Up Up and Away

This, the second article drawn from the archives of mouldy Rotarian magazines, concerns Rotary’s exclusivity – at least from the perspective of April 1912.

 

Actually, I was attracted by that edition’s cover – one of those confounded aeronautical contraptions, which were just starting to buzz around – and the comparison between them and Rotary.  Both, it was suggested, afford men the opportunity to rise above the commonplaces of earth.  It is still true today, even though we go faster and higher.

 

Disappointingly, the magazine did not contain an article that expanded on that premise but it did have a piece on why Rotary limited its membership.

 

The article, written by the President of the Pittsburgh Club, put the view that were Rotary to admit everyone its very aims would be defeated and membership would not be highly prized. He compared membership to the design of the Rotary emblem and said “…the wheel typifies the completeness and balance which must exist if perfect harmony in purpose and operation is to be maintained.”

 

What he was getting at was that clubs needed to recruit to ensure a wide cross section of the business community but to also be careful that not too many people in the same business classification became members because this could distort the balance in the club and its activities. But, his view also underlines the importance of selecting the right new members and this is still true today.

 

We need to be careful not to chase numbers. What we want are members who can contribute to Rotary by virtue of their character, background and willingness to put service above self.