The Rotary Balita no. 615 (February 24, 1948)

When a big-hearted man has something good, he wants to share it with his friends. That is the perfectly human reason why Rotarians often propose their friends for membership. And that is fine. Rotary is built on Friendship. Or at least on Service, and the two concepts are akin. But just because a man is a friend and a good fellow is insufficient reason why he should be invited to join Rotary. Rotary International lists the qualification "socially acceptable," as sixth and last of the qualifications for membership. A man may be an undisputed community leader, an open-handed philanthropist, a witty raconteur, and already the first-named friend of half the town. Yet we will do well to remember that for each individual there is one unique basis for Rotary membership. This fundamental plan set up by R.I. is the unsentimental, impersonal system of "selecting one active and representative man from each business and profession." Only when a friend can properly classify should his name be proposed.