Commencement

President Angelí, i.i iils baicalaureate address, Sunday eveniug, gave a very able and finished diseourse beiore a large audienee ,wMüh may be synopsized as lollowa: One of those spiritual paradoxes which our Lord seems to have been fond of repeating in one form or anotheir to his deeiples is that through humility we reach exaltation; that we are to move and lead and bless men by ministering as servants to thcm rather than by being served by them. This doctrine of leadership through self-sacrifiec may well be commendöd to your thoughtful consideration torday. If there is any class of persons who are called to the duty and the privilege of leadership, it is the class who like you have received the advantags of higher education. Let us mot overstate the case. Some who have received the most ampie and thorough intelleetual training are so wanting ia other essential qualifications for leadership that they follow rather than lead. But the natural endowments being equal, the educated must and do guide the uneducated iu a very emphatic sense. It is no flattery of you to say that you will find yourselves cálled to the discharge of this function of leadership in greater or less degree. It is a cali which, I am sure, all of you are willrng, and tnost of you ambitious to obey. It is an. error to suppose that such a spirit forbids intellctual development and culture. There is no shadow of support for such a belief in any teaching of Christ or His apostles. On the contrary the whole drift of the reachings of the New Testament is a practial injuncction to us to develop ;o the utmost om powers of searehlng after and finding truth. It is au error to suppose that the spirit of self-sacrifice does not exist iu one who is conscious of intellectual and moral power. The Christian spirit does not do violence to the constitución of our being. A man who has marked mental and moral forcé, and so the power of influeneing men, cannot grow up to manhood without iiudmg it out, any moree than a giant eau grow up without finding out that he is stroiiger than most of his fellows. It is au error to suppose that the spirit of setf sacrifice is incompatible with a sense of gratification at the approbation of good men. It is an error to suppose that the spirit of self-sacrifice must rob us of deight atseeing our labors bringing forth good fruit, and of the privilege of manifesting our deüght. The husbaudman may rejoice over the harvest. Wlth thankfulness that God has crowned his efforts with blessing, he may take courage and with all humility gird Mmself for new exertion. Not puffed up with unseemy pride over his own achievements, reeognizing his dependence upon a Higher Power for all provïdentinl Yiids, he may be cheered and nerved by each worthy victory that he wins, for more strenuous endeavor to find the way to the truth, and to lead men in it to a higher and better Hfe. In one word Christianity does iiot cali us to a mean and cringing and craveen and ascetic life, but to a sweet and large and healthy and forceful Ufe. It bands no noble faculty with gyves txut bids us expend all our powers and grow to our loftiest intellectual and moral stature, until we take on the perfect likeness of the Master. It neds no argument to convince us that selfishness in a man never attracts us, but always repels us. We are born with an admiration of magïa-nimity. We are drawn at once toward the mam of large heart and noble soul. We instinctively feel that we want to be near Mm. We are more than ready to follow him. We are sometimes in danger from our enthusiasm for him, of neglecting to consider whether his judgments are sound and wise. We are so sure that his impulses and intentions are right that we lare tempted to leap to the conclusión that his opinions and his measures can be adopted without question A. man may have large intellectual K'ifts, great genius and great learning but if te is fenown to be mean anc selfisü in spirit, he cannot long remain a leader in any good work. Men may étOmire his genius and praise his learning but they will despise the man, anc visit him with the sevverer condemnation beeause of his rare mental powers It will help us to understand liow the spirit of self-sacrifice quaüfles one for the leadership of men, if -vre reinem1er that mea are moved to action through thcir moral nature, and not primarily through theeir intellect. Thi intellectual convictions must be sueh a appeal to their moral nature, if they are to be stirred to deeds. Eloquence which most powerfully sweeps men on to action must come from a sincere and noble heart. Young seholars are apt to make a mistake here. From their earlies days at school they are so stimulate( to set a high value on intellectua ánieveement, thèy are so often incitec to the highest endeavor by being pointed to the iexamples of men o great learning, that they are in dange of iorgetting how large and essentia aa element of power is the cultivation of strong moral power. It is perhaps owing to this fact more frequent ly than to any other that the subsequent life of colige graduates eompels a reversal or modifieation of the verdict ia college of studente on each other. Too often the briUiant man who shone preemiinent in the class room fails to make upoa the world any impreesion comparable to that whlch nis ïvilows had predlcted for him, beeause of the poverty aii'l leanness and meanness of his soul. If a man is to be a conspicuous leader he must convince others that he cares more for the truth, for the cause whieh he is espousiiig, than for belng p'raised as the defender of the truth, as the Champion of the cause. li you were called to-day to select rom all human history the man who s, and for eenturies has been doing most to lead the thoughts and shape he Uves of men. would you not name he great Apostle to the Gentiles? The supreme example of learterahlp hrough humiliation and self-sacrifice s that of our Lord and Master. He ïas drawa, and is drawing and nioldng and leading the race towards ighteousnes8 as nof other being who ias appeared on earth has ever done, t is because Moses and Paul had so much of His spirit that they had such ignai power of leadership for good. Sut how vast is the distance between Him and them, and between His work and their work. None will bc more glad than they to see their work wallowed up in His completed work. Now even the weakest of us may everently and truthfully hope that as we share the spirit of our Lord, ve shall ;ilso liavi' something of the )ower of leading men aright. What muer and nobler ambition can inpire your hearts as you go forth ïow to your work in life? Without his spirit you may perhaps win a ertain admiration from men of rour intellectual gift, you may even vield a positive power in leading men astray. Your vanity may be tiekled awhile by the consciousness of such power, but can there be any permanent satisfaction to you in the ercise of any leadership, however conspicuous, execpt the leadership towards good? I know well enough the ?enerous and noble impulses of early ife to be sure what is the response of oyur hearts at th'is moment to that question. In this hour so full of asJirations you do desire to make the world happier and better. What wiser counsel then can I give you as my parting advi'ce than to ask you to ;reasure ia your hearts those words of our lord and His desciples, "Whosoever would become great among rou shall be your minister; and whosoever would le first among you shall )i' your servant; even as the Son of Man carne not to be ministered unto uit tQ minister, and to give his lite a ransom for niany."