Letters: December 2007
The Rotarian
We hate junk mail just as much as you do, so it certainly brightens our day to get an actual letter from you, even if it’s just to blow off steam. Or maybe you want to share an opinion about something you’ve read or want to read. Don’t just tell your club – tell us and the rest of the Rotary world too. So keep those cards and letters coming with your suggestions, insights, criticisms and yes, even compliments, to yourletters@rotary.org or The Rotarian, One Rotary Center, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201 USA.
Ethics speech contest
How timely for District 7120! Just yesterday, we mailed packets for our oratorical contest on ethics to club presidents and school superintendents. Hopefully, your lead article on The Four-Way Test in the September issue [“The Four-Way Test Means Business”] will help club members who serve as oratorical coaches.
In 2005, District 7120 launched its successful contest based on The Four-Way Test. Our goal is to encourage high school juniors to reflect on their own ethics by making a speech on the importance of ethics in the life they plan to live. We partnered with the Rochester Area Colleges organization to make more than $100,000 in merit-based scholarships available.
Now in its third year, the contest has changed young lives. Participants have developed poise, self-confidence, and public-speaking skills. The program also promotes the image of Rotary.
Anyone interested in bringing this contest to other districts can download our materials at www.rotary7120.org.
Jeff Krans
Keuka Park, N.Y., USA
Good timing
Maridee Edwards, retired chief disciplinary council to the Missouri Supreme Court, had just addressed the Rotary Club of Jefferson City Evening on ethics in the workplace. A few days later, The Four-Way Test was featured in The Rotarian [September]. Keep up the good work with moral and ethical guidance through Rotary.
Frank Rycyk
Jefferson City, Mo., USA
Revise The Four-Way Test?
I nearly skipped [September’s In Focus]. Had I done so, I would have missed a very evenly balanced presentation, for which you are to be congratulated. There is the usual party-line headline of “Rotary’s Gold Standard of Ethics,” but also included are some well-chosen words from the wider world. But could The Four-Way Test be due for an update?
Though The Rotarian correctly describes The Four-Way Test as “the public face of Rotary’s commitment to business ethics,” a large number of Rotary clubs treat it as an ethic for Rotarian behavior in daily life. Maybe we need one, but this should not be it.
If The Four-Way Test is to continue unchanged in its present form, can its place be contained within the arm of Vocational Service? And can it be introduced with “Of the things we think, say or do in business”? And then can it be revised?
David White
Karen, Kenya
The golden rule
I have been a Rotarian since 1993. When I was inducted into the Rotary Club of Sedro Woolley, Wash., USA, I was given a small desktop version of The Four-Way Test. I still have it on my desk.
The article [“The Four-Way Test Means Business”] in the September issue got me thinking about the problems I have with The Four-Way Test. It is cumbersome and difficult to remember. It is ambiguous. It is wordy. The article says Walgreens has used the test as its “new version of the golden rule.” Why was a new version needed? Why not just use the [old] golden rule? It is simple, concise, and easy to remember.
Bill McCann
Sedro-Woolley, Wash., USA
Display The Four-Way Test
I read the September issue with great interest.
A few years ago, as president of the Rotary Club of Fairview, Alta., Canada, I was surprised that only a few club members could recite The Four-Way Test. I felt that good ethics is the basis of Rotary.
We play two games at each meeting. I established a rule that each winner must recite the test to claim a prize. It soon caught on, and now the first thing our new members do is learn The Four-Way Test. I also hope to encourage all Rotarians to prominently display The Four-Way Test in their businesses.
Thanks for reminding us of the value of good ethics.
Fiena McIntyre-Olsen
Fairview, Alta., Canada
Make-ups reveal world of Rotary
I would like to put in a plug for meeting make-ups. I can’t match Rotarian [Carter LeBeau], who has made up at several hundred places [Letters, September], but I have been fortunate enough to have attended Rotary club meetings in about 20 countries in such lovely places as Hong Kong; São Paulo, Brazil; Reykjavík, Iceland; and Warsaw, Poland. During just about every visit, there was some special little incident that provided me with new friendships and great memories.
In Gibraltar, the scheduled speaker canceled, and I was asked to give a program on Rotary Youth Exchange. In Chihuahua, Mexico, there was the annual club dominoes tournament, which I was invited to join (and didn’t win). In Ocho Rios, Jamaica, I was fined five Jamaican dollars because the club “finemaster” said he’d always wanted to fine a judge. The list is endless.
It is not surprising that RI President Wilfrid J. Wilkinson says his first convention really opened his eyes to the world of Rotary [President’s Message, September]. But let’s not overlook just plain Rotary make-ups, both at home and abroad. They generate friendships and memories at the grassroots level that are just as priceless. And you can often pick up some good ideas to take back to your club.
Bill Sturtz
Albert Lea, Minn., USA
Invaluable Basics
Rotary Basics in the August issue is invaluable. I plan to loan it to each new person I invite as a guest and potential new member. Those eight pages give information about Rotary in a small space and present it in easy-to-digest language. What a great treat – and education! Even we members of several years can learn from that section. How could one not want to become a part of this group after reading it?
Polly A. Green
Frankfort, Ky., USA
Editor’s note: Why not give everyone a copy of the annual Rotary Basics? Buy reprints for US$0.75 or download it at www.rotary.org.
Holistic health
After reading “Complementary Care” [Health, September], I would like to make a suggestion. Everything, including health care, must be undertaken properly to get the optimum results. When people have a health issue, they should seek a competent general practitioner who will evaluate the problem and treat the entire person. A person is composed of mind (stress), body (lifestyle, diet, exercise), soul (emotions), and interaction with the environment. The treatment may consist of medicines, advice, or a referral to an appropriate mainstream specialist or complementary care provider. This is the integrated, holistic approach to health problems.
Dr. Mary R. Stauffer
Downey, Calif., USA
Honor older members
Charles Robinson was born on 29 September 1918 in White County, Tenn., USA. He joined the Rotary Club of Sparta in July 1941. He is the oldest active member in District 6780 and has been a member of the Sparta club for 66 years, interrupted only by his military service during World War II.
We would like to challenge all the Canadian and U.S. districts and clubs to review their current rosters to see whether there are any active Rotarians older than Robinson or with more years of service. By active, we mean still attending meetings, participating in projects, and being classified as an active member.
We would also suggest to our fellow Rotarians that they honor all those members with more than 50 years of service with a special event. Your inauguration or awards meetings would be a perfect time to honor the people who have been the roots of our clubs for so many years.
Please write to spartagreg32@gmail.com.
Greg Johnson
Sparta, Tenn., USA
Why I am a Rotarian
I am a Rotarian because
- The world is not polio-free yet. But Rotary is still in action to eradicate it.
- People in underdeveloped countries die every day because of unclean water. But Rotary is helping to provide them with water filtration devices.
- Close to one billion people lack the most basic literacy and numeracy skills. But Rotary is helping to educate them through literacy programs.
- Nearly 1.3 billion people live in extreme poverty. But Rotary is helping to provide them with opportunities to enhance their lives.
- Our world is not at peace. But Rotary is educating young leaders on mediation skills and peace and conflict resolution.
When there is a need, Rotary responds. That’s why I’m a Rotarian.
Mike Dennis
Orangeburg, S.C., USA
Hot topics
Korean connections
Has your club partnered with a club in Korea, sent a Group Study Exchange team there, or hosted a Korean student through Rotary Youth Exchange? Tell us about your ties to RI President-elect D.K. Lee’s homeland.
Women and children first
Let us know how your club has been improving the health of children under the age of 5 and expectant mothers.
Strategic thinking
Your club spent untold hours crafting a strategic plan. The club is now stronger, meetings are more interesting, and members are more engaged. Or are they?
E-mail rotarian@rotary.org; write to The Rotarian, 1560 Sherman Ave., Evanston, IL 60201-3698 USA; or fax 847-866-9732.