The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-06-02
TUCKER'S sermon
USHERS IN AUBURN
HOME COMING WEEK
Virginian Delivers Com
mencement Sermon to
Large Audience
BRINGS PLAIN AND
SIMPLE MESSAGE
Strong Appeal to Auburn Students by
Simple Yet Forcible Address of
Right Rev. B. d. Tucker.
breaches Optimism
BY CLYDE w. ENNIS


Auburn, June -(special.)-The COM
mencement exercises and the home-com-
ing week at Auburn was ushered in this
morning when the Right Rev, Beverlf
cambridge Tucker D. D., bishop G :
adjutor of Virginia, delivered the Co
mencement sermon He is a cousin -
the Right Rev. Arthur S. Lloyd, D. D..
who is well known in Birmingham and
morning of Bishop Tucker created ad-
ditional interest on that account
The sermon of Bishop Tucker was given
rapt attention by an assemblage of per-
sons which indicates that never before in
the history of Auburn will there be so
many visitors to commencement The
auditorium at which he spoke was filled
to the doors with attentive listeners. In
the aisles they were packed, while the
verandas of the building held their ut
most of men, women and children who
gave the bishop through his discourse
the most marked attention
Plain, Simple Message
He began by saying that the message
he would bring today was not so much
a sermon, but rather message plain and
simple. He said that his theme might
iead him through paths of thought which
may seem earthly in dealing with secular
things, but that at last it would bring
them out face to face with the things
with the devine.
Il nFpfanp h.,tt - ,,,y4r.
the words of st. John" began Bishop
Iuoker "As they are written in the
prologue of his gospel the fifth verse
the first chapter: The light shineth in
darkness and the darkness oyercometh
it notl
The sense of brevity and the compare
tive insignificance of a single life has
found expression in all forms of litera-
ture, among all people and has laid heavily
at times ON the heart of humanity. The
tLought voiced by ancient Hebrew poets
no eXhausts the language Of metaphor
90 express his sense of life's brief span,
II is echoed by Job and the writer OF
Eoclesiastics it is heard as an under
tcne in all great tragedies its influences,
the great thinkers of the Orient and coy-
ers much of the literature of this day."
Ihe plshop continued by emphasizing
the brevity Of life saying that as we are
born We begin to die. He also drew par
tlcular attention to the comparative in
sisnifance of human life after all. He
continued to lay stress upon this PROPOSE
ton and then spoke about the evolution
oil science, of history, of all forms of
development and life, even during his life
In substance the sermon of the reverend
Virgnian was his personal lfe's story.
lie was Confederate soldier. He has
witnessed during his lifetime the up
setting of many forms of life's work He
ri ol
Through 1t all the bishop laid stress upon
MS hopeful optimism all through his
life He pointed out some of the PROPOSE
tons through life that bring as rule
their temptations to be pessimist.
Through Much History
Men of my generation" he said. "have
lived through much history. have seen
many changes in the world maps, the
rise and fall of nations. Among my
earliest recollections is that of a process
sion of Englishmen marching through
the streets of Richmond with flags and
torches and shouts triumphant War with
It's heroisns and yet with all its barbara
ties 1T seems to check human progress.
And yet out of all the slain and the din
there comes as the partial compensation
to humanity the inspiration not so much
of the valcur as of the devotion of duty
with no thought of self, of the noble 600
Nnlcn was voiced Dy the laureate OF
England and which will live In the hearts
OF many knights of Justices cause. Out
of ell war has come the visions of Flor
ence Eightengale and the touch of ten
derr ess of love and soace leavened from
a compa ssionate Christ which has cry
stelized into the Red Cross and has miti-
gated the honors of war even beyond the
pale of Christendom."
Bishop Tucker continued to give inter-
esting information about important his
torical events that have come within his
personal recolections, all to the end of
showing the evolutions in civilization and
progress that have come about during
the past GO years has lived through a
period that has brought destined contri-
button to the store of thought and the
treasury of art. Bishop Tucker advised
the young men to whom he addressed his
remarks of advice to adopt as their
philosophy OF life that of optimism and
said that through it all there was cer-
tain that perfect optimism led to the
inevitable conclusion that the sentiment
that springs eternal in the human breast
was yet to be held out for the civiliza-
ton of mankind.
He said that to the young men gradual
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