Opening Ceremonies

Opening the 1912 Convention

by Rachael E. Martin, Club #25 Historian

The 1912 Duluth Convention opened on Tuesday, August 6 at the Commercial Club. Paul P. Harris of Chicago, National President, called the meeting to order. This was the signal for the delegates to rise to their feet and give three hearty cheers for Duluth. Chesley R. Perry of Chicago, National Secretary, read the roll.
 

Mr. Harris then made an address defining the principles of Rotarianism. Its purpose, he declared, is to bring the business and professional men together, to more closely unite them and to broaden their understanding. He spoke of the wonderful gain in Rotary membership, saying that the 49 clubs now had a membership of over 5,000.
 

Following the opening meeting, Rotarians returned to headquarters at the Holland Hotel for several round table meetings in committee rooms.
 

While the Rotarians were engaged in meetings, the first general meeting of the women took place at the St. Louis Hotel. After a brief reception of the visitors in the parlors, the women, numbering about 100, went down to the Woodland Café, where they were served a grand luncheon under the name of tea.
 

The keynote of the pink and white decorations was a wheel of asters, babies breath and lilies suspended by spokes of smilax in the center of the room. The individual tables had baskets of bright pink and white asters and ferns as centerpieces. In addition, each woman received an individual nosegay of pink Japanese lilies and babies breath at her place.
 

During the luncheon, the St. Louis musicians gave an unusually fine program of operatic music. The one popular air was "Minnesota", the booster song, in which the visitors joined with capital spirit.
 

Mrs. G. H. Bate, chairman of the auxiliary of the Rotary Club, spoke a few words of welcome. Then Rev. J. M. Kramer of Spokane, one of the few men who managed to make their way to the women's function, led 3 rousing cheers by the handful of men present, for the hostesses.
 

The first day of the 1912 Duluth Rotary Convention was off to a rousing start.