Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1921-06-16
BACCALAUREATE.
ADDRESS WAS A
SPLENDID ONE
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH WAS
CROWDED FOR OPENING OF
COMMENCEMENT WEEK.
President Crooks
Gaze the address

Sunday evening President II. NJ
Crooks of Alma College delivered the
baccalaurcate address to the gradu-
ates of the College in the class Of
1921 at the Presbyterian church. The
address was based upon the text, Gle
that beleveth shall not make haste. "
The church was crowded for the an
nual address which was well received
by the audience.
The address follows:
ours is a hurried age. That seems
better than to say it is an age Of
hurry TO say that 1t is an age Of
hurry would seem to indicate that
the hurry is studied and Intentional
with definite purpose and design, but
humanity seems rather TO be pushed
and crowded and made to go with an
unnatural and unintended speed.
perhaps our means of locomotion
is at fault. When horseback was the
fastest means Of travel mans affairs
seemed TO keep pace with his great
est possible rate Of speed, and then
came an age of steam and mans af-
fairs seemed 70 crowd him so much
more rapidly. Living as we are in
this age Of explosive gases the auto
mobile and aeroplane set tie pace.
All life seems keyed with explosive
gases. We seem to live rs much
faster than did our grandfathers who
rode on horseback as the aeroplane is
faster than the saddle horse. And if
one shall live in the world of auto
mobiles and aeroplanes, he is against
all currents if lie attempts to lead his
life as did his grandfathers. So that
the age seems rather hurried age
than hurrying age. We have con-
qr6red space, but have we in conquer
ing space allowed ourselves to be con-
quered by time? Is time any longer
so much Of a possession that men can
say they have time?
Perhaps the change is in part due
TO city life The husbandman awaited
the process Of nature; the fruit
grower knew that spring would swell
the buds, that the summer rains
would furnish the juices of the fruits
and that the October sun would fur
nish flavor and color. Through sea-
sons these men watched Nature work
her slow processes. No hurried
speech, no process Of forcing, no
mechanical devices could cause Octo-
bcr's fruits to be ready in July.
The city man is used to quantity
production. The whole process Of city
life may he symbolized by that FAM
Gus moving platform where shaped
metals enter at one end and soon af-
ter automobiles emerge ready to be
driven off under their own power
Natures processes are farther from
us. Man has grown used TO immedi-
ate results. Time is rather an enemy
to be overcome than a friend to en-
ploy.
Revolutions have always been the
weapon of impatience. Ideas have
grown in favor, theories have come
to be held by many, and many seek
to accomplish with one stroke a
change in the worlds opinion and
piiSttlltllly III llt WOfll DfdCIlCe.
Revolutions have doubtless accom-
plished more in changing the practice
Of the world than the opinion. I'M
mediately after the revolution in
France perhaps the idea of republi-
canism was weaker than the machin-
cry Of practice. Many expected a
world made over by the French Rev
olution. Bitter disappointment await
ed some who cherished the livelest
hopes for mankind. The Wordsworth
who could write, Bliss was it in that
dawn to be alive, while the Revolu-
tioa was in progress was silent in
despair for years after he was forced
to conclude that the revolution had
not wrought miracles in the natures
Of men.
$50 we are in the reaction of n
great worldwide struggle in which
materialism and idealism were
strangely inter-mingled and strange
ly at variance. While the war was
in progress many were sure that ma
terialism was largely, if not altogeth-
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