Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1914-06-25
GYMNASIUM CROWDED
FOR THE EXERCISES
Seven Honorary Degrees Conferred-Address by
Bishop William F. Mcdowell on ''The Ameri-
can Scholar Corporation Dinner at
the Van Ness House.

The exercises in connection with the
10th commencement of the University of
Vermont came to a close yesterday. In
the morning degrees were conferred in
the college gymnasium, which was filed
to it's capacity. people even being seated
on the running track and balcony. Be
fore these exercises the academic pro-
cess!on was held on the campus start
Ing front Of the Old MIL the process
sion. led by NJ w. Andrews as mar
vhal, President BENTON and the Rev. Will
liam Fraser Mcdowell Of Chicago, the
speaker followed by the deans, faculty
alumni and undergraduates, took its way
north to the presidents house, then
Hcross the campus dia gonally to College
street, and from there to the gymnas-
ium. The university flag. the custody of
which is given for one year to the under
graduate class having the largest per-
centage of it's members in the parade,
was entrusted to the class of 1916. who,
although the smallest class, had over %
present, more than any other.
The platform was occupied by Presi
dent Benton, Bishop Mcdowell. the deans
and trustees of the university. heads Of
departments who presented the candidates
for degrees and those upon whom hon.
drary degrees were conferred.
The exercises proper began with seec-
ton. "Bonnie Blues" by Bartons or
Chestra, then a selection. "Fingal's
Cave" after which the chaplain of the
occasion. the Rev T.. G. Guthrie of the
First Church. offered prayer. The or
chestra played a selection from Faust,
after which President Benton introduced
the Rev. William Fraser Mcdowell, d. D.,
Ii" d, bishop of the Methodist Episco-
pal nurch of Chicago. H., the speaker
of the day, who President Benton said
had probably addressed more college
men than any other man in the c. untry,
BISHOP M'DOWELLS ADDRESS.
Bishop McDowelrs theme was THE
American Scholar" The text of the ad-
dress DR.. Henry Van Dykes great
little poem, Four Things" although the
speaker closed with his text instead of
preaching from it. 1t was mastery and
inspiring address, which explained and
applied the poem in a comprehensive and
suggestive way The address abounded
In apt alusions and Illustrations md de-
lightfu humor, 1t was received with
great appreciation and enthusiasm by the
arge audience.
Bishop Mcdowell said in part:
This is the season of the year when
we do two or three useful things We
keep alive a wholesome sentiment in
American life. The academic professions
preserve a certain picturesqueness. 1t Is
a time when middle-aged ana elderly men
give infalllble advice to young men who
at once forget it.
o Fine
SAYS, ito write a new chapter in the his
tory of America" Many things in Amer
ica have changed, but scholarship holds
the same through all the years. My
subject therefore, is The American
Scholar
My first statement concerning the
modern scholar is this: He must have
power for clear, accurate sustained, un-
prejudiced, relentless thinking 1t is one
Of the rarest things in talking world.
It sometimes seems to me as If we be-
leve in the free coinage of talk; and in
the ratio of 16 parts of talk to one of
thinking. Clear thinking is Just bit
rare; opinion ahounds A wise man once
said: All men will have opinions, few
will think Clear thinking is necessary
for our individual national and corpor-
ate life. You can not think crooked and
come out straight While I am not sure
of the grammar of this sentence, l am
sure of its morality, Many of the dis
tresses of the world are caused by wrong
headed men.
II was much touched with the PRAYER
Of few moments ago in its reference to
The truth. We have the fashion of get
ting our truths through the mediums of
our interests, of getting American truth,
British truth, southern truth, or Chicago
truth; or we get II through our preiudices.
For nine years 7 was a college presi-
dent in Colorado, the land OF the sky and
not OF the tree. One autumn after that
! was crossing the Alleghanes on a train
when the autumn foliage was in its
splendor. | exulted in what was stretch
ed out before me, the scarlets, crimsons
yellows and browns, and other colors
that they put into hoods. And then a
man came through the train and sold me
some scenery glasses. They were pale
yellow, and they took all the joy out OF
that magnificent landscape ] threw then
from me In disgust, We are inclined tc
look through scenery glasses. ! also re-
call the man who had purple windows
put In his library a lovely secluded H.
brary where he said that he could retire
and read for hours and no one would bt
the wiser He was startled one day tc
see some purple dogs on his lawn, unit
n friend called his attention to the fact
that they were common yellow dogs
(which he saw through purple glass. Thi.
SAe xot2n.ples e!ssp has a,dss2sy psleaia