Eulogy for Mordecai W. Johnson by Benjamin E. Mays, President Emeritus of Morehouse Colleg

Mays, Benjamin E.

English

Howard University: Digital Howard

New DirectionsVolume 4 | Issue 2 Article 111-1-1977The EulogyBenjamin E. MaysFollow this and additional works at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirectionsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by Digital Howard @ Howard University. It has been accepted for inclusion in New Directions byan authorized administrator of Digital Howard @ Howard University. For more information, please contact lopez.matthews@howard.edu.Recommended CitationMays, Benjamin E. (1977) "The Eulogy," New Directions: Vol. 4: Iss. 2, Article 11.Available at: http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol4/iss2/11TheEulogy24 By Benjamin E. MaysPresident Emeritus, Morehouse Collegev:Greeks were right in saying that wefuneralize and eulogize for two reasons: Toconsole the bereaved and to exhort the living toan emulation of the virtues of the deceased. It is forthese two purposes that we have gathered: To bringcondolence to the Johnson and King families and toexhort the living to an emulation of the virtues ofMordecai Wyatt Johnson. To state the purposeanother way, we are not here to grieve, to weep, tomourn but rather to thank Almighty God for givingus and the American people Mordecai Wyatt Johnson,to dwell among us for 86 years, to prick ourconsciences, and to tell America what the Americandream is all about.If God called Abraham from Chaldea to found anew nation, ifhe called Hosea to tell us what love isif he called Amos to tell us what justice is, and if he 'called Michael to tell us what God requires, surely hecalled Mordecai Wyatt Johnson to expound the socialgospel to America and to make Howard University atruly great university. To assume the presidency ofHoward University in 1926, a puny thing, and leave ita great university, Mordecai had to be called of Godfor the expressed purpose of building a Blackuniversity, integrated in faculty and staff, communityand students under the leadership of a Blackpresident.I have known Mordecai for a half century datingback to 1923 when John Hope gave me my first jobafter graduating from Bates College. In that year,Mordecai came to Morehouse to speak - then pastorof the First Baptist Church in Charleston, WestVirginia. I shall never forget that address. He spoke tous and challenged us so eloquently that we were ledto believe that this man was called of God to do hiswork. I can see Mordecai years later, walking acrossthe Howard campus, walking with a sense of dignityand freedom. Strangers on the campus had to knowhe was the president.In 1926, fifteen short years after graduating fromMorehouse College with an A.B. degree in 1911, fromRochester Theological Seminary with a B.D. degree,and from earning degrees from the University ofChicago and Harvard University, he had impressedthe nation so profoundly and the Trustees of HowardUniversity so deeply that he was called by them tobecome the first Black man to be president of apotentially great university.It is my considered judgment that no white man in1926, when virtually everything in this nation,including God's church, was so segregated-everyavenue closed to the Negro with locks of steel- nowhite man could have made Howard a truly greatuniversity. I assert this because few white Americansin 1926 believed that Black people were the potentialequal of white people-that given a fair deal todevelop their minds, to sensitize their hearts and freeto seek freedom, could have done what Mordecai didfor Howard from 1926 to 1960. Only a man whobelieved with all his heart, soul and mind, and whohad the ability to articulate to Congress and thepeople what 350 years of slavery, segregation anddenigration had done to Black people, and who hadcourage to expound it, could have built Howard intoa great university. 1926-1960 was the time, MordecaiWyatt Johnson was the man, and America, thegreatest experiment in democracy God has given toman, was the place on which this battle was to bewaged. Surely God was in this deal, and surelyMordecai was called of God to this job.In 1926, Howard University was a puny thing,hardly known in the nation, except through a feweminent professors like Kelly Miller who drewpromising students to Howard. When I saw HowardUniversity for the first time as an undergraduatestudent, I was a disappointed man. Its fame had beenspread abroad by distinguished scholars such as KellyMiller, but I saw nothing to inspire me and nothing tomake my soul glad. The buildings were rather oldand the campus was unimpressive.Furthermore, Howard University was a politicalfootball, kicked around by Southern congressmenwho believed that the Negro's place was to be definedforever by the white man - any white man - andthat his education was to be inferior to that provided1Mays: The EulogyPublished by Digital Howard @ Howard University,- r whites. There was no congressional legislation tozzake Howard a legal institution, a child of the- eral Government. In 1926, after Mordecai becamei: ident, he took on the Federal Government,uing before federal officials that the Federal:;Overnment was obligated to make Howard a federal- stitution in order to make amends for what the.te man had done to Negroes for three hundredd fifty years of slavery, segregation, and=enigration. Mordecai won that battle in Congressd Howard University was made a federaltitution supported by the United StatesGovernment. This was a major triumph; and if- Iordecai had done nothing else, his name should be....-flttenamong the immortal ones like the founding::atherswho helped to make our nation great. But thisnot all.t was Ralph Waldo Emerson who said that "aninstitution is the lengthened shadow of one man."These words are a beautiful description of what- Iordecai did for Howard from 1926 through 1960.- -othing much in 1926, only a fledgling. But in 1960- lordecai left it a healthy, thriving university,szanding on a solid foundation, which Nabrit andCheek could build upon and carry Howard forward- one of the stellar universities of the nation.Mordecai found a budget of $700,000 in 1926. He left-=- with a budget of $8,000,000, an increase of more~at 1100percent in 1960. In addition to that, he built~7new buildings, strong, solid and firm. Besides, theszudent body increased - and the faculty increased-~make bold to assert that Howard is the best:ntegrated university in the United States. Students- e here from five of the six continents. The faculty ismade up of white, red, Black, yellow and brown,_ ws, Catholics, Orientals, Episcopalians, Baptists,Merhodists, and Congregationalists are all here.Howard University is supra class, supra ethnicity,supra religion, supra sex, supra race, and supra caste.-.:-bus,Howard University is the lengthened shadowof Mordecai Wyatt Johnson.Mordecai did not cringe and kow-tow though theiversity is supported by federal money. When L. D.Milton, chairman of the Board during most of theJohnson years, sent out letters to a select group of 25men requesting the names of men qualified to succeedMordecai, I was among them. I gave Mr. Milton nonames, but I described the man who should succeedMordecai. I said in essence when the president ofHoward speaks, the nation would be compelled tolisten. Mordecai was such a man. Academic freedommust be maintained. Mordecai was a fine exponent ofacademic freedom. Competence and character werethe plumb lines of acceptability. As you know, thecivil rights movement was born in the law school ofHoward University. When Black men were arguingagainst segregation before the Supreme Court, JimNabrit says, Mordecai was sitting there giving hismoral support to the lawyers.No man in the 20th Century has spoken any moreeloquently against racism, segregation anddenigration than Mordecai Johnson. No man in thiscentury spoke more forcefully against German Nazis,Italian Facism, and Russian Communism thanMordecai Wyatt Johnson, demonstrating that when aman speaks the truth supported by ethical and moralliving, girded with deep spirituality, nothing can stophim except illness and death. Mordecai believed asShakespeare, "Thrice is he armed who has hisquarrels just," and that God will sustain that which isright.As for religion, Mordecai lived his religion.When a distinguished Negro journal wrote aweekly column denouncing Mordecai, henever said a mumbling word. Having known,admired, and loved him, I went to his office one day.I said, "Why don't you say something? Why don'tyou expose the people who are weekly falsifying yourwork and filching from you your good name? Whydon't you refute the lies?" He listened and said: "DeanMays, in time the people will know that what thepaper is saying is false." As I look back over the yearsand have lived longer, I conclude that Mordecai wasright.He must have believed that, "Truth crushed toearth shall rise again, the eternal years of God arehers; but error wounded, writhes with pain and diesamidst her worshippers." He must have accepted the2New Directions, Vol. 4 [], Iss. 2, Art. 11http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol4/iss2/1126 faith of Robert Browning who said: "One who neverturned his back but marched breast forward, neverdoubted that clouds would break, never dreamed thatright though worsted wrong would triumph. Held,we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep towake." The words of the psalmist must have been hisshield and buckler: "Thou carriest them away as witha flood; they are asleep: In the morning they are likegrass which groweth up. In the morning it flourishes,and groweth up; in the evening it is cut down, andwithereth." How many times he must have utteredanother verse from the Psalms: "Yea, though I walkthrough the valley of the shadow of death, I will fearno evil; for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staffthey comfort me."Most of those, or all of them, who participated inthe slander have gone to their reward, but Mordecailived to the respectable age of 86. Certainly Mrs.Anna Ethelyn Gardner, the first Mrs. Johnson,sustained him during these rough years; and thesecond Mrs. Johnson brought fellowship andcompanionship in Mordecai's declining years.At the 107th Anniversary of Howard in 1972, I saidin substance, the seed sown in 1865 by GeneralHoward and by Johnson in establishing Howard as agovernment university, has multiplied many thousandtimes: From one teacher of four girls in 1867, to a staffof 1,599 in 1974-1,286 are United States citizens and313 foreign born; definitely integrated, 27% whiteand 73% Black. Ninety countries are represented inthe student body. Students are here from North andSouth America, Europe, Asia, and Africa - five ofthe six continents; the Near, Middle, and Far East arerepresented. They come from the Isle of the Sea. In1974; the enrollment was approximately 10,000students. On the Board of Trustees you have %Black, % white.Beginning with no graduates in 1867, Howard hadgraduated in 1974, 35,000 men and women who havereceived diplomas, degrees or certificates; and 14,150of the 35,000 hold graduate and professional degrees.The campus, land, buildings and equipment arevalued at more than $90 million. The drops of waterand grains of sand have become an ocean and a great 3Mays: The EulogyPublished by Digital Howard @ Howard University,love of man is one love. The two loves are interlaced, 27intertwined, and interwoven so delicately that whenyou hurt man you hurt God. When you make it hardfor man to live, you make it hard for God to live.Come in Mordecai, you have earned for yourself animmortal crown, a city not made with hands buteternal in the heaven." 0:ertile land - not barren. Since 1960, N abrit andCheek have furthered the development of theuniversity. I assert again, Howard is the mostmtegrated university in the United States.Had Mordecai not had the prophetic vision in 1926:0 make Howard legally owned by the FederalGovernment, this university would have died a long:ime ago. To Mordecai, this was his most significantzct. Let us thank God forMordecai Wyatt Johnson!Mordecai was a man who not only talked hisreligion, but he walked it. Careful analysis of hissermons and speeches reveals one striking thing: Allo them reveal a deep seated concern for the manirrthest down. Here he followed in the footsteps of:he master. InMatthew 25, where the prerequisite isziven for the entrance into the kingdom, we read:( mhen the son of man shall come in hisglory, and all the holy angels with him,then shall he sit upon the throne of his)ory: And before him shall be gathered all nations;znd he shall separate them one from another, as ashepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And heshall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on::Ie left. Then shall the King say unto them on his.: ht hand, come, ye blessed of my father, inherit the.ringdom prepared for you from the foundation of the""Torld:For Iwas an hungered, and ye gave me meat:T was thirsty, and ye gave drink: Iwas a stranger, and:-e took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: Iwas sick,d ye visited me: Iwas in prison, and ye came untome. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying,:='ord,when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee?Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee astranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed:::3ee?Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, andzame unto thee? And the King shall answer and sayto them. "Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as yenave done it unto one of the least of these, myethren, ye have done it unto me."If this is the case, Mordecai will have no troublehen catechized by Saint Peter at the pearly gates. I~ear Mordecai saying to Peter, "Peter, what have Ilone to warrant admission to God's kingdom?" Saint?eter replied, "Mordecai, the love of God and the4New Directions, Vol. 4 [], Iss. 2, Art. 11http://dh.howard.edu/newdirections/vol4/iss2/11

The Eulogy

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