Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1919-06-27
4 FINE ADDRESS
BY DR.. H. E. FOSDICK
Continued from page one

SeNtItSl SHONh Llldl any VI BdllLdllOH
can sustain And that thing has hap
pened which always happens in the
mastery OF the spirit The thing for
which we were pouring out our sacrifice
became more dear to us because OF our
sacrifice. We never loved America so
much in all our life as we loved her
this year God have mercy on anyone
who lays a hand on America in this
next generation, for there are millions
of men and women who have stood
ready to pour out their blood on her
behalf,
"The other day when the transports
were coming up New York bay and the
whistles were blowing, and the Red
Cross mercy ships were coming up the
harbor, an officer friend of mine went
out to meet the Red Cross ship, and
as he came near he heard singing, And
there were men whose legs were gone
and some were gassed and some were
she'll shocked and they were singing
And what do you think they were
singing America l Love You, You're
Sweetheart of Mine For we love
that for which we have poured out life
And who could help thinking of that
as he stands deeply impressed before
these thousands OF young men and
women who have been going out from
schools and colleges all over our coun-
try to take up their duties as citizens
in this strange and perpleXing genera
ton. For you must carry out into
this new day of rebuilding that same
spirit which was begot in your broth
ers and sisters who bore the burden
of this war.
L propose, therefore, on this Com
mencement speaking with you about
the relation between personal character
and the spirit and the great events
which face the world today. At first
sight personality, individual spirit and
character seems a very small pin point
of a fulcrum with which to endeavor to
move with all the great problems that
must be lifted toward solution So
very great they are; the very names
scare many of us-internatonalism,
league of nations, industrial democracy
"Who was it that warned London
against the German air raids there;
The blind And so on down the coast
of England, it was the blind who listen
ed for the whirring OF the German en-
gines that they might warn the cities
Everybody counted Nobody's iacul-
ties could be dispensed with And in
a great English airplane factory l saw
a sign posted where everybody could
read a careless mistake may cause
brave man TO lose his life And SO
the humblest worker back home was
assisting the foremost fighter at the
front.
cone Of the finest things You could
see in France was these men, hOmesick
and lonesome. I wonder ii YOU can
understand how that boy felt who said,
The happiest moment OF my life was
when | woke up in the hospital and
heard the rustic Of a womans dress.
Homesick, lonesome, doing what:
Whistling, indefatigably whistling, be-
cause whatever happened they were
determined they would be liters and
not leaners in their unit.
We'll we are going to get are we not
a different type OF American citizen
ship out of this war You know what
was the matter with us before the war
But Just between us we are not So
very bad, but scattered lacking unity
around the great purpose, lacking a
dignity that comes from a conscientious
share in an enterprise that makes a
difference to the whole world,
CAS- President FaunCe said about col
lege men, Their ambition ends too OIL
ten like a broom in a multitude OF
small straws instead of ending like a
bayonet in point and power. 1t lifted
some of us to a position OF high dig
nifty. A war was on and there wa,
something that everyone of us could do
Well, as you were, you young men and
women OF this graduating class, as YOU
were, for the world is still in danger
the crusade is still on; and there is
something that everyone OF us can do
l speak to you, therefore, on this theme
today, because OF my deep conviction
that there is nothing else that makes
so much difference to America just now
as what you young men and women are
thinking, what you young men and
women are thinking in your hearts.
Gas a man thinks in his heart, so
he is So say the cause Of this great
tragedy through which we have just
been living lies in the thinking of peo-
pie. The summer before the war broke
out my brother was with a German
Professor in Stuttgart. So long as the
conversation concerned academic ques-
tons, all was well, but when for the
moment it flashed over to imperialism
the German Professor arose like an
avenging angel and shook his fist My
father marched to Paris. hope to
march to Paris, I want my son to
march to Paris Wherever in any ma
ton people were thinking like that it's
forerunner of tragedy.
Minds of men are like loom where
the tirelessly moving shuttles OF the
human thinking are weaving the fab
ric of destiny, woven by the resistless
shuttles of mems thinking into the
texture of their human faith. And that
which has been happening to us is but
the fabric from that inner loom
at is the fruit of our thought speak
ing directly, therefore, to you OF the
graduating class. l would say that
your inner obligation to the world just
now is to lay deep in your thinking the
| sDiritua1 foundations without which