The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1906-06-11
ABLE SERMON To
COLLEGE 1 ] SENIORS 4 !
Man Who Gives Best Serves
His Race, Says Rev.
r. P. johnson.
EXERCISES Al. The COLLEGE
Graduating Glass Has Celebration
To-night-Alu1nni Luncheon
Tomorrow Afternoon.
EXERCISES AT THE COLLEGE

ssg l O-fllOrTOW7 A1LcTHOOHs5
Clad in their caps and gowns. the '08
graduating class OF Richmond College,,
one OF the largest In the history OF the
institution, listened to q most powerful
baccaAn,:Seate sermon last night In the A
college chapel Rev. r. P. Johnson, OF 4
Fifth Avenue Baptist Church, New York,
an able speaker, preached tho lCommefce-
ment sermon. srt Il ". E
The auditorium OF the college was
filled ito its capacity. the parents ana
friends OF the graduates, and the alumni
OF the oollege having gathered in large
numbers to wit0ess the beginning OF the
finals OF the seventy-third year In the his
tory OF the college. The audience was
deeply attentive throughout, and the adj
dress delivered by the Rev. Mr.. Johnson
was a most appropriate one TO young mon
Just about to leave their alma mater for
the strenuous life OF q citizen OF The Unit
ed States. ttssss 80
After being introduced by DR.. W. r.
L. Smith. the speaker announced the
text OF his address as being the equal-
ity OF endowment and capacity do not
exist: uniformity Is not the law Of nature,
but variety" Continuing, tho Rev. Mr..
johnson said in part:
mo process OF reasoning gould re-
stature OF common men. Raffaello and
shakespeare will continue to tower above
their fellowmen. The philosophy OF equal
ity runs counter to all observation and
experience. II we say there Is not de-
sign in nature, then VIC must account
for this inequality by ono kind OF phil-r
osophya but II there is an Intelligent pur.
pose In all things, then differences OF
capacity suggest In measures differences
OF function.
TT would have been a catastrophe for
Shakespeare to have held horses at a
London theatre all his days, though
horse boys are necessary. 1t would have
been calamity had Jesus remained
at the carpenters bench or for Bunyan
must sing. Buncan must dream, and
Jesus must save the world. Lesser tasks
must fall to lesser men.
Varying Talents.
"Dinerences OF capacity also imply diff
Eerences Of responsibility. The man with
ten talents must do more than the man
with one. Andrea Del Sarto nut not think
when he has painted a fence we'll that he
has measured up to his responsibility
Beethoven would have been an eternal
failure II he had Titten rag tane music.
"Tennyson must not content himself
with doggerel, and In Memoriam calls to
capacity must correspond before respon-s
sibility is satisfied. In q world OF order
and moral values, the competent must
lend themselves to the tasks worthy Of
them, for to whom much - given much
shall be required.
THE favored classes OF our land are
the university. and college men. for to-
them much has been given. They are
not common men. and cannot satisfy
|$thef just demand by doing common things
In common way. ] congratulate such
men upon their privileges and upon their
opportunities, For in no age have nobfer
tasks bcckoned TO young manhood than
to-day. U
"1t Is often said that the opportunities
OF the present are not as great as those
Of a generation ago. This is usually
accounted for In two ways-hrst. It is
said that the great natural reservoirs
OF wealth., such as mines. forests and
public domain, have been pre- empted and
acquired and methods OF transportation
have been perfected SO that the field
Is practically closed field; in the next
place, It. Is asserted that great corpora
lions and trusts have attained such
worker, and tho only thing left is to
worker, and tn eonly thing left is to
enter the treadmll OF great corpora
ton and work hopelessly on till death
brings release. "A few become inordinate-
~ rich. and the rest remain the inspira-
ton OF hope OF the incentive OF reward.
Three Suggestions.
I'm reply to this said he. ..there
are three suggestions + should like to
make: That the very confusion OF sue
cess in life with the amassing OF great
fortunes indicates q condition the rene
dying Of which is the task OF high
manhood. 5s 5 5S
ut is to be feared that the philosophy
OF Iago In Cthello, put money, In thy
purse" is the current philosophy. It
has resulted IN the moral confusion which
the Investigations OF the past few months
have revealed. The supreme call OF this
age is for men with higher standards and
clearer vision.
THAT is the first for field OF oppor.
.tunity the present age offers. Secondly,
If the great reservoirs of natural re-
sources have been acquired and pre-
empted, there still remains the task OF
compelling the administration in the in
terest Of humanity and not In the inter-
est OF Individual. 4 Il
Third, II the corporations do throttle
individual effort and independence. mind
you do not say that they do but iii
they do, then there is the splendid task Of
wrestling their prey from their grasp ana
restoring to every man fair chance in
ca 4oPIsA 9AO'N' = "4o ~ mss -IIl6 10 the
Thought wish to emphasize.
II am not speaking to you young men
about getting rich, nor, have I any preju-
dices against riches. but the field OF
opportunity in this age Is the field OF
service-not getting, but giving; not lean
Ing, but lifting;a not gathering the
streams Of beneflcence into the dad
sea of your own soul. but being a foun-
tain from which streams OF beneflcence
flow to gladden. and to bless the world."
On the platform with the speaker were
DR.. w r, L, Smith, who presided during
the evening DR.. J, William James, Or.
John Pollard. Dr., Ed. Pollard 4 Dr.,
Athey, OF Lynchburg DR.. Buchanan.
Of he Civ A1Issonl and .Ilra Ia1erl,..