On Thursday, January 16, 1958, His Imperial
Majesty Haile Selassie I inaugurated the
Imperial Ethiopian College of
Agriculture and
Mechanical Arts at Alem-Maya, Harar. On
this occasion His Majesty the Emperor
made
the following speech:
"It gives Us great pleasure to be present here to
inaugurate the College of Agriculture and Mechanical
Arts, an occasion which marks a great
and far-reaching
advance in Our programme for the
promotion of agri-
cultural education. This institution
will serve as a
source of inspiration in carrying out
the agricultural
programme which We have laid down for
the future.
In establishing this College for the
development of
the natural wealth of Our country,
agriculture and
animal husbandry, on modern and
scientific lines, Our
main purpose has not been merely to
develop and utilize
these basic resources to supply the
daily needs of Our
people, but, in addition, to produce a
surplus to be
shared with other countries of the
world. Ethiopia,
to some degree, has done this in the
past. For example,
when the world was sorely distressed by
lack of food
immediately after the Second World War,
Our country,
although she herself had for five long
years been struggling
to recover from the terrible damage
inflicted upon her
during the War, was yet able to perform
a significant
service in supplying foodstuffs to the
countries of the
Middle East. And We have been pleased to
observe
how, since then, Our people have
increasingly devoted
themselves to improving the agriculture
of Our country.
A country and a people that become
self-sufficient
by the development of agriculture can
look forward with
confidence to the future.
Agriculture is not only the chief among those
fundamental
and ancient tasks which have been essential
to
the survival of mankind, but also ranks first among
the
prerequisites to industrial and other developments.
History
affords Us ample evidence that mankind
abandoned
its nomadic way of life and developed a
settled,
communal economy only when man became
skilled
and competent in agricultural techniques. From
the
beginnings of recorded history, right up to the Middle
Ages,
and even as late as the beginning of the Industrial
Age
in which we now live, agriculture has always con-
stituted
the fundamental source of wealth for the human
race.
Only when a solid agricultural base has been laid
for
Our country's commercial and industrial growth can
We
ensure the attainment of the ultimate goal of Our
development
programme, namely, a high standard of
living
for Our people. Commerce and industry, being
concerned
in the main with development and distribution,
can
only develop and profit from existing resources, but
cannot
actually create things which did not exist before.
Most of the districts of Our Harar Province are
populated
mainly by nomadic peoples. Now that We
are
in a position to anticipate an adequate water supply
from
the rivers and wells in the region, the area will
flourish
and land will no longer lie fallow in the Province,
if
only the people of Ogaden, Esa and Adal could be
educated
in agricultural techniques. All this can be
attained
only by means of the wisdom which flows from
the
fountain of education, and while this College will
serve
the whole of Our country, its being established in
the
Province of Harar is the result of careful planning
and
consideration on Our part.
Even in this nuclear age, in spite of the
revolutionary
changes
in man's way of life which science has brought
about, the problem of further improving
and perfecting
agricultural methods continues to hold a
position of high
priority for the human race. It is
hard to believe
that a substitute can ever be found for
the occupation of
agriculture --- sacred task graciously
conferred upon
man by God to serve as the source of his
well-being and
the basis of his wealth.
Our country, Ethiopia, being blessed
with an
abundance of natural resources, need not
be anxious
about her own needs. However, it is Our constant
endeavour and Our firm desire, that Our
people will
produce not only enough to meet their
own requirements
but that their production will enable
them to share and
exchange the fruits of their labour with
other countries.
If only Ethiopia, with an assured wealth of natural
resources, would look at what the barren
Sahara Desert
has been made to produce by the
endeavour of trained
scientists, she would realize that
science is the source
of wealth. We would, therefore, have Our
students and
scholars accept as their primary duty
the attainment of
scientific knowledge through education.
We have placed Our trust in this College
to be the
chief instrument for the attainment of
this high goal, and
We are confident that the students who
have today
received their diplomas from Our hands,
as well as those
who follow them in the future, will
through the achievements
furnish Us with tangible evidence of the
fulfilment
of this Our purpose and Our desire.
Agriculture and industry are
indispensable one to
the other. Only close cooperation
between these two
branches of knowledge can guarantee the
fulfilment of
Our programme of economic development
for Our
country.
This College, which holds a prominent
place in the
plans We have laid down for the
prosperity and welfare
of
Our beloved people and country, can look forward
to
receiving the same constant support which We have
shown
in the past.
It is with pleasure that We express on this occasion
Our
gratitude to Our great friend, the United States of
America,
for the generous and significant assistance they
have
given to this institution as part of their great effort
for
the development of the spirit of cooperation and
understanding
among the nations of the world. We
would
request His Excellency the Ambassador to
convey
Our thanks to his Government.
If the late Dr. Bennet, who laid the plans for this
institution
and whose great desire and tireless efforts to
achieve
the establishment of an Agricultural and
Mechanical
College in this country are well-known to Us,
were
with Us today to see the fulfilment of his plans, how
happy
he would have been! With deep sorrow in Our
heart,
remembering the words "Man proposes, God
disposes",
We pay a tribute to his memory in this hour.
We would like to express Our sincere thanks to the
Director
of the Point Four Programme in this country,
the
President and staff of this College, and all of Our
officials
who have laboured to bring this institution into
being.
It is not enough for the children of Ethiopia to be
recipients
of education. They should never forget that
the
responsibility for passing on this knowledge to others
and
of handing it over to the next generation rests on
them.
"
Speeches delivered by
His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie Ist Emperor of Ethiopia on various occasions
- page 35 - &
Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie – page 5 –
Selected Speeches of His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie – page 5 –
