New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-06-23
BACCALAUREATE SERMONS
PRESIDENT PORTER AT YALE.
HE DISCUSSES THE IMPORTANCE OF CRTICi'd IN
MATTERS OF FAITH-CoMMENCEMENT WEEK.
rBY TELEGRAPH TO the TRIBUNBi

rBY TELEGRAPH TO THIS rRTBUNBi
NEw-HAvEy, June 22.-Alany graduates Of
the college are already in town. and the festivities Of
commencement week have begun. To-day IS Baccoau-
root sunday and President Porter preached the
this morning I'm Battel Chapel His text was made up
NJ three passages from the New Testament: Froye al
things: hold fast that which Is good" Cfhess " 2lD
"and to virtue knowledge" q Peter % Bur ID un-
derstandlng be men," Cor xiv 2o) The spirit OF ths
present time he said prominently spirit OF questions
ING such "a the world has hitherto never seem
Everything that knows or fancies that De oeio'es
or does Is brought 10 the bar OF cluci Ie"sol az"
summoned give account OF ITSELF 10 eSthpl'h or
renouncc its claims Systems Of faith and systems OF
philosophy theories government and theoresof rev
enues the laws OF fashion and the laws of trade ha
crees Of religion. and the creeds OF atheism do2miu'
assertions and agnostic denias variable theory
OF literature poetry diet exercise ana FASHION are AT
distinctly challenged they pass In slow or RAPID re-
view Before tie eyes OF criticism and are tried ana tested
Inv it, more or less competent tribunals Criticism Itself
f. brought to the OF criticism. This critical spt Is
the legitimate o1tgrowth OF the scientific sprlt"hch IS
the glory OF the present age but In literature II assne'a
different form from that shown In science Hlts eau
ous and modest and sometimes narrow In science IN
literature to be positive, al-nhghg ana al
tpou-ng Its Characteristic aim Is to seem TO kh0"
everything in respect every question: ana 10 express
what it knows in forms brilliant and imposing th"t DO
man shall have the presumption to question lts authority
The enormous number and unquestioned aDlity OF re-
views of every sort afford the simplest opportunity TOT
e ouck eve the rapid generalization to dogmatc bold
ness and the imposing dcton In which literature degh
and when its leaders OF the present day so much aect
The danger from the narrOwness OF science on tho
one hand excluding all that it cannot bring to It's own
tests excluding faith in the unseen and the danger rom
literary arrogance which resolves the things Of faith INTO
myth suggests the special obligation which rests upon
men OF education to and test their Christian i"th IN
the light Of intellectual convictions The nature OF faith.
involving strong convictions, implies this duty It's OF
Of afiOn charity.
duties have their place 0nd 1t is important place Du5
that does not in least relieve the rejecting believer
from the duty positive dissent where things poposei
for his belief are to be rejected. The distinction between
Christian truths Of primary and secondary importance
which Is quickly brought out IN critical age implies inc
dirty M testing all matters Of faith and giving TO each HS
ve degree Of Importance. On one SIDE OF the uhe ho
those grand and distinctive truths or rather those lhS
mowers which are thought OF than they MI anu
eyn,ud the mind with some worthy conception Of It's own
greatness or rather Oycrwhelm and coufound by lt5
contrast Of its own teness; and on the other are those
nue.touings. important a all knowledge i lhpotttl,
hut Vital 10 tati II Is Di w.. 81, ii,rf d.
progress the Kingdom OF God tnat me mtciIeI nc
farter. of Christian truth should Distinguish Dct"cch
tbn fundamental truths and those OF INFERIOR lWpOItau
II Is upon the strong rcioupts ule cui I t 80 90 90
contest must centre and IL is upon their defence or cap
Ti,s cicrtiyc INTEL lcuce which all things adds
enormously individual usefulness, because lG5tloHs ~
coaes from earnest and Intelligent Ieheclon COZ
spcous hero in Of the geateSt movements III 70
crescent ace and in this country buried ie" months
400: splendid BIZ his rhetorical gifts aud unequaltcd IN
- III te eauipmens which make men leaders Of their
sI. h .6 In The extremity of his sided parti-
s,,hip seemed 80 happy as when ne used MS 81
YER tongue the utterance OF par1doxeS that were mo-,
ogeusyc TO that common and common morality ~
which social order stands That MS Fellow men snotu
honor him tor his personal WORTH ana pia9r nm lol ls
courage Just natural but II l. slghhciht Proot
of the lack need OF discriminating Judgment that
errors OF social paradOXesas forsooth the bllay
could allow it be forgotten that they were loaded WIN
deadly missiles and that the magician VINO directed
sI.r1 In luav
brands arrows and death" This case is an example OK
cue tendency educated men OF the country 10 n
partisanShip either for against the cause
with which they identified especially II the cause
%ronose, moral or reiigio Is ends.
This reflective intelligence Is essential give dignity
ana strength the individual character aud energy and
lie which they live than everything besides
President Porter concluded with TINS address TO ths
Young men of the graduating class:
That YOU may aspire after such character and at
this hour under the associations place Here have
You assembled for your daily worship during Tue
have now and then been lifted to higher aspirations and
attained to better pnrpo5es even II these SSpTaVhi
these resolves nave been melted by the hres OF temp
hack hack as 10 the sacred altar In the home from
which you soon are 70 so forth as wanderers
in its Stern contlicts But through you have trained
by the forms Christian worship aud under the influence
technical spirit least OF all with any limitations upon tho
freost inquiries or any fear OF he T9AeIl o. INC
times. YOu have been encouraged py example ana pre-
cep prove ali things Dy the tests appropriate to each
truths OF Christian thesm, Christian history Christian
ethics and Christian salvation need not say that 70 tno
Of these truths this college pledged by all
the traditions OF the past by all the Obligations OF the
i now, has been foremost in testing these Old
truths by the lights OF the severest criticism ana fearless
their most precious ores into the hottest fires
OF ;resn inquiries. Aud yet We find reason u make no
concessions thu spirit OF the times which shall abate
one lot ale glance to Him VINO finally To rule ina
faith Of all human kind and TO triumph over every oppos-
ing thought You VIII pear witness that such Is inc I
yet reverent spirit in which you haze been trained and
taught and thar this Is the genius which controls this
place Were this to cease To he true II were better Iar
in the words OF my loved and honOred predecessor, that
these walls RACED 10 the ground and these endOw
mens were scattered TO the winds You are to live rs
have reminded you, In the times when the most mpor-
conflicts of action but in the inner conf eta OF faith AID
feeling: In this uia, both the outer and the inner may
quit -ef like who mature i'll thought,
not entertain for moment the thought that the more
critical thinking of these times makes 1t especially
dhcult for earnest and honest student To attain
The contrary seems While it easy, perhaps
than for the student and reader 70 find pas
lapse seiindulgent habits IL easy 10
1nd the most satisfactory feelinS for positive and en-
lghtencd faith and the most stirring ana rational excite
Though you have In a sense lived apart from the world,
you have already seen and heard enough o. the world
through the oophoes of your retreat To be impressed
earth Even your brief college lifetime you have
great fortunes vanish in day, the Nations pride cut
and plausible theories perish as IN night. You have al
ready had sufficient experience 10 be assured that there
little that Is permanent the earth except upright
purpose. manly and Unsetsh disposition. and loving
and considerable life. You have had experiences sun
serious aud more eleyatng-he experiences that
carried your thoughts into that other e and yet
far, toward which oil moving, and unto which
any of u.s. however youug or strong, may he suddenly
summoned You will not forget the day when you
walked up this aisle weeping brOkenhearted company,
following the remains Of OF yOnr nObest and best
beloved, who had hoped much and enjoyed
so little OF his last college year. In
that hour there was nothing nearer or
Nor more precious your thoughts than the life
in which he had vanished. nothing cOnsoling than
the evidence that his thoughts and affections had been
conversant with that life and that with prayeru tender