One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world is the Rotary 4-Way Test. It was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 when he was asked to take charge of the Chicago based Club Aluminium Company, which was facing bankruptcy. Taylor looked for a way to save the struggling company mired in depression-caused financial difficulties. He drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all employees to follow in their business and professional lives. The 4-Way Test became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company was credited to this simple philosophy.

Herb Taylor became president of Rotary International during 1954-55. The 4-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943 and has been translated into more than 100 languages and published in thousands of ways. The message should be known and followed by all Rotarians.

What has happened to our values? by Jan Bertholf

Everywhere we go it seems that the fabric of America's values is being ripped to shreds. Morality and honour is only a memory of the past. Crime and drug abuse are all over the land-not just the cities. The family is being broken up-and those that cherish the traditional family are under assault. Parents are so busy they have abdicated the responsibility of raising their children to others. Young people are joining gangs and cults like never before. Role-models are no longer men and women of character, but shallow, pop-culture artists. Criminals are considered victims. Instant gratification is the new order of the day from credit availability to sex outside the commitment of marriage. Business advertising is glitz rather than truth. TV and music honour violence, infidelity, drugs, and drinking-and go so far as to ridicule religion, marriage, and respect for authority. Our judicial system is beginning to confuse liberty and license. We seem to have forgotten that there is such a thing as truth and standards.

There is hope. There is a way to be an influence for the truth, fairness, friendship, and goodness-both personally and corporately. The answer, however, will not come from the national level, but down here with each of us.