The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1873-06-27
BAcCAlAUREATE DISCOURSE,
REV. s. G. IRWIN L
Before the Graduating class OF Is5a, Of
Albany Coiiceinte Institute, Sunday y
Evening, june Is, 1873.

~
Before the Graduating class OF Is1a.. Of
Evening, June Is, 1879.
81 have finished my coursc."-2 Tim. fv.7
There is an advantage in special
services; they are not likely to be SO
general as to apply to no one; aud, if, as
on this occ aston, the number of per.
sons directly addressed is small,
others who are present are likely
TO use aud Apply what may be said
to themselves. Indeed, il often hap
pens that we hear best what may DO
directly intended tor others. We
like to hear others preached at rather
than ourselves. and tho vices OF which
we are guilty, We can best condemn
in Others, as Nathan came to David
with his parable, and led the guilty
King to say, of the supposed calprii,
''as the Lord liveth he shall surely
die.n Then, after the parable had
done its work could.the prophet make
the application and say, "thou a:t the
man." Others are present with us
besides the Senior class, the faculty
and students of this Institution, and
though we may address ourselves di.
rectIy to the few, We hope the many
may hear to their profit. These spe.
cial services may be new to Presby.
terianism in Oregon, but they are not
new To the church in the East, nor, in.
deed, To the church in Bible times
Then the various new moons aud
feasts called the willing feet of the
glad worshipers of old to ascend the
Holy hill of Zion.
Special occasions formed the texts
OF our Savior's addresses. To the
hungry in the wilderness, He spoke OF
the living bread. To heproud guest
who chose the chief seat or uppermost
room, He spoke the lesson OF humili-
ty; TO the weary fisher who had toll
esl all night and taken nothing, He
gave the encouraging promise that
he should be ''iisher of men,"
The church of Rome has carried
the principle of special services tn an
extreme IN making almost every day
in the year take its place in the sacred
calendar, and by these special services
more than anything else, retained the
appearance of life in her dead aud
formal routine. We do not present
The church ot Rome for imitation,
but il is right TO he taught by an enc
my and our blessed Savior com
menhs the wisdom of the serpent and
tells las To hear what the unjust stew
ard saith.
A special service 10 a graduating
class is new 10 our city; new to your
speaker, aud ~ the candidate for
literary degree repeats the language
OF this text We ask You To- learn les
sens of one who used this language
long before yon, and said in his vale.
diciory letters tn his most beloved
son i'm the faith, 81 have finished my
course" His course of life. seen from
the worldly human stand point, had
been miserable failure. A Jew by
birth. of the straightest sect, an i'm
petuous and talented young man,
brought up at the National Capital,
with The best educational advantages
the world afforded. Rejoicing in all
the advantages of Roman citizen-f,ip
just at the time when the all-conqncr-
ing eagle had made the whole world
his prey, this Roman citizen and
learned Jew embraced hated heresy
and with such. enthusiasm that
he had sacrificed all prospect of ad-
vanceinent in life aud was now poor
prisoner for the second time before
the cruel Nero. and room 10 expitaie
his folly with his life. So poor that
an old cloak, q few books and parch-
ments were all the earthly possessions
he could call his own. A life of toll
and suffering had been the lot of this
mad enthusiast; and now in disgrace
he is about TO die; to he remembered
only by the full-of victims writ
ten in blood by the tyrant Nero
Such the verdict of the unbeiieving
worldling concerning this aged SER
want OF Christ. But vipwing his fin
ished course with the eye of faith IL is
no failure. but glorious triumph
Such he sees it TO be himself. lie
looks with no regretful Iongings upon
the boards of perishable wealth he
might have amassed. He counts his
early prospects ~ nothing. for he has
now Christ. With Joy he has sold all
that he had and has bought the pearl
of great price. He has counted the
cost, he has made his estimate of
profit and loss, and after the most
mature deliberation and the fullest
experience, he says: 81 have fought
good fight. | have finished my
course" He does not allude TO his
primary education. That had been
full for the age of the world in which
he lived, and yet it was far from what
is enjoyed at the present day. We
can scarcely appreciate the advantages
in point ot early education which we
enjoy. We estand on our fathers shonl-
ders, and is il strangethat we seem high
erthan they? The merest child in the
poorest of our public schools has the
advantage OF the son of wealth and
lnxnry in the gAded halls of ancient
times. Then no printed books; no
geography more than the guesses OF
wonder-telling travellers; no science
but the horoscopes of astrologers and
sooth-sayers. Pupils learned their
whole curriculum of knowledge from
single instructor, communicating
his instructions in private CONVERSE
tion, with an occasional lesson on the
waxen tablet or sanded floor. The
Apostle had enjoyed such an educa.
ton at the feet Of Ganialiel. He may
have learned less of science than the
pupils of Alexandria, or Athens but he