The Republican journal., 1912-06-13
Bangor Theological Seminary,

Bangor theological seminary.
The 96th annual Commencement of
Bangor Theological Seminary came to a
close, Wednesday night, June 9Th, when
the Senior class of IL members were
given their diplomas in Hammond street
church. Two graduates of previous
years were presented with advanced de-
grees. The exercises were the best that
have been held in recent years and the
addresses were excellent. These were
by C. A. Hatch of St. Adams, VT; G. A.
Barker of Saxonville, Mass; Haraden
Spofford Pearl of Bangor, Me-; W. G.
McFarlane of Cowansville, Que; A. G.
Lyon of Norridgewock, Me-; David Jack
of Winslow, Me. Besides these speakers
those who received diplomas were w. P.
Bradford, Thomaston, Me-; G. Eliopolus,
Servia, Macedonia; M. A. Gordon.
Franklin, Me-; T. M. Ross, Mortified,
VT; ]. N. Atwood, Bangor; N. S. Kape-
lian, Tarsus, Asia Minor. Those to re-
ceive advanced degrees were Don Ivan
Patch of the class of '08, and David Tosh
Burgh of 'O9 Diplomas and degrees
were presented by President David N.
Beach, who felicitated the Senior class
on its fine record and indications Of great
further usefulness. Of the graduates
those who will go at once to charges are
Mr. Ross, to Springfield, Me-; Mr.. Brad
ford, to Bradford Center, VT; Mr.. Jack,
to Winslow, Me-; Mr.. Lyon, to Norridge-
wock, Me-; Mr.. Hatch, to Richmond,
Me-; Mr.. Pearl, as assistant in Union
church, Providence, R. l. The subject
of Mr.. Pearls address was
THE PREACHERS MESSAGE.
The fear of an elephant for mouse is
physical contradiction; but it is no more
of paradox than the fear Of man, to-
day, respecting unseen things. A para
dox in this sense: that while man is per-
fected in development until he stands at
the very pinnacle of the unfolding of life
on this planet-so strong that he is some
times called Imperial Man-nevertheless
he is afraid of unseen things. He
trembles as child at the vague and I'M
ineligible whisperings that are waited
in upon him from the darkness of an un-
seen universe.
What pitiful contrast it is! What
sad picture! Man, on the one hand, the
giant, afraid of nothing; fortifylng him.
self in the most colossal economic castle
that mind can conceive or human energy
create. A castle more fantastic in its
tracery, more lavish in its boast of
wealth and beauty, apparently more sub
stantial, than any similar castle that has
been erected in the course OF human his
tory. And at the same time, this giant,
man, from the midst of his luxurious and
impregnable social habitation, pales and
shakes at the thought of unseen things.
He eats and he drinks and he revels.
He satiates himself in all the gorgeous
i:
provide for the qualification of the
senses. He laughs in the face OF the
| fixed law of the universe. He levies
tribute from the uttermost storehouses
of nature for his amusement. And yet
he is sick and afraid and miserable for
his SOUL He cries out and begs and i'm
plores for some certainty of faith.
Physically satisfied, he is spiritually
starved. In an age of boosted scientific
certainty he seeks spiritual certainty and
finds only shifting sands. He is as a
mariner without compass.
Quacks and parvenus and soothsayers.
alert TO opportunity, seek to commercial
ize mans misery with cheap and gro
tesque systems of metaphysics. And
the people who should be disturbed by
these conditions say that man is too i'm
mersed in material interests to care.
But is it true that man is entirely ma
terialistic? Is it true that the religious
instinct is benumbed? Is it true, that
the still, small voice is stifed in the din
of present day competition?
One has only to turn to recent and
tragic example to find the answer, No.
An example that the world studied in
terror, for days. A picture that in
awful and vivid lines portrayed faith
born anew in wilderness of sullen
waters; of millionaire and steerage beg
gar kneeling side by side on careening
decks; of lips crying out to God that had
not uttered His name in prayer, for
years; of 80 men, standing on an over
turned boat with the icy waters at their
waist, repeating in unison all night long,
the Lords prayer; of ships band that
had played lively music to stimulate
courage, changing at the last to the
strains of tender hymn, as requiem for
the souls of 1900 living dead!
The world staggered for days at this
picture of mans helplessness, and then
read and re-read in amazed and exulting
goth century revelation. 1t read of faith
born anew, in emergencies; it had proof
that the religious instinct is not benumb-
ed; that the still, small voice is never
stifed. What then IS the matter that
man is so sick and afraid for his soul?
What is the matter. that man, from his
brilliant social fabric, quails at the
thought of the future?
May we turn again to the tragedy OF
the sea for single other illustration,
and find that underneath the impressive
show of strength of the greatest ship
that ever sailed from any port was .
structural weakness? Outwardly, there
was spectacle of beauty AMI Of mas.
sive strength that could apparently defy
the very laws of nature. But away
down, out of sight, there was a fata
flaw; and when the supreme test came,
this flaw caused the greatest of all ma
rine catastrophies of history.
And SO, likewise, today, under all the
beauty and show of strength, may there
not be flaw in the strength of the
preachers message? On the one hane
it is demonstrated that with mankind in
general the religious instinct is as sharp,
the still small voice as insistent as ever
And on the other hand we have mankine
! | e. :~kvv So,