New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-17
THE LESSON OF MILLS LIFE.
DIR p.RRows's SERMON BEFORE THE GRADUATES
OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY

Ithaca y T. June ls (Special). Commencement
week AT Cornell opened today with the haccaiA"-
reate sermon preached in Armory Han hy inc NV
Dr John Henry BarrOws. 81 Ch'aS'' WI" VIZ
chairman OF The W ord's Parliament OF Religions n
ise2 pr Rarrows gave eloquent discourse on
tho subject Of mans spiritual nature A. proof
~ tho existence OF God. The text was from MAJ
thew vi Q: "Our Father. whieh arr IN He''e"
Arrosticsm Dr. Barrows thought, was ohH
TEMPORARY belle. which IS now passing AVA.
Men see too many proofs OF a Supreme b''ns III
the wonders OF nature although there ar" no sN'h
,l,,ions Of Gods being IN naiur. az In the human
mind Man has not only intellect but aiso con
science the voice OF some power aboV" US 'h"hl"S
for righteousness The moral law. when IN ln'"s
only ,oints 10 a great Ms; cause. ie the fonii'-
ton of religion But the groate"t PROOF OF 80"
existence is the spiritual affections Of man cray
,,g for something to worship. Mans religious
nature is his supreme faculty. ana r there ~ 10
sulremely adorable Being. then iais'hoo' mas P''-
vailed IN nature. In all otn"r tHinhH na'"'" u
eeen 10 be a continual response 10 human needs;
thus mans desire tor power for knoW'dfr' anu
his sense OF the beautiful are needs NAT are amply
suppled by nature Just hunger points 10 the
existence OF food does mans sp'iItu"l nature
Imply the existence Of all adorable POWER.
Dr. Barrows devoted most OF his sermon to the
Increment OF his argument by depicting inc ne
struggl. Of the great English ccOnonis'. J"ih
Stuart Mil whose life went out In despair because
he WAS without God. NH had "A notheriess child
mood and hts father excluded him from hrIs IAN
Influences He the most precoclous emu ol 'hs
century. and carly became "A writer OF uhiIF"''.'1
repufai ION But he mere reasoning iHo"i'''
m 80 without spiritual experience. He soon came
to ask himself the question, ~" nav ~ 'he p1' 20.
he abandoned Then he began TO I'VE Tor otleih
lie became a social reformer. lriehd OF huinahI.!.
I'nconsciosly he the heir OF eighteen centuries
OF Christian teaching the student OF Marcus Aure,
Illus. ne was In effect the unwilling disclpis OF
The 'Nazarene Jesus But he had the light OF chris,
tianity without its warmth and power The thlrd
stage Of As development was his io ,ea ic y, h
English woman whom he devoully believed 10 De
possessed OF every virtue and all WISDOM re &C
tnowIedged all his intellectual wisdom TO DE IN
spired OF her He invested with divine per1ectlons
a creatur. of God and after her death her memory
became his religion. But no Hover oil nope booicl
on her grave IN Avignon II he wanlei 10 ahs" y,
an agnostic most effectively. DIR. Barrows sald ne
should hurl at him Mill's Autobiography ~" o., OF
fb. plaint "Oh God, save me from despair; ne
believed tina, man to-day would not follow MIL. but
would rather take the course of the late Ifo,
fessor Romanes. or oH1oru, a Ios'u'iS' WIN "'''
a Christian Theist -, a..
Dr. Barrows's exortaton TO the members OF .ls
graduating classes numbering about four hundred
in all was full OF inspiration.