Evening star., 1926-10-03
HOWARD INITIATES
F|FTy-N|NTH YEAR
New President, First of Race
to Head University.
Opens Season.

With the academic procession last
Wednesday Howard University ON
cially opened its f1fth-ninth academic
year.
The academic procession was headed
by Prof. Frank Coleman, chief mar
shall, who preceded DR.. Moredcai w.
Johnson, the new president, the first
cf his race to serve as the head Of the
institution: administrative officers and
members Of the academic faculties 81
he college departments. The Andrew
Rankin Memorial Chapel was crowded
o capacity, overf1oWlng TO the side
'Iaiks Immediately surrounding It by a
large student body. members of the
.acuties Of the university and fami-
jies Of officers and professors.
New President Speaks.
Tna new rresiicrt If the univer-
s;ty made his .ritiai appearance as an
officer Of the school before Howard
University assembly an& spoke, in
part, as follows
"Fel,oW-S;udents To-day begins the
ifty.nin,h year Of instruction IN How
srd University. On behalf "f the
Doard of trustees. the faculty and ad'
ninistrative staff of the, university. |
i,ave come to welcome you into the
university community. some of you
for the continuation of your studies
md others of YOU for the first time.
The Howard University community
was established in 1857 by man who
had been a soldier and who was not
content to see the 1000. 900 Of Ameri-
an negroes physically free from hond'
age He desired to see them intel
ectually and spiritually ena ancipated.
During the IS years of its existence
hoc l. ~
answering view the desires and ideals
If this noble man. Little by little our
community has grown in students. in
faculty. in equipment. in friends, in
standards and in power, To-day we
have more than 6, 6,1nS graduates At
work in all States of the Union. in
foreign countries and in all depart
nents of life: a faculty of some tight
score Of professors. assistants and IN
-trt1ctorS: q student body of more than
ZOO Young men and young women
i university caliber: trustee board
Composed of men among the most emf
nent in our county. profoundly be
ieving in the mission VI the univer
sity and determined to do their utter
most to make II an increasing power
in American life. AS greet you to-
day. | am glad to express the hopeful
ness and confidence which seem to
characterize every element in our uni
versity community. We are sure of
our mission and we feel like vigor
Gus and eager young man stripped to
run q race.
"Inspiration From YOUTH
we greet you as our younger com
rades in a great enterprise. In &C.
quaintance with fundamental processes
of thinking and with specific fields OF
inquiry we have preceded you. and
we wait to serve YOU as YOU walk
along Your way. confirming your
choice of the hest and warning you
AS we'll as we can concerning the dan
gers to he avoided. But we expect
also to profit much from our com
panionShip with YOU. The original
fash of fire from your minds. the
sometime superior technique of your
mental proresSes and Of your hands
We expect to stimulate and to enrich
us. We expect some Of you under our
guidance to become our superiors in
the very fields of our specially. We
shall see this come to pass with p
great gladne2s. Nou must increase
In YOU and through YOU we shall find
our own fulfllment.
I'VE are glad to welcome YOU to
such buildings and grounds, equip
ment and tools as we have. They are
by no means AL that we need. In
MANY respects We still labor under
great handjcars. But we offer YOU the
hest that we have been able to accu-
mulate over a period Of IS years
Much of it has been contributed by
noble minded and far-seeng EiverS
who for many years have been deeply
interested in the object Of ou.. Howard
University community here. Some of
them are living. some of them are
among the blessed dead Some OF II
has heen continued by the Federal
Government. which por period of 35