New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-06-25
BACCALAUREATE SERMONS.
GROWTH THROUGH OBEDIENCE.
PRESIDENT sEELYE TO THE GRADUATING CLASS Al
ANlERSr.

pprsmRNr sYELYE TO THE GRADUATING OLAoo Al
AMHERST
AMHERST, Mass, June 24.-Ihe Daccaau-
reate sermon at Amherst College was delivered touay
by President seelye The speakers subject was
sf,rowtb Through Obedience" having its text IN Luxe
A. 81 So He showed that growth In WISDOM grow'n III
,vernower over nature, power over ones SELL anu
owar over otbersaDd growth in character, only come
through the SUBMISSION Of the seli.wil 10 au'noriy'
The statement OF 1t, he said, might Do c"iioo az
educational commonplace. The nrst s'ep Vi
advancing knowledge is step to"aru 'ho ""
known which sbould never take but by some Sole o
fs1th that the unknown might become known Inc
agnostie will neither grow in knowledge nor teaen
others TO grow HIS bashfulness In YOUTH, saws
xenophon OF Cyrus, was the very true ugor oI MS
virtue and stOutness afterward In spite OF inc
a pupil develops In himself on account OF 1aheleu aEpr
trary rules II win be true that manly lndepen-
dence only comes from a manly dependence. The old
sophsts made the individual man the measure OF every
thing bu, wiser Socrates made man-not man nor
enbut m an or the universal thought 10 be the all
conditioning law. If knowledge is power anu
growth in knowledge is only gmneu ihrouS"
obedience, then power is only possessed ny 'n0
obcdient win. and a man commands because no ooeys
The denagugue gains his ascendency by yleidhg W Tue
ignorant camor of the people, an ascendency as easS
Loot a. vvo h,t the leader 10 whom we bow with uniai
ing homage has claimed by transient Impulse pu
we follow he has uttered for us the worn winch
before was qnutterable to US Mr. GLADSTONE Is hS VI
England In truer than is any one who only wears
crown because stands out the best interpreter OF
,he English peoples will. SO with Bismarck For the
last fifty years the instinct OF German unity undr
Protestant leadership, coupled with vague desire OF
acme strong power in central Europehas been disturbing
the different German States More than thirty years ago
bismarck cav what NO else then saw, this uniformed
impulse, and TO this he submitted
For the last 800 years there has been steadily grow
"a tffnuf IN EQc III.
ydual Will above the restraints OF authority The strong
ss, governments OF Europe have sense OF weakness
and insecurity which they have never felt before Inc
expenditure In time OF police and military force 10
overthrow by violence Is unparalleled In tLis country
the sigus OF the prevailing tendency, IN wmcn EurVge
finds such dire forebodings, only too apparent We
began National career with the declaration that
governments derive their Just power IRON s e em
threatened with anarchy, beoagse elgnn mn.
ions OF the people OF Ine SOUTH e aP epovarnnept
of the Union IL cost untold expenditure OF DoOd
and TO deny our original decisraon ana 70 oe
clare instead governments derive their Just powers
frum justice wnlcR determines that to wnch the pe9pe
ought 10 consent quite as truly as that 10 Whch tney
have consented w, have not been wanting since the
war disposition 10 cast on authority ana 10 MAJ
The individual self viii dominant IN every issue Two OF
our PresoD Is shot By assasslns Men oil hen
position upon their right when tue time comes 10
take law, they term IT, into Their own hahds
of tie present Congress has just now been on trial
Tor murder beoase he sought by blood his own redress
a fanced wrong The war upon property ana the Id
flyihe institutions upon which the very exlsteuoe
al aociey dependss evident IN America as IN Europe
am not aOI TO take respondent view OF the words
condition OF the promise OF our American lie, as you
well know look upon National prospect with larSe
hope Never before IL seems to me, has so Drlglt u
future eyes OF any people. But there is
never privilege without s peril and we have dangers
which, II wise, shall not fail TO see Our chief peril
and there signs enough 10 SLOW thai IL graye-cO
ssts think in the undue exatat01 OF our hoery. We
have set the Goddess OF Liberty upon thedome OF our
Capitol al Washington, though liberty was the pre-
M the entrance to NevYork HarbOr colossal Statue OF
Lioery whose uplifIed torch shall proclaim to the Ia
COMING fleets OF nations that is liberty which Is TO
but who speaks pride Of tho supremacy OF Law
We make our law dependent our liberty; in other
words we arr Determined to have such laws Will,
rather than 10 Will such laws we ought 20 have But
when liberty put nrst, aud only the law Is permitted
which we choose to permit the liberty soon sinks ~
license ana the descends into anarchy, and tine
ANARCHY only iesues ia a despotlsin.
wish encourage yOI gentlemen, TO face the great
peril with great hope 1ney that be Tor Us
are more tnan they be against But the strength
OF courage aud the success OF your endeaVOrs VIII
come not at optimistic view OF rational
prosDects OF human fairs, but altogether from the
strength your aud the success with which
you lead others obey counsel you 10 employ all the
growth in wisdom ana power aud character when you
nave gained and still 10 increase through your
obedience effort 10 make more evident the supTcm
acy OF Law, authority of righteousness, the unqua
fed sovereignty OF the family and the 5Iae-eaeh IN lts
sphere-and headsnp and lordship over all OF the
Son OF God tine authority TO execute Judgment
also, because he is Tue son OF man.