Omaha daily bee., 1895-06-13
INFLUENCE OF TRUE PlETY
Interesting Annual Address at the State
University Commencement.
LESSONS OF THE FIFTEENTH CENTURY
Graduates Admonishod that Their Part in
tho Affairs OF the World VIII lie
Measured by the Good They
Accomplish.

LINCOLN, June l2-(Special Telegram.)-
The stage OF the opera house. where the
graduating exercises OF the state university
were held today. was occupied by the mem
bers of the faculty and prominent men con-
nected with the history and growth OF the
university The front row Of seats in the
parquet was filled by members of the grad
uatlng class. Several selections were rem
dered by the university orchestra, and Rev.
John Doane invoked the blessing of God in
a fervent prayer.
The speaker of the day, DR.. Gunsaulus
was introduced by Chancellor Garfield. For
his subject Dr. Gunsaulus had chosen Char
acter OF Jerome Savonarola" In substance
the eloquent speaker said
'Savonaroa was a man OF wonderful or
atory and a powerful leader in civic affairs
lie was the prophet Of good government
AS a reformer he was led by high IDEAS
He placed divine ideas above state craft
and church craft. A reformation to be sue
cessful must conform to these ideas. He
ushered in reform before Luther had been
heard from
REVOLUTION DEFINED.
"Statesmanship is not the arm for produc-
Ing revolution, but is the art Of avoiding
one. Revolution is delayed evolution. Many
The fall Of Constantnople. the movements
in western Europe, which were the forerun-
ners OF Chivalry. The opening of the re-
Nuisance led men among other things to ask
questions. The times had reached an age
corresponding to the golden age Of Rome and
Greece. Ola Rome had come again with her
Caesars, her Cicero ard Virgil, Greece with
ner Plato, Aristotle and Homer. 1t was an
age ripe for a revolution.
by birth, by training and in character
Savonarola was an arstOcrat He grew up
under Catholic sky with every opportunity
for studying nature He loved to be free
He obeyed one MASTER who the king of
kings. He comprised all the respectability
Of Ferarra and refused to follow in the
ducal procession He knew that the duke
was blco1-stainel, shameless robber, and
he dii not care to follow in the procession
with sycOphantiC priesthood.
His parents had hard time of it, for 1t
Is always hard for parents to live in a dull
town with a bright boy. AS is unavoidable
with boys, he fell desperately, madly in love
with girl, a member of one Of the arsto-
cratic families of Ferana-aristocratic in
family and pedigree. But thanks to genius
and aristOcracy he saved for history,
for the aristocratic nature of the girl led her
to give HIM up, and as Is the character of
genius, as it falls into love more seriously so
it gets out more easily SavOnarola could
not see that he was a child of the future as
she was a child of the past
HEAD AS MOTIVE POWER
"But sometimes the head gets behind the
heart, and when the head becomes the mo
tive power, we may expect strange things.
The girl refused him. making an instance
where woman has put history under obga-
tions to herself
"Savonarola was the only wise man of the
time. History asked for his services alone,
and he gave them, unaided by associates.
They believe sum OF minuses Will make a
plus. Never till you can stay alone and be
in respectable society. you fit for the So
ciety of others He learned to be eloquent
alone under the open sky, even as Moses
received his power. alone from God on Mount
Sinai when he received the tablets Of stone.
Craftsmanship consists in being able to stay
alone; politics in being able to stay with
men. Savonarola had army to help him.
He needed none. This the age Of single
achievements. Columbus was seeking an
eastern passage by going westward, even as
the ideal life of man now points westward.
'"Savonaroa knew the army was no place
for him. so he entered a monastery, where
he staid seven years. And we find him in
Florence that opulent queen of the world,
the resident of Lorenzo de Medici, the mag
nihcent whose hands bloody from OPP
preston, and whose feet ground liberty into
the dust One hand lay on the crushed
heads and fortunes Of his subjects. the other
was opening the golden gate Of liberty and
art.
WHERE HE BEGUN
"Under such a rule Savonarola began to
teach in Florence. No ability marks his
speech. In a short time he sits again out
side Florence under the starry sky alone
This is the stimulant he needed. He was
broken down intellectually by his failure
getting even low as to write poetry But
this Is a mark Of great eloquence. All our
greatest orators and preachers write poetry
He returns to Ferarra, where his infamed
eye and eloquent voice attracts the dukes
minister, who takes him back TO Florence the
field of his future works He becomes more
than an orator. He hurs his invectiyes against
1p no In nrla l,
into his presence. but he does not attend
The duke grows tired of waiting.
HE soon opens his Golfers to the church
Savonarola refuses 1t and gives it to the poor
instead. The great principle of Savonarola s
reform was that the church does not need
cash. but character. This kind of reform lei
Lorenzo finally to give up his pew. AS COM
mittees visit us in our own days so com
mittee visited Sayonarola. They claimed they
were not sent by any one, but Savonarola
boldly declared Il know who sent YOU. Lo-
renzo de Medici.'
WANTED AN HONEST MAN.
about this time the duke. overcome by
his iniquties, was lying on his deathbej.
Hearts dissolved in wine no longer refreshed
him. He asked for an honest man. His
minister sent for Savonarola This is the
tribute vice pays to virtue. Savonarola
standing before him boldly said: Believe in
the Infinite mercy of Gcd,' Then after the
duke replied that he did said Faith with
store his Ill gotten gains. After Lorenzo
had agreed Savonarola also secured the lib
critics of Florence.
"Piero Medici was the successor OF Lo-
renzo de Medici. He was ignorant and dog
matte. Dogmatism here means puppyism
grown out Piero in a short time deserted
the city at the approach of Henry VIII, and
SaYonarola became the Gibraltar of Flor.
ence, at whose feet the wild surging mob
was stilled He soon turned the city over
TO Henry. but in n way in which Savonarola
was still the ruler
'Sayonarola established a republic in Flor.
ence through strength OF character and
gen us. He devised laws which placed the
burden of taxation on the backs OF the rich
and not on the shoulders OF the poor.
DEFIED THE POPE.
"Sayonarola believed that an uninstructed
suffrage was unsafe. He believed in educa.
tion 10 the extent of compulsion The pop;
ordered him to Rome. lie said he did not
have time, but would be glad to have IN,
pope call on him at Florence. This made
Alexander swear as only pope could swear
but he rcsorted to diplomacy and offered [,
make him cardinal. bur Sayonarola pre
fcrrcd the red cap Of martyrdom to a ear
dinals CAP. When he had condemned Sayon
aroia the pope said, i now separate yol
frer hn oh