Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1872-07-12


thutissm; that familiarity with evil destroys the
sensitiyeness Of the conscience, and impairs sll
the finer sensibilitiet; and that by such knoWi-
edge tie memory il forever frcishted with imsge'
Of guilt. Thee points were developed and Illus
trated at length.
Having thu. exposed the fEllacy that knoWl-
edge Of evil j, wisdom, President BuckhAm next
went on 70 show that knowledge Of the good is the
source Of real power. and Of strong chsrscter
He described the inspiring force Of such power
how it clarifies the judgment and invigorsTeS
tie intellectual tone Of the man. and gives him
command Of the resources Of Nature Sni mind
for influencing men, and carrying forward great
and good enterprises .ud f,s him for Heaven.
Ill these branches Of the subject were dnely de-
veloped and Illustrated. We are sorry that our
limits viii not permit Us to report them more
fully. In conclusion the President addressed
the graduating class A,.follows
ADDRESS TO TIE CLASS
Young GeaHemca or The Graduating Class:
As this is the last occasion IN which We thsl
meet as instructor and pupils, hSyc desired TO
present 70 you rome great practical truth which
will he Of teryice 10 you in the conduct Of your
life For the past four years you have been en-
ployei in the uniis;urbed pursuit Of that which
/ il gCci We may without hsttery ray q you
I thSt YOUR studies have maturel your judgment,
educated YOUR morsl perceptions, refined your
/ sentibiliies. stored your memories vita
I good thoughts, and filed your life
with aspirations. l do not doubt
/ that his hour has been suggesting
10 vou come rather stern and sobering ques
/ tons as to the fidelity and sincle-hear;einess
/ with which you have done the duties Of these
years / know that you have more than once
thought, while you we're sitting here this AZ
ternoon, that il you could be set back four
( years and allowed 10 DO this thing over ssain,
you would 10 some psrts q % very different
/ ly-aud ouch thoughts are natural ana Whole
some; they sre part Of the bleTting Of the
hour. and l viii not disturb them. Suil, max
ing al the allowances which self-rep7osch
demands. You can see, sn1 perhaps
We csn see better than you, that
during these four years YOU have
heen building up your intellectual and spiritual
being Sc sou probably would have done IN no
Other circumstances But now the time has come
/ when from the quiet tnd still Air Of delightful
studies'' into which evil is less likely to intrude
than into almost any other spot, you are 10 step
ont into the great noisy world in which evil Dis
/ uutes with good the empire Of al things In this
/ world IA which go much eya is 10 lie overcome,
so 1narv wrongs are to be relressel, 60 much
sorrow 10 lie relieved, il is not FOR you TO sInk
syay into the shade to spend your life in the
! concentration Of that which il Ideally fair and
good. But there if 4 way in which you can DO
Z YOUR part mAnlully, IS good soldiers OF Jesus
I Christ. snd yet retain much Of the helcyOn calm
q your happy college days Only connect here
sitter as heretofore, all your studies, pursuits,
ambitions, with that which is good. aud let them
infringe as little possible on thst which is evil,
snd you mEy carry the romance aud the enthu-
( tissm Of to-dsy into the last decade Of the long
life which We have GEkei God to give you.
/ In the choice Of profession contter whether
this or that will bring you into contact with the
bad aide Of human nature, 60 thst you Will live
out Of the vices and weaknesses of other men,
W with their better and nobler qualities; whether
IN the studies By which you learn the secret Of
DC Eer il your profession, you will be occupied
vi n the morbid anatomy Of human life, OF tie
hys .ene But Whatever profession you may
cb0. Sc il has two Eides, enc yerging toward the
rood the other toward evil. ChooIe that which
reuu res you to study the virtues, the capabilities
/ Of individuals communities or nations, rather
than 10 pry into the mysteries Of their evil pro
fespions and their crimes. Professional life viii
not merely to wealth and eminence, but 10
/ heights Of true vision, snd sunny plains Of life.
remember that when four years sgo, you
read YOUR first Greek with me, | opened the
! temorAhili. of Socrates II that delightful
/ episode in the dialogues, known as the " Choice
] Of Hercules" | am sure you will lot have for
/ gotten how srtfully vice prscticed her blandish-
/ meuts and Piled her arguments to setuce the
Young hero, nor with what mingled dignity
/ and pathos virtue pleaded her cause
| So fsr you are concerned, hope
| there is no need to urge that choice
/ the choice between virtue and vice
nav. will say in Christian terms, the choice be
/ tween Holiness ami Sin,-upon you IS Socrates
/ did upon Aristiphus am unwilling to believe
that sitter 50 many years contemplation Of that
which is good your minds can still be hating
between two opinions On that question. but
would have you to-day make this other choice
which ST. Paul urges upon you, the choice Of
| the good as your profession, the one thing 10
which you are TO be wiEe, snd to grow daily wiser
Whatsoever things are honest, true, pure, just
or lovely, no matter where, in law or politics, IN
Medicine OF theology, in trade or manufactures
or agriculture, if there is any virtue or Sny
pl.i-e in Sny calling or pursui., think OF these
things, be wise unto these things But whstso-
ev er are dishonorabe, impure or unjust, hideous
or Of evil name, no matter where they are, in the
ology or law, or politics or butness, think not Of
these things, be not wire concerning them. Make /
not profession cut Of them, for there Is no place
in the be.titude. for the cunning, or the crafty,
or even for the wise, but there 10 for those who |
sre ,imple concerning evil. Z" Blessed are the |
pure IN heart, for they shall see God"
President Buckhsm looked pale and worn by |
the labOrt Of bis position and the extreme heat
but be rpoke with esrnestnesE, if with something |
less than his usual force, and be was listened to |
with close and undivided attention BY the nu
merous audience.
The noticeable music Of the occasion Was chief |
ly furnished by the qusrtette choir Of the Epis-
copsl Church, conducted by Mr.. WOOds, organ
let of that Church.
The Society for Religious Inquiry.
The anniversary celebration of the Society for
Religious Inquiry took plsce on Sunday evening
at hslf-past seven o'clock.
After the preliminary eEercifes-an anthem
by the choir, prayer by Rev. Spencer Marsh,
Of ths city, and hymn by the choir, the Presi-
dent of the Society introduced the speaker of the
evening, heV. Dr james AcOOen5 IretlUeht Vi
Princeton College.
DR.. M'CotH's ADDRESS.
Taking for his text, Rom. l, II: The just .
shsll live by faith compared with Titus ii,
Speak thou the things which become sound
doctrine" the speaker announced SIS his subject,
Faith in Christ as distinguished from Faith in
Doctrine.
Discussing first faith in general. which is SIS
simple and natural an operation Of the mind az
sight is of the body, and next, religious faith
the believing in God as seen in His works and |
especially revealed in the Scriptures in Christ
Jesus, the " just taking God At His word, he
characterized it as the means or channel through |
which Gods blessings come to US, weak in that |
it clings, bat strong in that it clings to the Al
mighty arm. This faith should be expressed in |
some form Of sound doctrine. We murt be able |
not only to have reason, but to give it, for the |
faith that is in us Truth is revealed by God, /
but the form and expression are mans; and |
hence the necessity Of constant care. lest error |
and Misunderstanding arise, and fslse teaching |
prevail. By 4 form of round doctrine familiar |
| ty with truth will be cultivated and incorpors-
ton Of it with our thoughts gained. This is of |
special Importance to every preacher, it will give
| him boldness and clearness and earnestnets. /
And it il temperance to the listener: it may save
him from imprudences and perhaps from aims. |
Noting the imperfection and limitation Of the |
human mind, which, placed in the centre Of
boundlen spaces and Of eternal ages can zee and