Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1885-06-07
HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF.
The vaIsdictory Address Of Miss
Petermann,
Delivered at the Opera House Last Wednes-
day---A Neat and Original
Address---Touchin
FareweIls.

60 more forever. The wise man has told US,
There is nothing ne~ under the sun Col
eye Commandments are not new to you.
Year after year you have seen the honosei
students of the Wheeling Female College
graduate on this platform. And in this re
spect this Commencement is only a repeti
ton. But there is one thing new aud SD
deuing connected with the present Com
meDcement. II will be the last uude. the
Presidency Of Miss TAYLOR. Were it not for
this saddeniHg part, this would be to Us, the
most cheerful Commencement We ever a..
tended, for it ia over now, and that which
we have anticipated With bright hopes ever
since We entered the College Hall.
".'Tis the last farewell meeting,
Our parting is nsa:,
And the eyes besmihg luster
Is dimmcd by a tear
For lilies teetiDg pleasures
SCon pa away
though the The heart faiu would have them,
Forever 20 stay"
With ~tbrobbing hearts we are standing to.
night on the threshold o. a College Com.
mencement, the past and its toiling prepar-
tions are now behind US. The future with
its grand possibilities before US, it would be
natural for US under these circumstances TO
review the past, with its mistakes, trials,
failures, and success, and to anticipate the
future which now stretches out before US,
with the work that is to be done, the battles
TO be fought, the victories 10 be won, and
the good which we are to do. But time
would fail me to do this. With regard to
the past, | will only say this, the honors
or the success of to night were won BY US,
and others may win them in the same WY,
by the preseveriug toll Of the
pest. And with regard to the
.lture, or the new FIFE which now opens
before US it is an untrodden path. And |
can say TO my class mates, az Joshua said
to the children of Israel, when standing on
the banks of the swollen Jordan looking
over to the Promised Land; "Ye have not
been this way before" 1t was to them q
new, untIied, un;rodden path Ard as they
needed Divine Protection, Divine Guidance
in these untrodden paths, 80 do we IN the IN.
tried future before US. Aud the God Of
Abb aham, Issac and Jacob, the Father Of
our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, who was
with them, is saying tonight to eVe'Y Gradu-
ate, and every Junior, and every youth:
Wilt thou not from this time say unto me,
my Father thou shalt be the guide OF my
Youth" Forgetting the things that are be-
lind, not satisfied with the Past, let US press
on efter higher, and higher, and still higher
at,ainmenis. 'For the lives Of all gcod
men remind us that We may make our lives
sublime, and departing leave behind US foot,
prints on the sand Of time" Footprints
which perhap- snothe; and q ship,wfecked,
forlorn traveller seeing, may tske heart
again. r,,
and yet p~erilous pathway. And we need
Gods unerring guidance to conduct US, not
TO an Earthly Paradise, but to the th-one OF
the blest, beyond the swelling food, where
sin shall never come, where none OF the IN
habi,snts shall say, | am scb. In that i'm.
mortal land, dea;h, and parting, and fare
wells are unknown. Lite is full OF great
opportunities, which we may call the chariots
OF God, and happyar those who avail them
selves Of them, for with the swiftnes7 OF time
they speed on to positions OF honor, trust,
and usefulness Doubtless this or what the
Bard of Avon meant when he uttered the
memorable and oft repeated sentiment
There ia a tide in the affairs Of men which
taken at its height, leads on to fortune.
But if not taken at j s height, it may leave
men forever as stranded wrecks on restores
of time, a warning to all coming ages, not
fail in improving the great opportunities
which come to them. But to resume the
former figure, these great chariots of God
are very numerous. This college, where we
have spent four years of our lite, is ore OF
them. And reed | tell you how many it
has conducted to a life Of success, a life OF
great and honored usefulness. And the
graduates of this College all over this State,
and other States of this Union, and some
who are now missionaries in heather lands
look from far away on this institution OF
learning, this chariot Of God which has con.
Quoted them TO their preSent r)sition OF
honor, usefulness and success, aud they bless
God for it, and for thoso who instituted 1t,
and who have stood by it through its whole
history. Many Of these chariots Of GOD
only come to US once or twice in hte. These
great opportunities of life are oil arouud
US. But alas many do not see them, do not
know their inestimable value, do not recog'
nize them until they see them DISAPPEARING
in ,be dim and silent distance, and the truth
flashes upon them, that was the chariot oil
God. 1t passed by me. it stopped at my
side. It's door opened, | was invited to enter,
but did not, O why did | neglect it? U
chariot OF God, come back, come back!
Too late. Too late. /. will never come
back. Youth does not come back-lost op
portupities do not return. The chariots Of
Cod move on, and those who would not en-
ter them are Left behind, and may be lei,
forever.
Thipcs are not always what they seem,
There are blessings in disguise. The cloud
is dark, but God may be in il, and it may
be full of the richest blessings. Elijah en-
tered into a chariot Of fire, it seemed like
| chariot of destruction, but it was the chariot
| of God, sent 10 take the great prophet II
heaven. Many Of The things we meet, many
of the OPT ortunities Of life which presen'
themselves to us do not look like the CHAR
OTIS Of God, but they look ike chariots o
trials and dissppointments. they look lik'
some huge Juggernaut Car OF destructioI
ready to roll over US, and crush us to tn
Earth. But they are Gods messengers il
disguise, they are the chaIiots Of God il
which we may ride to the very height o
victory, for which we have bsen iongin!
and praying. One thing is connected viii
another, there is a link within a link
wheel within a wheel We may turn tn
different events of life into a JugRerns1
car TO crush ne, or a chariot of Godin whicI
to ride to the very heights of victory an
glory. -,
Our success and progress in lie depeu.
upon how we improve its great opportun'
Ties. Mount into Gods chariot of progress
that you may be carried triumPhantly OF
ward ana upwa:.d: even TO the spiendof an
glory of Gods throne, here all Is hsns T an
peace, and blessedness foreVe. mS;;S Luz
is an e~yentful epoch in our history.
Tonight we celebrate the occasion whicI
brings its own reflections, aud teaches II
own lessons, After four years of toll in to
history of this class, re have happily react
ed our present stage Of progress We loo