manifested, I venture to predict that he will never have occasion to suffer the pangs of homesickness again. South African men and women are warm hearted and they know how to entertain.” Pages 21 – 22 from “A Visit to Great Britain and South Africa” by Paul P. Harris, 1934.

Next week: Harris writes of the troubles facing South Africa in 1932

“What Paul Harris Said” Paul Harris left a note inside a copy of “This Rotarian Age.”

Signed, dated and inscribed in fountain pen on front pastedown: "To my friend of long standing, Elizabeth P. Enos under whose hospitable roof this book was mostly written. With kind regards and in memory of happy days

Sincerely,

Paul P. Harris

August 2nd 1935"

Paul Harris wrote "This Rotarian Age" while recovering from a "Nervous Breakdown"  (from page 200) "During the last four years he has been on the retired list, so far as his law practice is concerned; the result of a nervous breakdown caused by over-drawing his account. After he had liquidated his obligations to nature for overwork, he contracted another for over-rest before he eventually succeeded in getting his books balanced. He is now transacting his business on a cash basis, and enjoying life." Paul P. Harris, This Rotarian Age Page 200 www.thisrotarianage.org

During this same period he undertook a strenuous trip to Great Britain and South Africa (his complete journal can be read at http://www.rotarylibrary.org/southafrica1934/index.htm ) and had only recently completed his remarkable book “The Founder of Rotary” which is online at www.thefounderofrotary.org . In addition, there is his journal of his trip to Europe in 1932 complete at http://rotarylibrary.org/europe1932/. On this trip he was a representative to the International Law Congress in The Hague. Just four years earlier he had made a 1928 trip to Europe and his journal can be read at http://rotarylibrary.org/europe1928/ . In that journal Harris tells us that his understanding of "fellowship" comes from his study of the poet/philosopher Robert Burns. Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, was an individual who overcame adversity to lead and inspire two generations of Rotarians. During the next four weeks, we will reprint some of Paul Harris’s notes from his trip to Africa in honor of Rotary’s first President from that continent, Jonathan B. Majiyagbe http://rotarypresidents.org/2003majiyagbe/index.htm

Next week: Harris visits Africa, home to Rotary’s next RI president.

“What Paul Harris Said” “He Sees the Future” for 5/25/2003

“Rotary has a long way to go. One who thinks of the movement as a finished product is indeed short sighted; there is nothing in the past to justify such a view; those who have been long identified with it think of it as having made a beginning only; the grandeur of Rotary must be in the days to come. A movement which has reached forty-three nations in approximately half that number of years must be destined to surge on until it has reached every nation and when there are no more nations to conquer, it will be time for a more intensive cultivation of the territory open up. There will always be enough to do; the only ethical conception of a movement which makes for the betterment of men is the all inclusive conception. Rotary must not content itself with being anything less than a movement affecting the lives of all men; its requirements are so simple, its doctrine so universally acceptable that its sponsors are not visionary in thinking of Rotary as an all pervading influence. Naturally the founder desires to live to see its influence extended.” Paul P. Harris, Page 120 from “The Founder of Rotary” 1928 complete and online at http://www.thefounderofrotary.org/

Next week: He leaves us a note

“What Paul Harris Said” “You Find What You Look For” for Sunday 11 May 2003

While in London, a controversial study by a Rotary Club in Wyoming, USA, stirred Harris to write about the policy of Rotary to avoid politics, but the importance of the study of international affairs. To grasp the full context, one should read several paragraphs from his journal of 1934.

“The traditional policy of Rotary has been to keep out of political controversies on the theory that it would be impossible to arrive at a common mind and because it is the easiest thing in the world to engender bad feelings which disturb the progress of other tried and true measures for stimulating international good will. I do not mean to say that Rotarians should refrain from the study of international affairs. On the contrary, I can not imagine anything more important. We must have more knowledge, far more. In fact, I took a small library with me on my long trip to and from South Africa. The books were all on international affairs and all of them have been read and then passed to other friends in Rotary, but the study of international relationship is a real study; it requires time, and it must always be held in mind that one-sided information is worse than no information at all.” Paul P. Harris, 20 from “A visit to Great Britain and South Africa – 1934” by Paul P. Harris. Found at http://www.Rotary Global History Fellowship/books

Next week: What Paul Harris sees for the future

And that’s a History Minute from “The “History” Project

“What Paul Harris Said” “You Find What You Look For” for Sunday 11 May 2003

While traveling in Great Britain, Harris observed that finding fellowship and goodwill is a matter of what you look for. If you look for the best in people, he claims you will find it.

“I soon learned that the tap room was the rendezvous of the villagers, the place of all to get acquainted with the tradesmen of the town. They welcomed me in their midst. I was something new to them, as they were new to me. We laughed and chatted intimately over our mugs and on the day of leaving I felt quite complimented when Mr. Walters and Miss Cornish told me that the men of the village said that they didn’t know how they would be able to get along without me. It was a satisfaction to feel that it was possible to make one’s self so perfectly at home in that bit of ancient England. I am convinced that one can find whatever he searches for in this world. If he will have trouble, he can have it in plenty. If, on the other hand, he prefers the good will of his fellowmen, it is readily available.

In a burst of good will, Mr. Walters said, “What a pleasure it would be to run a hotel, Mr. Harris, if all of our guests were like you.” The formula is very simple indeed. Be friendly and you will be sure to find friends in plenty.” Paul P. Harris, 4 from “A visit to Great Britain and South Africa – 1934” by Paul P. Harris. Found at http://www.Rotary Global History Fellowship/books

Next week: International Understanding and Politics

And that’s a History Minute from “The “History” Project

“What Paul Harris Said” “The Hot Water Bottle” for Sunday 4 May 2003

Here is a flavor of the clever and witty writing of Paul Harris, from his journal of a trip to South Africa in 1934. Jean and he have just checked into an English inn, with no heat, it’s very cold, but there is a hot water bottle provided them.

“Had I the gift of a poet, I would try to describe the grateful warmth of the English hot water bottle and its effect on us in our beds that night in the ancient Bull. I had little time to think of the generations who had preceded me in that very room. I was not long cold; my beloved and beneficent hot water bottle was doing its work and the bed clothes were piled high. Nothing too good can be said of the English hot water bottle; it is a refuge in time of need. Long may the custom continue! It almost pays one to be half frozen in order to be thawed out by the friendly hot water bottle. I was tired, very tired that night at the Bull and I slept the sleep of the just.” Paul P. Harris, 4 from “A visit to Great Britain and South Africa – 1934” by Paul P. Harris. Found at http://www.Rotary Global History Fellowship/books

Next week: While in Great Britain, Harris notes that you find the best or the worst in humanity depending on what you look for.”

And that’s a History Minute from “The “History” Project

“What Paul Harris Said” “Planting Friendship Trees” for 27 April 2003

RI President, Sydney Pascall, of London, and the first president from Europe, was also the first president to plant a tree during a presidential visit. However, Paul and Jean Harris’s Friendship Garden at their Chicago home, “Comely Bank” became an important gathering place for leadership and soon trees were planted and dedicated to Rotary friends. Then, in the 30’s, when Paul was in his later years, they traveled through the US, Japan, Latin America, China, Australia, New Zealand and many countries of Europe. They both spoke, listened and met thousands of Rotarians and citizens of the world. The also planted trees in dozens of cities. Records of many of these have been discovered and preserved by our project at http://www.friendshiptrees.org/

“Upon several occasions, Boards of Rotary International have extended to us invitations to visit the Rotary clubs of other counties; such invitations we have, as a rule, accepted and we have tried to make ourselves ambassadors of good-will. With the cooperation of Rotarians and local governments, I have planted friendship trees in the parks and playgrounds on all the five continents of the world and even on some of the major islands of the seas. Our trees stood as symbols of international understanding and good-will. National and municipal governments have participated in the ceremonies incident to such plantings and monuments bearing bronze plates with appropriate inscriptions, have, in several instances, been erected. Our tree plantings are merely gestures of good-will but they are intelligible to all the citizens of the various countries whatever language they speak." Paul P. Harris, Page 275 from “My Road to Rotary”, 1947, now availably from Rotary International’s publications department.

Next week: A hot water bottle saves the day.

And that’s a History Minute from “The “History” Project

“What Paul Harris Said” “Integrating Force” for 20 April 2003

Did Paul Harris have a vision? What did he see Rotary doing in the future? When he was completing his third book about Rotary, “My Road to Rotary,” he was 79 years old, had suffered three serious heart attacks, recovered from a nervous breakdown, yet traveled the world, inspired tens of thousands in dozens of languages and even still dreamed of more. Two of his books can be read online, this one can still be purchased. If you read his books, your Rotary life will never be the same. You will know that this man was a singular genius for his time.

“When Rotary holds its convention ten years hence, the skies will be full of planes from all the cities throughout the world. Nothing but good can come of such meetings of men united in the common ideal of service. Rotary is an integrating force in a world where forces of disintegration are all too prevalent; Rotary is a microcosm of a world at peace, a model which nations will do well to follow.” Paul P. Harris, Page 269 from “My Road To Rotary”, 1947, now availably from Rotary International’s publications department.

Next week: In his sixties, he and his wife plant Friendship Trees around the world.

And that’s a History Minute from The “History” Project

“What Paul Harris Said” “Rotary would not be Religious” for 13 April 2003

“The 1905 members of the Rotary Club of Chicago, so valued the friendship of their fellow-members that they put a ban upon religious and political discussions, fearing that they might become disturbing factors, and they were richly rewarded for their foresight. There was plenty of dynamite in questions which might have been raised; but they were not raised. The formula was very simple; it read, “GO about your common tasks together, avoid discussions of dissentious subjects, and your reward will be friendship.” The formula was worthy of adoption in much wider circles.

The sparkling wit of the Irishman vied with the quaint humor of the Jews, to the delectation of the members whose ancestry represented a galaxy of nations. Acquaintance is the great intermediary; it soothes troubled spirits, subdues unworthy suspicion, and as a rule eventually ripens into friendship.

“One man is as good as another — and a great dale better, as the Irish philosopher said.”  —Thackeray.

Unfortunately there are some folks in the world who actually cherish ancient and hereditary animosities, fanning the flame of century-old hatreds as matters of religious or racial duty. They habitually speak evil of representatives of countries other than their own, and in fact, seldom speak a kindly word of anyone even of those who are supposed to be their friends. It is a matter of habit largely, and Rotary associations tend to bring about the substitution of friendly sentiment for unfriendly Sentiment.

But how dwarfed the soul of those who recognize no Virtue save within the membership of their own little group or sect. They still live in the atmosphere of the Middle Ages.” Paul P. Harris, Page 59 from “This Rotarian Age”, 1935, complete and online at http://www.thisrotarianage.org/

Next week: In a brief statement, Harris sees Rotary’s role in the future of our world. He did indeed have a vision of what could have been, and could still be.

And that’s a History Minu