New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-06-03
COLUMBIA HEARS SERMON
DR.. Jefferson breaches BaCca-
laureate in Gymnasium.
CHAPLAIN KING 0FFICIATES
Academic Procession from the
Library Is Headed by Uni
versity Orchestra.

Amid the sweltering heat OF the hottest
day Of the year. Columbia University held
its annual baccalaureate services yesterday.
second only In Importance to the COM
mencement exercises proper. which Will
take place next Wednesday.
Many friends and relatives Of the numer-
Gus graduating students occupied the empty
spaces on the huge gymnasium floor and
standing room was at a premium. The
Rev. DR.. Charles Edward jefferson. pastor
of the Broadway Tabernacle, delivered the
baccalaureate sermon. preaching for an
hour to an attentive audience.
The service was preceded by the AGA
demic procession OF faculty, officers and
graduating students.
Chaplain Knox OF the university took
charge OF tho exercises preliminary to the
sermon. These included the singing OF a
hymn, 20 God. Our Help in Ages Past" r.;
responsive sentences and the reading OF the
10Th Psalm, which was followed by the
lesson from the Scriptures
Then came an anthem, Judge Me. o
Cod" by Mendelssohn. and the repeating
together of the Apostles Greed. Several
prayers were next offered by the chaplain;
one in particular, which was referred 10 by
Or. Jefferson in his sermon. was pro-
nounced by Samuel Johnson, Columbia 3
first president. at the laying OF the corner
stone Of Kings College on August %. 1856.
The preliminary exercises we're ended with
the singing Of Stand, Columbia"
Or. Jefferson. the principal speaker of
the occasion. delivered scholarly address.
taking for his text Mark v, 3S: Fear not
only believe" He spoke in part as fol
lows:
When the Christian religion calls MS %
or formula, but person. It sets Jesus
or Nazareth before us. and says: Behold
Him! Listen TO Him Relieve In Him!
Believe that God has that kind OF heart
Of man"
Goethe used TO say that the unique
theme of the history of the world is the
conflict of belief and unbelief The epochs
of faith are the marked epochs of human
history. full OF memories which make the
heart beat, while the epochs OF unbelief
no matter what their form; vanish in the
END into insignifcance." The deepest off
ference i'm men is not one Of nature ELI
dowment or intellectual attainment. but Of
attitude To the unseen and eternal.
We are 10 believe in ourself-not the self
which we see. but in the ideal self, the
self which il is possible to become. We
are to believe I'm our fellows. In spite Of
their vices and failures, their weaknesses
and Inconsistencies. we must believe that
they all can become full statured sons OF
God. We must believe in the Almighty
and that the Almighty is the all-loving. and
that His purposes shall ultimately prevail.
Faith does not narrow. il enlarges. II
does not cramp. Il sets free. All men OF
faith are not alike in character nor do
they all do the same things Look at the
roll IF the heroes Of faith in the letter 10
the Hebrews, and observe how every one
of them shines with a splerdor all his own.
They are alike only in this: They all face
undaunted the future and the unseen, and
they all believe in God.
Jesus Of Nazareth never feared and al
WAYS believed. Nothing made Him atrald
He was opposed by the influential and the
learned and the pious and the crowd, hut
He stood undaunted 10 the end. He failed
i'm all the Galilean cities and IN the capi-
tai of His country. but He went 10 the
Cross saying, II have overcome the "orlo'
After the baccalaureate sermon, the uni
versitv choir sang an anthem, "Holiest,
Breathe an Evening Blessing" by Martin.
after which the Collect and the Benedic-
ton were pronounced by Chaplain Knox.
The Recessional hymn, Rejoice, We pure
In heart" was then sung, and the academic
procession passed from the gymnasium. the
orchestra playing the Coronation march. by