The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-05-31
THE ANNUAL SERMON.
Excellent Sermon to the Normal
Graduating Classes by
Rev. Whitney.

The exercises of commencement week
at the Normal were auspiciously opened
by the annual sermon preached to the
graduating classes at the opera house
Sunday forenoon by Rev. w. Whitney,
pastor of the Baptist church. The classes
and the normal faculty occupied re.
served seats in the parquet, and the rest
of the building was we'll filled by the
congregations of the churches that had
united to hear this sermon. The stage
was occupied by the various ministers
and thetCongregational and PresbYteri.
an choirs. A pulpit had been placed on
the stage for use in the services.
The opening exercises consisted of the
singing of the ..doxology, invocation by
Rev. Cory, hymn sung by the two
choirs united, Miss Eta Frisbie playing
Scripture by Rev. Barbour, prayer by
Rev. Rule, and singing by the Congre.
gational choir.
Rev. Whitney preached a fine sermon
The discourse was we'll prepared and
well delivered. The portion devoted
more particularly to the class was given
with much feeling.
The speaker chose for his sermon
"The power of master passion IN .hu.
man lIfe," founding it upon the words
of David in Psalm 1919, "For the zeal OF
thine house hath eaten me up"
Giving Judge Severance credit fol
having furnished the theme for the
morning, he said that passion, as he
should consider it, includes the various
ideas of capacity for emotion, sudden
outburst, endurance, the controlling
choice or pursuit in life. The indIvidu.
al looks about him and sees the work TO
be done, he looks within and considers
his own aptitudes, he looks into the flu.
ture and contemplates the possibilities
within his grasp, he drinks deep full in
SEPARATIONS while his heart grows big
with hope: his resolve is taken, his SOU
ID on fire with the passion of his being
and he throws himself into his work
with an energy that is resistless, cour.
age that is invincible, a perseverance
that is untiring. He knows no rest, nc
failure, until he has wrung victory out
of the very jaws of defeat, and stands
proudly on the summit of achievement
"a successful man. AS instances of the
action and results Of this kind of passion
the careers of Alexander the Great, Jul
Jus Caesar and Napoleon Bonaparte were
referrrd to at length. 1t was shown fur
ther that this trait, invaluable in war
was no less important in finance, in
craftsmanship, in literature and philos'
ophy, In the sciences, in art, In religion
in short. in every department of human
activity. It is not genius that makes
men great, it is passion: a passion no
momentary and trifling, but enduring
and majestic: passion that endows one
with IAN infinite capacity for taking
palms," that enables one to endure al
seeing him who and that which is invisi
BILE. To reach the extraordinary, ont
must take his staff in hand. and turn hii
back on easy going pleasures, and climt
the ragged sleeps of some Matterhorn o
difficulty amidst binding SHOWS and
singing cold, and along the brink o
yawning chasms. Unless one has faitf
in the value of the achievement he will
never make the outlay necessary to Sc
cure it.
The speaker next emphasized the
thought that there are two kinds of am
bition, and that in order to Satisfactoril!
progress the passion which controls III
most be aUofthy, battle in its aim ant
spirit. Otherwise we may make our
selves infamous rather than famous
"Let all the ends thou aim'st at be thu
country's, thy Gods, and truths" A
the same time we labor unselfishly, i
was shown that we must put self int
our work, throwing ourselves into on
work with completest abandon. "All j
c0ncentred in life intense" Ones per
sonallty must appear in the character o
the work he turns out.
The next step in the discourse was t
show that in order to reach the highes
and truest success in life the passion o
our being must have in it the divine ele
ment. We have reached the highes
only when we have subordinated eyer.
selfish interest to the one supreme pur
pose of clarifying God, and advancin
able to say with David: "The zeal Q
thine house hath eaten me up" 7
this end study the life of the Model Mar
of whom the text is really a prophecy
What is enthusiasm but to be full of God
In applying the principles thu
brought out the class were urged t
such devotion to worthy object, partiC
ularlY with reference to their relation
the next Centennial of our nations his
tory. While they would not be preser
upon that occasion they and those {
like age will have the greater responsibilit
of putting into that celebration all its esse,ltt
features of glory or of Shame. Upon th
4 shoulders Of the young people of to ds
rest responsibilities such as no gener,
ton was ever before called upon TO ca
ry, and in consequence there are befoI
them privileges and possibilities befor
unknown. During the next fifty yeal
there will be far-reaching epochs of d,
velopment in the history of our natloI
and some of the young people of to-da
will be the centres round which thos
Iepochs will crystalline. Each membe
of the class was thus urged to put fort
his or her best exertions to reach th
extraordinary, by the power of God an
in dependence upon his strength.
choir sang. and the congregation WI
dismissed after benediction,