Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1903-06-22
COMMENCEMENT.
Bates, Bowdoin and Colby Each
Begin Their Exercises.
BaccaIaureate Sermons to Seniors
by the Several Presidents.
Large Audiences Present and Unusual
Interest Displayed.

with the annual Daccaiauredte sermon
which was preached by President
Charles l.. White. There was large
attendance, the church beingwen filled,
and the sermon was much enjoyed by
all. A good share of the men of the
college now in the city attended ana
practically all of the women.
President White spoke in part as fol-
| lows:
Text. John III:2 We know that thou
| art u teacher come from God.
TO saw that Jesus was teacher come
| from God is not the whole truth, as ne
was vastly more than this: we are I'M
pressed first of all with his personality.
We are sitting at his feet now and, as we
| look into his face let us say, Win oii5
| of old: He came forth from God. ana
looking into our faces today and WONDER
| ing if we will believe him., he says BE
| fore Abraham was ] am" using of him
| self the Greek verb that means an unde-
| rived life. Il and my father are one. he
| that hath seen me hath seen the fatner.
| Is it strange that men worship MN ana
| that he checked not the apostle who eX-
| claimed, as he came out from under the
shadow of his doubt My Lord and my
| God"
| definite and personal interest in each OF
us 1t il not often that this quality APP
pears in an educational system. IL there
| is an evil in our public school system to-
dav it is that the Individual is in danger
| of being lost in the whole and that the
personal sympathy and. touch between
teacher and child are largely lessened
| and often disappear. But our Lord has
Il special and emphatic devotion to the
| religious growth Of each one of us. He
| teaches us privately as well as in the
| classroom of life, and gives us such spec
ial instruction as he foresees is for our
| future good
And stil another quality which we note
| in our Savior is one that he alone pos
| se&Ses. for as Il teacher he is divinely pa
ticnt with each one that sits at his feet
| for instruction. How matchlesS was his
| patience with his first disciples, and
| though they were dull of understanding,
the Master explained again and again
| the Foundation truths on which his king
dom was to BE built. He found them,
even after his death, unable to under
isand the true purpose Of his life. How
patient Christ has been with us! Trying
to teach VA through his words which arc
preserved for us in the Scriptures, and
granting 10 us spirit that he may be
| with us to instruct US In the things of
heaven.
You have passed through four years of
| college life, and this IS well named your
rommencsment-fo the largest conquest
If your life begins now. My dearest
wish for you all is that you continue to
be pupils in the school of Christ.
| Let me say a gain that this Is. first OF
| az, II Stll'jDI VI III lStltiii tAI,I itS
demonstrations are practical in their re-
| suits. Theories or useful facts are not
explained or studied What we need to
| learn for the largest and best use of our
present life Is what Christ teaches us.
He does not tell about the stars or tn"
facts that men are restless to know, or
how the heavens so. He tells us how to
go to heaven and how to bring heaven
down into this earthly life. He teaches
us true philosophy, from which we can
net come back empty
But let us remind you that it is also
n graded school and graded for US all.
| When We enter it. whatever may be our
age, we must begin with the kindergarten
lessons of his teaching; we must drink
first the SINGER milk of the word. until
by and by we can take the meat which
IL for strong men.
While this school has a single great
text hool<-thc Holy Scripturcs-it has
laid it's appropriatng hand on all nat
ural and scientific truths to illustrate
the meaning of it's words. There is a
unity in Gods world and In his word, and
| all truth IS spiritual
| We must not forget, however, that in
TIL" prosecution of cur spiritual studies,
after We have learned the first lessons at
the feet of Christ. each one is given,
| through his natural bent or heavenly
leading. a wide range of electives, and
we are to push thes" studies in our per
sonal. social and professional life until
we have formulated theories and doc
| trin'-s ana laws IS tie result of our own
| CONGRATULATIONS, and have philosophy of
life and character that shall be in har-
mony with our Christian experience and
| with the teachings of our Master.
| Having revcrcntly glanced at the char
act"r of the teacher and considered the
nature of the school and It's curriculum
it may be natural for US to look to the
| kinds of pupils that are admitted to the
| inner circles of our Masters classes. The
door. to be sure. is wide open; four years
Tor preparation are not required; the in
| vitation is to ALL and yet some ualinca-
| tiGnS hpfnrn plln pnn h,,
| tered for matriculation. Repentance, and
Ia departure from the ways of sin, and
the holy pledge of obedience to the laws
Iof God, are prerequisites for entrance
We must have clean hands and pure
heart before We can even sit down in the
school of Christ For entrance into this
school, none who have arrived at the age
OF moral responsibility are too young
| When child can learn his letters. he is
not to young to learn the first lessons in
tine school of Christ. And also. none are
| too old: for some who have entered very
| late In life have made wonderful pro
gress in their studies.
| The student in this school must have
/. not only faith in the teacher perfect CON
fidcnce In his wisdom and sympathy with
| his methods but he must also be willing
| to learn gradually, abandoning all pre-
conceived theories. accepting facts even
IL they do not at once seem to harmonic
with his own ideas. He must be willing
to receive as true statements which he
cannot at once comprehend or verify. All
| tnls Is ADMITTED nOurlN IN the; claSS-rOOmS
of our land and must be granted as con-
dittons of progress in the classroom
| over which the Master presides as our in
| Structor.
Another, and most beautiful truth that
comes to view is that the teacher here
and elsewhere not only gives instruction
but stamps his own personality on the
lives of his students.
If We resemble him. the spirit of our
inquiry should he absolutely fearless Re-
ligion invites the light of reason and
finds its greatest friend in history, phil
osophv and science Religion develops
all that is in men and brings the best
out of him and puts the gifts of God into
him. He who refuses to study in the
lschool of Christ may be well endowed by
nature and learned in the things of man.
but he has only that little learning which
Bacon called "a dangerous thing.
1t now remains for us to examine some
Of the things which we may learn in this
school of Christ. Such a scholar will
learn the fear of the Lord-that it Is the
| beginning of wisdom. He will learn with