The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1901-06-07
MIRACLE or THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY

May II is especially SET apart at
Vanderbilt University as Founders
Day and celebrated IN honor of the
founder of the college. One of the
events OF this day is an orstorical
contest for what is known as Foun-
der's Medal, the highest oratorical
honor in the University. -Four can
didates for the contest are selected
early in April by the University
faculty and these candidates come
together on the rostrum on the even
ing of May "a.
Among this years candidates be-
fore the faculty was Charles Yum
Marshall of Soochow, China, a stu
dent for the past three years. In
the contest among the four candi-
dates young Marshall was the win
ner, receiving not only the much
.craved honor, but as well the sim
cere plaudits of all who heard his
Grafton, which had for its subject,
1.-THE Miracle of the Twentieth
Century" and whose topic was the
freeing of China from foreign and
other influences and her advance
ment to place among the nations
of the world.
Charles Yum Marshall IS son of
Rev. C. X. Marshall, one of the
missionaries of the Methodist Epis-
copal Church, South, in China.
When a boy c. K Marshall, the
father, with his brother, was
brought to this country from China
BY one of the missionaries of that
branch of Methodism, and was edu-
Gated at Cumberland University at
Lebanon, Tenn. Shortly after
coming to this country the brothers
discared their Chinese names and
took those OF Americans. One was
named tor Rev. G. X. Marshall, of
Mississippi, one of the most distin-
guished ministers of the Methodist
Episcopal Church, South, in ante
bellum days. After completing
his education c. K. Marshall re-
turned to China as missionary,
and for many years has been one
of the factors OF religious, social
and political lite in his native
country. He married a member of
his race and has reared large
family.
Charles Yum Marshall, the son,
came to this country four years
ago, and was placed in the Bran
ham and Hughes School. From
there he came to Vanderbilt, at
which institution he has pursued
his studies for the past three years.
The speech winch he delivered in
winning his recent honor follows:
MARsHALL's SPEECH.
On September 3, 1873, when that
treaty was signed at Paris, the mir
acle Of the eighteenth century was
wrought. After eight years OF the
most determined and heroic strug-
gle with the then almost powerful
nation of the world, out of thirteen
feeble colonies there emerged one
independent sovereign nation,
ready to take her place in the coun-
ellis of the world. The star spang-
led banner waved over the Amer
Ican continent and a new nation
was born. Seventy years later
Commodore Perry steamed his
squadron into Uraga Bay Of Japan.
A treaty was. made, thereupon she
threw open her doors to the out
side world. On July Is, 1900, she
was admitted with full rights into
the comfy of nations. In less than
fifty years as a nation, in govern
ment submerged under feudal
depotism to provide herself with a
constitutional monarchy, in navy
to pass from a fiotilla of mere junks
and boats to squadrons of battle
ships and cruisers, in army from mere
bands OF swordsmen and arrowmen
to an army of the highest efficiency,
a system of education from that to
the few to that for all, an indus
trial revolution from production
with hand power to that OF steam
and electricity, in short for ma
ton in less than fifty years to have
so transformed herself from me-
dieyal to modern country as to
entitle her to seat in the council
of the nations, to share their glo-
ries and bear their burdens call
that the miracle of the nineteenth
century.
What shall be the miracle of the
twentieth century?
Westward across the yellow sea
there lies country in size among
the largest and in population the
most populous of them all. Many
are her epithets. BY some she is
called the Sleeping Giant that
will shake the world on awakening;
by others she is depicted as 1.-THE
Sick Man of the East afflicted
with malady beyond cure. The
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