"Looking at my Pelican History of America's index, I cannot
find any references to "Rotary" or "Paul Harris". I do, incidentally,
find the names of some eminent Rotarians such as Woodrow Wilson and Franklin
D Roosevelt.
We shall have to find our own history.
Understanding the past is, obviously, important in helping to
explain the present. Why, for example, did the movement expand so rapidly?
The answer lies with the early pioneers who understood that the "Booster"
concept of self interest was flawed and only appropriate for short-term
advantage. If the movement could adapt to serve the community both at home
and abroad, it would be able to attract men (and women) from every part of
the globe.
Rotary has to provide history as a resource for all of
its 30,000 clubs. In the age of the world-wide web, it is so easy for one
inaccuracy to spread like a common cold. The "History
of Rotary" Project web site
should be a repository of all definitive answers.
Rotarians, the world over, can examine the past and also read
of Rotary critics such as G. B. Shaw or H. L. Mencken and realise that in
reality, the sternest critics are club members themselves.
So, let us learn from the past and try to live up to those
who began these Adventures in Service."