The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1894-01-08
BACCALAUREATE
Exercises At the Opera HOuse-A Large
Audience and an Interesting Address.

Audience and an Interesting Address.
At 1890 a. m. yesterday the opera
house was filed TO it's utmost capacity to
herr the baccalaureate exercises of the
mid winter class Of 1894. President
Beadle, Revs. Jenkins, Blackman and
Ewart and the Presbyterian choir occu-
pied the platform. Pew. Al G. Blackman
m AIDE the invocation and read from the
last portion Of the 9Th chapter OF Luke.
The hymns and anthems sung by the
choir were in excellent taste and finely
re ndered. Rev. j. p. Jenkins led in
In prayer and was followed by the Rev.
j. Y. Ewart in the b~accalaureate sermon
-"Pe rsonal Infuence"-from the text:
Luke 8:46-ssVirtue hath gone out OF
me-" 1t was a clear exposition OF the
power of personal character as developed
for good or evil in the individual. At
the close OF the sermon, the six members
OF the class present arose and the
speaker addressed them as follows:
ITO be invited to speak to you on this
occasion is no ordinary honor and it is
no ordinary responsibility. Dec ply do |
{ eel how words should be weighed and
how carefully thoughts should be Sc
lected that are uttered at such a time as
this.
You have finished the course Of study
prescribed by the authorities OF the
South Dakota State Normal school. /
congratulate you on having reached at
the end of this term that point in
your careers as students to which you
have so eagerly and hopefully looked
forward for years past, This week is to
you a turning point. You look back upon
the past-upon these student days, these
days OF hard work. days Of pleasant COM
partnerships, days OF rollicking fun. You
will never forget these school days.
Yes, you go back in memory to-day to
to your homes. You think OF father and
mother, the hopes they have centred in
you, perchance the sacrifices they have
made that you might attend school.
You will be glad to 60 back to these
home circles to greet your dear ones,
Your memories are doubtless busy to-
day rebuilding the past, taking a retro.
spect, culling experiences and reaplng
lessons that will be helpful in the com
ing days.
But imagination, that royal faculty, il
also active creating the future You
are looking forward. And your eyes arr
kindled with the light OF hope.
The work for which you have tittee
yourselves ranks among the highest o
human employments. 1 beg OF you thel
magnify your office. 1t is one OF th.
greatest on ca rtb. Jupiter awarded thu
prize Of Immortality to the faithful
teacher, says the ancient fable, And til,
divine word says: ''They that make
others wise shall shine as the bright
ness of the armament and they hat turl
many to righteousness as the stars TO
ever and ever.
May you therefore follow in the foot
steps of the greatest Of Teachers, put OF
the whole armor OF God,' imbibe tn
spirit and be clothed with the power o
Jesus Christ. l remember in my owl
school days reading Cicero's treatise OF
Friendship" In that interesting littl
work he quotes the opinion of a certain
philosopher who maintained that ever
thing in the universe is held together b,
the power Of love. Think OF it! Tn,
planets that wheel through space tn
stars that jewel the aky, the land an,
water on the earth, all the parts OF tn
wondrous mechanism we call the I'm
verse are bound together by the inyisibl
power OF love. This notion Of the an
clients illustrates what I want to give yol
as a closing thought. The power b.
by which you can magnify your ofic
and make your work truly successful
in the last analysis, the power OF love
In your school-rooms you. will nee
much patience with your pupils. Blu
il you love them patience will bel easier
Perseverance,, too, you will have to exel
else and industry. But love for tn
work God has given You and for thos
he has put under your care will kindl
the fires OF industry and perseverance,
For "Love suffereth long and is kind.
'Love beareth all things, believeth a
things, hopeth all things, endureth al
things" just rs the sun light whic
! streams through that window can b
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