The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-07
COMMENCEMENT. AT GREENSBORO Rev. w. H, LaPrade Breaches Sermon. ABLE AND LOGICAL DISCOURSE Alumni From All Sections of the
 Country Present. Rev. A. c. Bowen, of Soc Chow, chins, First Missionary Sent From the
 University to Foreign Fields,
 is Attending.
ABLE AND LOGICAL DISCOURSE

Greensboro, June e.--(Special. )--Af- ter weeks of rain, the sun shines and the world smiles upon the forty-ninth commencement of the Southern Uni- versity which was formally inaugural ed today at the Methodist Church with the baccaIaureate sermon by the Rev. w. H. LaPrade. D. D.. of Meridian. Miss.
 This old institution is as full of wis dom as of years. Is abreast of the times. up-to-date in every department. and on a hrmer foundation than ever before.
 It enjoys the distinction of being the one of the three superior male colleges founded by the ante bellum Method fists of the State that has been saved to the church. being the property of the Alabama Conference. The pride felt by this institution's friends seems pardonable when one recalls the many storms 1t has weathered and that du- ring the civil war. the enrolment di- unfinished and dwindled down to four teen.
 A large number of the alumni from all sections of the country are pres- ent. The one, perhaps, that has come farthest and Is apparently most de- lighted to greet old comrades, is Rev. A. c. Bowen, of Soo Chow, China. who graduated here sixteen years ago. and was the first missionary sent from the Southern University to a foreign field.
 pr. LaPrade preached an able and logical sermon today. He took for his theme the power and wisdom of God made manifest in Christ, choosing his text the 22nd. 23rd and 2%th verses of the first chapter of St. PauPs first epis- tie to the Corinthians.
 For the Jews require a sign and the Greeks seek after wisdom but we hrtu ha a stumbling block and to the Greeks, foolishness, etc" Paul preached to the church in Corinth whose membership consisted of both Jews and Gentiles, To- cated In a city which was the most corrupt in the world, a by-word for It's wickedness, but the home of e growing church, torn with factions which found 1t hard to reconcile their Greek philos- ophy and their Jewish habits of mind and custom to the new religion of Je- sus.
 "The church of that day was not as some believe. purer than that of to- day, but on the contrary the church of today Is the best the world has ever known. The Creek the typical Gentle, sought after God through study and philosophy and looked to find supreme intellectual and mental power. His ideal Kingdom was of that type. f-
 ''rhe Jew dreamed of the days of Abraham Isaac and Jacob of Noses and the prophets of the kings and captains of his nations history and he looked for . restoration of a scepter to Judah, a kingdom where under Je- hovah. the Jew should rule as he had of old. Acquainted with signs and wonders. he must have a miracle. c manifestation of Gods purpose and power directed to him and his people as had been often done to reach his mind and convince him. The star which meant the Saviour's birth to the wise men of Persia, had no such mes- sage for the Jew. To him angels with a message from God came. His fathers had been visited by angel mes- sengers and that was Gods sign. need full to reach the Jew direct personal from God to Israel.
 The incarnation of Jesus Christ, His life and Death. was the thing needful to supply both Jew and Greek with what he sought.
 It was both the miracle or sign from Heaven from God, demanded by the Jew and 1t was the answer to the unsoIved problems which had halted the philosophy of the Greek. When rightly accepted and com prehended the stumbling block and foolishness became the power@and the wisdom that both were seeking. To find and follow him Is not complete unless we follow all the way and &C., cept Him and his cross. Christ cruci- fled Is the goal and salvation of the world"
 Rev. J. M. Bowen delivered a pleas. ant and instructive lecture to the Y. M. c. A. this afternoon.
 At the night services the Rev. John c. James. of -Dothan. Ala. delivered the sermon to the Y. M. C., A. talk ing his text from Philippians. i-21, '"ro me to live is Christ" His theme Jesus Christ the fulIness Of human life.