, 1949-07-09
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS 4
To THE GRADUATES or THE CHHaSTiANSTED H. s
Delivered BY the nj. Rev. Charles F. BoYnton. T. D. Anglican Bishop
for. Puerto Ricotands the Virgin Isiands. <xJI 4

az am not sure / approve of the tradition which calls for a commence
ment address :. IT has sometimes been my idea that instead of a
speaker offering sage advice. it would be a,far better idea to place
before a graduating audiences a fine symphony y or 2 magnificent
ballet, and when this had been completed, to say Ladies and gent
lemen, life can be very lovely or very sad. 1t probably will be anix-
ture Of both Goodbye, and God go with you"
Theretndng president of one of the leading women's, colleges in
New England said last week: Il have no idea where we are going ).
fMyvery dearfriends from this worlds point of vewl both Of these
commencement speakers are correct: We might just as,wel admit, &
face the fact, that life, not only can be, but without. doubt will be
very lovely and very sad-a mixture Of both-forIeach and everyone
Of you. And we might just as well admit the fact that in this our day
certainly politically and economically speaking we have little idea
where we are going. There is no question but that the world and
every portion of the world is inc state of great fundamental change
state Of great fundamental change. Things are the opposite of being
stahc3 we are going somewhere, but for the most Of us we know not
where And whereas some Of US viii be called upon to help
where we are going, most of us will simply hveafout our
lives just going, being carried ~alongyMor If you will, being
pushed by the tide of events in whatever direction it may be-
YesAlet us1aecept ethetfact that for US all life will be both very
lovely andsyeTy sad-a mixture of both, and for most of us we will
not know fropa day to day, even from year to year, where we are go
I'D that Hrightenf your Does that cause you-to say to yourselves
Would thatsI hadsneyer been born?n or at lhast, why did x have to
be born AT thistime??" These words have quoted, not my words but
words of people far greater than ], & far more in a position to say to
them than T. ought not to Tighten you. Actually they tell US Moth
ing neweLAetualEy they but describe that which has always been true.
for the vast majurityBof people++boys and girls, men and women, IN
whatever country in whatever part OF the world, m w1ateve rera-of1
mans history on earth The difference. if there has beenYanY. has
only been in the degree Of lovelinessa afd sadhess fife and the mix4
ue; Of the tw65 the difference, if there has been any, has only been in
the degree of not knowing where one was going. People from the be-
gfnaineyof,tinnA Asaa a6eenIiuing lives which have been a,fnfzAdEk|
Of loneliness andusadness apdstuo time has the political or the eco
nomfc aspect of life been other than in a state Of change with the
majority Of people not knoang infwlich direction theyywere going
u We are incIn6d to se1dy$hese days so rapidly taking the worlds
history in such big, aAunkst that wedeadi ourselves to- believe that il.
such and such an era, everything was sweetnesS-ands light, while in
such and such an era everything was bitterness and dark. We are apt
toscali the one, The Golden Age, and the other, The Dark age. Per
haps-but were we alberto communicate with the majority of the
departed Of any ageSfrom, any CLINE; Pm sureaHe5uAould hear from
their lips, life was both very lovely and verysadJ and most of uk, cat
any given time, were ignorant of where we are going"
Was their outlook hopeless, theng Is our outlook hopeless now? My
very dear fr1endS-the answer to that question depended then as It
depends now, ontthe attitude one has regarding what life is real
" for, as to whatsth life is really all AboutoIf this is the only life
there is, if there lis nc, ultimate and triumphant goal towards which
everything leads+then there is no purpose of life, and the only value
of that portion of life which can be called lovely is selfish content
mentaa and the offspring Of that portion of life which is called sadness
4s bitterness and resentment. And as for an answer to the question
Where, are we going?-there can be no answer for there can be no
goal, and we can but go round and round.
ss5 All but life is.the. means. to an acknowledgements end. iftifeis