July 5, 1967

Sing A Song Of Service

It's incredible, but here I am at Lake Placid, N.Y.  - my arms across the shoulders of total strangers from Germany and Australia - singing "R-O-T-A-R-Y, that spells Ro-tar-ee" at the top of my voice.

The occasion is the annual week of training for 283 Rotary International district governors from most free nations of the world.

It is astonishing, in the first here learning how to help turn the Rotary wheel of service.  If nothing else it proves enthusiasm is a good substitute for ability, and it should be pretty obvious by now that I'm "sold" on Rotary.

To appreciate the full import of this unique personal experience, however, you will have to go back with me 28 years to the time I was a cub sports writer on the Flint (Mich.) Daily Journal.

I was 19, newly enrolled in college and a Rugged Individualist - as is customary for young men approaching manhood.  The Journal bought memberships in all the recognized organizations in Flint and assigned them to various members of the staff.  It was my lot to represent the paper in the Jaycees.

On my first - and only - visit to the club I was greeted by a secretary who gave me a big hello and a hearty handshake as if I was his best friend just returned from several years abroad.  Next, someone pinned a plastic button the size of a saucer on my shirt.  It said, "My Name Is LIN, What's Yours?"

Every time I turned around, some unknown character would grab my hand, pump it vigorously and confide that his name was "Bud" or "Joe" or "Al" and he sure was glad to see me.

Before we could turn on to the fruit-cup we all had to sing some ditty about what a great outfit the Jaycees was - and it ended with a rooster-like, "Cock-a-doodle-doo."

The shock to my nervous system was horrendous.  The spectacle of grown men effusing goodwill to strangers and singing silly songs was more than my young years could take.  I begged off any more meetings on the basis I was working my way through college and couldn't spare the time.

It is somewhat in the nature of a confession, and an apology to the Flint Jaycees, that I acknowledge today I am first in line to shake the hand of a visitor to my club and loudest in proclaiming in song the virtues of Rotary.

The service club is a phenomena of the twentieth century.  Whether it is Rotary, Lions.  Kiwanis, Jaycees or the dozens of other fine clubs the objective is the same - to do good and have some fun while doing it.  The amount of charitable and philanthropic work carried out by the service clubs is inca1cuable.

Rotary is the oldest of present day service clubs and the largest with more than 600,000 members in 133 countries.  It was organized in Chicago in 1905 by Paul P. Harris, a young lawyer.  He wanted a group of business and professional men interested in recapturing the friendliness, comradeship and understanding of the small-town life many of them had known as Youngsters.

That first little group called themselves Rotarians because they met in rotation at their various places of business.  The idea of fellowship among businessmen caught on rapidly.  Other Rotary clubs were soon started in other cities.  The organization became international in 1910 with establishment of a club in Winnipeg, Canada; and in 1911 in Dublin, Ireland.

An early charity of Rotary was help for crippled children.  The Lions are famous for their assistance to the blind.  Other service clubs likewise tend to emphasize a particular field of need while working generally on many projects of a more local nature.

Whatever the area of endeavor, the good accomplished is beyond price.  As a matter of fact, the service can't be bought.  The millions of service club volunteers donate their time, talent and treasure for nothing more than their own personal satisfaction.

No psychologist has yet adequately explained the attraction of service clubs to men of character.  The human need to serve others certainly is a big factor.  However, there has to be more than that involved for other organizations - the church, for example - provide just as much opportunity.

One of the big reasons for service club popularity, in my opinion, is the lack of political or denominational religious affiliation.  Men can work together, and for others, without having to ask who's on whose side.  Clubs are just beginning to recognize the great potential for world understanding through their unique approach to social problems.

How many organizations can you name that give freely without some kind of pre-qualification?  Only a few, I'll wager.

Service clubs also provide a reliable screening of casual acquaintances.  When one member meets another the odds are substantial that both are friendly, courteous, helpful and honest.  The similarity of service club attributes to the Boy Scouts is not accidental.

Fellowship, therefore, is a strong welding force for men who are thrown together enmasse by our complex, urban society.  "Workable" friendships - as differentiated from "personal" ones - are possible among men with a proven interest in others.

So, here I am - the formerly independent young man - singing Rotary songs and embracing new but trusted fellow members.  I'm proud to be a small part of a large organization where the individual is merged into one common cause.

Why?

Because I discovered rather quickly that them world's work is done by teams.  Many men cooperating on worthwhile projects are what really advance civilization.  Genius is necessary to inspire, but solid accomplishment comes through patient plodding.

The man who accepts the responsibility of family and submits to drudgery, hard work and authority to support his family - this is the real hero of our world.  He's the man who pays his taxes, goes to church, educates his children and gives what he can spare to those less fortunate than himself.  God bless him.

The service club is a powerful aid to a man's duty to others.  No wonder it is so popular, and there are many approaches to similar objectives.  Each club is organized a little differently, thus tending to acquire its own personality.

Service club members are fond of declaring - in accordance with personal loyalties - that Kiwanians do all the work, Lions have all the fun, and Rotarians get all the credit.

Fortunately, the names in the above statement are equally interchangeable.

Author: Lindsey Williams