Paul
Harris begins his book with a quotation from Alice’s Adventures in
Wonderland, which I find very appropriate for Rotary History, too:
The expression “This Rotarian Age” stems from Mr. G. K. Chesterton
…whose references to Rotary have revealed no inclination to flatter,
has on one occasion at least, referred to the present period of the
world’s history as “this Rotarian age”.
The photo of “The 1905
Group – The Rotary Club of Chicago” In the chapter “Genesis of
Rotary” he describes the following Rotarians: Silvester Schiele,
Gustavus and Hiram (for Gus and Hiram, not pictured, who soon left
Rotary, he nevertheless found kind words)
"There
was another of German parentage; Gustavus, a promoter. His personality
challenged attention. His was a rare combination, the good in him easily
out-weighing the bad. He was a stormy petrel, vehement, impetuous,
imperative, domineering, in one breath; then calm docile and lovable in
the next. He was always thought-compelling; his words were spoken with
lightning-like rapidity, and with such force that men frequently stopped
in the street to look at him. His educational advantage has been
limited, but he English was classical. Where he found expression, was a
quandary.
Gus' membership was of brief duration. The feverish ups and downs of
business resulted first in his resignation from membership, and a few
years later in his Death. Requiescat in pace. Dear Gus, you rested
little while here." PH
"Hiram, a merchant tailor who hailed from
the state of Maine, was of the number. He was an agreeable fellow. He
had never quite reconciled himself to life in a large city; in fact,
through all the years his thoughts have constantly reverted to the state
of his nativity. There he spends his summer vacations, and to the
rock-ribbed state of Main he will eventually return to spend his
remaining days.
Hiram,
due to circumstances beyond his control, did not retain his membership
in the club, though he has frequently manifested interest in the
movement and shown that he cherishes the memory of the early days."
Silvester Schiele
"There was Silvester, a coal dealer, our first
president, he was of German parentage. His was a kindly nature and his
face wont to light up with pleasure on meeting friends. He told
interesting stories of his boyhood home on an Indiana farm, revealing
the picture of a log cabin and family group around the fire place. He
Told of the hardships of early life; for example, of the snow that used
to pelt through he chinks in the roof of the attic in which he slept,
forming miniature drifts upon the floor. He treasure the memory of those
early days. Though his life in Chicago had been a struggle, he had
managed to be helpful to the younger members of his family.
He
had responded to his country's call in its time of need, serving in Cuba
curing the Spanish-American war. Cleary he was eligible. Succeeding
years have demonstrated the wisdom of the selection; Silvester fills a
worthy place, and his life becomes increasingly useful with advancing
years. He is the center of community activities and church work, the key
man in charitable undertakings. Many young Men have him to thank for
years of wise counsel. Many crippled children have him to thank for
physical rehabilitation. To Silvester every human need is a command. His
telephone rings night and day, but he is never too tired to respond
although his health is not always the best, and he is very tired at
times. During the early days of the depression, and until the charities
in his part of the city were put on an organized basis, Sylvester's
office was made to serve as a clearing-house, and many hundred needy
were given relief.
While Sylvester's most manifest contribution
to the common weal has been through community service, his contribution
through vocational service, that is, in the management of his own
business has been scarcely less commendable. His "turn over" among
employees have always been negligible, though he has had many trying
cases to deal with.
His foreman in Charge, who has been many
years in Sylvester's service, never fails to avail himself of every
opportunity to speak a good work of his boss. More than once he has told
the writer that if anything ever happens to the "Old Man" to make it
necessary to him to discontinue the management of the business, he will
terminate his service, because he never could be satisfied to work for
another after having worked so long for the "Old Man."
Sylvester's record in community service, vocational service, as a
humanitarian, neighbor and friend, will stand a lot of beating, as the
English put it. To put it in other words, it is a splendid
exemplification of the doctrine of Rotary in action. In the very early
days of rotary, Silvester sponsored the reading of papers on the
respective vocations of the members. Was it the beginning of the
Vocational service activity in Rotary? Perhaps not, but it certainly was
in perfect keeping with the developments which came further on." PH
Ches Perry is not in the photo above, though still a member of
Rotary Club of Chicago, he was the General Secretary of what was by now
officially "Rotary International."
In the chapter “The
Renaissance”, after describing the dreadful atmosphere in Chicago in
those days at length, he writes:
"In such atmosphere, Rotary’s
first public service was rendered. It consisted of initiating and
promulgating the establishment of public comfort stations in Chicago. Of
all the multitudinous undertakings of Rotary, the writer can not recall
one more ambitious. Rotary’s first public undertaking resulted in the
enrolment of every important civic organisation in the city of Chicago,
and also the city and county administrations, in its support. For more
than two years the battle against indifference, vested interests, and so
forth continued until eventually Chicago’s first public comfort station
was established on the north-eastern corner of Washington and LaSalle
streets."
In the chapter “The Gods were Propitious” he writes:
"The fact that the gods were propitious was manifested one evening
soon after the beginning of the renaissance, in the admission to
membership in the Chicago club of two men who where to leave indelible
imprint upon the movement. One of them, Chesley R. Perry, was a native
of Chicago; the other, Arthur F. Sheldon, was a native of Michigan, who
had come to Chicago after graduation from the University of Michigan, to
take a position with a concern engaged in selling subscription books."
Paul Harris then describes these two men on eight pages.
In
the last chapter “For a Neighbourly World” he describes the
neighbourliness with Silvester:
"There is a path from “Comely
Bank” to the home of Silvester, the first man to whom was breathed the
first word of Rotary. It is a well worn path winding through the oak
wood made fragrant in the spring by countless blossoms, and radiant in
the autumn by blazing sumac.
This particular path has been
showing the imprint of Schiele and Harris boots and shoes more than
twenty years now." “Silvester took to himself a wife who could never
outwear her welcome anywhere were she to try ever so hard. Jessie is a
distinguished personage in her own right; President of the Illinois
Board of Baptist Missions; President of the Women’s Department of the
Chicago Federation of Churches; and twice President of the Women of
Rotary. She is of Scotch extraction and Jean considers Scotch extraction
second only to being out-and-out Scotch”.
Paul P. Harris
Prepared for Rotary History,
Wolfgang Ziegler |
Harry
Ruggles
(member number five) Harry, a printer, was
number five. He measured up to every requirement, insofar as his
business habits were concerned; he was reliable, punctual, and
straight-forward; dishonesty was to him incomprehensible. The only
question in the minds of the others was, "How does he stand in the point
of fellowship?" He seemed cold, unemotional, and inexperienced in the
ways of men. Harry had been raised raised on a farm in northern
Michigan. He father had been an upright and religious man, whose
weakness bed been his childish faith in all mankind. As a consequence,
his cupboard was so frequently bare that the belief that man was created
for the purpose of waging merciless warfare against poverty was deeply
embedded in young Harry's mind. |
William
Jenson
“Bill, whose vocation is the real estate business, entered
the charmed circle as number six. He was our first secretary.” |
A.
L. White “Al," A manufacturer of folding organs, could not have
been denied membership after one had glimpsed his twinkling eye and
sensed his humour. He was our second president.” |
Rufus
F. Chapin
“Rufus was a banker. The name Rufus was happily and
most naturally changed to “Rough-house” in Rotary circles. The
appropriateness of the change will be apparent to all who know Rufe as
the most quiet and inoffensive gentleman imaginable. He is the treasurer
of Rotary International, a position he held for a quarter of a century.
His friends are legion”. |
Bernard
E. Arntzen
“There was Barney the undertaker. It required little
imagination on the part of him who tagged Barney with the pseudonym,
“Cupid” – he is such a roly-poly individual and his quiver is always
full of arrows. When he lets them fly, they are very likely to reach
their mark – the human heart.” |
Fred
H. Tweed
“Freddie is big, hale and hearty, and possesses a
magnetic personality; his manifest geniality impresses even the passing
stranger. Wherever he goes, he gets the best of everything. What does he
give in return? Nothing, that he is conscious of. He is just himself –
genial, kindly old Freddie, and he looks the part. He never learned how
to be a gentleman; he didn’t need to; he was born that way”. |