The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1911-01-06

Emancipation Day was fittingly
celebrated in this city Monday. All
of the schools had prepared special
programs for the occasion,
At Roger Williams University, the
speaker for the occasion was DR.. A.
M. Townsend; at Walden University,
r. Clay Moore; and at Fisk Univer-
sity, DR.. G. V. Roman, Editor of the
Journal National Medical Associa-
tion. DR.. Romans address has been
the topic of discussion during the
week, and it is the general opinion
that the Doctors effort on Emancipa-
tion Day has. never been surpassed,
not even by himself. He said in
part:
Impartial self-eXamination eyinces
the highest intellectually and paves
the way for the triumphs of worldly
wisdom, which consists in the re-
nunciation of things impossible and
the cooperation with things In
evitable.
This is as true of races as of in
dividuals. There should be periods
of self-examination and efforts at
orientation; periods or boxing the
compass and taking soundings, as 1T
were.
Emancipation day is, or should be,
period of self-eXamination-o re-
trospect and prospect We should
not only look before and after and
sigh for what is not but examine
the things that are and work for
what we want. What is the set Of
our souls?" Are we, headed in the
right direction? Direction and not
speed determines the final landing
place.
Emancipation Emancipation of
whom? and by whom?
How came one under the hand of
the other?
This line of inquiry would lead us
too far afield for it would not only
embrace the origin of slavery, dis
cussion of human rights, and the
evolution of civilization, but the ori-
gin of terrestrial life and the history
of mankind. Civilization has arisen
like the coral isles of the sea-suc-
ceeding generations building upon the
skeletons Of predecessors.
The histor y of the world may well
be called the martyrdom of man.
Slavery was but phase of evolution
and one of the many manifestations
of mans inhumanity to man."
Human knowledge is descriptive
rather than explanatory. Why
Why?
A study of history Will furnish us
a knowledge of how individuals and
races have prospered or perished if
not why they did these things. In
other words, it is plain what factors
determine success, and what deter
mine failure. Though it is not al
ways plain why one set of factors
should predominant here and an
other set there. Neither mythol-
ogy nor philosophy offers any salts
factory explanation. The uncertain
twilight Of tradition is about as il
Illuminating on this point as the one
sided, if not. wilfully mendacious,
chronicles of recorded history. Pro
metheus stealing fire from heaven for
the benefit of mankind and getting
punished by udVlnS WOmdn, Gdu-
dora, thrown into the bargain, is
about as instructive and consoling as
the Monism of Haeckel Or the par
thenogenesis of Loeb. accept either
prefer to base my philosophy of life
upon the Scriptural doctrine, one
human blood and just God. The
same processes will bring the same
ppgultc with all nnOnIpS
Let us then to-day par tribute tc
the heroes of civilization especially
those of the emancipation which to-
day we celebrate. There were
four kinds of abolitionists: (a)
those who pitied the slaves, mrs
Harriet B. Stowe); (b) those who