The Portland daily press., 1895-06-24
BATES COMMENCEMENT.
Exercises Opened Yesterday by Bac-
calaureate Sermon,

Free Baptist Church-An Abstract OF
His Remarks.
Lewiston, June commencement
exercises formally opened by the bacca-
laureate sermon by President Chase, at
the Main street Free Baptist church Sun
day forenoon. The exercises We're con-
Quoted by members of the faculty. There
was a large attendance the alumni
coming early to enjoy the exercises of
commencement week. In the evening,
Rev. DR.. Penney of Auburn preached a
sermon before the College Christian asso-
Citations.
President Chase took his text from
First Corinthians, 18th chapter, first
clause of the Sth verse. "Charity Never
Faileth - He said in part:
When the words of our text Glove
never faileth" were written, the world
had two striking exponents of contradic-
tory principles: Nero and Paul Nero
on the throne of the Roman Empire glori-
flying lust, cruelty, hate; Paul working
at his trade as a tent-maker that he
might proclaim without charge the Cos
pei of love. Which has triumphed thus
far? Where are Nero and the Roman En-
pire to-day? And where are Paul and his
Gospel of love? Why! this love-the
Christ-loye, has, after the weary cen
turies, at last taught the world the worth
of man. Love is the unwritten constitu-
tion of every democratic government in
Europe and America. 1t is the love of
Christ working in the hearts of men that
has abolished slavery; that has raised
woman to companionship with man,
and has opened for her the long-closed
gates ofsknowledge. The Christ-loves has
revived Christian missions and raised up
Apostles in the nineteenth century. 1t
has diminished the hours of labor. 1t
has mitigated the barbarities of prison
life. 1t has half eliminated brutality
from war. 1t has sealed the doom of the
tenement-house and the sweating shop.
1t has made helpless children the wards of
the nation. 1t has endowed the free hos
pitaL. 1t has opened asylums of mercy for
the insane and the feeble-minded. 1t has
established the College Settlement and
the Friendly Society. 1t has organized
Charity. 1t has opened the iron vaults of
wealth, and has brought out their treas
ures to found schools and colleges fortall
who thirst for knowledge. By its Socie-
ties for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
and its protests against .viysiecton, 1t has
raised even the dumb beast to partnership
with humanity. And it's work is yet
before gross material wrongs shall be
righted. 1t must make it impossible for
the rich merchant or manufacturer to
lavish wealth upon spalatial mansions,
fast horses, and luxurious club-houses,
upon yachts, cigars, and liquors, while
the men and women by whose toll he
thrives must forego the very necessities
change for every tenement house. 1t
must convert Jay Goulds and Hetty
Greens into George Peabodys and Mary
Hemenways. These results can be
wrought not by machinery but by the
triumph of love; not by some grand con-
trivance for ignoring gifts and capacities
and the worth or worthlessness of men
not by state socialism eliminating COM
petition and arresting progress-but by
converting strife into generous and ad-
miring emulation; by giving men the
breadth, the generosity of nature, that
will render honor to whom honor is DUE
and welcome leadership from those who
are able and eager to lead to better day.
Christ-love among the masss will not be-
grudge wealth to any man who uses it
for the achievement of high ends On the
contrary, it will suffer long and be kind,
and think no evil, waiting the happier
time when the kings and captains Of in
dustry, when the Croesuses of the modern
world shall under the constraining power
Ol lOVG leel buo NulSdFlGy OIL ulSpldy, Gne
brutishness of self-indulgence, the mean
ness of heaping upon ones self and his
set the gifts for which he is a mere
steward for humanity. o how little,
though he bear Christ's name and serve
in His temple, does he know of the
Christ-love who by some waving of the
speculator's wand conjures into his
heaped-up Golfers the tribute money of
the poor The time will come, and it can
not be far away, when such man will
be regarded as we regard the slave-t traders
and the pirates of two generations ago
But love has finer ministrations than
any yet named-fner even than any vet
conceived. Blows and kicks are passing
away. They are no longer thought fit
even for dogs and horses. But love has
finer work to do. 1t must Danish the
good society. 1t must render the entire
atmosphere of our world kindly. 1t must
produce refinement and courtesy and true
politeness every where. 1t must make
every man gentleman and every woman
a lady. 1t must make the home more
beautiful and home-life more thoughtful
and tender. 1t must enable the husband
and the wife to read the unspoken wish in
the glance of the eye, the infection of
the voice, in the slightest change in atti-
tude or bearing. 1t must teach them to
anticipate every want and to meet 1t
without vanity or obtrusiveness. 1t must
modulate the voices of the children and
impart to them grace in utterance and
gentleness in movement. When the
Ohrist-love shall be supreme in the home,
the harsh, strident voice, the impatient
gesture, even the awkward gait, shall be
things of the past. The staple Of CONVEX
sation will not be, as too often now, the
faults and failures of neghbors, the ne
elects and Sights of society. The family
dining room and sitting room will cease
to be the forum where public and private
wrongs are discussed; and neatness, good
taste in dress and manners, and Thought
full courtesy will be the daily order.
The vexed problem of domestic service
will be solved when geptleness and kindly
interest shall characterize both mistress
and maid.
The transformed home will be followed
by the transformed school Solomon's rod
will be no longer needed. Sarcasm and
angry rebuke on the part of the teacher