The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1870-08-09
Commencement Baccalaureate.

The annual Commencement exercises
afternoon with the Baccalaureate sermon
by Rev II. d. Kitchel, DID,, President,
at the Congregational church. The
church was well filled in spite of the op.
pressive heat, many graduates Of the COL
lege and other strangers being present.
The discourse was founded on ! Kings
20:40, And as thy servant was busy
here and there, he was gone" Subject
The Irretrievableness of great choices"
For the scripture lesson he read the
whole passage containing the narrative Of
the lack of fidelity TO great trust, for
which lackthese words were offered as an
excuse, or rather explanation. In the
discourse, the Doctor discussed some
points in every human life when the
whole course and character and condi-
ton, turn on the pivots of single decis-
ions-generic choices which cover and
conclude the future. These occasions
carry over our entire being, character,
destiny, to new issues with the past deci-
ded forever. If the past has been folly,
all future wisdom is too late. All Of our
life is not after this manner but it is
largely so. Sometimes failures may be
retrieved, follies may in some measure be
remedied. But frequently opportunities
are once offered and then withdrawn for.
ever. A prisoner is committed to our
charge for whom we must answer strictly.
If We allow him to escape there is nc
recovery.
The speaker pointed out three ways in
which we let slip opportunities and make
unfortunate, irretrievable choices
through recklessness, perverseness and
presumption. A busy, miscellaneous
man, instead of discerning the point Of
vital concern and bending all his atten
ton and energies to the one grand object
is busy here and there along the whole
line of real OF fancied interests, and al
length he stands in the shame and misery
of irreparable, selfwrought ruin, with
all possibilities for good or i'll, gone pas
remedy. There is in our nature a dash
of recklessness, an audacity that Graves
to move loosely and resents the strain o
steadfast responsibility Our perverse
ness of nature also dallies when dealin,
with the critical issues of destiny, and de
bates decisions until decision is past, balk
at the pinch, and finally betrays US whel
all life and all after life hangs on punctu
al, true work for the moment.
And there is much in the customar,
course of our lives that fosters in US
spirit of presumption. Much of our lif
we may 60 over again, correcting mis-
takes and beneftting by the wisdom tina
comes of them. Hence we come to pre-
sumo upon the "Reminiscences Of oppol
tunity We have failed and repaired tn
failure, mistaken and were not ruined
and we come to the fatal presumptio
that we may always do thus, persuadin
ourselves that an effective apology is 9
good as the right thing done. And yer
widely and deeply the faint of this pr,
sumption takes effect in the emasculate
tone, the conditional purpose, the SHUT
ling, apologize lives of men. And b.
yond the effect upon character, this pr
sumption leads to appalling fatality
human conduct, in the decision of IL
grandest questions of destiny. Once f
all the prizes float up within reach to !
seized now or lost forever, and too fir
quently the golden opportunity is wastes
The speaker did not propose to stop
Justify the terms of our probation, b.
expressed his sense of relief that to a
this tragic side of our life there is tn
offset of the great atoning sacrifice. BIZ
we must not presume even upon tina