Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-12
Prof. Chester Delivers
Address at Colby
Seniors Last Chapel

The annual last clapel exercises
for the Seniors of Colby College were
held Saturday morning at half-past
eight. According to custom, the
Seniors, in cap and gown, marched
in between the lines of undergrad
yates.
clyde f. Russell, president of the
mems division of the Senior class,
was the leader of the exercises. The
exercises were opened by the singing
of. q hymn. Then Gertrude Wiley.
president of the Senior Women's
division, read the scripture, taking
the 104th. Psalm. A prayer was Of
fercd by Evan j. Sherman. class
chaplain. Mr.. Sherman thanked
God that the Seniors had realized
their ambition in graduating from
Colby.
He went on to say: Now we
are about to feave, may we not stop
here, We do not seek knowledge, but
wisdom, do not pray selfshly, but
that our lives be enlarged" He
asked God to bless this grand old
college, the president, the professors
and the undergraduates May we go
forward holding the torch and may
we not fail to do our best. AS Paul
said to Timothy, May we be prof
cicnt in doing all things good"
President Russell then introduced
speaker of the morning.
Professor Chester spoke as follows:
The Psalmists bad confidence in
God. His presence is every where
in the hills. streams, spring, oceans
Sky, and living things everywhere
In the 10Th Psalm is found: The
heavens declare the glory of God. "
And in the 10th. we sec the psalmst
has the same idea when he says
very present help in time OF
trouble" Again in the DIST Psalm
there is the statement: He that
dWelleth IN the secret place of the
most High shall abide under the
Shadow OF the Almighty.
All Of the Psalms represent hope
and comfort to human beings. These
four Psalms are the ones that most
people love and know by heart. just
because they are in sympathetic
unison with mans inner soul they
become his song, his inspiration, his
assurance.
There is just one thought that !
wish to emphasize in this last chapel
service. Some of you have doubtless
thought that since it falls to my lot
to present the biological aspects OF
nature, and the ideas of organic evo-
! luton in particular, there can be no
room in my creed for God. If so
You are greatly mistaken.
My one theme today for each OF
you as you leave these college halls
is to have faith in God.
The world into which you are go
ing is hostile to you. The people
You deal with may wrong you. The
one you trusted may betray YOU
YoV need faith for yourself in God
You heed for the world around you
faith in God. The world needs it
and the men need it and you need
it,
Have you got it? Can you say
with Brewing when you look out
over the ocean of the unknown future
and the strained present and see the
conditions of society. of labor. of
peoples and of countries: God is
in His heaven, all's right with the
word"
Some years ago one of your num-
Der graduated from college and re-
ported that he had lost his faith in
GOD. The college had presented a
materialistic universe in which God
was left out His whole religious
fervor had been smothered. Phil
osophy and Biology had cancelled
, what knowledge of God he thought
he owned and now God was to him
Il blank.
What more damning testimony
against the ecassary eXistance of an
institution like the college could he
have given? If a college exists as an
institution or an instrument which is
used to undermine a mans 9TH in
God, to dgive him into an atheistic
attitude toward life, then the col
Iege has NJ right to exist. Better to
sink it into oblivion than to allow
it to sink mems souls into q goddess
cxistance.
But what I have described did not
happen. The college die not smother
this mans life. He did it himself. II
amy of you have gone through college
and have lost faith in God that you