Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1922-05-29
MACLACHLAN DELIVERS
SERMON TO MED|C0S
Graduates Hear Baccalaurcale
in Seventh Street
Christian.
PROFESSIONALISM is THEME
Tells Hearers Their Influence Should
he Grrnt~r Thnn That Of Nom
professional Indy idunls nm ii
Groups.

professional Indiv idunls and
Groups.
The haccalaureate sermon TO the
graduating class. student body and
faculty OF the Medical College OF
Virginia was preached In seventh
street Christian Church last night
Ivy the pastor. Rev II. u. G. Mac
lachlan. d. y. Taking as his sub
jcct The Higher Professionalism"
pr. Maclachlan spoke, in part. as
follows:
"rhe apostle is here talking OF tho
spiritual calling OF Christians To he
tho children OF God, but since our
Christian calling can only he real
lied in those other 'callinss' whereby
We earn our daily bread and make
what contribution We may 10 So
cicty. II is not straininE the words
Of tho text overmuch to apply IL to
these latter
You will notice the word 'voca-
ton II is the Latin form OF the
English word calling and from
being originally theological term
cas- here) II has come to be applied
to all forms OF business and liveli-
hood. And rightly so, for II Is OF
the very essence OF Christianity that
all work is sacred, and that the car
pentcr Is as truly called OF God TO
his carpentry as the apostle to his
preaching
There is great difference be-
tween vocation and a mere trade.
business or profession. y vocation
is always of God, and while II in
wolves also great deal more-and
It is concerning that spiritual plus
OF your respective professions that 1
shall speak to you briefly tonight.
"ETicicnry" Ovrrworkrd.
And ! am going to make use OF
word that. We all know. has
been overworkcd OF late. and made
to carry weights too heavy for it.
but which, nevertheless. rightly un-
d"rstOod stands for "a true and. in
deed. necessary ideal. Efficiency
may be defined roughly as the ability
to get all there is in it. out OF any
/ given situation. Its ideal Is the best
results through the best methods.
I But that does not carry us very
far. II leaves undetermined what
we mean by best OF course. when
we take any particular trade, bust
| ness or profession by itself, the hest
/ is the greatest and cheapest produc-
| ton consistent with quality, tho most
successful practice, the largest wage
/ or salary-earning power.
should Ideally Coincide.
Men are more than carpenters. ma
| chinists. lawyers, doctors. dentists.
! Their life is not bounded by their
shops, stores and offices. They are
not put here merely 10 lay so many
bricks. argue so many cases. cure so
/ many patients, sell so many goods,
earn so much money per day, week. or
I year. Their obligation to their job
is not their whole obligation. They
are not only money-makcrs and
Z wage-earncrS; they are living souls.
+ with character to build and dcstinies
/ tn accomplish
The two best do not necessarily
though they should ideally, coincide
Indeed, the very efficiency of man
In one direction may mean incfhciency
or worse in another direction. 1t is
notorious that fortunes have been
made by sheer efficiency. which have
! reacted on the characters or their
b makers and rendered them not only
inefficient. but positively dangerous
as citizens OF a democratic country.
1T matters much, therefore. how
you define MISUNDERSTANDING with
reference to the narrower or the
/ broader sphere. whether with refer
cnce L. livelihood or to life. The
Idea, the standard. the objective in
each case is different. The one is
the lower efficiency of production 4.
tho other is the higher efficiency Of
life
There viii hc. venture to think
three contributions You can make to
The life OF the world, outside of your
general ministry In the prevention
and healing OF disease and the re-
ductton OF unnecessary pain.
Contribution OF Influence.
The hrst Is the contribution Of
influence. II Is with no idea Of nat
terry that l say YOU are "A select
group. The very fact OF your col
l"ge and hospital training guarantees
that society has chosen vol, on the
basis of certain educational standards
To be the vanguard OF the host that
is daily and hourly lighting the forces
!nimical to human life. TO that cx-
tent II looks up 10 you.
individually. You NAV be as YOU
nay be. hut professionally. your in
hucncc ought to he greater than that
of nonprofessional Individuals and
groups And that influence should he
Nertcd for CONGRATULATED for serv-
(" To the society that has set on you
the seal Of its approval.
The second contribution is that of
leisure. | see YOU smile here. and
can sympa thize with that smile No
ono knows better than preacher
how little real leisure there IS for
tho professional man who takes his
profession seriously. Vet all Of rs
have moro leisure than We think
And, needed recreation apart il is
the duty as we'll as privilege. OF all
OF Ms to use some of that leisure in
helping humanity.
"A third contribution is that of
pcrsoal example. This challenge
holds, OF course. for everybody. but
for YOU physicians especially IL is OF
paramount Importance. For whom
does the average iayman trust and
look up to more than his doctor--one
who, perhaps. has called him or some
loved one back from the gates OF
dcath?"
gain, that they have lost the intimate