New-York tribune., 1907-06-24
YALE BACCALAUREATE,
PRES. HADLEY,S ADDRESS.
"Honesty Best Policy, but Nobody
Honest If That's His Reason"

New Haven, June 22,-President Arthur T.
Hadley delivered his baccaIaureate address thia
morning in Woolsey Hall before the mernbers
OF the graduating classes Of all the departments
IN Yale University, who occupied seats in the
pody Of The auditorium. Professor Harry r
Jepson rendered the musical programme on the
.Newberry organ in place Of Professor Horatio
w Parker, who has typhoid fever.
Professor Hadley selected as his text Psalms
Zxiv., 3. ! and 3.
Who shall ascend into the hill Of the Lord? or
who shall stand IN HIS holy place?
He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who
deceitfully. -''' -"
He shah receive the blessing from the Lord. and
righteousness from the God Of his salvation
He spoke in part as follows:
We avoid a dirty man; We distrust a crooked
s1L, lhere Is not one of US here to-day who
would be willing 10 be enrolled in either of these
SlasSes But there is q perpetual danger that va
Shall interpret each Of these obligations in a mar
70" way that We shall shrink from particule=
forT1s of stain or crookedness which we hapDen "a
sec, ana let our character be undermined by other
and more dangerous forms which we do not see
plead to-day for broad Interpretation of these
ooNBatlons; for view Of cleanliness and straight
Ass Whlch shall protect US from the subtler forms
or eVl no iess than the obvious ones. for an inter
a-elaupA OF these duties which shall concern itself
-. - win external forms however important, but
with mans inward spirit. I plead for a purity
sllo truthfulness which shall be positive not
negative; militant. not defensive: aggressive NOT
uInid; which shall find It's salvation not In the
complete 1uldment Of a round Of duties
t1ons.
There art two different ways of conducting q
"alnpaign-the defensive way and the aggressive
way In the former selects a definite line
49, iI7 oeslres 10 occupy He disposes his
troops in such fashion prevent this line from
Ee'ng broken; always planning 10 take advantage
- re sheIter OF his defenses. and seldom II ever
arranging TO outside of them. He places his re-
nance on system Of posts. naturally defensble
ana afunclally strengthened THIS way OF con-
Quoting a campaign is cOngenial TO men of small
mind It seems to involve little risk. It places
the troops far as possible behind the shelter
of forthcations Il ma kes IT clear TO every subor
ntnafe just what lines be held. II reduces to
a minimum the danger of MISUNDERSTANDING of the
orders and purposes of the commander IN chief.
But II has its disadvantages as well as its ad-
Nantages- 1t gives the enemy a chance to attack
when he viii and where he will 1t enables him
20 lAAe HlNahl4ee OF any unexpected weakness
Of a single tntrenchment destroy the integrity
OF the whole position beyond repair. Though you
4roiect nineteen places effectively, the loss Of the
twentieth means the loss OF the whole Bolder
generals therefore have usually preferred a wholly
oinerent policy. They have striven defend by
attacking; 10 decide the campaign once and for all
by forward movement against the enemy which
shall conquer his army as a whole and make him
once and for all incapable Of attack This was
CromwelIs way. 1t Marlborough's way. II
was Napoleon's way. II has been the way of all
those great commanders whose genius gave them
insight into tht great principles Of successful
strategy.
We, too, are engaged IN a war: IN what Bunyan
IL one Of his less known works, calls the holy
war, where mans soul is the prize. On this ground
each one Of US has TO conduct a campaign Of his
own against the powers OF evil What principles
Of strategy are to choose? What kind OF fight
shall We elect TO make? Shall II be a defensive
one or an aggressive one? Shall 1t be q of
positions where each is satisfied to lay out
lines which seem safe and tenable, and rests con-
tent TO abide resolutely within those lines? or
shall II be fight 10 & finish where each lays
ms plans TO go out and conquer the forces Of evil
wherever he meets them, and strive # he may TO
render them forever incapable Of effective assault
against his soul?
To the man Of strong feelings and passions the
on!y real safeguard for chastity Is an habitual
snd instructive shrinking from personal contact
with what IS common. To the who Is arbi-
tious OF business or professional success the only
sure guard against olshonoT Is an instructive and
unaccountable reluctance 10 do anything which he
viii have TO explain 10 his own conscience. To the
whose dangers lie in the direction Of dis
Couragen2ent pessirnism the best support is a
refusal 10 repeat improved scandals and essen
tai 11nwiIingness 10 believe eyil of his peiehbors
For with these safeguards the evil Is crushed IN its
inception; and without them every step IS one Of
peril If q man has no better guide than the
statutes and conventions Of those about him, he IS
safe from neither personal nor professional dis
honor. It may be true that honesty is the best
policy; but II IS undeniably true that nobody was
ever really honest II that was his reason. The
only who safe are those whose standards
% honor are what the world calls quXotic-which
really means that they are Christian.
and & must be the way with standards
Of tru+hfuIness. When tells lie IT means
that some consideration usually q selfish one has
got SO prominently into the foreground that he IS
willing violate certain rules which have been
recognized rs the foundation Of al good business
there may be which in extreme instances justify a
in departing from verbal truthfuness I do
not ca = to discuss. We al recognize that man
1s worthy Of tolerance who departs from the
truth for selfish reasons who habitually neglects
II for any reasons whatever The integrity Of the
spoken word Is a necessity among people which
desires 20 get its business efficiently and straight
forwar6ly cone. Il IS impossible to get the com
rlex needs OF modern life satisfied the complex
forces OF society ruled unless the business men
and the political leaders keep their word to one
another. Therefore any man who is found TO he
physically untruthful is first distrusted and then
cast out just completely as We dstrust and cast
the ruaa VINO Is physically uncleanly-
Gentlemen Of the graduating class: You are
starting cut in Hfe clean and straight. From your
fathers and your mothers you have inherited in
Etincts of truthfuIness and purity which worth
more than anything else they have given you.
You have the power 10 take this inheritance and
use Il YOU will You have the choice to
squander Il increase II; 10 make IT better or
70 make It worse.
For either better or worse II must become This
IS not place where stand still. He
who deludes himself with the idea that his personal
EeIse Of honor be hedged about with rules mat
VIII keep II safe from deterioration Is funda-
-leE-ally wrong. L be kept bright only by the
u-srillc1 use which makes IL each day a larger and
larz-- rart cf mans self.