Jackson advocate. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1939-current, 1949-06-04
GOTH ANNUAL
REUNION OF CLASS
Continued from page u

Wren L was a freshman here
at Alcorn, a girl friend, with
whose ideas mine always clash
ed, exclaimed in disgust, "Ruby,
you act like you were brought
up around old folks Shortly
after l finished college, Mrs. J.
E. Johnson of Prentiss heard me
speak and CONNECTED "You have
sucr old ideas to be so young"
When | completed my final eX-
animation at the University of
Chicago, the Dean of the Grad
uate Library School said, 'You
have reached a mature level of
development" Four years ago,
after / spoke at tn eNational
Association of Colored Women
in Washington, d. c., a veteran
club-woman congratulated me and
said, "you have the same phili-
spphy Mrs. Booker T. Washing
ton had thirty years ago." And
just two months ago, following
brief talk at the State Teach
ers' Association, Mr.. l. S. Sand
ers, my college professor, re-
marked "you have grown up. you
are mature"
Twenty years after college
graduation, the suggestion of
maturity begins to smack more
of fact than of fame. In the fu-
ture it may not be much a well
coined commentary.
But let us take a look ahead.
Perhaps, the first thing in order
is to identify ourselves. Who is
this WE for whom I speak.
I could be narrow in my out
look and speak for the class of
'29, or for Alcornites generally.
On ire other hand, could be
universal in my outlook, seeing
ourselves as a part of the great
stream of humanity = living,
dead, and unborn; unlimited by
nationality, or race, or class, OF
creed. With John Dome [ might
say, "No man is an Island, in
tire of itselfs; every man is q
the maine; if a Clod bee wash
piece of the Continent, a part OF
ed away by the Sea, Europe is
the lessee;-Any mans death
diminishes me, because | am in
volved in Mankinde; And there
fore never send to know 70,
whom tire bell tolls; 1t tolls fo,
thee"
If anyone has to be convince
that he is a part of a bigger sell
let me quote from a speech
made in 1914. "Global thinking
unacceptable now because NOR
than ever, what rappens in on
part of the world affects the en-
tire world-an act of war agains
Poland by Germany in 1889, fir
ally, resulted in the death of
Piney Woods School boy on tn
battle field of Two Jima. A bee
hall riot in Germany in 1925
finally, led to the invention o
the atomic bomb which is S
deadly weapon that those VIII
invented it stand trembling les
what they have done lead to tn
destruction of civilization.
A Burma delegate to the M
tional YWCA Convention i'll Sa
Francisco in March gave test
mony to an aspect of our unive1
salty when she said the soutl
ern Negro-in contrast to tn
poole of India and China VIII
engage in civil wars-has Sc
for the peoples of the world a
example of Christian living ur
der difficulties.
Standing on this broad plan
and speaking for the human
race, we are looking ahead to tn
establishment Of stable an
permanent somiety; a world o
justice an dbrotherhood. / NAL
can learn to look at himself il
the perspective of history and o
things to come, in whatever nal
row category he may find him
self acting" at a given time, tn
immediate goals which he set
for himself will have direction
and meaning.
To me it is the challenge o
our time to free men of the bond
wrich limit them as human beings
thereby diminishing their ca
j.