Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1905-06-07
Commencement at the Independence
Training School.

connectlon Win the hospital Tor the
Insane at Independence graduated
class Of thirteen trained nurses.
Hon. G.. S. Robinson, Chairman of
the Board of Control, presented the
diplomas. Superintendent Crum-
hacker admirably arranged every
detail of the exercises. The floral
decorations were superb, probably
exceeding in variety, beauty and
arrangement all other room decoria-
lions that will be seen in this state
this year. The class address was
given by L. M. Carr, and the follow
ing is an extended synopsis of what
he said:
consider it a privilege to be per-
mitted to say a few words to this
graduating class. Your selection of
a calling is an assurance that you
intend to become ministering agents
to afflicted humanity. Search where
you may you will never find a
grander field of labor. say this
because it will be your privilege,
your pleasant duty, to have unself-
ish kindness for Il handmade. And
unselfish kindness goes down just
as deep and rises up just as high as
all the theologies. If those who live
honestly, harm nobody and render
to everybody their just dues, obey
all human laws, it can with equal
truth be said that those who are
kind, unselfishly kind to every liv-
ing thing, obey all laws divine.
And there is no greater power in
the world than unsclGsh Kindness.
All other forces clash and cancel
each other. Sellishness and greed
are forever on battlefield; forever
within hearing distance Of hates
yell, envy's hiss, or folly's bray.
Selfishness and greed frequently
succeed for time, but there is no
permanence in their success. Their
victories and defeats are like waves
on the ocean, which rise and fall
without changing the general level.
Were it not for the slow but irrest-
ible gains of the powers of kindness
there would be no gradual but ever
increasing enlargement of the
spirit of man.
While talking for the gospel of
kindness | am also talking to you,
because there is something in the
human heart which associates kind
ness with your chosen lifework. The
savage red men, who roamed the
fields where we now live, never
harmed persons deprived of reason.
1t is said that no Indian can be in
duced to raise his hand against one
thus touched by the Great Spirit.
And Kipling asserts that the same
is true OF the untutored natives of
the mountains of Asia.
All Of us have reason to rejoice
over the trend of modern thought
and reason to hope for great results
before the close of the'2Oth century.
At the present time kind hearted
and public spirited American is
giving millions to construct a
temple at the Hague where the rep
resentatives Of the nations are to as
semble and plan confusion for the
god of wars. But the greatest rea-
son for hope can be found in the
growth Of public opinion in favor of
kindness, justice and mercy. All
churches are becoming more toler-
ant. and all are constituting their
dogmas SO that they may line with
the laws Of kindness. The tlleolo-
gians who tell you that there is no
redemption outside of their particu-
lar church hasten to assure you that
their church has soul as we'll as a
body, and that Ill human beings
who do the best they can, with the
lights :hey have, belong to the soul
OF the church, and can confidently
hope for favorable judgment be-
fore the bar of Him, who warded
away the stones from even sinful
Mary. The Christian churches are
becoming more and more like the
divisions of a great army, each with
its own officers, but all striving fol
similar results under the guidance
Of a Supreme Power. The poet has
no longer any reason to cry out:
$50 many Gods SO many GRE eds,
So many paths that wind and wind
When just the art of being kind.
Is all this grant world needs"
And the press, that moulder above
all others Of public opinion, while
not doing all that it could, is doing
a great deal to teach the people that
the powers of force are not the
greatest opponents of civilization
Cannons and guns and gold lace and
brass buttons, may yet be necessary
for the protection of human rights
but mankind may some day find a
better way.
| The goth century will without
doubt produce number of grand
historical characters, but the one
who will rise prominently above all
the rest, will not in my judgment
be a great commander, a great
statesman, or a great inventor; bu,
will be some man or woman who
can gather up all the mystic powers
OF kindness and forge them into a
force that will drive out Of the world
much Of the inhumanity of the pres.
cnt time. The person who does
this will act like a tongue of fire,
through which will be expressed q
vast public feeling. The lightnings
do not start upon their blazing zig
gag march until the clouds are duly
charged with electricity. Neither
will our visions of victories over
inhumanity become realities until
the way is made ready by an en-
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