South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-06-13


school 30 school does its full duty
II It does not develop in It's students
the love and enjoyment OF study
Our Lord did not say Blessed are
the righteous. but blessed are they
that hunger and thirst after
Righteousness and the great uni
versity - not merely the school that
sends YOU out strong and learned
and virtuous. but the school that
sends YOU out with such a God-Hke
hunger and such a divine thirst fO-
power and learning and virtue as
will continue throughout your lives,
growing with your growth increas-
Ing with your increase as the years
bring ripeness and wisdom and re-
ward
Those who view the Catholic
church from without and from afar
often say that our colleges and uni
versities must necessarily be weak
and inferior because we lack large
money endowments. You know this
IS wickedly. cruelty, hideously un-
true, but by their fruits we shall
know them The church demands
Of YOU to labor for power and dis
tinction 10 repel the calumny. Your
alma mater has her own honorable
place in the educational world; she
has a right 10 expect you 10 shed
still greater lustre upon her by your
genius, your virtue. your great
achievement. Your parents. your
family who have made sacrifices for
you. who have looked forward
through the mists OF hope and
yearning to the glory of this happy
hour--are they not entitled TO the
pride and consolation of seeing you
render a service of honor 10 your
day and generation?
And why do / urge you 20 secu-
lar things. 70 ambition and TO labor
in this holy place? Is failure a sin
or success a virtue that l should
canonize the triumrhs OF life in this
solemn hour and in the church of
/ God? Perhaps failure is not always
a sin and certainly what the world
calls success IS not always a virtue
What seems success may sometimes
be tragic failure. What shall il
profit a man If he gain the whole
world and suffer the loss of his
soul2' Yet most men who fail Of
signal success I'm life. fail not from
want of talent. not from defective
education. but from some weakness
in their moral character Know
this: if you are 10 enjoy q great
success you must purchase II at the
price Of many lesser goods. TO-
morrow pleasure will smile upon
you and bid you enjoy yourself;
choose between pleasure mean
reasonable, innocent pleasure-and
success; you cannot have both.
Amusement will entire you from
study and labor; society will bid you
be gay and idle; self indulgence will
induce you from effort and patience.
and a dozen soft voices will solicit
YOU TO sentimental languishings and
to taste the sweetness OF loves
young dream.
Graves of Immortal Dead.
Prudence Will warn you against
heroic labors: romance will admon-
ish you that the springtime OF life
T asses; choose between these things
these innocent things-and the
shining heights where so few stani
precisely because so few are moral
" strong enough 10 pay the great
price.
% The, heights by great men won and
kept.
Were not attained by sudden flight:
But they while their companions slept
Were tOiling upward in the night
GO 10 the graves OF the immor-
tai dead and interrogate the poets
the philosophers. the orators. the
statesmen. the saints Of every age
and they will tell you that their
great power came from valiant
striving, rather than from brilliant
talent. Go TO the thrOns of power
on which are seated the mighty
men Of our republic our great ma
tional leaders in politics. in learn
ing. in economies and they will tell
YOU that poverty was their good
angel. that ambition was their star.
( that necessity rocked their cradle,
that a divine hunger sucked them.
the unusual character and unusual
labor rather than unusual talent
made them great Success is diff
cult precisely because that IS God 5
way OF separating the chaff from
the wheat. the weaklings from the
strong. And remember il is only
the start that j. difficult; the rest
will come easily enough; but Il is
start that nobody can give YOU save
yourself. Great achievement is
within your reach il depends on
yourself; are you willing 10 paw the
Irice?
A second Of this school lies in your
ideals-the flags you will follow. the
things YOU will love and hate. They
are summed up in the single word
Duty Born in the missionary Wild
erness, nurtured in the zeal. the la
bors and patience Of noble men. this
school is dedicated primarily 70 the
Love Of God and the Service hu-
mainly. Within its walls YOU nave
learned only high and noble lessons
the spirit of religion. dominating your
study. your play and YOUR social
: life. has made your conscience lumi-
nous and strong. The lire OF dema-
rcation between rtght and wrong in
every situation that can confront
YOU. whether in professional and
business life or in civic and social
action. or in the mulutudinous detail
OF daily domestic experience. has
been clearly and infauibly drawn.
The world has nothing 10 teach YOU
on these points Whether IN YOUR
work or in your play or in your
play or in your family life. you
have been educated and disciplined
20 distinguish the right from the
wrong, the true from the false. the
noble from the mean. You have
been supplied with a group OF great
and beautiful ideals. How long will
you hold them How soon Will the