Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-20
RorARY's ANNIVERSARY.

nswed pledge OF service TO the conn
munity. to the business and social life
as well as 20 ciVic he,terment gem
orally. the Rotary Club OF Wilmington
n thls week, joining with other Ro-
tAry Clubs throughout the world In
celebrating tn seventeenth annivcr-
sary OF the organization OF the first
Rotary club In the world.
Rotary came into being In Chicago.
February "a. 1905. with group of
four men--one coal dealer. one n
mining operator. one merchant
tailor, and the fourth an attorney.
The attorney. Paul Il. Harris. nrst
advanced the idea ot forming club
different from any club then known.
and TO him belongs the credit for
startlng the great Rotary movement
Al this meeting OF the four. when
decision was made to organize club
n was also decided 70 invite 10 MEM
bcrshlp Just ono man from each dh-
fcrent business or professional call
ins. A printer. real estate man. an
insurance man. and banker were
sh. next four admitted.
Rotary" WAS chosen as the name
cf tho new club because the members
met IN rotation" At thcii places Of
business. Rotation Club" seemed
somewha, inapt. 90 they adopted the
shorter form. Rotary Club"
Tho Chicago Club continued to in
crease IN membership. In 1905. thre'
years after the first meeting. the sec
ond Rotary Club was organized III
San Francisco. other clubs followed
on the Pacific Coast and then th'
movement spread to the East. anS
then 20 the South. until sixteen clubs
had been organized by the end o.
asio.
IA was IN 1910 tha; the frs, con
vcntion was held In Chicago and th'
National Association formed. Rotsr!
emerged from a national organization
20 an international organization tw
years later. az the Duluth conven
,ion. A short time previous 20 thi
convention a club had been organize
q, winnipeg. Canada. and during III
convention a cahlesram was receive
from the Rotary club OF Londor
England. asking for a charter. Rotar
had thus quickly evolved from on
club IN 1905 20 an international or
sanlzstion IN 1914
sinca 1911. the organization ma
grown even more rapidly than durin
the ara, seven years. Today ther
are more than one thousand Rotar
club. IN the world. Although IN
greater number are In the Unite
States, where the movement Origin
ated. there are now Rotary Clubs
Canada. Newfoundland. Great Bri
ain and ireland. Cuba. South Ameyic
the Republic % Panama. China. II
ais, Australia and New Zealand Tn
growth seems all the more remarkab
when we realize that the orgaEizatic
has never a; any time employed pa
Organizers. And IN addition. extrerl
care hns always been exercised
surveying cities and towns applyir
fer membership. 20 make sure IN
such communities are ready for
Rotary Club and are Of sufficient si
from which 20 secure a mernbsrsh
of representative men and still ha
The membership pestricted 20 one m'
from each business or profession.
Tho Wilmington Rotary Club has
m.mbcrrhip az this time of lle, al
ha, a record of attendance at Z
weekly luncheon meetings viii
places n IN the front rank with 4
l~adlns clubs IN the country. II h
rendered splendid service 20 the COZ
muni,y on numerous occasions. a
naturally stands high as a live {
ssnization, pledged not merely 20 {
development Of good fellowship amo
is members. but what Ia Ear better
the promotion OF the civic 1betterms
~ the community AZ whole. w
h.vh ld~als os service to mankind a
with n sincere desire to live up
shcse ideals on the part OF the me
b~rr. 4, In ANAL wonder that the cl
has succeeccd In rendering distinct
service 10 the city and 10 the Sta
A clut Was organized at Dover ABB