Evening star., 1922-02-19
BY W, H, CLIGETT.

->o tcTHl COulo VIC oSSN
to describe the personnel Of the local
Kiwanis Club than that of "live
bunch" bestowed upon it by George
E. Hamilton, president Of the Capital
Traction Company, in recent ad-
dress made by him on Ideal Citizen
ship" before the organization.
Gentlemen" said Mr.. Hamilton
while 1 may not know many of you
personally, your reputation through
out the city for being live punch
when it comes to civic matters mas
frequently reached my ears. and am
glad to meet you
Live, indeed, is this splendid young
club, which in the past few years mas
evolved itself from mere gathering
of a. few friends for luncheon to one
of the most forceful bodies to be
found in the District of Columbia.
Born I'm 1915.
Unlike the founder of Rotary, the
man who first started international
Kiwanis on its way had no fixed pur-
pose in mind when the initial meetns
was held in Detroit, Mich. in Janu
Straits on behalf Of another organi-
Zation, and it was due only to the
failure of his mission that the first
Kiwanis Club came into existence.
All organizations must nave oe-
ginning, however. and kiwanls is no
exception. How it began and why IL
began is of small Significance as com.
pared with the outstanding fact that
it did begin.
Few organizations. il any, enter
upon their career with a scheme OF
organization so complete that sub.
sequent growth will not require that
copious revisions be made. Even the
Constitution Of the United States, a
document Of marvellous hexloliity anu
the product of uncanny foresi ght on
the part Of its trainers, has been
amended nineteen times.
Product Of Evolution.
No evidence exists to show that any
national or international organlza-
ton Of Kiwanis clubs was contem-
plated by those associated with the
first club. In other words. the pres
ent kiwanis scheme of organization is
a product of evolution. The interna-
tional constitution. the bylaws OF the
district organizations and the stand
ard bylaws of the local clubs are the
product of the experience Of the three
units of the organization plan.
Speaking of the kiwanis develop
ment an official of the local club said
recently: "As a typical example OF
plan is the product of experience, con.
slider our unique and successful
method of establishing new clubs By
q series of beneficial changes, at
tion. we find that our extension work
is today one of the most remarkable
applications Of fundamental organiza-
tion science ever evolved. The com.
bination of volunteer and professiona!
assistance in the establishment of
new Kiwanis clubs has been de-
veloped on an entirely new basis. and
because of the unusual success
achieved has caused much favorable
comment not only within our own or
ganization but in the general field of
science. To have developed plan so
complete as the one in use today be-
fore the first club was established
would have been utterly impossible"
going during it's infancy is not denied
by any Kiwanian today, yet. on the
other hand, it rs the proud boast of
the membership that no Kiwanis club
once born has ever died.
without Definite Objective.
Just as the machinery Of the local,
district and international units Of the
Kfwanis organization scheme are the
products CT evolution SO also are the
ideals of Kiwanis, .
Strange to say, the Kiwanis move
ment grew without any conscious ac-
CeDtdnCe OF any QeuHite
without any statement of ideals, aims
and purposes whatever. 1t is said
that when certain officer Of the in
ternational organization entered upon
his duties he found every Kiwanis
club seeking to find some definite ex-
preston for the Kiwanis ideal. For
three and a half years the movement
had been growing in spite Of its lack
of q definite objective understood
and accepted by the entire member
ship.
Believing that only those organiza-
tions endure which are the vehicles
for introducing, developing or main
tanning some aspect of truth, this
officer was confident that the success
of the organization was due to the
fact that kiwanis clubs were un-
consciously expressing some Alnda-
mental truths. that the clubs were
filling a great need in the lives Of
their members, in the lives of cities
in which they had been established.
in which Kiwanis clubs existed
(kiwanis stretches no farther inter-
nationally than Canada.)
kiwanis Ideals.
This Kiwanian decided there was
only one way to find out what ideals
kiwanis clubs held and that was to
visit large number of clubs in all
sections of the country and try to
catch the spirit of each one, examine
it's activities and, if possible, Ito dis
cover unto it, it's own ideals, aims
and purposes.
Kiwanis ideals are, therefore, the
OOA~~HVyN