South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-06-15
ChriStianity'S Work for Man,
Home and Nation Subjects
of Bachelors OrationS at
NOtre Dame Monday.
SEE CURE FOR EVILS
IN SPREAD OF GOSPEL
Prevalence of Divorce Reveals
Pagan Concept Of Individ-
uaI'S Relation to Society is
Again Becoming Popular.

The bachelors orations, a feature
of the commencement exercises at
Notre Dame, were delivered in Wash
ingtOn hall Monday morning. The
speakers dealt with modern problems,
pointing 10 the trend of the times in
several directions. exposing prevalent
evils and showing the influence of re-
ligion in the various phases of life.
The Man. by Charles Emile Dor
ais, Ii. B.. of Chippewa Falls, Wis. /;
The Home" by Martin Emmett Wal
ter, Ph. s., IA, Of Mt. Carmel, ILL.,,
and The nation by William NJ Cal
vim Ph. b.. IA, of Clebourne, Texas,
were subjects of grafton Monday
morning.
Individual liberty was the keynote
of Charles Dorais' grafton 'Indi-
viduality," he said. "as we conceive it
was unknown before the advent of
Christianity; the individual was
thought TO belong To the state. body
and soul, and, as DeCOulanges tells
us, The ancients knew neither liberty
in private life. liberty in education,
nor religious liberty.
Natural Rights EnviolabIe
christianity teaching the sacred
ness Of human life and the inviola BILE
natural rights of the individual holds
that the state may not infringe upon
these rights. All institutions of
whatever nature, exist only that each
man may perfect himself ard achieve
his eternal destiny Christian phil
osophy teaches that we are rational
and free and that we have a duty
and right to live.
"A fearful disregard of the sacred
ness of human life is manifest in the
ever increasing number Of murders
and suicides. The great number of
divorces shows 20 what an extent the
sacredness OF matrimony is being dis
regarded. The prevalence of these
evils shows plainly that the pagan
concept of the individual TO society
is becoming popular again and it is
only by regarding Christianity as the
teacher of the significance OF the in
dividual and the Sacredness of his
rights that the dignity and the hap
piness worthy of human beings can
be restored TO our life"
Family Circle Sacred.
The sacredness of the family cir
Gle, the worth Of the wOmanhoOd and
the family as the unit of society were
main topics Of Mr.. Walters address
He said in part:
Man is, by lAs nature. destined for
family life, ana the family rather
than the individual is the unit of So
ciety. SO long as the unit remains
intact society hourishes; but the in
stant laXity is cOuntenanced IN the
marriage relation society begins its
dissolution.
christianity has had more infiu-
ence on the family than on any other
institution. It's teachings promptly
restored marriage to its natural con-
dition. Just before the coming OF
Christ the family of the pagan world
was in a deDsorable condition. Di-
vOrce has become so common that
women even Of the highest rank
count their years. not by the num-
ber Of consuls but by the number Of
their husbands Such was the fam
lily when Christianity found it, com
pletely prevented by the passions Of
man from its original conditions as
established by its creator and Chris
tianity was too late TO save the pagan
CONTINUED on PAGE TWELVE)