Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-06-14
H|BBEN ADDRESSES
PRINCETON GRADS
Fears Lessened Reverence tor
Womanhood Will Result In
Decadence
POE FIELD IS DEDICATED

Princeton, N. j., June 14.-Presi-
dent John Grier Hibben delivered the
baccalaureate sermon yesterday to the
$50 men who are in Princeton's 113d
graduating class. The morning. sery-
ices took place at IL o'cl lock and were
preceded by an academic procession:
which formed at Nassau Hall and
moved to Alexander Hall, where the
formal events of the morning took place;
The big auditorium was thronged
with alumni and friends and relatives
Of the graduating men. The president
address was concerned entirely with the
problems Of the present day world and
with the necessity of ideals ana re-
ligion in our modern sphere. After Q
brief summary of the conditions that
obtain in the world today he summoned
the graduating class to a realization
of their high duty and obligation to
maintain the traditions and religion oi
the past.
The afternoon was given over TO the
dedication Of Poe memorial field, named
in honor Of Princeton's most famous
football hero, Johnny Poe. of the class
of 1906, who was killed in the world
war while serving with the British
"Black Watch" regiment.
Shooting Three Arrows
Doctor Hibben took for his, text
I Samuel, Xxx, 2O-22: "And ! will
shoot three arrows on the side thereof
as though | shot at n mark. And, be-
hold, i will send the lad saying, Go. find
the arrows. If I say unto the lad. BE
hold, the arrows are on this side Of
thee; take them and come, for there Is
peace to thee and no hurt, as the Lore
liveth. But if say thus unto the boy
Behold, the arrows are beyond thee
away. He said in part:
1--WE had hoped that the results oi
the war would be wholly beneficent,
and that in the new world, so dearly
bought, it would be easier for one to
do that which was right and that every
circumstance and condition OF lie
would be conducive to nobler mode
Of living. to a glorified view of duty
and of opportunity, and to wider
scope for q manifestation of that which
is the highest in man.
'Instead of the fulfllment Of this
dream we have come to feel the dead J.
cning effect of violent reaction. we
have allowed ourselves to sink to lower
levels of aspiration and endeavor.
About us is world of confusion and
turmoil, and under the spell of a gen =
eral moral laxity we are cropping in the
dark for the ray of light which we
have not yet discovered.
Industrial World Seething
"In the industrial world there arc
underproduction restless discomfort and
unscrupulous profiteering. The high
cost of living is not combatted by thrift,
but rather aggravated by reckless ex-
travagance.
"In matters of finance there is an
initiation. not only of currency and
credit. but Of wild projects and enter
prises which lack all substance of sanity
and reason.
"In our social relations we are
weakly allowing ourselves to be. TIL led
by the Goddess of Folly. slaves in her
domain to the fashion of the hour. The
modern dress. the modern dance. the
modern music and modern manners OF
today are symptoms that indicate that
somehow in this age we have lost our
bearings and that the old values of life,
once 50 highly priced. have been for
gotten. There is the danger of a lessen :
ing, il not a loss of the old time rever-
cnce for womanhOod. There is no longer
an aura of mystery about the young
woman of today. a mystery at once her
defense and her glory; and whenever in
the history of the race this divine pre-
rogative of womanhood is lightly re-
garded or recklessly scorned. it has
always proved a symptom Of decadcnce
far reaching and disastrous.