New Britain herald., 1925-06-10
COMMON SENSE IS GRADUATION TALK
Sec, Wilbur Takes Good Subject
 at Duke University .

Durham, N. C., June 10. PD - Some of the questions involved in discussions of the Bible and evolu- ton were touched upon by Secre- tary Wilbur Of the navy department in a prepared commencement ad- drss today at Duke university on the subject, Common Sense"
 Quoting as his text If any man lack wisdom let him ask of God who giveth abundantly and up- braideth not, and 1t shall be given him." and appealing for application of common sense to many of the problems of life, Mir. Wilbur said "We need common sense in re- ligion."
 If the Bible Is the inspired word of God, as we believe" he added, then He created the universe and left the record of that creation for ever inscribed upon all created things. There are at least two divine books--the Holy Bible on whose pages are inscribed the do- ings and sayings of Holy men, and the Book of Nature. A part of this historical story is plainly written upon the geological strata which circumscribes the globe. Common sense suggests that these two rec ords be considered together, and that to reject and utterly ignore either Is equally foolish.
 Science today, whatever else 1t may have accomplished, has demonstrated that the universe is constructed on a plan and has been created according to- laws which still operate daily. These results not only suggest but they demand a planner and a creator and a law giver. Reason cannot so so far as to discover these laws and plans and created things without going q step further to the Creator, discern ing some of his attributes by the things he has done.
 "I was asked the other day If l believed in future life, and what proof there was of such a life. I replied that it took faith to appre- hend and believe in a future life. But there are ample proofs of fu- ture life If we care to weigh them, and the fundamental one around which all others center Is the resur- rection of Jesus Christ. If Christ rose from the dead 1t proves that there is a future life. What evil dence is there of his resurrection? This desk behind which I stand, this building in which I speak. this institution in which you are trained, and eevry Christian church in exist ence, and every Christian institu-, tion, and every Christian in the uni verse now and since the day of the resurrection is evidence of the resurrection. It was this incident which transformed the eleven dis ciples from fleeing towards appalled, and dsmayed at the cruciflXion in- to inspired prophets who assailed l the world single handed and sought i in a generation to convert all men to Christianity and to belief in the resurrection. It was faith in this resurrection that enabled men who had fled from mere rebuke or cen sure to calmly face a martyrs death To believe in such transformation of the disciples without an adequate cause requires greater credulity than to believe In the resurrection, and when they themseRes asserted the resurrection of Jesus as the source of their inspiration they furnished the explanation of their conduct and gave every evidence of truth of their assertion.
 If we accept as basis Of life the first verse of the first chapter Of Genesis, the first verse of the twenty-third psalm. and the first two sentences of the Lords prayer, we shall have in those declarations, made hundreds of years apart, sure foundation for investigation