The Baccalaureate

President Angelí delivered his 25t animal baccalaureate address to tli graduatlng classes at Untversity Ha Sunctay in tibe p-esence oí aa enor mous crowd, every seat being occupie and scores of people standing. Upo the platform sat President Angelí Dean M. L. D'Ooge and a part of th Choral Uuion. Prof. Stanley preside at the great organ. The exerclse opened at S o'clock with music by th chorus. Then Dean D'Ooge read a bible lesson and led in an earneet prayer. Major Casswell, of the U. S. Navy, a brother of Mrs. President Angelí, then sang a beautiful tenor solo, aftcr which carne the address. Dr. Angelí took as his subject, "Patriotism and International Brotherhood," and spoke for a little over half an hour. He read from manuscript and in spite of the fact that the subject is becoining a trifie worn made a pleasing lmpression. The speaker's reason for choosing such a subject for a baccalaureate address is admirably stated in this paragraph: "We profess, as individuals and as a nation, to be governed by the principies of Cliristian ethics. We are all agreed tliat patriotism is so corumendable a virtue tliat we despise, if we do not hato, a citizen who is devoid of it. We are all agreed tliat our natiou, il' it is to be respeeted by others or by us, must uinintain its rights wltii dignity and self-respect. "White our country cherishes thls spirit of manly independence, wbat attitude should it hold toward other countries? What spirit should we cherish toward other peoples? What relations should we aim to hold wlth theni? These are questions whieb it seems proper tliat you should consider in a spirit at once Christinn and patriotie, as you are about to go iortii into active life, wh'ere you will play an important part in shaping public opinión. I believe it is not unbecoming the day or the occasion tbat answer to them should be sought in the spirit of devotion to onr country, of love to our race, and of reverence to the Pather of nations. "Providentially we are so situated that it has been easy for us, wlth a genuine patriotism, to develop our resources and to attend to our own affaire without much complication with the Great Powers of the world, nud without cherishing sharp animosilies toward them. Xone of the states soutli of us has been strong enough to be a menace to us. The ocean has been our great bulwark against encroachments from the east. From the moment that we eseaped in 1798 from an entangling alliance wlth France, we have, with a wise instinct, obeyed the counsel of Washington to avoid any uch alliance with transatlantie powers. All their dynastie disputes, their question of balance of power, their quarrels about title to territory, their nvyings and jealousies, which have ompelled them to weigh themselves lown with taxation for the support of great standing armies and immense avies, and have often involved them n dreadful wars, have not much conerned us and have given us no serious rouble. llowever, eagerly any one f the European nations may be watching to catch another at some isadvantage and fall upon it in war, ot one of them desires aught but eace with us. More than once some f tliom havo settled disputes with us y peaceful methods, which they ould hardly have settled with each ther save by war. It would, thereore, seem to bë both wise and easy o continue our traditional policy of efraining froni any part iu purely uropean controversies, and to conent ourselves with seeuring a just ettlement of questions which grow irectly out of our commercial interourse with them. "On the other hand, tliere was a ational ground for the satisfaction with which we saw Franee, Spain and ortugal withdraw f rom the American ontinent. Especially were we contantly menaced with serious trouble ith Spain so long as lier terrltory ouched ours. Though the LatlnAmerican races, who inhabit thé domain which stretches l'rom our soutb'ïi border to Cape Hora, havo yet ïuch to learn about the just adminisation of republican forms of governent it is, in my opinión, a wise policy or our govemment to discourage the cquisitjpn by European powers oL ny more territory on our continent mn tliey now possess. If they are ermitted to begin the carving up of ie Central and South American states ccording to the process by whleh ïey are grabbing all the most derable territory of the African contient, we shall be in danger of having uropean controversies, from which we have kept aloof, transferred to our wn neighborhood. There seems to be no indication thnt any European power is inelined to absorb any of the states of Central or South America, or would venture to do so, in the face of our strenuous protest. "But it is too ïnueh to oxpect that questions wlll not arise from time to time- inany of them serious and diffieult questions- between us and other nations. We have of late years had several such problema, cspecially in our relations with üreat Britian. War, according to modern methods, is sucli a dreadful calaniiiy, tliat recently attention has boon cailed afresh to the inqulry whether we may not inake provisions with some nations, if not with inany nations, for the establishment of au international court, to v.liich difflcultles that cannot bo adj usted by the ordinary processes of dlplomacy, may be referred for settlement. It is conceded on all hands ihat this nation is most happily situatnd to take the lead in so beneñcent a movement. Our gcographical isolation frees us from niany embarrassinents which a European continental power might eneounter in taking the initiative. We have already been couspicnous in our efforts to diminish and to avoid the evils of war. We were the first to emphasize the rights and duties of neutrals. "The spirit, which should be fosterd by our patriotic pride and by our consciousness of strength, is tliat of ' quiet confidenee in our power and of i serene faith that no nation will 1 ly iuvolve itself in serious flifficulty with us. If there were no otlier reason for this faith, the delicate equipoise by which the great powers of Europe are kept froru war with eacb otlier affords a sufticient ground for it. Wliat Eui'opoan state could not be engaged in strife with us without oxposing itself at once to attack from some one of its ueighbors, wlio would welcome the opportunityï Ihelr relations 'with each other put them under bonds to keep the peace with us, if it is possible for them to do so." Dr. Angelí revlewed recent notable xpressions in favor of international rbitratior. and spoko of the confernce held at Washington a few weeks go. It was there proposed, he said, that the government established a court of arbitration with Great Britaln to be followed by similar agreements with other nations. Ia regard to this, he conti nued: "If now ihis country and Great Britain can demónstrate the practicabllity and nsefulnesa rf au arbitral conrt, it is hoped that the chlef Europeas nations, who are not so grlevousIy burdened by the maintenancc of enormous armaments and the constant solicitude abont the outbreak of war, may imitate our exainple. These two great English-speaking nations have a most eonspicuous, if not a dominant, part to play in spreading civil freedoiu and Christian civilization through the woiUI. If they can avoid serious dissensions with each other, and be truc to Hioir traditions of liberty and faith, it seems hardly possible to aggerate the mfluence they may vield for good. Can there be any jjreater aid to their eo-operation in promoting tl:o spirit of peace atnong natious than thcir adoption of a permanent s.vstem of arbltration with eacH other? "Let me repeat, it is not proposcd to eave ourselves unproteeted against (langer, to surrender a solitary right of an American citizen anywhere on the face of the earth, to subrnit tamely to insult and injury from any power, to abate in the slightest degree the most ardent spirit of patriotIsm. We can wlth manly dignity make it apparent to the world that we seek peace with all nations, but that we know our rights, and are bound, if necessary, to defend them with our good right arms, tliat mucii as we dislike war, we believe there are calamities more dreadful than war, and tliat we are ready to resort to war to avert tbem. But with tbe same manly dignity we can show to mankind that we are willing to submit to a properly constituted arbitrary court all questions whicb are suited for arbitrawont and that by our words and our example we desire to commend to all nations tbis peaceful method of disposing of most international contro versies, wbich cannot be adjusted by tbe usual metbods f diplomacy. "I have tliougbt It wise to direct your attention to tbis tbcme fit tbis time. since you, is educated citizens, go out now into life to exercise an excpptional influenee on public opinión, and I wish you to exercise a wise and conservative influenee in shaping our policy towards other nations. Occasionally I hear tbe cbarge tbat life in our American colleges and imiversities is tending to beget a spirit of languid patriotism and political indiffereutism in tbe students. I believe the cbarge to be utterly without foundation. It probably grows from tbe fact tbat after tbe careful study of economie and historical subjects, many young men find themselves unable to assent unqualifiedly to the sweeping or ambiguous statements of some political platforms. But with the recollections fresh in our memories of the days when so many of the bravest and best of our young men rushed from these halls and from erery college to the battle field, many of tbem, I Jas! never to return, it is difficult to imagine how anyone can question the burning patriotism of the American students. There is no brighter chapter Ín tlie history of our civil war than tliat which records tlio valor of he young men who ruslied from the colleges to tbe front In 1861. No more is it true tfhat college students are not deeply interested in our political affairs, though it may be true, as it should be, that they are dísposed to use their independent judgment in de;iding on political doctrines. "It is because I have this confidencc in your patriotism and in your purpose to bring a calm and thoughtful consideratiou to public questions that I have asked you tonight to reflect on what is our proper attitude as a Christian nation towards the other great powers, and especially on our duty in establishing an arbitral arrangement for the settlement of international difficulties. The European naüons have cheerfully recognized the great services ve have rendered to mankind by laboring for the vindícatlon and the enlarsement of the rights of neutrals and by furnishing so many illustrious examples of arbitration. They envy us our exemption from ,the dreadful military burdens under which they groan. Is there any higher and nobler service we eau now profter them than by showing them how to escape in many cases the dread arbitrament of war by the establishment of permanent courts? No nation questions our military strength. All nations will listen with respect to our appeal for peaceful methods of settling controversies and will watch with sympathetie interest our well considered efforts to introduce these methods in our own intei-course with other powers. Remeinbering that 'God hath made of one blood all nations of men,' what higher honor can we wish for our people than that they should add to all their triumphs In the Industrial arts and in the establishment of free and republican institutions the splendid triumph of teaching all nations to live together as brothers under the blessed command of the Prince of Peace." Tlio exercises closed with singing, in which Miss Donnelly, of Detroit, carried the solo part very sweetly, and a lK'iiiMliction by Itev. D'Ooge.