him in public service in the community,
it is a natural evolution and logical de-
velopment of the Rotary ideal that
Rotary should cause its members to
recognize their responsibilities with re-
gard to bringing about a new spirit in
the world order. International service is
not something superimposed upon Ro-
tary; it is the carrying out of the pro-
gram for “the advancement of interna-
tional understanding, good will, and
peace through a world fellowship of
business and professional men united in
the ideal of service.’ The individual Ro-
tarian is the interpreter of Rotary and
it is by the fidelity with which he re-
flects its spirit that Rotary will be
judged.

Outline of Policy of Rotary Interna-
tional in International ‘Service

Rotary clubs in international service
should bend their energies to the stimu-
lation of thought and to the training of
the individual Rotarian in open-minded-
ness rather than in an attempt to in-
fluence governments, world affairs and
international policies by the corporate
action either of Rotary International or
Rotary clubs.

For guidance in international service
activities the following principles, re-
affirmed by the board of directors in
July, 1940, are suggested:

1. Because corporate action by any or-
ganization on controversial subjects
on which its members widely differ
is generally inadvisable, no corpo-
rate action by Rotary International is
desirable on such questions. Never-
theless the organization may proper-
ly promote discussion and informa-
tion on controversial subjects in its
conventions and in its publications;

V-4

but, where this is done, both sides
of the question should be adequately
presented.

A Rotary club may, with propriety,
be used as a forum for the presenta-
tion of public questions, but where
such questions are controversial, it
is desirable, though not absolutely
necessary, that both sides be ade-
quately presented. No Rotary club
should pass votes or resolutions on
specific plans for dealing with inter-
national affairs, or direct appeals for
action from clubs in one country to
clubs, peoples or governments of an-
other nation, nor circulate speeches
or proposed plans for the solution of
specific international problems.

When controversial international

_ subjects are presented and discussed

in a Rotary club, the speaker should
be cautioned to avoid giving offense
to Rotarians or the Rotary clubs of
other countries, and it should be
made clear that a Rotary club does
not necessarily assume responsibility
for opinions expressed by individual
speakers at its meetings.

When two countries in which there
are Rotary clubs are engaged in
hostilities, or where hostilities are
threatened, the utmost caution
should be used by the clubs of the
countries concerned and by clubs of
other countries lest any attempted
action may tend to ill will and mis-
understanding rather than good will
and understanding.

Those international service activities
which tend to inform Rotarians and
non-Rotarians of world problems
and to develop public opinion are
best suited to Rotary clubs; and Ro-