Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-06-03
At CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY
BACCLAUREATE SERMON BY REV
DIR. JOSEPH TRACEY.
Issues Warning Against "the Radical
Mistake of Trying to Cover
Too Much Ground"

The faculty. student body and friends
of the Catholic University of America
were present in the chapel of Caldwell
Hall at the University yesterday morning
at 10 o'clock, when solemn high mass
was celebrated by Mgr. D, ]. O'Connell,
the rector The scene was a brilliant
one, the professors and students being
CARRIED in the distinctively decorated cap
and gown OF their various departments.
Gregorian music was rendered by "A choir
of picked voices.
Rev. DR. Joseph Tracey Of Brighton.
Mass, president of the Alumni Associa-
ton of the Catholic University, preached
the baccalar:eate sermon 10 the students
ITO begin with. let me warn you against
the radical mistake OF trying to cover
too much ground" Or. Tracey said. The
curriculum of the Catholic college. in
spite OF electivism, still commonly main
tains its balance in favor of the elements
oil liberal education.
Cult of specialties.
There has come to pass, however the
cult of specialties. the distinctive char
acter Of intellectual progress. Having
acquired the essential and important de-
tails of his general subject, the aspirant
to some degree of eminence specializes;
acteristic of a cultured mind must be
curbed and subordinated by the domfnat-
Ing pursuit of one. Commonplace though
the observation appears: it is not with
out Its relevancy. Catholic Americans
have not their due proportion of truly
eminent specialists When we would vim
dictate the claim of our church to place
in the vanguard of knowledge too often
our appeal must be to the Catholic in
tellect of Europe. We have the name,
indeed, in common with our nom Catholic
countrymen of making money. but, I'M
like many Of them, not of influencing
thought. Formerly, when educated Cath
olics were fewer, the unavoidable over
croWd1ng of careers capable of such emf
hence by the inceSsant pressure of ordi-
nary duties, excused in a measure our
deficiency; but one sees with regret that,
while the number of Catholics in the
higher walks of life have Increased. emil
hence is as rare as ever; and this in
spite of the fact that the character and
ability of the Catholic student body have
improved very much during the last fif-
teen or twenty years-a change not al
together undue, one may notice in pass
Ing. to the foundation and influence of
this university.
american Catholics need specialists
eminent specialists, who will create lit
eratures in the various fields of re-
search and if there be any to whom
they have right to look for relief it is
to you. Not all can achieve what they
need. but some of you should be able to
w So DO SHlTk your responsibility.
The essay required for your licentiate
or the brochure of the doctorate does not
clear your account; 1t is merely the
earnest of what you owe; forget it until
you do something worth while.
Demands of Higher Task.
Let not the burden and routine of nee
essary everyday duty hinder or choke the
unWearying effort, the eXacting discipline
the persevering sacrifice Of ease your high
er task demands. Work work, work.
Work Systematically planned, effectively
applied, and generously expended-investi-
cation, experiment and research-by these
means alone will the crude ore of your
laboratory or study become the pure gold
of aScertained result.
Not only in the arts and sciences is ex-
ceptional work looked for from you; COM
ing from this university, you ow. special
service to the cause of religion. But one
aspect of your duty may be touched upon,
and this briefly. Under the caption
Changed Times a leading newspaper re-
Gently drew attention to suggestive fact.
Yale University founded Ito train cody
young men for the Christian ministry to-
day gives only ~ percentage Of Its STU
dents to that career; twenty-five years ago
the proportion was double. 'On the face OF
things" commented the editor, there is
everywhere an undoubted tendency to neg
lect the teachings and forms of organized
religion. Side by side with this tendency is
another which shows that charities and
public bencvolence of ali kinds are claiming
a larger share of the interest and money of
educated and wealthy people. Can it be
that in the past theology was COMPOUNDED
with Christianity, and, being row consid-
cred an exploded science. no longer inter-
ests the majority of educated men, while
Christianity-doing good to ones fellow
men-has stronger and stronger hold?'