Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1869-08-12
Middlebury commencement.
PRESIDENT KITCHELL's BACCALAUREATE
DISCOURSE.

DISCOURSE.
The Baccalaureate Sermon was preach
ed at the Congregational church on Sun
day afternoon, by President Kitchel. Tn
weather was fine, the air cool and invip
Grating, and of course the house was full
the people coming from all the town
around. The discourse was as might b,
expected, an able one, full of earnest com
prehensive thought, and delivered in .
most impressive manner. Subieat: TIL,
Immortal Lives of Good and Bad Men
Text; Prov. 1877. "The memory of tn,
just is blessed but the name of the wick
ed shall rot The following is an imper
feet abstract:
The speaker began with reference tc
the after-lifc to which we may attain in
this world, and which every strong and
noble soul earnestly desires. 1t is the life
we live in the thought and deeds and
memory of those who shall come after us
abiding, acting, producing when we are
gone, clarified and exalted by our depart
ure. We crave this perpetuated life on
earth, even though we know that we shall
presently be beyond the praise or blame
of men, in life far other and more real
than this, beyond being sensitive to pos
thumous honor or reproaoh. And it will
be well for us, even among the immortals,
to know that we shall have remem berance
and power for good on the earth as it will
add pang to our sorrow if we know
that our life and name are shame and
cnrse among the living. Nor is it an
idle craving, this longing for an influen.
tial after-life on the earth. 1t is motive
OF great power on us. God has so linked
the ages together and set all human hearts
and lives responsive to one another that
all good, great lives are imperishable.
They are bequest to the ages, and enter
as substantive spiritual forces into the
successive life of the race, shaping the
world long after those who lived them
are gone. As of the good so of the evil,
Each remains a permanent, outstanding
force to work on, after its kind, to bear
its own overwhelming harvests to the
end; the one for infinite good, the other
for infinite evil
The speaker then referred to few ex-
amples OF the eminently good and the
eminently evil men who have rendered |
themselves conspicuous in history by the |
union OF great powers with strong moral
qualities. On the one hand, Abraham.
Moses, David, Paul, Luther, Hampden,
Washington, Lincoln on the other, Ar
mold, Marlborough, the Stuarts, Nero,
Caliguea Tamerlane: the former still
the undying benefactors of their race. and
the latter, those who climbed to the bad
eminence of world wide mischief Not
only is this true of these SUBMITS Of char
acter. but also Of those Of a more humble
sphere, and more limited powers. The
average life Is of most unreasonable
scope and breadth of effect, remaining af-
ter its possassor is gone, as a memory and
a power of gracious excitement, or the
reverse, among the living.
In still greater forces does this prin-
oiple apply when this humble average life
is enlarged by the addition Of rare gifts of
intellect, or genius, or ROYALTY, or great
soul, or even of the lower gifts Of wealth
aud POSITION Around ~ut h gifted souls
are throngs of observant and receptive
spirits, hungering for guidance and SO
the gifted one radiates his own good or
evil widely around him, and ennobles or
degrades his generation, that influence
extending far beyond his knowledge and
his time.
So of every affinity, every tie of kim
dred, of friendship, of intimate associa-
ton; and the closer the tie, the deeper
the impression. Our good and evil will
be perpetuated in the lives of our chill
dren, and in theirs after them, going on
for ever. Therefore the most precious
legacy Is the memory of good parent,
and the shame most blghting is the con-
Of an evil parentage, ingrained
in the stock and .tainting the blood of the
race.
Add to this the power which comes
from the culture of wise education.
This enlarges and multiplies the life. 1t
sweeps far broader field of influential
power. None but the pure should dare to :,
enter among these anointed as kings and
priests of spiritual culture-and they
only in reverent spirit. And where :
much is given much will be required. All
power incurs this burden. For such as !.
have these gifts no private life or narrow
activity is evermore possible. Their good
Or evil is of world wide force.
Who can measure the vital spiritual I
work done in souls by gifted author !? q
His thought works as leaven in the uni. n
ver-al mind and becomes world force. q
As examples, Baxter and Bnnyan have O
swayed hearts and won souls to good be- =
yond almost any that ever lived and still q
continue to do so. So also Voltaire and =
Paine, those assassins of faith, are doomed =
10 go on corrupting and running, and to 6
lrink the cup of cursing from them they .
.uin
The teacher and the preacher have for
heir function to handle souls, to mold |;
Ind inspire, almost to create, in the do =
main Of spiritual being. Small honor y
Ind scanty recompense may be accorded n
hem now, but they are molding the :.
worlds masters, working most vitality on =,
he intellectual and spiritual life of men. r
And if faithful to their trust, by and by, :.
hey shall receive an abundant reward. :,
even SO great is human life, SO vast :,
n its reach; and so, beyond all our :.
thought, does it gain scope and gather :.
power with each enlargement of gift and :.
culture. And such significance there is -
n our lives"
The address to the graduates was an n
aarnosf auu1ica fiov, ~ ~ -. 4-,.4l- A.