SERVICE BEFORE SELF.

Hokitika Guardian, 5 February 1925, Page 1

SERVICE BEFORE SELF.

ADDRESS BY GOVERNORGENERAL. WELLINGTON, February 3. Sacrifice, membership and loyalty formed the theme of the GovernorCciioral’s remarks at the Rotary Club luncheon to-day. His Excellency said he had always been a firm believer in the Rot airy movement, quoting the club’s motto, “Service before self. He profits most who serves best.” He said the Rotary movement emphasised the principles upon which lie had been trained during his service in the Army, principles of membership and loyalty. There was no doubt that in the late war we learned one great- lesson which had done incalculable good to national character. The war had shown us how character was built up by appeal to a man’s unselfishness. It showed us liow the virtue of self-forgetfulness led to the highest* form of self-sacrifice. A great many men experienced in war .something quite new to them, a sense of acute physical fear. He himself had felt it. The effect of such a feeling was absolute paralysis, which lasted just so long a.s the man was thinking of himself. The instant his thoughts became engrossed with the care of his comrades or with the details of his work, however, that sense of fear no longer affected his actions. So it followed that ,self-forgetfulness was hot only the root of all courage, it was also the secret of all virtue. The main effect of our moral and physical teaching was that men were taught to think far too much of themselves and of saving their own individual souls, rather t-an to think < others. What we should aim at was the encouragement of such sense of membership and loyalty that nil the enthusiasm of which we were capable was brought out. not with a view to our ultimate advantage, but with a view to the good of mankind and with the corporate social idea. (Applause.) That he thought, was the theme that, ran through the whole of the code of Uo-tju-v. Deeds of heroism were instinctively performed by men who thought not of themselves, hut of their fellow

“If we are to gain any power,” said his Excellency, “it must lie by developing among ourselves a sense of membership anil loyalty to humanity and loyally to the great cause. Every one of us who lia.s the faculty of leadership must use that leadership for the advancement of the general good.” All of us, no matter what our station in life, came to the Hill of Difficulty, and that hill had to be surmounted. There wero many ways up to the top. There was the way taken by the cleric, by the man in the street, by the army man, by the business mail, but the way to the top and over was the way of self-sacri-fice. (Applause.) That seemed to him to he the outstanding spirit of the Rotary code. In carrying out their code they were doing great service to the community. The further the movement was extended throughout this country and the world as a whole ihc greater would lie the benefit to humanity. The basis of their code was one word. Love. (Applause.)