Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-06-05
UNIVERSITY SERVICES
BACCALAUREATE SERMON By
FATHER o'coNNoR.
Remarks Listened to Attentively by q
Large Gathering
Wide One.

kew. Edmund A. OConner or Albany, ~.
T., preached the baccaulaureate sermon
yesterday at the Catholic University. His
text was Christ, the Light OF the World"
The ceremony was held In the chapel Of
Caldwell Hall and was attended by a dis-
tinguished gathering of visiting clergymen.
members of the faculty and students. The
mass was celebrated by Mgr. d. ]. OCon-
nell, D. D., rector of the university.
double quartet of male voices rendered
the music. Mr.. Richard Burke. student
carrying the solo parts.
The sermon by Rev. Father O'Connor
abounded in eloquence. The controlling
thought was that, despite our prosperity as
a nation, the lack of fixed standard of
morality, founded Christian dogma, is
an evil that counteracts the advantages of
material prosperity.
Our country" said Re-. DR.. OConnor,
lis indeed accounted Christian, our orators
and public men proudly boast that the
name of God is revered among us as a
nation Yes indeed, we have His name,
but not His spirit-nor have we His law
or His power In the individual life and
conduct, where He ought to abide to bring
forth security in things present and to
come
Symbol of Freedom.
Prosperity Is today tho proud boast of
America. From end to end of our country
plenty from the grateful people. Our flag
Is a symbol the world over Of a freedom
such the world has never known. Our
army is but the quiet sentry Of our ex-
tending borders. Our navy is but the
guardian of our overwhelming market.
Peace, both national and International
sheds her benign influence on the delibera
lions of Congress Law and order prevail
throughout the nation. Our citizens pur-
sue the arts OF peace. progress, commerce.
THE age of blood and iron has passed
and the struggles of a century have placed
Columbia In the forefront Of the march of
nations America leads the world in Its
citizenship. in Its freedom. in its credit, In
Its power. Our people are for the most
part honest. truth-loving, laval iding. But
STILL In spite of these fattering conditions.
the truest blessings of peace have not come.
"Commercialism allures the students
from the halls Of learning, demeans the
aims and ideals of the arts and sciences.
belittles the pursuits OF literature and
philosophy confounds might and right,
elevates the golden calf into the place of
the Holy God. makes the dollar mark the
only spur to human striving. the only stan
dard of human success. Socialism, sensa-
tionalism, materialism. commercialism,
these are the damning evils that are eating
into the private individual life OF our citi-
zens undermining their Christian aims and
ideals. destroying the highest hopes and
loves that can stir the hearts of men, and
threatening slow but certain wreck to our
glorious snip OF state, lOE the virtue OI the
individual is the strength of the nation.
Morality is no longer the decalogue of
Almighty God, but good manners. ethical
culture. civil Righteousness. external re-
righteousness, is no longer gagged by God
law, the eternal standard of right and
wrong but by personal expediency or the
requirements of society. In the life and
conduct of men morality has no fixed force
of meaning"
He declared various forms of decadence
playing havoc with the human race.
Bodily intirmity,' he said, hate, re-
venge and personal wrongdoing everywhere
play sad havoc with human life. Increas
ing murder and self-murder reveal the low
estimate that the moderns place upon HUI
man life and its accountability.
Race Suicide.
Race suicide is another crime all too
widespread and too disastrous to escape
its merited condemnation from the nations
chief. The names of old and honored
families who did yoemans work in the
service of their country live now only in
the dead history of the past. Their family
is extinct. Their wealth and their work in
the land of their birth have passed on to
other names and other races.
I'm the past this sin against ones name,
his race, his God, invaded only the homes
of the worldly rich and great; but now,
unhappily 1t spreads with increasing ac-
tivity among the homes of the middle and
lower orders.
OF. the lack of high purpose in public life
he said
Graft, il-gotten gain, Is another noxious
growth of modern morality. Our elections,
our legislatures, and our judiciary labor
under the charge of clever. but dishonest
gain. The commissions of investigation,
the finding of grand juries, the charges of
political parties make 1t clear to honest
men that price Is a familiar word In our
halls of state"
He spoke of the evil of divorce and the
tendency of the nation toward agnosticism
infidelity and atheism.
Higher education" he declared mas
robbed the Bible of every vestge OF rever-
ence and authority. The divinity of Christ
has long since been questioned and denied
There is no tenet of Christian truth that
has not been assaied and, in the judg-
ment of many dsproved. The pretense OF
Christianity is the thinnest sham, the
rankest mockery, the most daring impo-
sition." -,
Father O'Connor concluded by saying
that the remedy for these evils is in teach
ing morality based on Christian dogma.