The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1874-07-15
MIDDLEBURY COMMENCEMENT.
TEE MORAL INFLUENCE OF TKsi
SCIENCE.
Baccaiaureatc sermon by tseV. Geo.
y. Wcbbcr. ID. ID.

Baccaiaureatc sermon by tsev. Geo.
n. Wcbbcr. ID. ID.
Text Cor. s. i-2. knowledge puneth up
knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing. yet as
he ought to know"
Too profound a thinker vas the Apostle
Paul TO accept, save for convenience Of
naming, the distinction SO often made Of
knowledge into secular and divine. M
knowledge is of God, as all being is CT
Him, and through Him, and for Him.
Nature is the manifestation of the unseen
thought and will which originated it and
acts in all. He who learns the structure
and organization o: a plant or animal, the
elements of bodies and their modes of com
bination the laws of force and motion, the
the place of gold and the vein of silver,
the conditions that regulate the currents of
air and vapor, the balancing of the clouds,
the fall of dew, the track of the storm and
'.the way of the lightning and of the thun
DER the place of the sea and the courses
of the rivers, the laws that "bind the
sweet influences of Pleiades" and guide
Arcturus with his sons" the order of hui
man history and operations Of the heart
and mind of man, he who learns any of
these truths that belong to the several
sciences, reads in every one of them
thought and volition of God
The nineteenth Psalm which begins with
a rapt description of the glory of God which
"the heavens declare" passes abruptly to
mention the written Revelation ''the law of
the Lord that is perfect converting the
soul" binding thus the two testaments into
one volume, showing the writer's insight
of the oneness of natural and spiritual
lation of man to God as science does the
indirect, through the media of Nature. Let
us not forget it, we live in an awfully d.
vine world, blazing everywhere with the
forthbeamings of spiritual presence and
power Search for truth, no matter where
is search for God "who is not far from
every one of u.s." The only real distinc-
ton in knowledge is not what, but what
manner of spirit. To this the text fastens
attention. ''If any man think he knoweth
anything, he knoweth nothing as he 0ught
to hn0ac" The last words are the point of
the sentence. There is an ethics of science,
right and wrong way to know anything,
be it Bible or nature arithmetic or the
catechsm There is knowledge that puff
feth up, and there is knowledge that edi-
fieth, and the difference is not in the de-
pdrtment, but in the spirit and purpose
which the student carries into his pursuit
Here is the distinction between true science
and science "falsely SO called" and this
brings me to the topic whereof | have a
mind to talk to you at this time The NOR
al uses Of true science,
By m0aul | mean the influence on the
character of the student. Here is found
the highest use and and worth of knowl-
edge A. a means of enriching the natural
conditions of man science has n value
do not mean to underratc this fruit of the
tree of knowledge. Mind, through the
body, feeds on the juices of the planet as
does the tree, converting them into its own
substance. Diogenes of Apolonia was not
all astray when he accounted for the supe-
rior intelligence of man, to that of the
prone and earth bowed beasts, from the
purer air he breathed and the drier nature
OF his food. Whatever helps production
and multiplies wealth, aids the growth of
mind Here is the worth of science in the
economic point of view. 1t may unearth
the Ind treasures in natures field harness
her obedient forces to our service, span the
continents with railways and telegraphs
tertilize soils, set the streams to work, till
the land teens with factories and rivers
groan under the burdens of commerce. and
the granaries are bursting with finest OF
wheat, but unless the material product car
be coined into character this material force
transmitted into mental force, and men and
women grow big and fair on this augment.
ed nutriment, it is all as cheap as dirt out
of which it grew. ! say these things ''in
limine" because SO many in our times think
chiefly of the material gains that expert.
mental science has given to man. Once
men said knowledge is p0trG--that was
selishness. Now men say of knowledge
there is money in it, that is meaner still
AS if nature were a pocket to be raled anC
not spectacle TO be studied and adored
say to you knowledge is character. IT.
fruit is manhood, by which alone its rea
worth is to be esteemed. We will omi
then from our thought the bread and butter
view of science and ask ourselves wha
qualities of soul knowledge must beget il
the student; what purpose must inspire
him who knows anything "as he ought 4
kn0B.
l. The first use of true knowledge as in.
dictated in the text, the one which lies a
the bottom of all else is to teach us our ig
norance and its fruit is humility. Right
secures modesty. Men deepest in the Sc
cret of nature, mind, God, have usually
been humble. Socrates was pronounced
by the Delphian oracle to be the wsest o.
men because he did not seem to himself tC
be wise, did not think he knew anything
There was truth as well as wit in that re
partee of one who, when an angry dispu
tant said TO him ''you are fool and you
know it, replied in that case ! am wise
than you, for you are fool and don't know
it. The Sciolest is pulled up. A littl'
learning is dangerous thing for it make
man swell.
Authorities aside, appeal to experience
SOmawhat nf tbn ,niddla of thiu0s xya knOty