The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1919-07-13

acquaintance with your FELLOW Rotar-
fans. Two simple facts are stressed
in connection with this promotion OF
a acquaintance. One IL that you must
attend regularly the weekly meetings
of the. club, and the other is the call
ing OF each by our first names OF
course, 1t goes without saying that
nothing OF any serious consequences
can be accomplished in the way OF be-
coming Intimately acquainted with our
feliowd Rotarians unless we meet Of
ten. No occasional meeting, no in
different attendance, no slacknAss in
can by any possibility accom- lish the
thing that we mean when we speak of
Then, in order TO give intimacy to
acquaintance and 10 save 1t from the
Icy stiffness of conventional forms and
give 1t spontanefty and warmth. We
have hit upon the simple expedient OF
dropping the mister and calling tho
nan by his familiar BILL or JOHN. or
Tom. Some have looked upon this rs
an intrusion OF an overworked demo-
cratic seal, ana have objected to its
fnformality and lack OF dignity with
such persons, I am not Impressed with
tho grounds Of their objection. II L
am going to meet a man every week
with the understanding that one OF
the things to be accomplished by such
meeting Is the promotio OF intimate
personal acquaintance, then I see no
reason why In the world the calling
of each other BY our first names is not
a perfectly appropriate thing to do.
OF course, can see how inappropriate
such a proceeding might be il we met
only once a month or once IN SIX weeks
or once IN two months. But on the
basis Of regular attendance at weekly
meetings. whore wa meet ! In normally
ana often and where ''everybody's do
ing It, I can easily Justify to my own
mind this familiar form Of address.
And then when an has been said
and done. the beauty about this Bill
and Tom and John stun IL that II
works. n doom the thing n was de-
signed to do. and does It 10 beautifully
that mono q US who are regular at
tendants at Rotary gatherings would
like to $50 n omitted
And then besides all THIS, any man
who knows tho serious loss to the
community and to the best interests of
business through widespread lack Of
acquaintance will agree with me that
anything that can Be done to spread
throughout the community the cement
OF acquaintance and mutual under
standing and friendly interest among
tie business and professional men of
the city Is worthy OF our best effort
The second step IN the process OF
which am now speaking II that Of
the finding Of friendship. Friend
ship" says a well known author, "is
to be valued for what there In in IL,
not for what can be gotten out Of 1t.
When two people appreciate each
other because each has found the
other convenient to have around, they
are not friends: they are simply
acquaintance with a business under
standing. To seek friendship for its
utility Is as futile as to seek the end
OF rainbow for its bag OF gold Let
US beware OF thinking Of our friends
as brother members Of a mutual bene-
At associatioa4~A true friends as al
ways useful in the highest sense"
Listen to these lines by Walt Whit
man:
20 tan faced pralrfe-boy.
Before you came to camp came many
welcome gift,
Praises and presents came and nour-
ishing food, TIL al. Last among the
You came. tacfturn. WIN nothing to
give--we but looked on each
When 10. more than an the gifts OF
the world you gsve mo-"
Perhaps this hSmefy lfttie story II
also to the point.
One night a nnsn stopped n tho
door OF a farmhouse to enquire the
direction and distance 10 = certain
town. The kind-hearted farmer Ac-
complained the enquirer to the gate
and after giving the directions. dis
missed him with the remark, TITS
quite ways to travel in the dark" to
which he received the CHEEKY reply
from the wayfarer. 'NOh, don't mind
it; there are two OF u.s."
Some day a man WIFI set down to
the credit OF Rotary this wonderful
that 1t helped men to
be and do their best by finding friend
ship for them
Still another step In the process Is
known as Investments. Now II by in
were meant the placing OF
your money in good securities where
1t would bring you the largest DOS
sble returns. ! should hesitate to
speak. to You men. You have for |
gotten more about the matter Of in
vesting funds than / have ever known !.
Or ever Will know. But this spoke in !!
The wheel OF Rotary does not make II |
necessary for me to speak about imam
cial Investments. Every man has a !
considerable capital other than that ,
known as money or collateral. Be-
sides the means which we possess. We |
have powers, and talents, and influ- !
snces. and energies, and abilities, and
affections which, II wisely invested. !
will yield the largest returns And 1t /
q OF such investments that Rotary |
axes account 1t gives asman chance I
% put his heart to school. We have I
'chooled tho brain ana developed It |
o the very utmost but the poor afHec-
ions we allow to grow wild or 70
vither. Men. there are hearts In the
world that have never been visited ~ /
! GENEROUS impulse. Men enter into
In life and aesnme nNla~
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