Evening star., 1925-03-01
ROTARY CLUB IDEAL
PRAISED BY ENVOY
Square Deal Principles Would
Better World, Says Sir
ESme Howard.

Principles of the square deal. as ex-
emplified in the precepts of the Rotary
clubs of the world. were held up as
proper ideals for national and interna-
tional business relations by Sir Esme
Howard. British Ambassador to the
United States. in an address before the
Rotary Club of Washington Wednesday
a. the New Willard Hotel
The conception of a Rotary club with
all the name implies in its principles,
for diplomatists, politicians. newspaper
men and "even ecclesiastics. was laid
before the club by the Ambassador, who
said, I'VE need, then, never fear that
our neighbor when we met him was
keeping an ace up his sleeve and the
poorest and the dullest and the most uu-
fortunate would never fear that the
richest, the cleverest. the most success
full was Going to make of him one more
J stepping stone to riches and success
Would Have EnvOys' Club.
we might even reach that really
sublime condition when all should hon
estly and sincerely believe that it was
better to be duped than to dupe-to be
taken in than to take in the AmbaS-
sador added
Being a good deal of an egojst.
and when l find a good thing liking
TO get my share of il, I thought at
would be If some one would form a
Rotary Club for diplomatists, and, if
they are not too grand to be named
in the same breath as diplomatists.
for politicians-and then my fancy
took further flights and l thought of
others l could put on the list such as
even journalists, who really rule us,
and possibly, though l say it with
bated breath, even ecclesiastics !
,ic~I,f To-, OtH H,,t l,fe fe,
far as my fight of fancy went.
Heavens, what a delightful and pleas
ant world IT would be to live in if
that could be accomplished, We need
then never fear that our neighbor
when we met him was keeping an
ace up his sleeve, and the poorest and
the dullest and the most unfortunate
would never fear that the richest, the
cleverest, the most successful was
going to make of him one more step
ping stone to riches and to sue
cess.
Unless we are at peace with our
conscience. how can we have that
<peace which the world cannot give
Y and how can we have peace with our
conscience if we know that we have
taken mean advantage of our
neighbor? And, looked at from this
Z point of view, | think we may say
even a prouder achievement to be
cheated than to cheat, to be swindled
than to swindle, to be taken in than
to take in. But l think we have
hardly reached the point of idealism
where we should strive to be taken
in for it's own sake. 1t would be even
too egoistic To be taken in one re-
quires a 'taker in and we should re-
member that the poor fellow who
takes us in also had a conscience to
Euard-we should not wish to lead
him into temptation.
Would End Jungle Law.
"No, gentlemen, on the whole, pre-
fer your Rotary plan of the square
deal. That is the best possible for
still imperfect world. 1t would elm
mate from our everyday life what
Kipling. l think, calls the jungle Law
the law of tooth and claw, which has too
long ruled, not only in the jungle, but in
every walk of life, including espe-
CiaIly the relations of nations with
each other.
1T is difficult and very dangerous,
l think, to lay down hard and fast
rules governing all international re-
lations which all are always to fol-
low. What is sauce fer the goose
may be sauce for the gander, but 1t
is not by any means sauce for the
turkey or the Maryland chicken. And
so we must always be prepared to
take circumstances into considera-
ton, as well as ideals, in dealing with
international questions. But if you,
gentlemen of the Rotary Clubs, will
continue to lead the way, as you are
doing by showing us how to adopt the
: principle of the square deal not only
In national but international business
relations, / have little doubt that you
will prove conclusively and decisively
the world that it is the best rule TO
follow in international political bust
ness also: and / declare to you that
], for the little that l may be worth, am
willing to join an internationa po-
littcal Rotary Club on this basis lust
rs soon as ever it is founded
ut may interfere with the natural
law of the survival of the fittest, but
am willing to risk that. The fttest
is generally the strongest; and even
from the strongest his strength
sooner or later passes away, and he is
mleft to die, like an old stag who can
bfght no more, deserted and aban-
doned-a sorry end to d heroic youth
and vigorous middle age.
The Rotary ideal clashes perhaps
with this natural law, but I believe
1t viii turn out the better of the two
and for my part l unhesitatingly give
1t my vote"