The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-02-08

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. S.-Sev-
enteen years ago Chicago lawyer,
Mr. Paul Harris, conceived the idea
of bringing together the business and
professional men OF a community IN
way which would eliminate any ques-
ton of rivalry in business or profess
sion and that would permit these men
to get at the very foundation Of all
! matters of Importance to the COM
munity The idea was to help society
as a whole, with view to making the
members of the proposed club better
members of society by giving them
wider vision of opportunities to serve
| society, and to make them better rep
resentatiVes of their own profession or
/ business to the end that they might
carry the message and example of SER
vice to the members of their profess
sions and men in their lines of bust
ness who were not members of theclub.
j On Feb. %, 1905, Mr.. Harris and
/ three friends formed the Chicago Ro-
tary club with this foundation:
i 1. That each member should pledge
himself to the service of society in
| general, his community, his business
or profession and his home.
2. That each member should pledge
himself to the service of business or
each profession admitted to the club.
3. That each member should be ad-
dressed always by his first name or a
nickname.
i, A. That any member failing to at
tend four successive meetings, saving
only in case of illness or absence from
city, should automatically forfeit his
membership.
These are described as the big prin
ciples of Rotary, and the clubs have
spread to % countries. There are now
l1,054 clubs throughout the world, with
memberships aggregating 10000.
Growth of an Idea
More than three years elapsed be
fore the second Rotary club was form
ed In November, 1908, San Francis
cans, after a study OF the Chicago plan
followed the example set by Mr. Har
ris and his friends. Three month:
later Oakland, Calf, followed suit ant
in June of the same year Seattle ant
- Los Angeles organized clubs. New
f York City followed in August and Bos
: ton in December, 1909. Then at shor
g intervals clubs were organized in Ia
r coma, Wash; Minneapolis, st. Paul, st
S Louis, New Orleans. Kansas City, Lin
+ coin. Neb.; Portland, Ore; Detroit
: Cincinnati. Cleveland, Philadelphia anC
5 pittsburgh. The idea was spreading
! 80 wildfire. 1t reached outside of thu
+ United States and has taken in Can
/ ada, Cuba, Uruguay, Panama, England
a Scotland. Ireland India, China, Japan
the philippine islands and other coun
!. tries and colonies.
t The first convention OF Rotary club
was held in Chicago in 1910, with tn
idea of forming a national organization
Out of this meetintg grew the Nationa
Q Association of Rotary clubs. The sec
< ond convention was held in Portland
g Ore. the following year, and the thir'
4 in 1912, in Duluth, MINI. 1t was at tn
! Duluth convention applications TO
e membership were received from Win
9 nepeg. Canada, and London. This lie,
to changing the name of the organize
ton to the International Association o
Rotary clubs.
! In the foreign extension of the Re
i tary idea one principle has been &C
If hered to rigidly. This is that club
S shall have as members natives of tn
e country in which it is formed. TIL
l. Rotary club of Tokyo has purel
l. Japanese membership, and the Rotar