Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1882-05-30
THE STATE UNIVERSITY.
Opening of the Exercises OF the Week
Eloquent Address of DR.. Dana, of ST..
Paul, Upon the PURPOSES OF Lie.

Eloquent Address of DR.. Dana, of 81.
Paul, Upon the Purposes OF Life.
The tenth annual commencement exercises
of the state university began last evening by
an address before the literary societies by DR..
NJ. MEG. Dsua. of st. Paul. The audience
was large, and was well repaid by the forci-
BILE and eloquent utterances of the speaker.
His subject was Purposes OF Life" and the |
following is an abstract of his remarks:
Ladies and Gentlemen and Members Of the Literary
Societies of the Universities:
am to speak to you on this occasion of the worth
and influence Of an exalted life purpose. just
the gravest question occupying thoughtful per-
SONS is how to live wisely and well. We all have
theories OF life, bat we fail when We come to its
practical details. Yet, more than ever, Is there
call for broadly conceived life for men fitted to
lead and by their lofty characters to control in hu
man affairs. The grand purposed men in history
still our admiration, and We study their careers
to gather inspiration for our own lives. That is
now reckoned the most valNable learning which
eupplies impulse to noble achievements. OF the
youth In our unver tiles tbs expcctant world asks,
What you proposing to do with your acquisitions,
and to what uses you intending to put the adyan-
tages furnished you by the state?
The up-lift o: great purpose is seen in the new
ors of station at the reputation founded upon Skill
at the applause which greets the learned and the
heroic will talk and act differently from those who
have felt the strivings of no such purposes. The
life holds higher range and the man be irs himself
moro erecty and applies himself with greater asdu-
ity because of this inward purpose. He will study
long and late, will stimulate in all legitimate ways
his growth in mental stature Again we are to re-
member that no life purpose can be realized without
increasing human veal or VICE. 1t will further dis
close to us the solemn fact, that in the formation
others This, then adds to the item OF self-cuture
no less important one of popular usefulness,
both OF which our life purpose will rightly or wrong
ly augment There is something startling in the
idea that there is not an act or thought in
the life of human being, but carries with it
q train of consequences the end Of which We may
| never trace. No individual in Gods universe
stands alone. He is component part OF system OF
mutual dependencies and by what he does increases
or diminishes the sum OF human good. Sidney
Smith quantity Observes Try to make at least one
person happy every day-then in ten years you will
| have $3.50 persons happy, or frightened small
town by your contribution to the fund Of general
joy. And so whenever men forget to help each
other, God overrules their plans and makes them
do 1t despite of themselves. He who ia selfish has
providence for an enemy. So the Lord obllges the
capitalist intent on wealth to be benefactor For
the factory he builds to enlarge his private fortune,
| must be run by others so he cannot get rich
without enriching others. The merchant must hire
his clerks, the insurance corporation Office its
agents. Infinitely better 1t is since this is the law
| of God, to have for your purpose the conduct Of
business, and the acquisition of personal means 30
as to benefit the greatest number infinitely better,
to live and dor to bless and help every BROTH
| er man, rather than like sponge to thrive by alb
sorhing the good and gains of others more needy
than yourself. If mans purpose brings him into
| other than amicable arrangements with
society, he is tolerated as nuisance.
| 1t is truth which holds in this every day word
| of ours "that 10 man liveth unto himself"
| He hurts or helps and therefore 1t should enter
into every mans creed that he owes fealty both to
| God and his fellow beings He belongs in part to
the age In which he lives, to the community where
bis home is cast. His purpose becomes thus bis
declaration Of intentions towards all whom he
| meets. 1t makes tn n great difference whethera
| man is thievish or honest, whether he is drunk
ard or sober citizen, whether he swears or talks
reverently. For in the one case he is walking
pestilence, corrupting those who are associated
with him, and carr. lug the contagion Of evil wher-
| ever he goes. Perverted powers are what do the
most harm in this world. Abused Intellectual gifts
make the accomplished villain, abused sensibillties
| the accomplished tempter. Abused affections gen.
| crate the worst wretchedness and misery human
| souls can know. Every community has great in
| terest in the life purposes of those who are
| braced in it It is thing to which even nation
cannot be Indifferent, whether there Is Davis or
| great monopolists Of the land. amassing untold
wealth and acquiring ever increasing power are, by
| their selfshness and inordinate greed, more re-
| sponsible for communism and the hatred of labor
to capital than all other causes. Vanderbilt and
Gould are dangerous men in democratic republic
| Ike ours. What have they done to bless and bene.
fit the masses of their fellow citizens or make their
| riches inure to the veal of humanity.
No then will be justified by the society he helps
| to build up break down, In forming such pur-
poses will be pr ducve of no good to others. On
the trary, in selfdefense society must ever in
| sist upon mans purposes. at the lowest, being
| harmless, while if he consents, upon their being
positively benefcent sefinterest carried out to n-
scrupulous conclusions, and riding rough shod over
ORDER is the worst form of tyranny. No matter how
it appears 1t prevents a man from being truly him
self. The game called "politics'' shows how it is
possible for one to live by hindering al others, and
Dickens exquisite description of the circumlocuton
office, where is unfolded great practical secret
chow not to do thing" describes quite accurately
the philosophy Of some mems lives But in these
| days. when the masses are struggling up into q
XII Ter and better life, to intelligent and uster
condition. What is wanted is men Of generous SYM
pathies and benignant purpose. whose ambition is
to amass In order to distribute, whose renown is the
resultant of devotion to some great interest, TO be
successful in order to be helpful; who will live
for country, for friends, for right. Men who will.
like the devoted Livingston, explore continent to
open the path to civilization for the lowest of earths
races; men who will toll for the freedmen, seeking
to elevate them in all that titutes reliant and
| respected citizenship, Men ks Peabody and Len
| nox, like Seney and Jessup, and Slater, who give
their riches to help art, and culture, and the poor.
| Such life purposes enthrone their subjects among
earths heroes and noblest benefactors, and reveal
how he who aims to be useful to the many becomes the
best embodiment himself of all that is great and good
It is this state of mind and heart, which interferes
with social as well as individual progress,
sistent support in order to succeed And every one
| who has ever undertaken to push some enter
prise which would promote the interests of the
| munity we'll known that hard and long continuous
effort will be indispensable. Such an one must ex-
pect rebufs opposition in fact likely to
| dampen courage and provoke fit of the blues.
| One must be terribly in earnest who proposes to
carry through project for building q new church,
erecting court house, introducing water, or en-
| forcing the temperance law And the man who
| shows the most grit. who can endure disappoint-
ment and yet not own defeat will carry the day.
| person was once asked his weight and replied,
| weigh 40, but Sir. when am mad, weigh q ton.
| The passion kindled made difference of about
| 1890 pounds, and 1t is after all this kind
| of Madness which carries many q man
| through otherwise nsuperable difficulties.
THE PROGRAMME.
The following is the programme for the re-
mainder of the week:
May -Thursday-Senior class day.
Public exercises, 2:30 p. m. Baccalaureate
address by the president of the university, s
Q. m.
May 31st-Wednesda day. Bus
mess meeting, Up. m.
June 1st-Thursday- Commencement day.
Meeting of board of Regents, $50 a. m. !;
graduating exercises, Ga. M; presidents re-
ception, 1929 Fifth street. S E., 8 to 1890
| p. m.
June 2d-Friday-Business meeting of the
board of regents.
4