Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1913-06-26
COMMENCEMENT
At UNIVERSITY
Degrees Conferred Upon Grad
uating Class Of 95.--Gifts
of Year We're S47,326.
ICcnJinoee from page onc.)

nediateiY afterward group photograph
u the faculties and graduates was taken
at the south end of tho "Old Mill"
Holding the commencement exercises in
the gymnasium is a step taken with the
purpose of centering college life and
2erem Dnies more closely about the cam
pus. Another object entering into the
change was the desire to draw commence
mont visitors to the university grounds.
In the past many have come to Burling-
tor to see their sons or friends take q
degree; they have spent but one day In
She city and often they have not even
had glimpse OF the buildings.
The success of the change was COM
mented upon yesterday as successful TO
an even greater extent than had been
expected The gymnasium proved TO be
as fresh and cool a building as could
have been found in the city, and the
acoustics, once the floor was filed with
people. were all that could be asked.
Added to these advantages was the col
lege environment
Dr. Claimants address follows;
THE UNIVERSITY AND CIVIC
IDEALS.
The university has the incontestable
merit Of creating and holding together
the most liberal and International Of
aristocraces. Ideally considered It Is a
citadel of freedom for the intellectual
life where the usurpatons and tyrannies
which Cypress reality cannot enter. Its
cumulative achievement is TO find by
means OF patient research and highly
D. 1, -,
truths which explain and govern human
existence. When detached from the con-
troll Of prejudice and predispositon, and
in possession of its lawful liberty, the
university becomes an organ voice In
the community, uttering those truths
without regard TO lesser considerations,
and supported In the utterance by the
authority of the whole body OF truth. 1t
is q unit of that authority, constituting
with other units the general force and
inspiration which accomplish necessary
social changes for civic hetterment
Within its precincts men and women cal
act impersonally and without fear since
the governing motive, which needs nc
apology or extenuation, is a passion fol
veracity As a repository of ultimate
convictions, which have been passed
through the cleansing fires of ordered
thought, it demands an unimpedet
course, subject only to the service o.
the general good and confident that such
convictions are an indestructible part o
that welfare. What an empire Is II
political history, such, says Cardina
Newman, is university in the spher'
of philosophy and research. 1t Is tn
high protecting power of all knowledge
and science, of fact and principle, of in
quiry and discovery, of experiment AM
speculation; 1t maps out the territory o
the intellect. and sees that the boundarie
of each province are religiously re
spected, and that there is neither en-
croachment nor surrender on any side
1t acts as umpire between truth an
truth. and. taking into account the natur
and Importance of each. assigns to al
their due order OF precedence. 1t main
tains no one department of thought ex
clusively, however ample and noble
and it sacrifices none. 1t is deferentia
and loyal, according TO their respectiv
weight, to the claims of literature, o
physical research, of history. OF meta
physics, of theological science. 1t is i'm
partial towards them ALL and promotes
each in It's own place and for its owl
object. It's several professors are lik
the ministers of various political power
at one court or conference, They repre-
sent their respective sciences, and at
tend to the private interests OF thos
sciences respectively; and should dis
pute arise between those sciences, the.
are the persons to talk over and arrang
it without risk of extravagant preten
lions on any side. OF angry collision, o
of popular connection. a liberia
philosophy becomes tho habit Of mind
thus exercised; a breadth and spacious
ness of thought, in which lines. seeming
iy parallel, may converge at leisure, ant
principles. recognized ncommensur
able, may oe safely antagonistic."
Historically the university ranks
among the chief products of the me
dieval period, when a series OF "emi
nent nurseries of great wits" wa
planted in the barren and unpromisint
Sahara OF those times. Many action
of the founders were despicable, som
OF which still remain to haress pos
tor:ty while others, happily, are burie
with them in their graves. But tn
ganlaed as universities were an endur
ing work commanding our reveren
affection. There is nothing here o
dispraise or blame, no weakness, n
contempt but all is we'll and fair
Immense obstacles such as sparce pop
ulations, pestilences, poverty and wa
were met ana overcome And thei
greatest glory is not in stones no
gold, but as Ruskin has reminded us
IN that deep sense Of voicefulness. o
stern watching, Of meritorious sym
pathy, nay even Of approval or con
domination, which we feel In wall
that have long been washed by tn
passing waves OF humanity" TIL
temper of the age was marred by feu
dial and ecclesiastical assumptions c
superiority which depended upon tn
disunion OF mon and tho severance c
human groups. Its sentiments, how
ever amtably disguised by the man
ito of chivalry, segregated societ.
rendering II Incapable Of concerto
action and the furtherance Of an
common purposes, Against that ten
per and practice the leveling tenden
cies of Padua, Bologna, Paris and OK
ford were a protest and to some eS
tent remedy. In their eagernes
FOR knowledge, students broke dow
the barriers Of isolation and passin
beyond the frontiers of their nativ
States. participated in a common Ian
Yuage and the ennobling intercours
Of a wider moral and mental kinshil
When to be a foreigner was to be sus
poet. their Congregations" rebuke
the ignorant and intolerable provir
cialisms which We're the profit