Rotary's Concept of World at Peace

“Nations have recently been led to borrow billions for war; no nation has ever borrowed largely for education. Probably no nation is rich enough to pay for both war and civilization. ‘We must make our choice; we cannot have both.”—AB FLEXNER.

If any of Rotary’s objects is especially high-sounding, it is this one: “The advancement of goodwill through an international fellowship of business and professional men united in the ideal of service,” and yet sane, sensible, and successful business men of eighty nations have faith in it. Leading educators in as many different nations share the optimism of the business men.

The time when Rotary will be able to claim citizenship in a hundred countries is not far distant but can even such an organization with several thousand Rotary clubs located in the nerve centers of approximately one hundred countries, exercise an appreciable influence on the institution which we call “war”? That is indeed a serious question.

If war was rational, one might readily answer “yes,” but war seldom is rational. War pays neither victor nor vanquished, and at its very best is the very worst that human beings know. War is the result of passions unrestrained; passions aroused by greed and jealousy, intolerance, arrogance, rivalry, and eventually — hatred, whipped into fury by lies, probable and improbable, plausible and implausible, believable and unbelievable, sublime and ridiculous. In times of impending or actual war, the appetite for lies is ravenous; they are swallowed hook, line and sinker. He who manifests a discriminatory taste is put under the surveillance of a vigilance committee, the members of which teach him that all wartime lies are palatable and should be taken with a relish.

The respectability of lies being thus established, accomplished liars, whether their specialty be the written or the spoken lie, are in great demand. Publishers of newspapers and magazines and managers of lecture bureaus consider themselves, as a rule, purveyors to the public taste. Under such dispensation, the morale of a nation is soon broken down and expressions such as “I kept them out of war,” and “There is such a thing as being too proud to fight,” are changed in a twinkling to “This is a war to end wars” and the war gets under way. Lynching is anathematized because it is lawless; all wars are lawless.

Who is to blame? John Galsworthy in his introduction to Vivian Carter’s book, “The Meaning of Rotary,” points the finger of accusation at three classes: the scientists (chemists, inventors, and engineers) who invent the means of destruction; the financiers, who provide the funds; and the press, which whips the fury of passion until it brings about the abandonment of reason. It is interesting to note that Mr. Galsworthy omits two classes which certain other writers would have included: namely, the men of military science, and the so-called diplomatists. According to Mr. John Maynard Keynes, the eminent British writer, secret diplomacy operative for years preceding the world war had put the great allied powers in positions from which none of the signatories could have extricated itself without dishonor. But Lord Beaverbrook now contends that changing conditions invalidate treaties, secret or otherwise, and that there is no dishonor comparable with war.

Be that as it may, the more we learn of people the less likely we are to think ill of them. Nothing can be more senseless than to foster ill-will through the written or spoken word. Rotary seeks to encourage the habit of kindly consideration in international relationships. It is just as easy to contract the habit of speaking softly as it is to contract the habit of speaking harshly, if one will only try. Most of the stories of war-time atrocities are pure propaganda, and entirely untrue. A university professor recently said: “Anyone who believes such stories, whether they are related by friend or foe, is a plain fool.” Unfortunately there still are many “plain fools.”

The late Judge Gary, while chairman of the board of directors of the United States Steel Co., once said that a fellowship of steel producers could make the way to war rough-sledding for propagandists. If there is truth in Judge Gary’s observations, is it not obvious that a world fellowship of business and professional men can wield an effective influence? If one-half of the several thousand Rotary newspapers published in the eighty Rotarian countries will stand entirely true to Rotary ideals, war propagandists of the future will have one formidable force at least, to contend with.

If we must be belligerent, let us train our guns on Mars, for instance. It has a bad name anyhow and the Martians are beyond the pale of human pity — as yet.

It is astonishing how many ethically-minded folks disencumber themselves of ethical-mindedness when their thoughts carry them across their national boundary lines. War is not the only manifestation of the spirit of international lawlessness. Treaties become scraps of paper. Agreements become valueless except as souvenirs. It is one thing to preserve a humanistic attitude of mind toward one’s fellow countrymen, a very different thing to apply the principle to outlanders. Distrust of foreigners and patriotism are synonymous terms in the minds of many. To such, he who customarily attributes honorable motives to his countrymen, is thought to do well; but he who counsels deliberation before condemning the motives of men of other countries is a traitor.

At a time when civilization had attained dizzy heights, when granaries were full to overflowing, spindles working night and dry, universities and colleges pouring graduates into the stream of productive life, a mischief-maker worked its way into the inner offices of journalists; into legislative halls; into the studies of ministers, poets, and philosophers; into the homes of peasants, craftsmen and laborers; even into prisons and almshouses. It came in the name of patriotism; its real name was fear. Fear, at first cringing, flattered by its favorable reception, became arrogant; its power grew and it eventually took command of all forces, civil and military, high and low, good and bad; not in one country only, but in nearly all countries throughout the civilized world. During a period of four years the forces under its command destroyed property beyond appraisal, and millions of human lives; sons, grandsons, brothers and fathers. Some whose lives were snuffed out, would have become immortals — Pasteur's, Tennyson's, Mozart's, and Edison's. They would have increased human happiness, assuaged grief, and enriched civilization. They were not the assets of any particular country; they were world assets.

There was only one victorious “army” in the world war; only one army which achieved its objective, and that was the Salvation Army, serving hot coffee and doughnuts to friend and foe, and proclaiming allegiance to one whom they called “The Prince of Peace.”

Sir Norman Angell holds that the most important of all factors making for international peace, is understanding. In order to emphasize his statement, he adds that without understanding, goodwill is worse than useless; that it may, in fact, become an absolute menace. Certain it is, that outbreaks of war have frequently followed on the very heels of friendly overtures. In such instances, however, fear, jealousy, commercial rivalries, secret treaties, etc., have generally been stewing in the pot for many years and the friendly overtures are made at the last moment by frenzied men in the desperate hope of averting impending calamity. The writer feels disposed to believe that Sir Norman, in his effort to drive home a sense of the importance of understanding, has over-pleaded his case; that goodwill, with or without understanding, is to be desired; however, that is a matter of opinion, merely.

Sir Norman makes another statement with which the writer is in perfect agreement, and that is — when two nations resort to war, it is not the case that one enters, believing that its cause is just, and that the other enters, believing its cause is unjust; but rather, that both nations enter the conflict with full conviction that their respective causes are just. This fact ought to be self-evident, and in the light of reason, it is self-evident; but where is reason in time of war?

During the period of the American Civil War, a famous Northern essayist wrote: “This is the only time in history when all of the right is on one side.” Such words are tragic.

What can a few thousand Rotary clubs of a hundred nations do to stem such a tide? The writer once heard a thoughtful British journalist make the statement that even one strong statesman might have prevented the outbreak of the world war had he only, in good faith, and with determination tried to do so before the war-fever had time to reach its height. It may be true, as many doubtless believe, that Rotary would be impotent in such a crisis; all will nevertheless concede that Rotary could not dishonor itself by trying.

However, the Rotary plan is not an eleventh hour expedient. Rotary began its campaign to promote international goodwill and understanding many years ago. In that important field, Rotary is a pioneer. Rotary knows no frontier; its sun never sets. Throughout the length and breadth of its domain, in Europe, Asia, Africa, North and South America, and Australia the work of promoting international goodwill and understanding goes patiently and persistently on.

There are many obstacles to be overcome; differences in languages, religions, racial tendencies, customs, and the ever-present provincialism, intolerance, and the superiority complex. These obstacles, fortunately, are not insurmountable. In one way and another they are gradually being overcome. Through the instrumentality of fast- sailing boats, aeroplanes, the telegraph, telephone and radio, the extremes are being brought nearer together. The physical sciences are doing their parts. When the social sciences shall have accomplished as much war-clouds will disappear and the energies of all nations can then be turned to productive and cultural pursuits. God speed the coming of the day.

In its efforts to promote understanding between nations, Rotary makes use of the same measures that demonstrated their effectiveness in the early days of the movement — friendly intercourse. The only essential difference is that in the early days the experiment involved representatives of different racial and religious groups resident within one city only, while at present representatives of nearly all of the nations of the world have joined in the glorious adventure. Annually, thousands of enthusiastic Rotarians, representative of many nations gather together in friendly communion at conventions. On a smaller scale and in a more intimate way the process of friendly intercourse between Rotarians of different nations continues uninterruptedly throughout the year.

One of the most interesting developments is the organization of meetings between Rotarians of various countries. Among the oldest is the inter-country meeting held yearly between Rotarians of Canada and the United States by the Rotary Club of Winnipeg, but many other clubs along the border between Canada and the United States also engage in arranging similar meetings. In the southern part of North America the friendliest contacts and inter-country meetings are held between Mexican, Cuban, and American Rotarians.

Because of more complicated international relations on the continent of Europe, it is perhaps of still greater importance that inter-country meetings are held in Europe. It is highly gratifying that such meetings have been held ever since Rotary was comparatively new on that continent. One of the first outstanding successes was the inter-country meeting between Switzerland, Austria, and Germany on the Bodensee.

Rotarians of France and Italy frequently hold inter-country meetings. Among the early ones was the memorable Easter trip of French Rotarians to Italy.

In the northern part of Europe (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) numerous inter-country meetings have led to the formation of an international committee under whose guidance such meetings and other activities for the advancement of goodwill are promoted.

French, German and other European Rotarians have brought about the formation of the inter-country committees which have succeeded in arranging many meetings at which there have been discussions on various controversial questions affecting their respective countries.

In April 1931, members of the Rotary clubs in Belgium, France, Italy and Spain gathered at Cannes, France, for an inter-country meeting under the presidency of the governor of the French district. The following month a splendid example of the moving forces behind Rotary was observed on the occasion of the celebration of the first anniversary of the Rotary Club of Luxembourg in an international meeting in which Belgian, Dutch, French, German, Danish and Swiss Rotarians participated.

A very successful inter-country meeting was held in September of that year in Varazdin, Jugoslavia, between Rotarians of Austria, Hungary, and Jugoslavia, which was followed by another Rotary meeting between these three countries at Windon in September, 1932. Rotarians of Hungary, Jugoslavia, and Romania met in August 1932, at Subotica.

Organized international contacts between Belgium, Ho!land, and Luxembourg date back several years and culminated, in September 1932, in an important meeting of Rotarians at Antwerp. This meeting was devoted to the discussion of mutual economic relations.

Meetings between Germany and Czechoslovakia started in November 1931, with an inter-country meeting in Breslau, followed soon after by a meeting in Teplice-Sanov. Similar meetings have been held in other clubs of these two countries.

In November, 1930 the first meeting of the Rotary clubs of Egypt and Palestine was held in Cairo, at which sixty-seven persons, representing twelve different nations, were present.

Innumerable are the contacts of Rotary clubs of Great Britain and Ireland with France, Germany, and other countries on the continent.

In April 1931, a most interesting inter-country meeting was observed in South America when the 63rd (Argentina-Paraguay-Uruguay) and 64th (at that time comprised of clubs in both Chile and Bolivia) districts held a joint conference at Puente de Inca, Argentina.

Particularly significant, however, was the meeting of Rotarians of Argentina and Uruguay in December 1932, at Montevideo. This inter-country Rotary meeting was held for the particular purpose of maintaining friendly relations at a time when official diplomatic relations had already been severed.

Since the above-mentioned meetings took place, inter-country meetings have been too numerous to mention and the campaign for goodwill and understanding has been carried into the ranks of the young manhood of many countries. Youth is impressionable. Impressions received at the time when character is forming, often last for life.

Rotarians interested in the promotion of good-will have therefore turned their attention to young people of the school age, endeavoring to bring about opportunity for travel in foreign countries leading to acquaintanceships which frequently ripen into permanent friendships.

One of the first organized efforts in this respect was the tour of the Young Australia League to the United States. The Young Australia League was founded by a member of the Rotary Club of Perth, Australia. One of the purposes was to provide “Education by Travel” to a select group of Australian boys, members of the League, through annual pilgrimage to different countries. Many of the boys were Sons of Rotarians.

In January 1929, one hundred and sixty of these boys undertook a trip to the United States, landing in San Francisco, traveling through the southern part of the United States to New Orleans, thence to New York, Chicago, and through Canada, embarking after five months, from Vancouver, for Australia.

The boys, as ambassadors of goodwill, were received and entertained by the Rotary clubs in the United States and Canada on their itinerary. After returning home they wrote many letters to their hosts, proving that the tour accomplished its primary object.

One of the young men of the League, while in San Francisco, was taken seriously ill with rheumatic fever. The contingent was due to sail for home in a few days and it was quite impossible to delay it until the youth recovered. Into the breach stepped a San Francisco Rotarian and his good wife, who took charge of the lad, and after seven anxious weeks of fathering and mothering him, brought him to the convalescent stage, and soon after he was able to sail home to his parents, fully recovered. Who can express in mere words the extreme value of the service this Rotarian family rendered to an Australian family 7,000 miles away? It is certain that such kindnesses lavished by Rotarians and their families have planted in the breasts of hundreds of young men, seeds of memory which will grow into trees of goodwill, and produce much fruit of sympathy, tolerance, and understanding.

The leaders of the Young Australia League came in the spring of 1932 to the United States and organized a group of American boys under the name of Young America League for a return visit to Australia. This group — because of prevailing economic conditions — was not so large as the Australian group, but the members were splendidly entertained by Australian Rotarians in all cities which they visited.

Excellent means of developing international understanding are contacts through sport. Realizing this fact, President Muller of the Rotary Club of Davos, Switzerland, has brought together teams from the following countries to compete in hockey matches at Davos: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Poland, Spain and Sweden.

Another adventure in international friendship is international summer camps for young men. In the summer of 1931, the Boys Work committee of the 54th district, Switzerland, under the presidency of Rotarian Gabriel Rauch of the Geneva Club, conducted the first Swiss camp for sons of Rotarians. The party comprised boys from thirteen countries, i.e., Germany, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, Spain, Czechoslovakia, Holland, Portugal, Hungary, and French and German Switzerland.

The first week was devoted to getting the boys acquainted and creating friendships. Each morning thereafter, there was a lecture on a social, economic, scientific, artistic or other topic. The afternoons were spent in trips into industrial plants and other places of interest and in recreation such as swimming, tennis, and other sports.

A tour of Switzerland filled the following two weeks with the object of making the young men acquainted with the country, its beauties and language, its industries and inhabitants. Swiss Rotarians spared no efforts to make the sojourn interesting and instructive to their young guests.

Acting upon the example of Switzerland, Rotarians of other countries have made their contribution to the promotion of the sixth object of Rotary by organizing similar camps.

The Rotary Club of Vienna organized in August 1932, an international boys camp at Tantaiier Castle near Radstadt, Austria. One hundred and twenty sons of Rotarians from Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Holland, Great Britain, Germany, Jugoslavia, Austria, Saar Basin, Switzerland and Hungary were thrown together and housed in four large dormitories under four experienced group leaders.

The camp was an unqualified success as, despite the language difficulty, the various nationalities mixed in a true Rotary manner, each striving to get firsthand knowledge of the other boys from strange lands.

Another camp was organized by the Rotary Club of Graz, Austria, in the “Sudmark” Students Home. It was particularly successful in starting friendships between young Austrians and Jugoslavians, and also students from Czechoslovakia, England, France, Germany and Jugoslavia.

Danish Rotarians have been for many years interested in the promotion of world-mindedness in young people and were among the first organizers of the international exchange of youth. Families of English Rotarians take as guests, children of Rotarians in other, especially European countries, and send in exchange, children of their own.

Essay writing contests in high schools on the subject of promoting international understanding and goodwill has been another means used by Rotarians to create interest in the minds of young men and women, in that important subject.

Prizes totaling five hundred dollars were given to the successful contestants of the schools of the city of Vienna, Austria, at the time of the Rotary International convention in that city; and a like sum was given to the successful contestants in the schools of Boston, the year the convention was held there.

The judges of the contests were selected from professors of nearby universities who were especially well qualified to act.

Another movement of the same kind, but on a larger scale, is now under consideration.

If there was any one country where Rotary was to be put to more severe test than in any other, that country was India where irreconcilable religious differences have existed throughout the ages; where the caste system has constituted an almost insurmountable barrier to progress; and where political ferment has been the usual order. Could Rotary, virile, adaptable, and tolerant as it was, exist in such an atmosphere? It was a question. Clearly Rotary was to be put to its supreme test in India. Rotary has survived the test and has been proven to be the one satisfactory common denominator.

Cairo, Egypt, seemed a serious problem and it was a serious problem, but there also Rotary has achieved success. In the charter membership of twenty-one, sixteen different races and eight different religions were represented and when the charter was presented, responses were made in twelve different languages. Can fellowship thrive in such an atmosphere? It does, and it is no less sweet than the fellowship which is to be found in the most homogeneous of all communities.

Lord Reading, then Viceroy of India, in an address delivered before the Rotary Club of Calcutta, expressed the belief that the influence of Rotary would prove of exceptional value in India. In India, Buddhists, Mohammedans and Christians break bread together at Rotary club meetings, as Catholics, Protestants and Jews do in America.

His Excellency, the Governor and High Commissioner, Sir Cecil Clementi, speaking before the Rotary Club of Singapore, S. S., said: “The successful formation of Rotary clubs at Singapore and other cities of the Malay Peninsula has given me very keen pleasure, for I consider such clubs to be among the best means of preserving the harmony which so happily exists between all races and creeds in this country. Nothing has caused me greater anxiety in other parts of the British Empire in which I have served, than the fact that the communities of different races there resident, although in daily contact with each other, nevertheless move, as it were, in separate worlds, without any real comprehension of each other’s modes of life and ways of thought. It is essential that ways and means be found for breaking down these partition walls between various communities inhabiting the same land, and Rotary clubs are among the best means to that end.” An article by W. E. Priestly, published in the April 1932 number of the magazine, Asia, bears testimony to the influence of Rotary on the business ethics in the Orient. It reads as follows: “The Rotary clubs in the Orient do almost as much to encourage high and universal, instead of local standards of business ethics, as to promote international goodwill. They are powerful factors in the breakdown of that wall of reserve with which the Oriental protects himself against the foreigner, and they greatly facilitate the making of business contacts. Besides the three clubs in Manchuria — at Dairen, Harbin, and Mukden — and the club in Hong Kong, there are three clubs in China proper. These three — at Peiping, Shanghai, and Tientsin — have a combined membership of about two hundred and twenty Europeans, Americans and Orientals. The mixture is particularly noticeable in the Shanghai Club where more than a dozen nationalities, including both Chinese and Japanese, are represented. I have had the pleasure of visiting many of the Rotary clubs in the Far East and I believe that the Rotary movement is doing more than anything else I know to build a bridge between Orient and Occident, and to further the interests of peace.

While on a round-the-world tour, Sydney Pascall of London wrote to headquarters as follows: “The Rotary Club of Bombay is a truly international unit. It consists of Hindus, Mohammedans, Parsees, British, American, Swiss, and other nationalities, so that it is a microcosm of Rotary International in itself. Rotary has a great work here in introducing fellowship between the races to their mutual advantage, and to the advantage of the great sub-continent of India. If the Bombay Club is characteristic of India, the standard is a high one.

“Wherever I go, I am received as President of Rotary International, by the great of the earth. For instance, yesterday we lunched with the Governor of Bombay, Sir Frederick Sykes, and Lady Sykes; and on Wednesday we are to lunch with the Viceroy; at Lahore and Madras we are to stay at Government House. Rotary is indeed receiving great attention.”

International amity is the loftiest aspiration which has ever captured the imagination of men. One had better suffer defeat while fighting for such a cause than to safeguard his right to say “I told you so.”

The late Victor Lawson, publisher of the Chicago Daily News, was wont to say, “All nations rightly studied are likeable.” All nations are needed in the world family.

Within the last six months of the life of Luther Burbank, he told the writer that he was confident that the American experiment in the mingling of races would ultimately justify itself; that the stolid Teutonic stocks would be enriched by the imagery of the Latin. The great student of plant life then lapsing into the terminology of his profession said, “The hybrid races have always been progressive.”

Although Uncle Sam’s extra-territorial outlook may seem to older countries, especially those with colonial possessions, somewhat circumscribed, at home he is necessarily a prodigious mixer, and his varied and at times, strenuous experiences ought to serve him in good stead as sponsor of, and participant in the activities of Rotary.

Through business and social intercourse, nations become intelligible to each other. Strange customs, which in the beginning are irritating, eventually become interesting and frequently are copied, contributing to the enrichment of life. Can anyone of northern race fail to recognize the fact that there is charm in southern hospitality and courtesy after having once experienced it? The writer never had the slightest conception of the genuine lovableness of the Mexican people until his Rotary duties called him to Mexico. Perhaps few Americans even now appreciate the fact that our neighbors on our southern border have a delightful culture of their own. Many would be surprised to learn the extent to which the United States is drawing upon the artistic resources of the Mexican people. Good news travels slowly, bad news — swiftly. Stories of gang murders in Chicago and political disturbances in Mexico flash around the world in ample time to be read the following morning at the breakfast table, while stories of heroic achievements utterly fail to register.

The superiority complex is common to all nations, but it is an illusion. If one nation excels in one respect, it falls short in others. Nations simply differ. As Immediate Past President, John Nelson puts it: “One must cast aside his national yardstick when he is about to travel abroad.

Rotarians from countries bordering upon the Pacific Ocean have held four regional conferences which might well be considered “peace conferences.” The first was held in Honolulu in 1926; the second in Tokyo, Japan in 1928; the third, in Sydney, Australia in 1930; the fourth in Honolulu in 1932; and the Fifth is to be held in Manila, in 1935. International President R. L. Hill has been appointed by the board to attend the Manila conference, and the writer and his lady will accompany the President and Mrs. Hill.

These Pacific Regional Conferences are attended by many delegates, earnest and sincere men intent upon the promotion of international friendships in their respective parts of the world. Messages of encouragement and good will from rulers, premiers, and other leaders of world renown are received and read.

A delegate to one of the conferences closed his address with these words: “When International peace does come, for come it must, it will come not through the labor of statesmen, nor the efforts of diplomats, nor the scheming of politicians, but through the united efforts of tradesmen. When all the world learns the truth that ‘He profits most who serves best,’ then the dream of dreams of all ages will be realized in international peace.”

The closing words of another were: “The Pacific, bordered by many nations speaking many languages, worshipping many gods, with many and different ideals and outlooks, and harboring people of different colors, is at peace. Only mutual understanding can keep it so. The Pacific has been the center of much distrust due to the lack of understanding, but thanks to Rotary, that lack of understanding is gradually, but surely, being swept away. Everywhere is seen the true spirit of Rotary working towards peace.”

Cecil Rhodes, who founded the Rhodes Scholarships, may never be credited with having averted a war; credit for having taken a most progressive step in the interests of better understanding between Great Britain and other countries, however, can not be denied him. His far-seeing provision for the education in English universities of young men from other countries, already has its counterpart on this side of the Atlantic, and scores of organizations are promoting understanding and good-will through the inter change of students, teachers, employees, and sons of representative business men

Institutes of international affairs are springing up in increasing numbers and Rotarian speakers from abroad are being drafted to expound their views. Debates between university students of the United States and university students from over-seas have been in vogue for several years and are growing in popularity. Arnold Bennett declared: “A league for universal travel would be worth forty leagues of nations.” Better men are required in the consular service of the United States, and Princeton University sees the need and is preparing the right kind of men to fill it; while other American universities, keenly appreciative of the opportunities which public life offers to capable and specially prepared young men, are at this rather late hour following the trail blazed long ago by Oxford and Cambridge.

Developments during the last decade justify the conclusion that temporary residence abroad will eventually be come a necessary part of a liberal education; probably also a necessary part of the preparation for business life. Why should it not be so? Is not everything to be gained and nothing to be lost?

During the world war, American soldier boys, sons of American Rotarians were entertained and cared for during convalescent periods in the homes of British Rotarians, with the result that intimate friendly relationships followed. Since then, Rotarians traveling abroad have been frequently entertained in the homes of Rotarians. It has been the writer’s privilege to be entertained in many Rotarian homes in many countries. No experiences of life have given him more happiness or proved of greater spiritual value. Thomas Hardy wrote:

“The exchange of international thought is the only possible salvation of the world.”

If school boards will be more particular about the character of histories taught in future years, than they have been in the past, one very prolific source of misunderstandings will thereby be removed. Vainglorious and inaccurate statements of military campaigns are poor makeshifts in attempts to record the achievements of a people. General literature is far more dependable. The truths of fiction, in fact, frequently lay bare the lies of history.

And will not someone find a way to arouse in the minds of travelers a sense of responsibility to their own countries which they voluntarily represent? Provincial boastings and comparisons create unfavorable impressions from which misunderstandings arise. No true patriot will needlessly create enmity toward his homeland through boasting or through criticism of the institutions of other countries.

The day of international organizations has begun. Rotary might have been exclusively an American institution; it is not that, because the vision extended further. There was no more reason, however, for Rotary’s becoming international than there was for any other institution, religious, ethical, scientific or otherwise becoming international. But now that Rotary has gained international standing, other organizations of the same character and organizations of different character will gain international vision. One way in which those interested in the preservation of peace can serve, is through encouraging the affiliation of various national organizations. The broader viewpoint will enhance the interest and increase the effectiveness of the component organizations.

Local chambers of commerce were succeeded by state chambers, state chambers by national chambers, and national chambers by the International Chamber, bar associations, medical associations, etc., etc., following the same course. The progress of Rotary has been a matter of fascinating interest to many who are not Rotarians. Rotarians are pioneers blazing a trail which many will follow.

There are those who believe that there is no definable technique in making friendship; that to pursue friendship is to frighten it away — as fatuous as Rasselas’ search for happiness; that friends come and go by caprice or chance. There are also many who honestly feel that the encouragement of international amity is inimical to the maintenance of proper consideration for the interests of one’s own country; that those engaged in such work are lacking in patriotic spirit. It is the writer’s belief that national patriotism is the inspiration of much of Rotary’s efforts to bring about international understanding and good-will; that Rotarians love their respective countries so dearly that they seek that which seems to them best calculated to safeguard them against the devastating effects of war. Submarines and poisonous gases are not the only means by which we may serve our respective countries.

There are those who believe that the best assurance of peace between two neighboring countries is a row of fortifications on the borderland, though it has been repeatedly demonstrated throughout the ages that it will not work. One hundred unbroken years of American Canadian friendship which has existed along three thou sand miles of unfortified borderland discredits the case of those who proclaim the inevitability of war.

The writer prefers the existing order; if changes are to be made, he suggests that the imaginary lines between his country and its neighbors on the north, and his country and its neighbors on the south be lined with universities, hospitals, libraries, churches, parks, athletic fields, play grounds, and other constructive influences. Barracks are as expensive to maintain as dormitories, and they are suggestive of war, not peace.

On the eighteenth day of June 1932, another bond of friendship between the United States and Canada was forged in Glacier Park, Montana, through the formal linking of two of their playgrounds — Glacier National Park and Waterton Lake Park. These preserves are to be known henceforth as Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park. Other international parks are in process of creation along the border lines.

While Rotary was struggling toward internationality, the writer took to himself a wife of Scotch birth and rearing, thus internationalizing his domestic relationship. While not intended for that purpose, the alliance has pro’ vided an excellent proving-ground for his theories. Suffice it to say that it has demonstrated the fact that there are things which will work, and other things which will not. If there are other New England Yankees contemplating taking to themselves Scotch helpmates, to them he would say, “Well and good! You can’t do better.”

His lassie very naturally fell into the way of enter’ taming Rotarians from the British Isles. At his fireside, with feet encased in comfortable slippers, they have sipped tea, smoked pipes of peace, and indulged in quiet conversation and happy reverie. But guests have not all been from the British Isles. The home has been a rendezvous for Rotarians from all parts of the world. There have, at times, been as many as eight nations represented at table. To some the writer’s home in the suburbs of Chicago is a villa; to others, a chalet; to Jean and to the writer, it is merely a comfortable little American home fashioned after the dictates of our own hearts. It has been named “Comely Bank” after the street in Edinburgh where its mistress was raised. “The Beauty of the House is Order — The Blessing of the House is Contentment — The Glory of the House is Hospitality.”

In the garden at “Comely Bank,” trees have been planted in honor of guests from different countries. It is hoped that all nations will eventually be represented by living, growing trees. The first tree of the writer’s goodwill garden was dedicated to the late Walter Drummond, a Rotarian of Melbourne, Australia, after his untimely passing. It was a beautiful blue spruce and Walter had admired it while visiting “Comely Bank.” On his return to Australia he planted one like it in his own garden. Our tree has been photographed time and again by Australian visitors and is as well-known in the country “down beneath” the equator as in the country of its nativity. The planting of trees of friendship may be gestures merely; but gestures often lead to either weal or woe.

Sydney Pascall of London, past president of Rotary International, has planted trees of good-will in more than a score of cities in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand; and the writer has planted them in Germany, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway, South Africa, and he hopes to have the privilege of planting trees in several countries of the Orient during the coming year.

If the writer’s experiences of the past twenty years in entertaining guests from other countries can be repeated in tens of thousands of American and European homes, spears may be beaten into pruning-hooks; the dream of the Bard of Ayr will have come true. The writer has frequently expressed the desire that his list of personal friends may eventually include representative citizens of all civilized countries, a desire which in the light of recent events, seems possible of attainment. Exchange of friendly amenities is of paramount importance in promoting international understanding and good-will.

Many Rotary club addresses are broadcast and national hook-ups are not uncommon. In several instances, international connections have been made. Joint meetings have been held by Rotary clubs of the United States connected by wireless with Rotary clubs in countries as far distant as Australia and Argentina. The possibilities of the radio as a means of bringing the Rotarians of the world together are beyond imagination.

The official magazine, “The Rotarian,” and its special edition in the Spanish language, the “Revista Rotaria,” interpret the spirit of Rotary to Rotarians throughout the world and the two excellent British publications, the “Wheel” and “Service” are read in all English-speaking countries. There are also district and club publications without number, some of them being of astonishing merit in view of their necessarily limited circulation.

The three conventions of Rotary International which have been held over-seas, (Edinburgh, Ostende, and Vienna) have served not only to cement friendships between Rotarians, but also to promote a better understanding between countries of the Old World and countries of the New World. Canada has had one convention — in Toronto. The next convention will be held in the City of Mexico and conventions will undoubtedly be held in countries other than the United States, with greater frequency in the future.

Rotarians feel that in the ways above-mentioned and in many other ways, they have contributed substantially to better international understanding, but they do not by any means think that their resources in devising new and effective methods have been exhausted. Rotary is still in the experimental stage and more effective measures undoubtedly will be found as the number of active participants in the work increases and as the influence of Rotary grows. New and better methods of surmounting the barriers are constantly revealing themselves.

Rotarians believe that just as the responsibilities of business men have multiplied of late, so have the responsibilities of statesmen. Future statesmen will have the welfare of other nations to think about as well as the welfare of their own. Forward-looking educators in America now see dearly that public life is a suitable field for ambitious young men and they are preparing them for service in it. This is one of the most hopeful developments of recent years. The records of a class of Harvard University, graduating several years ago, reveal the fact that the overwhelming majority went into the more lucrative fields of business and the professions; one only, went into public service. The reason manifestly was that it was the popular belief at the time, that public life was only barely respectable. Small wonder that the most important of all vocations has fallen into the hands of self-seekers who lack both capacity and inclination for honorable service in American public life. Fortunately the drift is now changing.

With the exception of one unit comprising Britain and Ireland which exists for administrative purposes only, all Rotary is entirely under the jurisdiction of the international board composed of fourteen members. The board, with the assistance of twelve committees, two honorary general commissioners, eight honorary commissioners, seventy-nine governors and European and Canadian advisory committees, constitute the official family of Rotary. The secretariat is in Chicago, and offices are maintained in Zurich, Switzerland, London, England, and at changing points in Eastern Asia. Field service is also maintained in a few countries. Rotary clubs in Great Britain, the north of Ireland and the Irish Free State, constitute what is called “Rotary International — Association for Great Britain and Ireland.” They are, however, all members of Rotary international, and subject to the jurisdiction of Rotary International except in administrative matters. For the effectuation of their administrative purposes, Rotary International — Association for Great Britain and Ireland, has a board of directors consisting of twelve members — president, vice president, secretary, and treasurer; and various committees, and seventeen chairmen of district councils who function somewhat similarly to the district governors of Rotary International.

Whether the organization of a separate administrative unit for the British Isles was fortunate or unfortunate is a serious question. To Rotarians outside the area it is, as a rule, considered unfortunate for the reason that it creates a wheel within a wheel, thereby giving rise to delicate questions of prerogatives, tends to arouse a strong sense of nationalism in an organization which aims at least to be international in character, and to isolate British Rotarians from fellow-Rotarians of other countries.

While some Rotarians within the area in question recognize and deplore the tendency toward isolation, others are much attached to their national administrative unit under which they have developed what they believe to be a type of Rotary which, for their needs at least, is superior to all others and which they would not care to jeopardize by further subordination to the international movement. There are also a few British Rotarians who believe that the interests of Rotary would be best served by devolution and by the establishment of administrative units in all countries which are sufficiently advanced in Rotary to assume administrative responsibilities. The opponents of devolution contend that the only possible purpose served by devolution would be to relieve British Rotary of its sense of being the only national unit outside the international fold.

Whatever one’s opinion may be, no one who is con versant with the facts attaches blame to British Rotarians for having formed the separate administrative unit. It was done openly and with the full consent of all. None at the time, had vision to see the prospects of complications.

The plan seemed the most practical method of making rapid and effective progress in Britain and Ireland.

The fact that Rotary had its beginning in the United States and got a flying start before it had gotten under way in other countries is responsible for its having taken on American characteristics and also for the fact that it yields somewhat slowly to internationalization. Americans still constitute the majority of Rotarians, though more clubs are now being organized outside the United States than within its borders. The lack of balance has served at times to accentuate differences as is doubtless true in the case with Great Britain. British Rotarians, not infrequently raise the question: “Is Rotary really international?” To the minds of some of them devolution would be preferable to continued adherence to an organization which they feel is international in name only, but American in character.

American Rotarians feel that British Rotarians should exercise patience — that concessions are being made as rapidly as is consistent with the fact that the great bulk of the support, financial and otherwise, still comes from American Rotarians. The majority of the board of directors are now drawn from the membership outside the United States.

British Rotarians contend, however, that the advantage is more imaginary than real, that a small percentage only of the members from outside of the United States can attend regularly and that when they are present, they generally defer in most matters to the judgment of American members who have had more experience with Rotary problems.

The writer thinks that the contention would have been justified if it had been made a few years ago, but the proportion of representation has been rapidly changing and, in fact, it still continues to change in favor of countries other than the United States; and he also believes that another very important change is taking place. It was true, for some years, that members of the board from countries other than the United States were inclined, at times, to defer to the greater experience of members from the United States; but the writer believes that it is no longer the case. Over Rotarians have gained much experience since that time, and the writer is convinced that they now have no hesitancy about expressing their views.

The writer has, on the invitation of International President Hill, been in attendance at the board meeting of January 1935. Of those present and participating, eight were from North America (United States and Canada) and five were from countries outside North America, the two members from Canada holding the balance of power.

If representation of the various countries was in proportion to the number of Rotarians, North America would be entitled to approximately twice its present number of members, but that principle has never pertained and probably never will.

During the meeting referred to, the overseas members spoke frequently and convincingly. They exercised a strong influence in the direction of internationality.

To the writer’s mind there is some merit in the British contention for a broader outlook, but not enough to justify devolution. If there is anything to be preserved in this day of extreme nationalism, it is the internationality of Rotary. The writer believes that the way out is through making Rotary more international in character as rapidly as circumstances will permit. To accomplish the desired result it may be necessary to slow up extension in the United States, and to speed it up elsewhere; to elect more presidents from overseas; to hold international conventions more frequently abroad; to transact more of the business in countries other than the United States; to frequently exchange staff officers and editors, residents of different countries where officers are maintained; and to further internationalize headquarters at Chicago by drafting more workers from other countries. If these things are done, the writer is convinced that the cry for devolution will not be longer heard.

A truly international commission is to make a serious and scientific study of this most important question. Is Rotary to follow the old trail of nationalism which men have followed from time immemorial; or is it to continue in its efforts to blaze a new trail for unborn generations to follow? In either event, or in any event, Rotary marches on.

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