The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1900-06-18

The baccalaureate sermon to the
~membess OF the graduating class of
Brown University was preached in the
First Baptist church, yesterday after
noon. by President Faunce. 1t was in
every way practical sermon dealing
with the important problems that meet
a student at graduation.
The church was completely filed long
before the exercises began. The exer-
cises began with selection by large
chorus of Brown 4studeptssy DIR. King
read the scripture lesson. President
Faunce offered prayer. and preached
the sermon from IL Tim. ILL.,. Z. Ever
learning, and never able 10 come to
knowledge OF the truth" In part he
said: "Ever learning-it is a noble eulo-
rv; never able 10 come 10 knowledge
of the truth-it Is melancholy epitapn.
1t has often been pointed out that the
18th century is, In It's general atmos-
phere, more like the first than IL lis like
any OF the. oentui les that intervene. In
nothing is this resemblance oetween
Pauls day and ours more striking than
I'm the prevalence of this type OF man
intellectually alert and eager, socially
and morally Unattached and dissatis-
fed.
THE IMPORTANT THEORY.
THE most important thing for a man
graduating from college to realize Is
mat his education is not finished, but
is just beginning. We used 70 have III
New England so-called finishing
schools, where simpering girls were
tortured into a fixed patternrequiredb by
artificial standards-finished, indeed
and forever. But the university Is not
a place for finishing men or women. 1T
is place for starting them. IL Is not
a realm where a set OF ready-made
truths is imposed in young minds by
superior authority, il is a place where
ingenious spirits are taught right
methods of seeking truth, and filled
with noble passion to obtain IL. Com
mencement Is not an entrance of the
ship into the harbor after long voyage,
Il is the casting off of the ropes. and
filling of the sails, the fluttering of the
flags and the starting out to sea for
voyage whose end is no earthly port.
The occasion is impressive when stall
wart company of young men and women
cry: we who are about to live, salute
you For life Is always more serious
thing than death. III knew that you.
my students, were to plunge tomorrow
into some storm of shot and shell,
would not care to be your chaplain. I
should know that II was too late TO
change your essential quality. But,
knowing that you are to live. and to
lead the world into light or darkness, 1
gladly bring you a message today.
EVER LEARNING.
mo life is true life which is not ever
learning To compress ones education
into four years. or into 10 years. would
be absurd II it were not so common.
All around us are examples OF arrested
deveopment-men who grew up to a
certain point and then because of some
great success whiob satisfied them. or
some failure which, warpsd them they
quietly surrendered the intellectual life
a1d submitted to fossilization. They
pass their dead line sometimes at the
age of 60 sometimes at the age OF -.
We meet them in political life-men
who never read journal on the oppo-
site side, and sap their own, paper the
moment they DISLIKE it's utterance. We
meet them in education-thc hopeless
pedagogues who repeat to patient
classes just what they were saying ~
years ago. We meet them i'm religion
men who are orthodox because they