Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-06-28
UNIVERSITY SENDS
OUT CLASS OF III
Commencement Address by
President Hollis Godfrey of
Drexel Institute.
SIX HONORARY DEGREES.
Chapel window In Memory Of Profess
sor Goodrich. Gift Of the Alum
me. Dedicated.

Of laws and other honorary degrees upon
various men of distinction, including
Brighten. Joseph T. Dickman. Gov.
Horace f. Graham and Commissioner of
Education Milo B. Hillegas. the dedica-
ton of a memorial window in the chapel
TO the late Prof. John T.. Goodrich and
other events made the 18th annual COM
mencement of the State university yester-
day unusually notable. The exercises
were full of note of patriotism, which
the presence of many recruits In the
army and navy accumulated. The one
thing lacking, perhaps. was the usual
crowd Of alumni and alumnae from out
Of town.
1t was long after ten before the Barre
Scottish Pipe and Drum band from Barre,
under Pipe Major Isaac Riddell, II strong,
led the long procession formed in front
of the Billings library. the Williams
Science hall and the Old Mill, down
across the campus to the corner of Pearl
and Prospect streets. From there the
route of march was down Pearl to Will
liams, to Main and up Main street to
the campus again. Each college was mus
tered by itself, President Benton and
President Hollis Godfrey Of Drexel In
stitute. Philadelphia, the commencement
orator bringing up the rear. Near the
gymnasium the line halted and proceeded
tween lines of graduates.
The stage stood at the north side of
the gymnasium, and before 1t were
banked palms. peonies and other cut
flowers. Among those who took seats
upon it, in addition to the trustees. re-
cipients of honorary degrees. deans of
colleges and heads Of departments, were
Colonels Rivers and Preston and Capt.
Walter +. Martin of the regular army
al pAI
Thomas of the First Vermont Infantry.
Major Frank Tompkins of the regular
army and Captain Barber and Chaplain
Moody of the First Infantry, also accom-
panied General Dickman into the build
ing The university orchestra, which
played. occupied a place to the west Of
the stage and beside 1t. while the Scotch
band, which did not play. took places
Just inside and to the left of the en-
trance. The middle section of seats be-
fore the stage was reserved for the grad
yates and other recipients of degrees in
cursu.
THE EXERCISES.
President Benton, in a brief comment,
said it had been designed to give an in
ternational character to the exercises,
which the presence Of the Scotch band
helped to impart. He made several an
the day. This was the 18th annual COM
mencement, he said, but it marked the
completion of the 18th year of the uni
versty. He expressed his satisfaction in
that the university was SO happy in hav-
ing obtained as speaker man so sig
nally honored as the commencement
orator had been. The latter. in his
opinion. had received the most impor-
tant post ever given by President of
the United States to an educator since
the Declaration of Independence. He
introduced DR.. Godfrey, chairman Of the
advisory commission on education. etc. of
the council of national defense.
COMMENCEMENT DAY ADDRESS.
DR.. Godfreys address was as follows:
No thoughtful American can come be-
fore commencement audience in this
year Of grace 1917, year most fateful
to liberty, to our republic and to all that
we hold dear, without the spirit and form
of his discourse bearing upon the titanic
struggle in which we and our allies are
now engaged. Yet the very magnitude OF
the worlds at strife makes 1t incumbent
on us of the society of scholars to dc
our part by separating out certain as
poets of the complex situation before US
for especial consideration and to consider
not only the immediate means by which
we can solve the passing problems Of the
present but also to see if by using the
greatest power Of the scholar the power
OF reasoning from the known to the un.
known, we may shed light upon our pres.
ent situation, gaining from the expert
ences of the past, principles and policies
to guide us in this crisis Of the present.
1t is for that reason and in the attempt
to obtain bases for procedure that l an
presenting for your consideration to-da.
certain submits or mountain tops in thu
long struggle between truth and dogma
between true learning and ignorance, in
wiling you to see that this long struggle
between these mighty opponents now sc
clearly typified on the side of dogma b!
the military dogmatism of the militaristi,
group of Germany and on the side o
truth by the free inspiration of democ
racy existing in the allied nations.
group of democratic wOrlds-is no new
thing, but rather another phase of
struggle which has gone on since time be
gan. 1t is my desire, therefore. TO g
back and to show you through
a swift passing chain Of analogue
truth fighting with error and tn,
ad vance Of learning synchronizlnt
with the advance Of freedom in the State
We are close to the grin
horror of the present that our perspec
tive of the whole is blurred. Therefore
for some brief moments let US stand bacl
and watch the struggle Of to-day betwee
truth and dogma mirrored throug
twenty centuries of battle for fire.
thought, high aspirations and noble con
cepts Of liberty.
The search for truth has, indeed bee
4 hard one. Were it not for a long ros
ter Of those who were pleased to di
that truth might live. our existence ia
day would be a falsehood. a repudiatio
of every good and noble thing-an unbe
a lievable tyranny Of the rankest hypoc
risy. Behind truth lies freedom-freedor
to examine. to select, to use. Freedom G
this sort means freedom of the hghes
order.
Too frequently the term freedom, a
we use 1t. In its general sense, connotate
the attributes of political existence
people are free, we say. when they exei
else franchise-are able to discuss an
affect through their vote those question
which affect the common good, publicl.
and without reservation. True, this
freedom, but freedom only as we use
In Its narrow application. Underlyin
freedom in it's political sense il freedol
OF thought. and this is the primary fire.,
h dom to use our minds as God gave theI
to us to use, wisely and effectively, ia,
ing facts as We find them, discardin
superstitions and prejudices. Freedom {
thought necessarily precedes freedom
action. Yet in the history of the age
there seems to be propinquity betwee
freedom of thought and freedom of a.
ton. Freedom in it's political phase ha