The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-06-14
WABASH COLLEGE EXERCISES
BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS DELIV-
Erred BY DIR. BURROUGHS.
Interesting Talk to the Senior Class
Iantine's commencement Sermon.
speciaI to the Ipdianapolis journal.


laureate address of DR.. Rondthaler, of Chi
cago The board of trustees, faculty and
seniors attended in a body. The music was
furnished by select chorus choir from
the student body. The room was excessive
~ warm and Dr. Rondthaler became
so near exhausted at one time that it was
necessary for him to take his seat. The
Doctors subject was Progress" and he
handled it in a mastery manner. He chose
for his text: Cor. xiii. 11-'When l was
child 1 spake as a child, 1 understood as
child, 1 thought as a child, but when l
became a man put away childish things"
The Doctor said in part:
And thinks that Paul hereby
deSpiSeS childhood. J1e would not put him.
self out of harmony with all Scripture gwen
by inspiration of God He has too much or
the spirit of Christ to put contempt on
that which his Master called blessed. On
the contrary. he gives full credit TO child
hood Blessed the child that has the child
understanding, the child thought and the
child spirit. But he says there are certain
things we outgrow when We leave child
h9ods years, and It Is good we should.
The child is credulous, the man believes;
the child plays, the man thinks. Childhood
believes in tairyland and imagtneS ii real
somewhere; man uses fairyland as an in
Spiration and works realities by It's SYM
bols; the child is innocent, the man ought
to be pure. Therefore the apostle reasons
it is good to leave childhood in certain re-
speets and go on to manhood. Do not re-
greet that you are growing older; DO not
wish you were child again. Far better
than 10 wall over childhood gone is 1t
to rejoice with Paul in a developing man
hood The hopeful side Of every passing
epoch OF our lives is not in the grief that
things are not as they used to be- but IN
comes TO us in our ever-changing condi-
tions. We do not honor the past We do
not put the true value upon its blessing.
and accomplishments when we mourn that
things do not continue as they were When
we oppose change. 1t was never meant
that the race should rest anywhere here.
ing city. There is no book in ali the
realm of literature that is SO opposed to
fxedness as this Bible. Men cali it a con-
serYative book but that is the last thing
it is. AS none other it teaches men and
put on manly ones It's history begins When
the, race was in its childhood, Men say:
ish THINGS about people?' Why, ii it is
Gods word it must be truthful portrayal
of human nature. 1t must tell how there
has been development and growth. 1t must
tell things out of which the world has
grown as well as set examples aims and
accomplishments toward which humanity is
to grow. The Bible is the greatest treatise
on evolution as regards the idea of God,
mans relation to Him, the worship of di-
Vinity, human morals, the development of
ctaracteraand the laws of human realiza-
lions.
THE PROGRESSIVE MOVEMENT.
Trace the progressive movement; Abra-
ham is far in advance of Noah, Moses is an
Improvement on Abraham; yet, while the
law was given by Moses, grace ana truth
came by Jesus Christ, and even Christ said:
There is d better time coming than that
which 1 have brought, for it is expedient
for you that I go away. Ii l go away the
Comforter will come Take ii in the de-
velopment of the idea of God Job said:
Oh that l knew where l might find Him
I,,it hcx TO "A
fine Him. In the great night struggle of
his journey he said: Tell me, L pray thee,
thy name Moses was taught to call the
underlined one i Am and when the people
out and said: My Shepherd! Great adj
vance that. Solomon said wisdom: Isaiah
stood silent before the thought, of the Won
retiner and purifier, and Jesus said: When
We pray say, our Father which art in heav-
en-. Out of that John reaped this truth
God is love. Remarkable development of
the idea of God since Jacob tugged away
until his thigh was out Of joint to find
name for God that would BEAUTIFULLY and
satisfactorily define Him.
Take it in the evolution of worship.
Noah builds an altar and worships alone;
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob establish fam
lily worship around the altar Moses places
the altar in the center of the nation builds
over it the tabernacle makes the holy of
holes the focal point Solomon sets the
temple on the high hill OF Jerusalem. and
from the ten nations = come to worship
universal right OF woIes ,,--'Ye shall wor-
ship the Father in spirit and in truth
Then comes the Spirit, through Peter, de-
claring God is no respecter of persons but
in every nation he that feareth Him and
worketh Righteousness is accepted OF Him..
Thus truly is marked the Bible progression
from the lower to the higher out of shad-
ows into the light, from the good TO the
better and towards the best. Reading it
with minds freed from traditionalism ii
teaches that the old is always breaking up.
not crumbling into dust in an old rum but
breaking up as the seed of last year breaks
open to let out the germ which shall be the
wheat ear of the next year. The Bible rec
ognizes the human need of change In or
der TO avoid the deafness or formallty, the
need of political revolution to thwart the
arrogance of tyranny which always thrives
on the let alone policy of conservatism.
The Bible recognizes the need of social
evolution to destroy the complacency of
custom and change in the drift of relig-
monotony of tradition.
AS within the Bible, so in history Gods
other book of revelation, the world is al
ways growing richer rs 1t grows older.
The pioneer is still winning the Wilderness
subjugating the forest, redeeming the earth
Better cities are building than are going
TO ruin; new discoveries are succeeding
each other in increasing numbers. Profess
sor Powell measures progress on the acts
of to-day and its fellow tools. tracing their
evolution from rudest forms. Fighting
tools evolved hunting tools, then spinning
ard digging tools. building tools weaving
tools, reaping tools, and at last seeing tools
and talking tools,
STILL ROOM FOR PROGRESS.
do not rest young people, graduating
to-day. If you are of an inventive mind
do not fear that everything has been in
vented. The air ship is not success yet
There is still room in Washington for the
enlargement of the patent office. Be glad
for the tools you find give reverence to the
past that has benefcially put them in your
hands but before you wear them out in
vent better and more perfect. That is
your mission if you are mechanical One
can only read the list as one reads the table
of contents of great volume concerning
the development along governmental and
sociological lines. Thus it runs, brute, saw
age barbarous-the strongest the master:
therefore slavery, therefore carnage war
fare every mans hand against another
at last many draw together for mutual sup
pert Wherever two or four unite they
must have rules that grow into laws. Yet
law does not always SubJugate tyranny in
human nature. The strongest still domi-
mates so we have caesarism, cZarship, the
monarchy, then that is limited after the
repfblic Do not rest. young people if
to stand among the noblest of professions
instead of being so far down on the list
among the ignobe.
''If you are of y sociological turn of mind
and heart do not rest among the forms
ana methods at present reached and al
been hammered out Of the best, but there
Il still room for immense Improvement.