New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-17
SUPERMEN THEIR IDEALS
Finley Tells Students Ultima
Thule Has Been Conquered.
THE MARVEL OF MOBILITY
Material for an Had in Time
Tables, Says College Presi-
dent In Baccalaureate.

The grist Of ambitious young men when
the City College is about to turn out 10
seek their deetines heard yesterday from
President Finley their baccalaureate ad-
dress, In which the head of the INSTITUTION
said that mankind mad fathomed all the
universe and there were no new worlds 70
conquer. lie congratulated the students on
becoming citizens of the world at time
when mankind was awakening TO plan
etary consciousness"
An old philosopher now much quoted
he declared, said: Never in reply to
question as to what country you belong
say that you are an Athenian, or a CORN
THAN, but that you are a citizen or the
world. And no young men graduating
from college in this republic to-day nave
better right TO say this than you.
DR.. Finley had begun by naming the
present the 'Tele-Victorian Age the age
of the conquest of the far" brought about
by all the discoveries and inventions winch
have revolutlonizcd science and industry In
a century. lie went on:
The most obvious fact Is not that the Al
mighty has made of one clay all nations
but that mobility and transmissibilty are
making of ell nations one clay one or our
greatest publicists, in letter when ! was
permitted to see n few days ago, quoted ~
noted French writer in the statement tllat
while in former times sanction was lmme-
mortal local practice. II Is now the latest
practice of fashion; and he raised lIle
question whether instead of immortality We
should not now "hnd our glory III lllocdl-
ity." ~,
Human experience Is becoming illocal.
whether recorded i'm terms of taste or utll-
ty; it is being put al the command OF inc
Ill 3,, ff,nlC yaQ ideas.
but in the substance Of things wherever
they can be carried afar, and ships ana
trains offer and tariffs do not interfere.
No valley. however shut in, lives from us
own soil or its own past Every great de-
partment store in this city Is, In a sense,
an epinikian ode, and every leWeller shOp
Is teleniklan sonnet There is natellai
for great poem on democracy IN trans
continental railroad time table, and on the
federation of the world in great grocery
catalogue.
| know newspaper man who could make
an Had from the weekly cotton Dulletln'
beginning with the reports from Bombay
or an Odyssey from Lloyds reports on ships
and shipping. Mstral might have added a
LOtaDle poem 10 his POeme du Rhone II
re had but put into verse the import OF
seeing as he might have seen and as dld
see, on entering the gates of Avignon. mat
city Of the Palace of the POpeS. a sign ad-
vertising the agricultural implements OF an
American company or OF seeing mo AT
Mines trying to get good view or the
historic Amphitheatre. and all but falling
over chilled plough made In Syracuse
y. Y
Mobility of person ana transmisSibility of
IDEAS one or both are the conditions Of a
wide democracy. This republic Of ours
could not have become one or remained one
without the means of both, tn" railroad,
the telegraph. the newspaper and tho IL
brary were necessary 10 the perpetuation
of union, one and inseparable unless
there were in lieu Of these a mighty stand
ing army And the more democratic form
of government. which is now so vigorously
advocated and exemplhed IN the direct pri-
mary, the initiative and the referendum.
and the like, il possible only by reason OF
this heightened mobility and transmissi-
bility.
But what is OF greater consequence than
national integrity is that they have made
possible a planetary consciousness. Until
this new day as the anonymous author of
THE Great Analysis" well says. we have
not really Inhabited an isolated sphere
"Civilization has always been IN contact
with the Unknown" But now there is no
Unknown this side Of the moon" There
are no new invaders to he feared. We are
prepared To think 'planctarily." 10 act
without fear Of ambush in unexplored
| spots.
Professor Samuel Baldwin gave an organ
| recital in connection with the address
Many women friends or relatives Of the
students attended the exercises.