SOS 2013
State of the Society Address, 2013
Consul Bruce A. Metcalf, OAE
I keep a file of quotations. Some to use in Augustæum, but most for personal inspiration. This year’s address will consist of a number of those quotations, with my remarks on how they seem to bear on our Society.
"The true meaning of life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not expect to sit."
- — Nelson Henderson, professional rugby player (1865–1943)
Our Society is engaged in a business not measured in days and weeks. Not even in months and years. Ours is the business of decades, perhaps of centuries.
We have been more than half a century getting our Society to the present point, and we need to let our history set the scale for the plans we make for our Society’s future; plans on the scale of decades at a minimum. To fail to do so would be to abandon our duty to the Augustans who built this Society, to the Augustans who now form this Society, and to the generations of Augustans yet to come. We now have this duty, and we must not shirk it.
Not all that we do will bear fruit during our term of office, perhaps not during our lifetimes. But it is incumbent upon us to make a beginning; indeed, to make many beginnings, as not all programs will bear fruit. But it is certain that none will bear fruit unplanted.
"Think so big that you can't do it alone, so big you can't do it this year, this decade or even in your lifetime. Have a dream worth dreaming."
- — Bobb Biehl, executive mentor (fl.1976–2013)
What then shall we do? What big dreams shall we pursue? Where should we invest our not insubstantial resources and large but finite energies? Yes, of course we must take care of our day-to-day, our year-to-year activities. Failure in those will prevent any further action, but those may be the least important over the long run.
We must do the simple and obvious things to keep us ahead of the near future; budget planning, our new web sites, new technologies … and most particularly, developing those who will succeed us in our offices.
But we must also be willing to embark on large, long-term projects. We need projects with the potential to keep the attention of our members, and we need large achievements to garner the attention of the world, or at least our segment of it. In this category of large projects I place our Library Catalog, our budding books program, the Rose Training Program, Descents from Antiquity, the Augustan Society Roll of Arms, and others yet unimagined. What shall those projects be?
"Don’t do anything that others can do or will do when there is so much of importance to be done that others cannot or will not do."
- — Dawson Trotman, evangelist (1906–1956)
Well then, “What is it that only The Augustan Society can do? What is it that only The Augustan Society will do? And what can The Augustan Society do better than anyone else?”
We have a unique position in the world, especially in the United States, as a champion of the continuity of history — and history as a guidepost to contemporary life, not as a collection of irrelevant antiquities or a list of dates and kings. We are uniquely qualified to present the lessons of history and the other Augustan subjects to the modern world, and to serve as a vital part of the modern world.
I propose that our primary focus should be to expand our educational offerings. The Knights Training Program is a good example of this. We need to develop similar programs for the study of Royalty & Nobility which show how these concepts remain relevant. We need to develop a Heraldic training program, perhaps based on the previous program which led to the designation of Certified Heraldist. We need a History program that does more than shine a light on ancient times, but shows how history can illuminate the present. And it’s not too soon to begin plans for the development of Museum exhibits—perhaps traveling exhibits to extend our reach beyond whatever headquarters we might establish. [Note: The Museum has since been discontinued and the collection is in the process of being disposed of.]
We must also invent new programs, new tools to assist the researcher. We have made small steps in this direction with our List of Recognized Orders (of Chivalry and Organizations of a Chivalric Nature); we have proposed a list of fontes honorum; and there may well be many other tools of this sort we are uniquely qualified to develop. In every field but genealogy—which is now well attended by commercial enterprises—scholars will benefit from the organized reference material we could assemble.
Also needed are new ways to bring together our members, and others who share our interests. In the coming decades, this looks to be an issue of technology.
"Technology is for the purpose of us. We are not for the purpose of technology."
- — Tara Calishain, author and ResearchBuzz blogger (b.1970)
Our web sites are and will continue to be an ever more important part of our operations, especially as we reach out toward our potential as an international society. And by “web sites”, I mean to include mobile versions, Facebook, Linked-In, and any number of social networking systems and technologies not yet touched upon or perhaps yet invented. But these must be utilized in support of our programs, not as ends in themselves.
As one generation would judge the legitimacy of an organization by the recommendation of trusted friends, another by a listing in the phone book, and yet another by having a web page, today’s young potential Augustans will judge us by the quality of our Facebook page. Tomorrow, it is certain to be something else.
We cannot afford to hie off after every New Thing, but we must work to avoid being left behind as culture moves on. This may be a difficult task for Augustans, whose median age is now 64. But we “old dogs” must learn new tricks if they are to attract “young dogs” to join our company. There are members (and potential members) far younger than us who must be brought in to provide that younger perspective, if not the very skills needed to get the most out of these new tools.
"Do not let yourselves be discouraged or embittered by the smallness of the success you are likely to achieve in trying to make life better. ... But, if you make life ever so little better, you will have done splendidly, and your lives will have been worthwhile."
- — Arnold Toynbee, economic historian and social activist (1852–1883)
Should we be ashamed of what little we have done? Is the recent history of The Augustan Society one of bitterly small successes?
I think not. Recall that in the half-dozen years since our reorganization, we have published two volumes of The Augustan Omnibus, two dozen issue of Augustæum, registered three dozen armorial achievements, replaced an embarrassing, half-finished web site with a strong and dramatic web presence, added a working online store, launched two social media sites, begun the work of cataloging our Library collection, and continued the 40-year work of Descents from Antiquity. We have improved our By-Laws, simplified our structure, codified our procedures, standardized our forms, greatly strengthened our financial position, and placed a number of wise and dedicated members on our Board of Directors and on the various committees.
These are no small achievements. They will not just serve us well as we address the challenges of the future, they are necessary prerequisites. They have been possible in part because we stood upon the shoulders of giants—and not just one. While Rodney Hartwell deservedly gets the lion’s share of the credit, there are hundreds of other members who have each made their contribution to the whole, and to whom we also owe our thanks. Remember that we now stand among them, and will be judged according to our works.
I don’t think there’s much doubt that the Society—since its beginning, and since the move to Florida—has had a positive impact on the antiquarian world, and upon our members and clients. Take a measure of pride in this, and let it inspire you to continue the good work.
"You got to be very careful if you don’t know where you’re going, because you might not get there."
- — Yogi Berra, baseball manger and serial language abuser (1925-2015)
Despite all this good work, I find myself increasingly disturbed by the lack of long-range planning in our organization. Indeed, I am disturbed by the lack of interest in long-range planning, or even short-range planning. For example, it is now late August, and we haven’t even begun work on next year’s Budget, despite needing to mail out renewal reminders in less than six weeks.
In particular, I am disturbed by the lack of planning for where the Society’s Headquarters will go when we can no enjoy the use of Consuls’ dining room... and living room, and spare bedroom, and den. We have long outgrown the time when our Society’s physical presence could be contained in someone’s residence, and we approach the time when even our office functions cannot be so contained. Present Consuls are patient, but they have a right to expect the Society to be constructively and effectively addressing this problem.
This isn’t the only long-range plan that needs attention, but it is one that will kill the Society if it is not attended to in time. This is an immediate challenge, not one that can be put off until the next decade. We must begin at once to address it—either by developing new sources of revenue or by adjusting our goals and activities.
"To equal a predecessor, one must have twice their worth."
- — Baltasar Gracian, Jesuit writer and philosopher (1601–1658)
It is good to remember that I am not Rodney. I would think this patently obvious, but there are some in Society office who seem to think I am. They are surprised when I lack some essential skill, or when I resist accepting additional duties when I cannot keep up with those already assigned. Perhaps my self-imposed limit of working only 20 hours/week for the Society (at less than a nickel per hour) disappoints them.
Unless we undertake a massive rewrite of the Society’s By-Laws, this is not going to be a one-man show. The By-Laws provide that the Board of Directors are in charge, despite the occasional unwillingness of some Directors to take part. Be advised that one may not safely assume that, “Bruce will take care of it,” for in many cases I cannot and increasingly I shall not. Know too that I will be holding your toes to the coals to see that necessary things are done.
"Engineers like to solve problems. If there are no problems handily available, they will create their own problems."
- — Scott Adams, cartoonist and author (b. 1947)
I am an engineer by training and inclination. Some Directors have complained that I am always coming up with new ideas, creating new problems, and obliging the Board or Committee Chairmen to deal with them. This is not only my nature, but also my job as I understand it. I must advise all to get used to it, or get someone else!
I do not believe that I am inventing imaginary problems or chasing phantoms. I will grant that I am at times working years ahead, trying to prevent problems long before they occur, striving to avoid problems the Society has had in the past, and working hard to be ready for growth when it comes. I think that also comes with the job, and I will not apologize for it.
"Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions."
- — Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish diplomat (1905–1961)
Those who know me well are all too aware that I do not place much value on peace and quiet in the face of unmet needs. If I raise a ruckus at times, if I insist on addressing some issue of no obvious importance, if you find me as demanding as your own conscience, know that I do so not without an awareness that it occasionally costs me friends, respect, and large quantities of my time.
The actions I pursue and the attitudes I sometimes display are the result of my own forty-year experience in the Society, and in the management and operation of other non-profit (and for-profit) organizations. They are the result of my conviction that the Society is an important body, which addresses topics of permanent importance to civilization, and the virtue of whose members I have found to be well worthy of my contributions.
"Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable."
- — Sidney J. Harris, journalist and scholar (1917–1986)
Let me close by offering just one, deceptively simple challenge: That we strive to conduct ourselves and our Society in such way that we shall never be obliged to regret the things we did not try to do.
