Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-06-23
bACCALAUREATE
BY PRES. THOMAS
Addresses Middlebury College
Graduating Glass on Freedom
The Sermon in Full.

preached by President Thomas. The ser
mon follows:
"Thc liberty of the glory Of the chill
dren Of God Romans S:21.
At bottom the question of freedom Is
a religious question, a question OF the
quality OF soul with which a man faces
the world The frcest man tho world
has seen was a friend of fishers, and had
not where to lay his head. His way Is
the way to freedom for every man:
strictest submission to truth, cost what
may, fnithfulest discharge Of duty. In
the face OF the direst perils; patient
yielding to tho worlds worst treatment
but victory still freedom In the soul,
where alone is freedom worth having. or
worthy the name
Freedom means the exercise OF power,
the ability to reach out IN thought and
ottalnment. l. means power 20 cXpond,
10 put ones Will into effect to commend
the winds and waves, the forces pcnt up
IN the earth and in the sky; to use thcm,
and direct thcm. and from q fiail body.
that a thousand tiuost natural objects
havo power to destroy, command their
meek and bencdcont subservicncc. Free
dom means yet more it means tho tri-
umph of the spirit in the very midst Of
the triumph of outward powers; the abil-
ity TO refuse surrender when all the
might Of the world attacks one. to be
master stin when misfortune and dsas-
ter suffering and pain have done their
worst and to say with a conquerur's
joy.-"O Death where Is thy sting?'
Such Is tho freedom Of man really
free, and it cannot be won by commercial
and economic means nor by the ordering
of governments. rot by flight to a wilder
ness where social restraint does not ex-
list. Discipline Is uecdful to real free
dom. long training Of the powers Of the
mind and the capacities Of the heart
In this IS implied a long continued civil
ization, In which artist has added TO the
treasure Of artist, thinker contributed to
the wealth OF former thought. law-inalter
and statesman improved uuou tho COM
Tlicated codes and usagee OF their prede-
cessors. We must enter into the treas
ures Of tho past. especially the spiritual
victories Of the worlds heroes. by init
mate knowledge OF them and by sym
pathetic appreciation. Then we must
make our own neht. determining whether
the world shall master us or we shall
master the world; whether we shall take
our mood and temper Of lie from our
surroundings or by indonitable will and
never yielding couraEe force the things
about us to take on the effulgence of the
glory that lives In our hearts
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