The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1910-06-10

Announced.
Members Of the graduating class,
now alumni Of the University OF Mon
tana. as you leave this school for act
I've service In the world, | want to
give you final charge You are un-
der an obligation to the university and
the state just as truly az though
bound by a written contract That OBJ
legation, were II put into words. would
read like this: For value received !
promise to pay TO the University and
the state of Montana all of the quail
tiles of good citizenship within my
power We expect you To fulfil and
to live up to that obligation II means
that YOU must do your very best in
whatever YOU do, for nothing short of
your full ability will cancel this OBJ
legation. We believe that you are able
to do this and that you will do II. We
send you out without fear and may
God bless you In your work"
With this parting word of advice
President Dunway sent out "a ycung
men and women as graduates of the
university yesterday morning The
commencement exercises were epoch
making. The commencement address
by Professor Thomas Nixon Carver of
Harvard university was as able and
inspiring as any which has ever. been
delivered from the university rostrum
and IL alone was enough 10 make the
commencement an unusual one. Bn,
+ the commencement was most notable
( for the fact that II marked the be-
I ginning of new era In the history oi
| the university The graduating class
/ has seen the birth of new Montana
4 spirit and Its members have been
/ among the nourishers of the new
spirit II was this which marked the
exercises yesterday and will make this
commencement historic.
Program Begins.
II was nearly II o'clock when the
/ graduates. followed by the faculty. the
guests of the day and the alumni.
+ marched into the hall to the stralns
of "Tannhauser." The Invocation was
pronounced by Rev. J. w TAFT.
Mrs. Dwight $. Bayley rendered
beautiful vocal solo. THE Gondolier's
J ~
President Duniway then introduced
the speaker of the day, DR. Thomas
Nixon Carver, professor Of economies
/ IN Harvard university whose subject
was. "The Productive Life" Profess
sor Carver spoke as follows:
The contrast between the medieval
and the modern spirit Is nowhere set
| forth In stronger colors than In Mark
/ Twain's story Of the Yankee at tho
court OF King Arthur. And there IL
nothing more significant In that re-
markable book than the incident of
the Yankees dealing with certain
religious zealot. This ascetie had con
demned himself to the treadmill prac-
tlce of bending and nnbendng his
body bowling and rising, all day long,
day after day. and year after year
That was his religion, his whole re
ligion as he conceived v. and by It's
practice he had won for himself
reputation for transcendent piety But
the hard headed. practical Yankee saw
In this performance only waste of
energy, and began to study how To
utilize II and turn II to some good
purpose Accordingly he arranged a
device by which the old ascetlc was
attached to sowing machine, and, a.
he continued to practice his religion,
he was made TO propel the machine
and his pety was thus turned TO some
account.
In this story. In which medieval
ascetIcism and modern utiitarianism
are 80 grotesquely contrasted, the
author, who was quite as much philos-
opher as humorist embodied the very
life and spirit Of our western clvlliza =
ton especially of our American CIV
ilization whose product he was aud Of
which he was also both spokesman
and prophet That II Is destined 10 be
the dominant spirit of the civilization
of the future, because the civilization
which IL dominated by such spirit
; Is destined to be the dominant eiviliza
tion of the future, Is the theme of this
paper.
Is our civilization superior To that
of the ancient Greeks, or even 10 tha'
of the modern Hindus or Chinese, Is q
theme of somewhat frequent academic
discussion; and it Is not entirely de
void of interest outside of academic
circles The Greek civilization has
never lacked for champions from
among the lovers of Greek art and th'
admirers of the Greek genius but thu
Hindus and the Chinese do not neef
2 champions since they arc here 10 speal
= for themselves. Not infrequently haY'
we been permitted to SEQ ourselves a.
. others see us through the frank ex
! pressions of the representatives o
/ these hoary civilizations. and their pre-
gi-..
/, tering to our vanity. And there ar
not wanting critics among ourselve
civilized at all, or who say that |