Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1923-06-18
R0TARlANS GET
WARM WELCOME
FROM ST. Louis
Many Nations Represented
at Rotary Convention
Meeting Today. Thousands
Of Delegates Attend
(Ry The Associated Press }

(By The Associated Press.D
ST. LOUIS. Mo-, June ls.-Delegatcs
and visitors from all directions are ar
irving here today to attend the annual
convention Of the Rotary International.
opening here tonight. 1t is expected that
total Of 10000 will be present BY
evening. President Obrcgon has issued
an invitation by letter to the convcn-
tion TO meet at Mexico City in 1924
Texas Rotarians are said to be support
ing the invitation.
ST. LOUIS. June Is.-Dclegatcs rep
senting l.JlO clubs located in ~ coun-
tries Of the world, with memberships
totaling approximately 10000. are gath
cring here today To attend the opening
of the fourteenth annual convention of
international Rotary.
This shows the growth of the organ
ization. for il was in 1905 TINT four
men met in Chicago and formed the
first club. These were coal dealer. "A
mining operator. n merchant tailor and an
attorney. They called the club i:o-
tary" because the members met in rota-
tion at their places of business.
II was not until 1g,S that The second
cisco. Then the movement began 10
spread until there were III clubs in the
United States in 1910. when the first
convention was held in Chicago.
Since 1912 the organization has
grown even more rapidly than during
the first seven years Although the
greater number of clubs nre in the
United States. and the British Isles and
Canada-there are now Rotary Clubs
in Newfoundland Porto Rico. Mexico.
Cuba. Republic Of Panama. Uruguay,
Argentine Republic. China. Norway.
British India. Spain. France. Denmark.
Australia. New Zealand Hawaii. Philip
pine Islands. Peru. South Africa. Japan.
Holland. and Brazil.
Each Rotary Club j. complete work
ing unit in itself. entirely independent
If every other club. and il surpassed %
make itself a part Of the community in
which il IL established and 20 adapt
itself to the peculiar problems of that
community. During the last few years
q model constitution has been provided
that all new clubs are required to
adopt.
A system of arbitrary grouping of
clubs in what are called districts has been
adopted. There are Al Rotary dis
tricts in the world nj the present time.
Zach district has governor who is
elected by the annual convention from
nominations made by clubs of the dis
trict. and the governor is an interna-
tional officer and the accredited repre-.
the clubs.
ST. LOUIS, June Whether they
started from home with their faces set
toward the east or in the opposite di-
rection toward the setting sun. made no
difference to the distance 10 be ravcled by
IL delegates and their wives from Aus
tralia and New Zealand 10 the fourteenth
annual convention Of Rotary Intcrna-
tional which opeus here tomorrow. They
had about the same distance To come "a
they were forced to travel thousand
miles norts a. well a from twelve to fif-
teen thousand miles east or west. no
matter which way they came.
Nine Of the IL globe circlers are mem
bers of Rotary clubs in five cities in
Australia and New Zealand and the re-
mainder are wives of these members.
The Antipodcs are not the only far dis
tant places that are contributing To- the
crowd at the convention. \. W. Beam
represents Manila and Harry Norman
made the journey from Shanghai. III.
T.. Ewing j. here from l'ueno> Aires.
Leo /. DAILY is from Montcvideo. Iru
quay. while there are three delegates
from Panama.
There are a. in the delegation from
tb. British Isles.
The newest European Rotary club ~
Amsterdam. has sent its president. An
ton T.. Nerkade. as iiS delegate. while
there are three members of the Bar
elona club from Spain.
Cuba i represented by delegate from
ten clubs and Mexico also has large
delegation.
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