Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-06-27
floss IS HONOREO
BY ALMA MATER
One of Eight to Receive Compli
mentary Degrees at Univer-
sity Commencement.


theories OF creation was fundamental.
Edmund Gosse has recently given
painfully clear account Of the parting
Of the ways between himself and his
father caused by Darwin's books. The
father, a naturalist by profession, was
a literalist with the book of Genesis.
He was Mortified to discover that his
son accepted the new doctrine that God
made things make themselves. That
breach between father ana son was only
one of a thousand similar tragedies. To
reverent minds of one generation, the
doctrine of evolution seemed little less
than atheistic; to the equally reverent
minds of the next generation it has
become a hypothesis which explains re-
lates, coordinates, brings coherency out
of incoherency and justifies the patient
ways of God to man.
Youth is indeed forever incoherent
because uncertain Of it's aim yet it is
also incoherent because it is alive
Part of the charm ana promise of youth
lies In its very inconsistency. There
is something winning in the half-boy,
nalf-man. all in ferment of feeling
Of bodily activity AMI possibly of
thought. That uncertain fellow. who
wants to 10 or can do, may go surpris-
ingly far. The undergraduate with a
formal. pigeon holed mind, with
place for everything and everything in
its place is likely to lead his class
at twent.. At forty he often finds
himself a ;crlt for life no one knows
just why, except that what seemed
methodical mind in the boy is now re-
-
And, on the other hand, every college
teacher remembers pupils whose un-
dergraduate heads were like girls
upper bureau drawer. but who by gift
OF some ultimate sorting ability. some
co-ordinating energy, are now leading
their professions.
The young men and young women
of to-day are full of unclassihed ideas.
of unassorted impulses. They have
done their school work during a lee
ade OF intellectual chaos Leaders in
the educational world have been 4e-
batting theories experimenting with
programs, wondering what studies are
best. or adopting the cheerful self
denying ordinance that any study may
be best Meanwhile the graduates are
only half educated. Your salvation
lies in the fact that you realize 1t.
Your choice at the long educational
bargain counter which now stretches
from the kindergarten to the univer-
sity nave been necessarily random and
Inconsistencies. But after all they have
been yours.
Whenever you have left your inco-
herent studies long enough TO observe
the world of business and politics, you
have found there, likewise. a decade
of chaos. Old party lines nave largely
disappeared: the new groupings have
been formed around men. rather than
around theories and principles of gov
eminent. 1t has been a decade of ex-
cited ana vocferant denuncfation and
exposure" Advertisers, and partic-
ularly self-advertisers, have proflted
by it. and legitimate enterprises have
suffered because Of reckless abuse.
Methods of city and state government,
principles of national legislation and
control, have been attacked IN new
ways, strained at novel points Of pres
sure. Ola codes Of procedure seem in
adequate. for the facts ana con iitions
of our daily life are rapidly changing.
Now what Is the practical lesson Of this
contemporary incoherence? Is It not that
the undefeated idealism Of the American
people is quite willing to turn and over
turn until a better basis for social Justice
shall be found? Paradoxically enough,
our business and politics are just now in
coherent precisely because we are search
ing for more homogeneous standards.
There Is contradiction and discord because
the common man suspects that the old or
der OF things is Inadequate, The neces-
sity for mutual understanding. for settle
ment of disputes. FOR respect for law, Is
dictated by actual lawless situations.
If there Is reason for perplexity. there
fore. as you face the confused issues OF
the present hour. there is also reason for
rejoicing. Beneath the surface of pas
sionate and selfish and cynical discussion.
there are streams of right tendency, cur
rents of humanized thoughts and feeling.
You must penetrate to them, put your
selves into wholesome relations with
them. II you are shocked at the contra
dctions. the grotesque inequalities Of the
human lot, then do something to level
and adjust those inequalities
We come back thus toour starting point:
lonely scholar In his study. heartening
himself In his perplexity by the thought
OF the universally of the struggle between
disorder and order What is life. except
the knitting UP Of incoherences into coher-
ence7 Courage" I should be untrue to
the central teaching Of Carlyle If did not
remind you that II Is action which brings
the only solution Of the mysteries and
contradictions of the human spectacle.
Seen effectively. whether by philosopher,
satirist or saint the world of man Is, in