The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1895-06-13
CONNIE NCEM ENT.
Maryville College Closes
Its 10th Year.
An Account of the Exercises
of the Week.
Baocaiaureate Sermon.

This is a new years week. The He
brews found in April and October
their Civil and Sacred New Years
Days. The earliest Romans, as be-
came mastial people, deemed the
month of Mars the beginning of
months. King Numa made the
month Of Janus Bifrons the first
month Of the year; and even down to
the present, January has been to a
Urge part OF mankind the opening of
the New Year, and the general Feast
of Trumpets. But not SO to us Col
lege people.
TO US the new year begins where
the old one ends, not in January, or
March or April or October. but IN
Emery month of May. The week
that is ushered in to-day, is our
Commencement week; for next
Thursday the old year will die, and
the year of grace '95--'96 will take its
place. This is the time when, like
old Janus, we stand with key and a
staff ready to unlock and enter ard
traverse the future. May is the
month when we stand like Janus
Bifrons, with two faces. the youthful
one looking forward to what shall be,
and the aged one looking backward to
what has been.
AS we look backward, we see that
Maryville College has just finished one
year Of the last quarter of century
of service. Remember that forty
centuries are looking down upon
YOU" With such words did the great
Corsican inspire his troops when
under the shadow of the pyramids,
they about to engage the Mamelukes
in deadly conflict. In this New World
we have but little antiquity save these
everlasting hills and mountains. But
there is something that is more in
spring than is mere time, and that
something is character. Not words
and not time, but actions tell. Who
is there that would have the temerity
to say there have not been crowded
into the seventy-slx years of the his
tory of this institution far more than
paltry 1000 years of human existence,
of self-sacrifce and achievement.
This College is concentrated ex-
istence. "Better fifty years of Europe
than a cycle of Cathay."
As we are gathered here to-day,
our interest centers especially in the
young manhood and the young
womanhood of the graduating class
with all their vigor. hopefulness and
promise. Whatever may be the ca
reers stretching out before these
young people of the Senior Class, we
now gladly, alphabetically, and
heartily give them the principal place
in our thoughts and in our prayers on
this their peculiar commencement"
week. We rejoice in your youth,
young people. "rhere is feeling of
Eternity in youth" says Hazlitt,
(Which makes us amends for every
thing. To be young is to be as one
of the immortals." Yes, you are not
merely Gas immortals" but are i'm
mortals. And you are especially
interesting to us because In your
youth you will, in all human proba,
bility enter the young century just
about to begin-the young twentieth
century,-to perform in its ample
spaces the mission with which YOU
have been entrusted.
On this anniversary occasion III
which age and youth, antiquity and
and iuturity are so peculiarly blend.
ed, what thought can / bring you,
that shall be at once illumined by the
experience of the past and freighteo
with service for the future?
A few simple but all inclusive
words from the closing chapter o.
Paurs letter to the Romans have
seemed to me the Key to the pas
and to the future of our old College
They are the closing words of the
nineteenth verse of the chapter
"Wise unto that which is good, anc
simple concerning evil"