| A twilight walk through
Graceland Cemetery on a warm summer night can be a memorable experience. First organized
in 1867, the cemetery occupies a rolling and terraced terrain perfectly suited for its
intended purpose. From the dignified family monuments to the uniform, government-issued
markers for the soldiers who fought for our country Graceland mirrors much of our past.
The most talked about site on the grounds has been and continues to be C. H.
Roman's grave, located facing County Road 25A. The marble edifice proudly proclaims that
Roman was an agnostic, or one who neither admits nor denies the existence of God. The man
and his monument represent an interesting chapter in local history. This is their story. C. H. Roman's parents were people of the soil. He was born on the family farm
nine miles northwest of Sidney, Ohio in Cynthian Township. Although little is known of his
youth, when he turned 18, he followed his older brother Frederick to Mississippi where he
taught as a college professor. He graduated from Iuka Normal Institute in Iuka,
Mississippi with a degree in science.
Perhaps it was the influence of his college professor
brother, or perhaps his science education, but at some point Roman began to refine his
philosophy of life and his views about God and the world around him.
Agnosticism as we know it today was conceived through the
writings of Cambridge scholar T. H. Huxley in the 1840s. He believed that although an
atheist does not believe in God, an agnostic believes that since reason can never be used
to prove the existence of a being who transcends reason, it is not possible to say whether
or not He exists. The humanistic beliefs on which agnosticism is based, however, had been
around for many years. An early apostle of this philosophy was the American Revolution
hero Thomas Paine. His statement, which was also destined to appear on Roman's monument,
summarizes humanism: "The world is my country and to do good is my religion."
Mr. Roman was a wanderlust from his early years. He taught
school as a young man in North Dakota, Montana and Washington beginning in 1901. Tiring of
that occupation after a few years, he then worked as a traveling commercial salesman. A
fourteen year career as a representative with the American Feature Film Company followed.
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