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[Welcome Address for Phi Gamma Anniversary]
Mr. President, Gentlemen of Phi Gamma, Ladies and Gentlemen: We greet you to-day with a heart full of joy and bid you welcome.
It is one of the greatest events in the history of this grand old institution that we celebrate on this occasion. Nearly every organization in civilized society has its marked epochs. The South commemorates the birth of her Lee, America celebrates her Independence Day and immortalizes her Washington; but can we say that these events are more important to the many sons of Emory who have gone out into the world wearing the badge of Phi Gamma, than the day that honors her birth?
"History", said our lamented
Haygood, "is a teacher: happy
he who can read and learn".
And again Mr. Emerson says,
"There is a relation between the
hours of our life and the centuries of time. As the air I
breathe is drawn from the
great repositories of nature,
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as the light on my book is
yielded by a star a hundred millions of miles distant, at the
poise of my body defiends
on the equilibrium of centrifugal and centripetal forces, so
the hours should be instructed by the ages, and the ages
explained by the hours. Of the
universal mind each individual man is one more incarnation. All its properties consist in him. Every steps in
his private experience flashes
a light on what great bodies
of men have done, and the
crises of his life refer to national crises. Every revolution
was first a thought in one
man's mind , and when the same
thought occurs to another man,
it is the key to that era. Every
reform was once a private
opinion, and when it shall be
private opinion again, it will
solve the problem of the age.
The fact narrated must correspond
to something in me to the credible, or incredible. We as we
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read must become Greeks, Romans, Turks, Priests, and king,
martyr and executioner, must
fasten these images to some
reality in our secret experience,
or we shall see nothing, learn
nothing, keep nothing."
Since the war clouds have
arisen in the East and have
almost ascended to the zenith,
growing darker at every advancement, there never was a
time in the history of this
nation that she had greater
need to learn a few lessons
from the records of the past.
Why such great excitement and
clamor for war? We would
say, because the newspapers
of our country filled with the
desire for something sensational have taken advantage of
a few events and greatly magnified and sent them forth like
wild fire to influence our people. It is far easier to declare
war than to make peace.
Hence the greater need of
caution. But they cry, sustain
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the honor of our
[deleted]
the
[added]
country. Is
war the only method by which
to can be sustained? When
all amicable means have failed
then there is plenty of time for
war.
It is said that the history of any nation is read in the biographies of her leaders. The same may be said of an institution like this; and more for we could divide all the names on her rolls into two classes, - those who have failed and those who have succeed, and from each learn a valuable lesson. We should avoid the faults and errors of those who have failed, and emmulate the virtues and accomplishments of those who have succeeded.
When we contemplate
the achievements of education
if literature, of oratory both
in church and state, we look with
great admiration to Stone,
Candler, Lamar, Key, Haygood,
and others. "While Emory
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[gap 15 chars page torn]to pride
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[gap 15 chars page torn]it forth to
[gap 15 chars page torn]portant part
[gap 15 chars page torn]destinies of
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[gap 3 chars page torn]reminder that most of these
characters were forged largely
through the instrumentality of
Phi Gamma. They are her
sons: the mother is proud
of her worthy children".
Ladies and Gentlemen; in bidding you welcome to-day, I feel assured that you will have no reason to regret having honored us with your presence when you have listened to the distinguished gentlemen who will succeed me.
Welcome address for PhiGamma Anniversary
March 8th, 1898
M. W. Carmichael.
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