The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1904-01-28
DOIMGS At BROWN.
President Faunce Makes Address at Vesper
Service Notes From The University.

President Faunce spoke at the vesper
service Yesterday afternoon. Before the
service Mr.. Gene w. Ware gave very
interesting organ recital consisting or the
following numbers: Prelude and Fugue In
c minor. Bach; offertory, Salome: Macs
troso and allegro from Sonata op. AZ.
Merlsel: Morgenstimmung, Grieg.
Before starting his address President
Faunce thanked all the people OF Provf-
dence for their interest in the vesper ser
vices He said that he hoped In the near
future 10 have some great leader In the
moral and religious life here every week
OF the year.
He spoke in part as follows: "For CEN
turtles Israel as a nation was the object OF
ridicule. The nation or the person who
has not learned to be laughed at with
composure Is not worth much I'm this
world OF ours. Every great discovery.
every great invention has been laughed
at
"All around Palestine was comparative
ly highly civilized people with world
power Rome had her legions and Syria
her intellectual training. All Israel had
was faith in God and the other nations
laughed her TO scorn.
The world Is full of all sorts Of scoffers
but the scoffer Is his own detriment He
shuts himself In and locks the door be-
hind him Light enters only through the
open mind. We can shut anything out OF
our lives whatever we wish TO. We can
shut out OF our lives and minds the great
masters OF music. the great paintings the
great works OF literature All around us
today are Philistines blind and deaf TO
three-quarters OF the uniYerse.
Such men may be great fnanciers. Many
OF them are. They have gotten their life
down to a hard cash basis and their
idea OF Heaven is good-sised balance on
the right side OF the ledger.
There have been many men in history
who have felt this same soorn towards
humanity. Napoleon did not care for the
laughter OF his men when IL meant the
winning OF a battlefield for himself
Voltaire with all his keen intellect was
one OF the most scoffers the world has
seen.
That Is the trouble with our life here IN
america today. What is holding Rhode
Island back today? 1t Is that when a man
tries to lead some great enterprise, some
great civic reform, the people stand back
and say; What is he after?" what
office Is he trying for?"
That Is very sad condition for orr
American people to be In. II shows the
condition OF their own hearts Only when
we carry nobility In our hearts can we
perceive goodness and noblsness In others.
And now we come to the saddest acoin
OF all. the scoffers OF religion How often
we meet men who think they have risen
above religion. They have allowed their
intellect to rule their whole lives. They
give no place 10 spirit or imaginatI tIon.
They fan TO find in all history what they
could not find I'm their own souls.
The physical life Is real life. indeed.
but there Is another life Just as real.
the life OF faith and hope and PRAYER
Our religion is rational. God is more
than calculating machine or a system
OF syllogisms God is love. The man
who has forgotten how TO love can never
understand God.
We all live in two realms, the realm Of
thing as they are and the realm Of things
as they ought TO be- To study the one
We enter the laboratory. To study the
other and TO know the value OF human
life we must enter into the closet and
pray.
Prayer without study IS superstltition.
Study without prayer gets only at the
surface OF things.
Turning TO the second part OF the text.
He giveth grace unto the lowly."
What IL the modern meaning OF the
word here translated lowly? II means
the inauiring spirit"
The man who knows it all is of no use
10 anyone. You cannot teach him any
he said. You must become as little chill
dren." We must realize that we do not
know.
A man who submits himself every morn
ing 20 his ideals will Ind himself grad
ually rising In character. Have we said
goodbye TO any OF tlhe glorious ideals Of
manhood. II so believe I'm yourself be-
cause God believes IN you. Believe in your
self God has higher aims for you than
you yourself hold.
The Brown Whist club IL preparing for
the coming season and Is now planning
n series Of tournaments to pick the best
team OF the college. The object Of the Sc
ries OF contests Is 10 turn out a good team
10 represent the college In a tournament
TO be held in New York. on Feb. a. Many
colleges will be represented there.
The team which n 90 represent Brown
will be coached by Mr.. Walter III. Bar
ney, an alumnus OF Brown and ex-presi-
dent Of the American Whist lcague.