The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1917-06-04
For Sharper Moral Vision !
Bishop Faber Asks Seniors
In Baccalaueate Sermon to Graduating Class Of State
University, Noted Divine Makes War Point
Lesson Of Honest Thinking.

II declare without hesitation that
the most vital service Of all you can
give the country Is the cleansing and
sharpening Of our moral vision!
Armies and navies. munitions and
crops and mountains of gold will H.
nally count for less. Intelligence and
scientific efficiency are folly and fruit
less waste, II the moral sense is dark
ened."
These words give the keynote Of the
baccalaureate sermon preached by
William Frederic Faber. bishop Of the
Montana diocese of the Episcopal
church. for the graduating class of the
State University at the Presbyterian
church yesterday morning.
Germany was considered the most
enlightened nation in the world before
the war, Americans flocked to her uni
versities by the score. But the past
three years have shown that her en-
1ightenment was founded on false
philosophy of egoism. and Bishop
Faber took Germany as the example
for his text from Matthew 6:23. III
therefore the light that is in thee be
darkness. how great is that darkness"
He urged the graduates. as univer-
sity men and women. to keep a judicial
spirit with their enlightenment. to Eek
anime appeals to patriotism to see
whether they came from temptors who
would lead us to betray the future and
humanity"
In part. Bishop Fabcr said:
"Enlightment! This is what VIC
have coveted. AN enlightened age
an enlightened people,: how we have
rung the changes upon these familiar
words. But of late we have heard
less of these things. and when we have
heard. 1t has commonly been in some
utterance Of rlantive wonder: Are
such things possible in an enlightened
age?'
''As a foremost agency to produce
enlightment we have looked---why
should we not to education. The
school and the college and the univer-
sity We have regarded as unfailing
sources Of light. 1llteracy we have
viewed as the chief obstacle in the
path Of human progress and well-be =
ing: the peril OF all perils to the Sc
curity of n free people
IT five years ago member Of the
graduating class in any American col
lege. being free to spend another year
or two In study. It Is safe to say he
would almost certainly have gone to
Germany. She was the acknowledged
home of scholarship. While | am not
prepared to give figures, I think am
well within the bounds OF truth wher
! say that the percentage OF illiteracy
in her population was negligible.
And now? We shall not he so
foolish as to deny or to minimize the
value Of what her scholars and her
men of science have added to the store
OF the worlds knowledge. The valid
ity Of truth Is not contingent upon in
ternational politics. But IL it has
been justly said that the aim and fruit
of all our education is freedom. equit-
ableness. calmness. moderation and
wisdom what of this great nation
and of her learning and intellectual
leadership:
Il am not this moment speaking of
the moral aspects of her case: simply
of the rational. And after reading
volume after volume. with page long
quotations from the books. the lee
:ures and sermons of these scholars, I
feel as II | had been spending hours
IN the ward of an insane asylum,
litening to the wild harangues Of the
unhappy inmates. The utter lack of
balance. of consistency. of the critical
and judicial spirit is appalling"