The Rotary Balita no. 718 (April 9, 1953)

There can be no constructive thinking about Rotary unless one approaches it through the avenue of Club Service. In Rotary, "club service" represents those things that a Rotarian does to help make successful the administration of his Rotary club, by being present at its meetings; participating in its fellowship; taking interest in its pro- grams; serving on committees, and serving as an officer; if elected, paying his dues; and undertaking in behalf of the club activities outside the club, such as: informing non-Rotarians as to the object of Rotary; attending meetings of and speaking at other Rotary clubs; attending inter-city meetings, district assemblies, and district conferences; assisting his club, however humble or modest such assistance may be, in the organization of new Rotary clubs; and generally, exemplifying by thought, word and deed in their daily lives the ideals of Rotary. Club service, therefore, adresses itself to the individual members and its success depends upon the sum total and collective result of individual effort. Rotary is no one man's job. It takes the cooperation of the entire membership to carry out the plans and purposes of the organization. Failure of one committee member to perform his duties, failure of one member to do his part, contribute to delay the progress of the club, hence of the Rotary program. Rotary, therefore. recognizes and gives emphasis to the individual as a repository of strength and ultimate club solidarity. In the same breath and to the same extent and degree, Rotary expects from the individual member maximum effort and consistent support. The universal appeal of Rotary is that it gives the individual member full opportunity to develop and contribute his share in the attainment of the Rotary ideal of service. The organization works and moves towards an objective in a spirit of fellowship and common understanding, never herd ed like a flock following the dictates of one man or group of men nor intimidated into collective action by mass appeal or dictum. To attain its ideal of service to humanity, Rotary seeks all that which brings people together and it avoids all which separates them. Club service is in my opinion best explained by making reference to the Rotary emblem. The emblem of Rotary is a wheel. Not a rubber-tired wheel for comfortable riding, for Rotary carries no passengers. Not a smooth-faced pulley-wheel, depending on friction for power; but a powerful geared wheel, designed for power and service and heavy duty. The cogs are the members, and they work intermeshed with other men. If one cog is broken or missing, the work of the whole is impeded or stopped. There is no room in Rotary for broken or missing cogs. The cogs are solidly bound together by the rim, which in essence, is club service. The spokes are the meetings, regular or committees, coming at regular intervals, and imparting the spirit of the club to its members The inspiration and resistless force of the central shaft is the spirit of Rotary, the spirit of unselfish service, extending from the central power plant of Rotary International through every club around the world. As the wheel turns it radiates the forces of Rotary. The meaning of club service, therefore, as practiced in Rotary should be no unfolding mystery. It is basically and fundamentally simple. Rotary is a body of friends working together to accomplish its object; friends of like purpose cooperating in an intelligent effort to do good and spread good. Individual progress in Rotary is marked by opportunities to join in this work and it is in the field of club service that these opportunities find their first and best manifestations. The primary approach to Rotary is through acquaintance and friendship. So it is urged that each member take full advantage of every chance to know his fellow Rotarians. That should not take long through conscientious observation of at- tendance rules. In Rotary, one should expect a fair application of rules regardless of personal interest by a consistent, and wherever possible, an unbroken attendance record. Here in Rotary you will find, as countless others have found before. us, that it is a group of the friendlies: fellows one ever will meet, and there are over 362,000 through- out the world-men of good will who will work with you, sympathize with you, argue with you, go to bat for you or sometimes laugh at you, if the joke is good enough, but never derisively, yet, at all times, men who will always be for you truly and sincerely. Rotary realizes and therefore desires to make sure, through club service, that the mainspring of Rotary success is kinship of purpose through whole some fellowship. This is the reason why Rotary insists that it should have in its membership a re presentative of every recognized business or professional or institutional activity in the community. It is only through a strict adherence of the classification principle that it is possible to bring together and avail in one strong bond of kinship and fellowship men who would unselfishly work for the common good, despite diversity of interest The classified and limited membership plan of Rotary produces an active club, highly sensitive to the requirements of the community, and capable of developing the individual as a leader in ser vice. The beauty of a diamond is in the precise cutting of its facets so that they reflect the sur light in a solid blaze of color. Similarly, much of the attractiveness of a Rotary Club arises from the clean-cut classifications, each facet, as it were, reflecting one ray of light, and in combination giving Rotary a distinct setting. Even an unpracticed eye will discover the flaw in a gem in which the facets are not cut with precision. So in Rotary its splendor is dulled when classifications are not clean-cut and irreproachable.. Club service functions in Rotary are so inter dependent that its committees can only attain maxi mum efficiency by a close cooperation between them. Attendance problems are often traceable to other weaknesses in club administration. It is possible that attendance is falling because of poor programs, feeble fellowship or inadequate Rotary information. Hence, the field of club service offers a real challenge in: 1) building and maintaining a congenial, re- presentative membership, 2) creating a friendly atmosphere, 3) arranging attractive programs, and 4) aiding both members and the community to better understanding of Rotary's purpose and program. The results do not stop at the club boundaries. Rotarians who have thus learned the meaning of the ideal of service in the club itself later give it expression in their business and professional relationships; in their community contacts, and by developing a more intelligent understanding in regard to international relations. Rotary education is like all education it is never completed! Education in Rotary is a process, not a product that can be completed, nor an end that can be attained within a specified time. Mere growth in numbers might be a liability to a club if it failed to give constant and thoughtful attention to the job of making real Rotarians out of its members. It is therefore an obligation of a Rotary club toward its members to give them a sense of that warmth of fellowship which will make them feel at home; and, equally as important, they must be given an opportunity to know Rotary-to understand its objectives, what it stands for, its real worth. As we gather ourselves in this District Conference, it behooves each and every one of us to give new meaning and dignity to our individual responsibilities as a member of our respective Rotary clubs. Each of us should look forward to that day when individually we shall be contributing within our maximum resources and best knowledge to interpret Rotary aims and object in terms that will produce the unselfish thought and action needed by the times. Rotary constantly moves in that direction and every Rotarian has a part to perform in that common effort.