Commencement Address by Commissioner of Education Earl McGrath AT Bethany College, "Therefore Choose Life"
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OCR Page 1 of 10"THEREFORE CHOOSE LIFE"s
"I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and ovil;
thereforo choose life that both thou and thy seed may live."
Commenoement is a day of beginning. These words were spokem another
day of beginning removed from us in time by three thousand years; but neverthe-
less they speak to this Commencement Day with peculiar pertinence.
Moses spoke to a people fearful and frustrated, at the end of forty
years of wandering in the Wilderness and on the ove of their entrance into
the Promised Land. Behind them lay the experiences of slavory, revolt, flight,
and hardship; ahead of them, great expectations--but they also had some
doubts. Moses spoke the affirmative word to resolve those doubts, but he
made it clear that the answer lay within the hearts of his listenors. It was
their choice.
8o, too, today. The dominant mood is doubt. In some minds it is a
vague apprehension of what the future may or may not bring. In all too many
instances, vague apprehension has led to acceptance of impending eatastrephe
as an inevitable promise of the early future. I suspect that not a fow of
the members of the olass of 1950 share some of the frustration and much of
the apprehension current in the world into which they step this
Day. I, myself, though aware of the meertainty. in our lives, do not share -
this feeling of frustration, doubt and fears I believe, that in the present
conflict of interests between our democratic way of life and the opposing
philosophy we have a good chance to provail. But we om gain this geal and
the security that will go with it only by optimis, faith, and thoughtful
ty Larl James NoGrath, U.S. Commissioner of Education, Federal Security Agenoy,
Washington, D. C., at 1950 Commoncement exeroises, Bethany College, Betheny,
West Virginia, Sunday, June 11, 1950.
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