The Portland daily press., 1888-06-25
MAINE COLLEGE BACCALAUREATES.
President Hyde's Stirring Words to
Sons of Old Rowdoin.
Bates Holds a Memorial Service for
Mrs. Beicher.
The Exercises at orono and the Soph-
omore Declarations.

The Exercises at orono and the Soph-
omore Declarations.
BRUNSWICK, June 24.-The first day of
| Bowdoin's commencement was cloudy and
rainy. All day long the rain fell, and at
o'clock in the afternoon the skies were dark
and dreary. At that hour the church ON the
hill began to be filled by the friends of the
Senior class to listen to the baccalaureate
sermon by President Hyde. The Seniors
marched to the seats reserved for them, and
Prof. Chapman opened the exercises by read
ing from the Scriptures and offering prayer.
| The President then delivered the sermon,
An Appeal for the Acceptance of Chris
tianity." of which the following is an alb
/ stract:
suasi0n thou wOuldst fan make me Christian
| And Paul said, would to God that whether with
| hear me this day might become such as am. ex-
| cept these bonds.-Acts xxvi:2S-29.
The old version of this passage is entirely
astray. Instesd of being ''almost persuad-
| ed'' by Paul's argument, AgrIppa utterly de-
spised it, Whereupon Paul turned from ex-
ternal arguments to the immediate and obvi-
Gus fact that at any rate he is the sort of
man that Agrippa and all the rest of them
ought to become.
we have considered together the evidences
Of Christianity which philosophy and histo-
ry afford: Whether you thought them "little
or much," / do not know. The time for
such external evidences has passed, and to-
day shall try to tell you plainly what there
Is in the Christian character which makes jt
inherently desirable for every one of you.
Flrst.-The Christian is independent. The
worldly man has his price; If not in money,
yet in fame, power, pleasure. Office or some
one or other OF the many things the world
The true follower of Christ can not be
bought by any or all of these things He
values wealth, position, reputation, for their
uses only, and regarding them as means not
as with them, when they cease to be instru-
mental to his Christian aim, or when they
conflict with It. Because / wish you to be
free men rather than slaves, would to God
You all might be true Christians.
The second attractive element in Christian
life Is the b0undless career of activity in
work which it affords. To the Christian all
men are the children of his Father, the
own brothers. To tighten their burdens, to
relieve their wants, to share their sorrows,
to guide them in their perplexities, to shield
them from injustice, to reclaim them
from vice. to rescue them from folly, to lead
them in ways of pleasantness and paths of
peace this if work that gives ample scope
for the full exercise Of all ones powers in
the only work that, for its own sake, is
worth the doing
A third charm of Christian life is Its rsst-
Iulness. Rest apart from work, mere indo-
lence Is of all things base, degrading, un-
christian. Rest is work, "toil unsevered
from tranquility, labor accomplished in re-
repose, too great for haste, too high for ri
valry is the crying need of life, if it is to be
worth living. Never was this precious quail
ity OF repose more rare than in the life of the
United states in this restless nineteenth |
century The Christian life. with its re-
poseful faith in one mightier than we who is |
working with us; with its faithful doing of |
each days work unto the Lord as a thing |
sufficient in itself; asking and expecting |
nothing better than the power and privilege |
to do the like today, tomorrow and the day |
after, until God shall say,-'.enough: well |
obedience and trust in God, is the only life |
that has this blessed restfulness.
F0urthly, the Christian life is sure of vic |
tory. The Christian will make mistakes and |
pay the penalty In sorrow and ia shame. |
Bat If he be true Christian, his heart, his |
purpose, the deliberate, permanent tread of /
his life will be one with God and in line with |
beaten, Christ is never overcome. And the
Christian whose life is ppited to the life of
God and the work Of Christ is invincible;
and what he most doth care for must be
w0n."
These four qualities, independence. activ-
ity in work worth doing, restfulness and vic
tory, are the most essential features of the
life that is intrinsically desirable. Types of
life other than the Christian give something
like one or more of these separate qualities.
Stoicism gives Independence; but it spoils it
by its pride. The Epicurean gets seeming |
restfulness. but 1t ends in ennni and disgust.
Materialism and worldliness win keep man
forever on the rack OF exertion, but nervous
prostration. premature old age. lovelass
hearts and joyless lives are the best 1t has to
give You In return.
The Christian life is the only one which
can give you these four qualities, each in its I
pendence without pride, activity, that is not
mere rushing to and fro; rest, that has no
taint Of indolence or self-indnlgence abont
1t; and victory that Is not marred by hard
ness and cruelty. 1t is the only life that can
lift you up above the worlds humblest work:
the only life that will enable you to lie down
after each days strife and turmoil to rest as
sweet and peaceful as chi:d's; in the as
working and living. for is as certain as the
rising of the morrow's sun,
Members Of the graduating class: Your
Alma Mater is Christian college, not mere |
~ 10 name and ecclesiastical affillation. but
in the spirit IN which she lives and works.
She is independents seeking money. honor,
men, only for the good that she can do. The |
college is working college doing, spending, |
caring nothing for show, but devoting all her
powers and resources to the training in
sound learning Of those committed to her
charge.
The college is eontented In her work. sl-
teripg into no seryile imitation of larger in-
sstitutions, and no ingenerous rivalry with
her equals.
The perm anent success and prosperity of
the CollegeIis assured because 1t rests not on
special efforts to work up the appearance Of
prosperity, on artificial devices to attract
numbers and attention; but ON the broad and
solid foundation of determination to do
the work God gives her, as well as it can
be done.
| can wish you nothing better than that in
these respects your lives may bear her i'm
press. Be independent, scorning to be de-
termiped in your course by anything lower
than the will of Heaven. Find work worth
doing and put your whole souls into it.
Whatsoever you do, carry into it that rest
fulnesss which comessfrom knowing that your
work is supported and yourselves upheld by
the everlasting arms. And be so constant In
your loyalty to God that you may have the
confidence OF his promise to all obedient
souls, "whats0eyer you do shall prosper"
So shall you be true sons of a Christian
College; and enter into the Liberty and pow
or Of the sDps of God; into the peace and the
triumph of the Kingdom Of his Christ.
The exercises closed With prayer by the
President and singing by the choir