Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1920-06-10
PALMER WAS THE SPEAKER
Charlotte Hawes Wins Summa Cum
Laude Awarded Just Once
Before.

The thirty-third annual Alma Col
lege commencement week opened
Sunday evening with the annual bac-
calaureate address by II. NJ. Crooks,
LII d., president of the college. The
address based upon 81 have no great
er 10Y than to hear that my children
walk in truth" III. John IA, a strong
plea TO those who are leaving the
Presbyterian College for a continu-
ance of education, religion and high
moral standards, and made big i'm
preston on the large audience that
gathered in the church to hear the
address.
In part DR.. Crooks said: II could
easily make a personal application
tonight to each one of you. / could
assume to speak for my colleagues
in the faculty, who have had much to
do with your acceptance of truth in
science, philosophy and religion. But
] ask you, young people, to think
that you are hearing the voice Of
your Alma Mater, Alma College,
speaking: 81 have no greater JOY than
to hear that my children walk in
truth
For the moment | would remind
you of the ideals of the founders of
this institution. Their prayers, their
broad plans-all these are more or
less familiar TO you. These lumber
men Of generation now gone had
definite notions of truth. They were
not men blown about by every wind
of doctrine. They were men sturdy
in deed and thought. Their thinking
had much in common with the soidity
of the timbers and the straightness
of the boards they wrested from
swamp and wilderness. They and
their successors had dreams of in
creasing classes of young men and
women acquiring solidity of convic-
tion and straightness of thought.
They and their successors have had
no desire to add to the worlds stock
Of spongy human timber or crooked
sticks Of mentality.
"Al human knowledge is discovery
of Gods truth. A newly discovered
chemical formula or law of physics
is not an invention of the research
department, but is another of Gods
established facts for the first time
recognized. 1t is phenomenon COM
mon since the world began, explained
in terms of our understanding =
Colleges and universities have the
discovery and establishment of truth
for their aim, their sole reason for
existence. Quite possible is it that
men have established institutions to
teach falsehood or prejudice.
But institutions of learning have US
ually put truth first and allowed par
tisans of preconceived theories deem
ed necessary TO bolster up religion, 10
storm and TO rant.
The race has gradually made truth
its possession. But individuals must
experiment and discover for them
selves. No two men see any object
exactly alike, our psychologists tell
US; certainly no two men see truth
just alike. Though we may inherit
creeds and PHILOSOPHERS, scientific
theories and mechanical formulae,
each generation and each individual
uluSI NIN NItUh dllu use lllClll.
knowledge of truth told by the faith
ers is not sufficient. AS one philoso-
pher phrases it: What you have in
herited from your fathers you must
earn for yourselves before you can
call it yours There is a similar word
of Christ's that suggests the connec-
tion between doing and believing, be-
tween action and knowledge, between
conduct and truth: If any man will
do his will, he shall know the truth
TO walk safely one must know the
way. To talk in truth one must know
the way Of truth. Progress demands
that one must proceed without swerv-
ing where one knows. He who says
he cannot know goes nowhere at all,
while he who changes course to suit
every loud-voiced theorist will move
in a puny circle in little swamp that
TO his incompetence will prove bound
less and inescapable.
men already know much of God
and His requirements Of man and you
know enough TO live by There have
been explorers into the spiritual who
have charted their routes and their
discoveries. The ways Of God with
men have been found out. There
were difficulties in the way. Gods
word had TO be released from super
stitions; for example the divine right
of kings used to be supported by Bib
lical Interpretation and slavery was
upheld by passages of Scripture. No
matter what changes shall come in
religious institutions, the Christian
religion is established on certain we'll
known and well-proved truths. >
IN morality great principals have
become established. Moral laws are
basic No system of economies can
succeed, no philosophy can perma-
nently content men, no government
can flourish. if individual morality
fail There is great need that ] re-
mind you Of the worlds demand for
strict adherence to moral standards.
No individual craft can safely venture
INTO the shoals and rapids Of immoral
living.