The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-06-26
Pres. Dwight's Farewell
to Yale.
Sermons Preached to Bates and
Dartmouth Men.

Waterville, June 25--The annual bac.
calaureats sermon was delivered by Presi.
dent Nathaniel Butler of Colby college
before the graduating class of the college
at the First Baptist church. this morn
ing.
DR.. Butler took for 1.-THE theme Of his
sermon. Making, the Most of Our
seiveo the text being from Mathew
s:4s. "Be Ye Perfect
Probably the thought has never been
more present and more potent in the
minds of men than today, that the su-
preme privilege OF every man Is to make
the most of life and the most OF the
world.
Education is persistent and sympa-
thetic attemptito. make the most of our
selves. Education does not seek primarily
to give information OF to fill the minds
with facts. That Is instruction. Educa-
tion seeks rather to make the man alert
and alive in evsry = fibre and faculty, to
develop individuality and personal
power, to train the man to understand
himself and to adjust himself truly to
others. Education aims, most of all, at
the completeness of the whole man. The
idea Of education being the completeness
Of the individual, 1t must stand also for
his complete development along the four
great lines Of human interest-the physi-
cal, the intellectual, the social, and the
spiritual. We are coming Sin these days
to emphasize, as never before. the spirit
ual element In education.
By the spiritual element is meant dis
tinctly the moral and religious. If a
man is sound in these respects, he is n
good and safe citizen. II he Is unsound
In these res cots, he is bad and danger
GUS citizen.
Three great realities present them
selves for our consideration. The first is,
Itself, composed of three. There is the
material world with its marvellous oppor-
tunities. the body with It's wonderful
powers, the mind with its magnificent
capabilities. That is the first fact-this
trinity of world. body and mind, with
the evident intent that they should work
together for harmony and happiness. The
second great faot is the historic fact Of
the character and work of Jesus Christ,
furnishing the absolutely faultless model
for human life and character. The third
fact Is the presence of the Divine spirit
In the world, whose very function is to
take the character of Jesus Christ and
make 1t ours. This belief in the pres
ence of the Divine spirit is not peculiar
to any creed. All literature is full of 1t.
1t is not peculiar even to Christianity.
IL has reryaded every religion and every
philosophy that has ever moved men
A Christian Is q man Lwho believes that
the body, the mind, and the world ara
the creation OF God; that Jesus Christ is
divinely sent as revelation of God and
of the nature OF human life, and that the
Divine Spirit is in this world 30 make 10
possible for human life to be adjusted so
as to work in harmony with its environ.
ment.
At l. 30 p. m. vespers were held at the
chapel. when the student body, alumni
and friend were addressed by Rev. w.
II. Spencer, ID. D.. of Skowhegan. who
stated that 1t was not time for pro-
found discussion, but for some helpful
views of lie. Mr.. Spencer went on to say
he had sought for inspiration and sug-
gestion In the words and experiences of
Paul the laboring, suffering, cheerful