Lines to remember /
Harris, Paul P.
Lines to remember / Paul P. Harris
Two things seem to me important in my more than three score and ten years of life my New England Valley and the Rotary Club movement. Frequently have the words been heard: "You little thought that Rotary would become the worldwide power for good that it is today. You builded better than you knew." Very true, my friend, and yet while in the very beginning the road was not all clear all the way ahead there was an objective which led me on. The genealogy of my contributions to the movement goes back to my Valley, the friendliness of its folks, their religious and political tolerance. In a way, the movement came out of the Valley. So I propose to tell you something about my boyhood in my Valley in Vermont. Nearly all that I know of New England folks and New England mountains and valleys is the result of observations made through the eyes of a boy. The boy, of course, is myself but so many gears have passed since the period of the young boy that the old boy can think of him as a personality apart from himself. Naturally I know the little fellow very well. Yes, I well know of the dreams, mysticisms, impetuosities and rascalities of prudence and sweetened with love of the bre world in which he found himself and with luce l his aged grandparents who made for him a l Some folks go to the mountains for Inspira some for rest. Learned men write of the w tains, poets sing of them and artists paint the The boy takes them all in his stride. Why sh he not? Were mountains made for his restless let to climb? High though they may be, his spirit still higher. They are his to triumph over. es exuberant; he is exultant and his heart scuffing with the ecstatic joy of living. The boy is king all creation, but, however pitiable it may be, b must grow to be men. It is sometimes said that boy is father to the man; he leads the man c pathways which his feet have trod. The man c never get far away from the boy. What the b loved, the man loves. Gleanings of the bog th the course of the man. The writer has special reason to be grateful for what the boy taught him. Love of life in the country; the blessings of a well-regulated New En land home; the importance of education and devotion to high ideals. The boy taught the man the necessity of being tolerant of all forms of religious and political faiths. He taught him not to be to critical of the views of others, whatever that might be. The boy taught the man of the joys of neighborliness and friendliness and good will toward all. It took considerable time for these lessons to sink in the grown-up bog was too busy having a good time but I am glad to be able to say that eventually the man took the teachings of the boy seriously and tried to extend them to all men. What is Rotary? Thousands have made answer each in his own way. It is easier to note what Rotary does than what it is. One recently has said, "If Rotary has encouraged us to take a more kindly outlook on life and men; if Rotary has taught us greater tolerance and the desire to see the best in others; if Rotary has brought us pleasant and helpful contacts with others who also are trying to capture and radiate the joy and beauty of life, then Rotary has brought us all that we can expect."
Lines to remember / Paul P. Harris
Two things seem to me important in my more than three score and ten years of life my New England Valley and the Rotary Club movement. Frequently have the words been heard: "You little thought that Rotary would become the worldwide power for good that it is today. You builded better than you knew." Very true, my friend, and yet while in the very beginning the road was not all clear all the way ahead there was an objective which led me on. The genealogy of my contributions to the movement goes back to my Valley, the friendliness of its folks, their religious and political tolerance. In a way, the movement came out of the Valley. So I propose to tell you something about my boyhood in my Valley in Vermont. Nearly all that I know of New England folks and New England mountains and valleys is the result of observations made through the eyes of a boy. The boy, of course, is myself but so many gears have passed since the period of the young boy that the old boy can think of him as a personality apart from himself. Naturally I know the little fellow very well. Yes, I well know of the dreams, mysticisms, impetuosities and rascalities of prudence and sweetened with love of the bre world in which he found himself and with luce l his aged grandparents who made for him a l Some folks go to the mountains for Inspira some for rest. Learned men write of the w tains, poets sing of them and artists paint the The boy takes them all in his stride. Why sh he not? Were mountains made for his restless let to climb? High though they may be, his spirit still higher. They are his to triumph over. es exuberant; he is exultant and his heart scuffing with the ecstatic joy of living. The boy is king all creation, but, however pitiable it may be, b must grow to be men. It is sometimes said that boy is father to the man; he leads the man c pathways which his feet have trod. The man c never get far away from the boy. What the b loved, the man loves. Gleanings of the bog th the course of the man. The writer has special reason to be grateful for what the boy taught him. Love of life in the country; the blessings of a well-regulated New En land home; the importance of education and devotion to high ideals. The boy taught the man the necessity of being tolerant of all forms of religious and political faiths. He taught him not to be to critical of the views of others, whatever that might be. The boy taught the man of the joys of neighborliness and friendliness and good will toward all. It took considerable time for these lessons to sink in the grown-up bog was too busy having a good time but I am glad to be able to say that eventually the man took the teachings of the boy seriously and tried to extend them to all men. What is Rotary? Thousands have made answer each in his own way. It is easier to note what Rotary does than what it is. One recently has said, "If Rotary has encouraged us to take a more kindly outlook on life and men; if Rotary has taught us greater tolerance and the desire to see the best in others; if Rotary has brought us pleasant and helpful contacts with others who also are trying to capture and radiate the joy and beauty of life, then Rotary has brought us all that we can expect."