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SPELMAN COLLEGE
Emancipation Exercises
Auspices of Wheatley - Fauset
Literary Club, Sisters Chapel,
January 2, 1928
Organ Prelude—Kemper Harreld.
Scripture and Prayer—Folia Butler.
Selection—Morehouse College Quartet.
Emancipation Proclamation—Julia Gaines.
Organ Interlude—Kemper Harreld.
Introduction of Speaker—Dorothy Rob
erts.
‘‘The Third Emancipation of the Ameri
can Negro”—Mr. Jesse O. Thomas.
“Negro National Anthem”—Congregation.
The address by Mr. Jesse O. Thomas,
field secretary for the Urban League in At
lanta, was based on broad training and ex
perience, which Mr. Thomas has had in the
social problems of the Negro.
Leading up to “The Third Emancipation
of the American Negro,” he gave a brief
summary of the achievement of the race
during the first 250 years after their arrival
in America. Their coming, he said, present
ed the question of how these two races were
going to live together here.
“Progress,” he said, "is measured by com
parison.” The Negro had gone into slav
ery with no language and came out speak
ing the Anglo-Saxon tongue; he had gone
in numbering twenty pagans and had come
out four and one-half millions of American
citizens ; he had gone in with no religion and
came out with the same religion as the white
man. The emancipation of 1863 constituted
the first emancipation.
The second emancipation is the changed
attitude toward the Negro's ability to be edu
cated. More and more new educational ave
nues have been and are being opened to
him. The old idea, too, that the Negro
should be educated only for utilitarian pur
poses is passing away.
Under the third emancipatoin he discussed
the interracial and geographical relations.
No individual can solve these problems alone;
it takes the efforts of all races and each
person in the race no matter where he is
located. He said, “No Negro is secure in
New York or Massachusetts until every Ne
gro is secure in Mississippi and Alabama."
“Collective bargaining in our race, is need
ed.” In this third emancipation must come
the freeing of ourselves from the double
economic standard. One way to do this is
to make such contributions to the social,
political and economical life that all races
and classes of men must recognize our con
tribution because it has genuine worth.
The challenge comes to the young people
of the races to strive to make this third
emancipation more and more a thing of
reality to every one, every where.
Spelman’s Christmas Tree
OUR LOYAL CEDAR
By Ruby L. Brown
I, a little Deodara Cedar, live near the
front entrance of Spelman Campus. They
say I am beautiful, and there is nothing for
me to do but accept the compliment. Some
say I am similar to the Cedars of Lebanon.
Many, many years ago I was sent to Spel
man College from the Hymalaya Mountains.
I was homesick for many years after I
arrived. I can very well sympathize with
a girl who passes me and says: “I wish I
could go home.”
Each year at Christmas time I have been
admired more and more. I have heard the
little girls say for many a Christmas, as they
passed the spot where I live, “I hope I shall
have a tree as upright and as beautiful as
that one is. I’ve never seen one like it be
fore.”
Since the girls are not talking directly to
me, I pretend that I don’t hear them.
At this Christmas season I feel prouder
than I’ve ever felt since I’ve been on Spel
man Campus. How could I get homesick
now? My limbs are so beautifully deco
rated, from the highest one to the lowest,
with the lights of Spelman colors—blue and
white—that gleam so far at night that even
the most ungrateful tree in the world would
have to rejoice.
The first night I was lighted, I was shocked
almost to tears because no such thing had
ever happened to me before. Finally, I got
over it, when I saw they were trying to
make me more beautiful rather than kill me.
People passing are immediately attracted
to me by the splendor and beauty of my
lights. When the street car stops at Spel
man’s gate I can see the people within star
ing through the windows as if they had nev
er seen anything like me before. They
haven’t, at least not on this campus where
I live, I believe that this year I’ve done what
I’ve always wanted to do—helped to make
Christmas happy for those about me.
I can hear the other trees talk among
themselves about my attractive dress. Can
it be that they are envious of my beauty?
They ought to realize that I’m a little Christ
mas tree.
EDUCATION PROMOTERS
VISIT SPELMAN COLLEGE
Wednesday morning, December 14, the
whole student body was called to Sisters'
Chapel to meet friends of Spelman and pro
moters of education in Georgia and the
country at large. President Read introduced
the visitors and each responded with a few
words of admonition and encouragement.
The first speaker, Mr. Trevor Arnett, pres
ident of Spelman’s Board of Trustees, review'-
ed the change of administration recalling
the splendid services of Miss Lucy Hale
Tapley, now president emeritus of Spel
man College, and listing some of the rea
sons the Board of Trustees entertained in de
ciding to send to us President Read and
Dean Carpenter. Responding to this speech
President Read said she felt almost as if
this were the occasion of her inauguration
at Spelman College. Her introduction call
ed forth a series of interesting talks from
the following persons : M. L. Duggan, State
Superintendent of Education for Georgia; H.
J. Thorkelson, of New York, Secretary of
the General Education Board; Walter B.
Hill, State Supervisor of Negro Schools in
Georgia; Professor Joseph S. Stewart, of the
University of Georgia; L. M. Davrot, of
Baton Rouge, a field agent of the General
Education Board, and B. C. Caldwell, of
Louisiana, assistant director of the Jeanes
and Slater funds.
These gentlemen brought us much valu
able information about facilities and prog
ress of Negro education in various parts of
the South and North. The fine commenda
tion they gave of the personality and service
of Spelman graduates was wholesome for
college spirit on this campus.
Following the assembly, Spelman Home
Economics students served luncheon for the
visitors in Laura Spelman Hall.