Rocky Ford enterprise., 1910-09-16

SERMON BY GORDON.
Worthy Consideration by Chamber of
Commerce Members.

The Commercial club is barome-
ter of Il community. By its activity
we judge the progressiveness of the
town in which it exists. 1t should
be the logical center and birthplace
of all movements which pertain to de-
velopment of territory over which
it has jurisdiction. 1t is primarily a
business organization and where we
side-step from the purpose for which
it was formed, its usefulness to the
community of commercial organiza.
tions is null.
A commercial club or businessmen
organizati~n which is organized just
because the men of a community feel
that they ought to have one in order
to keep in line with the rest of the
towns is positively a detriment to the
town which it is, supposed to assist
and is worse than no organization al
all.
1t is not enough that we have beau,
tifully furnished rooms with all the
accessorics-billiard. pool and card ia.
bles, magazines, pictures and all the
rest: these are well and good. but TIE
commercial club is not, pleasure
club; it is in reality business organ
ization.
The social feature of the club is a
splendid thing, but we should not al
low it to overthrow the purpose for
which the club was organized. You
know the old saying. that all work
and no play. etc" and it is true, but
the trick is to combine the two and
give four-fifths of the time to the
first. Sorry to say that the average
usually runs the other way.
commercial club is dead: what are
they doing? l can't sec any results. u
] have looked up some of these men
and in a great many instances | find
that they are behind in their dues and
visit the club so seldom that it is nee
essary for them to be introduced to
the secretary at each visit. blame
these men to great extent il the club
is not what it should be. II they
would put onc-half of the energy
which they exert in criticising the
club into working for it, they would
soon see results.
Other men fall back on the lame
excuse that they pay their dues reg
ularly. What would you think of a
man who gave another fellow seed
to sow a certain piece of land and
then never inquired il he had put i;
in properly. or put it in at all.
should say he was extremely fool
ish" q wanted to use stronger
term.)
Likewise, a man pays a thousand
dollars to the comcrcial club each
year q mean ten dollars. excuse mel
kisses it before he sends it in and
saws. God be with you till We meet
again." then stands aside and waits
for its return without taking enough
interest in his investment to see that
it is invested to the best advantage. |
will say that such man was more
extremely foolish"
The object and aim of commercial
club should be. and is. to bring new
capital and energy into the commun-
ity in which 1t labors. In an agricul-
tural community. like ours. it should
cndcavor. by all legitimate means to
get its share of the immigration
moving this way, and to stand back OF
and work for any movement for the
bettcrmcnt of local conditions.
1t should not be necessary for a
commercial club to go a-begging for
financial support with which to carry
on its work. (Mind you. I am nc,
saying that such is the case in this
valley: am just supposing). Nor
should the sccretarys time be spcn,
in keeping the members in goc' hu.
NOR: his time is too valuable ard his
energy should be directed in other
channels. If a club needs an enter
tainment committee for this prrpos"
I suggest that they appoint on: and
tell them to get busy.