| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |
| Haile Selassie I |
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| Selected Speeches |
| The Church of Haile Selassie I, Inc. |
| The Church of Haile Selassie I, Inc. |
| Ba Beta Kristiyan Haile Selassie I |
| Chapter I - Part 1 |
| Higher Education |
| ... In the field of education, We take great pleasure in the fact that the opening of Ethiopia's first University is near at hand. Henceforth, students who have demonstrated their capacity and ability will no longer leave their homeland to pursue higher education. The University's faculty is being recruited and its physical plant is being established. We Ourself have presented Our Guennete Leul Palace and its grounds, inherited from Our beloved father, as a free gift to the nation, to serve as the nucleus of the University's physical facilities, and a formal ceremony for the handing over of the Palace will be held in the near future... |
| Selected Speeches |
The population of Our Capital, Addis Ababa, have expressed through their
Mayor, their desire to erect a monument to Our honour, that they on their
own initiative, have started raising funds, and have requested that We lay
the foundation stone of this memorial today.
It has also been confirmed that the whole people of Ethiopia have joined
hands with the people of Addis Ababa in this effort.
As was indicated on the occasion of Our Birthday Anniversary on July
23rd last, We shall now make known to you Our intentions in reference to
this monument.
We wish first of all to state that Our Heart was touched with Our beloved
people's desire to erect in Our honour a statue in recognition of services
which We have rendered to them and to Our country. There can be no
better way for a people to show their deep gratitude to their Sovereign.
By what means can man's achievements in this world be best
remembered? Many people believe that this could be done by the erection
of physical and material structures; other believe that their works are in
themselves lasting monuments. We, for Our part, think that man's
contributions which live to influence the life and progress of posterity, are
the most permanent monuments that can ever be erected.
It is now 32 years since We assumed the high service of aiding and
guiding the destinies of Our people, counting from Our Regency, when
We were destined to the Imperial Throne of Ethiopia. During this period
of Our Reign, a series of problems and trials have had to be faced.
There can be no better testimony to the recognition of Our devotion to the
cause of Our country and to the welfare of Our people, entrusted to Our
care, from the day when We were chosen with the Grace of Almighty
God the anointed Emperor of Ethiopia than this expression of noble
sentiments from Our beloved and loyal people.
We have abiding faith that the Almighty, Who has vouch safed Us the
privilege to reach this present stage, will grant to Ethiopia a bright future
and an enduring destiny.
Now, when Our people are willing to erect a statue in Our image, We feel
it a duty on Our part to consider what would be the most appropriate
means of incorporating in a concrete and lasting manner the sentiments of
Our people.
Mayor, their desire to erect a monument to Our honour, that they on their
own initiative, have started raising funds, and have requested that We lay
the foundation stone of this memorial today.
It has also been confirmed that the whole people of Ethiopia have joined
hands with the people of Addis Ababa in this effort.
As was indicated on the occasion of Our Birthday Anniversary on July
23rd last, We shall now make known to you Our intentions in reference to
this monument.
We wish first of all to state that Our Heart was touched with Our beloved
people's desire to erect in Our honour a statue in recognition of services
which We have rendered to them and to Our country. There can be no
better way for a people to show their deep gratitude to their Sovereign.
By what means can man's achievements in this world be best
remembered? Many people believe that this could be done by the erection
of physical and material structures; other believe that their works are in
themselves lasting monuments. We, for Our part, think that man's
contributions which live to influence the life and progress of posterity, are
the most permanent monuments that can ever be erected.
It is now 32 years since We assumed the high service of aiding and
guiding the destinies of Our people, counting from Our Regency, when
We were destined to the Imperial Throne of Ethiopia. During this period
of Our Reign, a series of problems and trials have had to be faced.
There can be no better testimony to the recognition of Our devotion to the
cause of Our country and to the welfare of Our people, entrusted to Our
care, from the day when We were chosen with the Grace of Almighty
God the anointed Emperor of Ethiopia than this expression of noble
sentiments from Our beloved and loyal people.
We have abiding faith that the Almighty, Who has vouch safed Us the
privilege to reach this present stage, will grant to Ethiopia a bright future
and an enduring destiny.
Now, when Our people are willing to erect a statue in Our image, We feel
it a duty on Our part to consider what would be the most appropriate
means of incorporating in a concrete and lasting manner the sentiments of
Our people.
| University: A Symbol of Mutual Gratitude |
Any monument to be left for Our people, to be permanent, must be
erected upon spiritual foundations. It is widely known that during Our
reign, We spared no effort to promote and extend education and to
cultivate the spirit and mind of Our people.
It is Our sincere wish to intimately connect the statue Our people intend to
erect in Our image and in Our honour with a living monument in
rememberance of Our people's goodwill, which will go down in history
from generation to generation linking together perennially the affection of a
people to its Sovereign.
Our beloved people, in contemplating the erection of a monument in Our
honour, and We, on Our part, to express Our satisfaction and recognize
this gratitude, have decided that on this same spot, where Our people have
resolved to buind with the funds voluntarily subscribed a statue to Us, that
a University be erected and established for the education of Ethiopia's
youth so as to allow them and generations to benefit from this happy event.
While giving this site for the building and establishement of a University to
represent at the same time a monument to your Emperor, for the service
and the benefit of your children and the future generations and to stand as
a symbol of mutual gratitude between your Sovereign and His people, We
now lay the foundation stone of the University.
The salvation of Our country, Ethiopia, as We have repeatedly stated to
you, lies primarily in education. As Ethiopia is one, all Ethiopians are also
one, and education is the only way to maintain this condition.
erected upon spiritual foundations. It is widely known that during Our
reign, We spared no effort to promote and extend education and to
cultivate the spirit and mind of Our people.
It is Our sincere wish to intimately connect the statue Our people intend to
erect in Our image and in Our honour with a living monument in
rememberance of Our people's goodwill, which will go down in history
from generation to generation linking together perennially the affection of a
people to its Sovereign.
Our beloved people, in contemplating the erection of a monument in Our
honour, and We, on Our part, to express Our satisfaction and recognize
this gratitude, have decided that on this same spot, where Our people have
resolved to buind with the funds voluntarily subscribed a statue to Us, that
a University be erected and established for the education of Ethiopia's
youth so as to allow them and generations to benefit from this happy event.
While giving this site for the building and establishement of a University to
represent at the same time a monument to your Emperor, for the service
and the benefit of your children and the future generations and to stand as
a symbol of mutual gratitude between your Sovereign and His people, We
now lay the foundation stone of the University.
The salvation of Our country, Ethiopia, as We have repeatedly stated to
you, lies primarily in education. As Ethiopia is one, all Ethiopians are also
one, and education is the only way to maintain this condition.
| Haile Selassie the First - November 7, 1949 |
| Laying Foundation Stone Of Haile Selassie I University Nov. 07, 1949 |