Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1896-06-12
NORTH STREET SCHOOL.
commencement EXer-
cises.


Sawyer's North street school began Sun
day evening, when Rev. E. B. Leavitt
preached the sermon before the graduating
class in the Unitarian church. Public in
terest in the exercises was shown by the
presence of an audience which filed the
church. A beautiful effect was produced
by banking the pulpit with maiden hair
and other ferns. Lucen Howe presided
at the organ, and singing by his choir OF
Young voices from the Baptist church was
an inspiring feature of the services. Rev.
II. D. Maxwell read the scriptures and Of
fered prayer.
Mr., Leavitt's sermon was from the words
in the first epistle of John, third chapter,
third verse: "And every one that hath
this hope in him purifeth himself even as
he is pure" The teaching of the sermon
was the uplifting power, the inspiring,
saving help of definite hope, OF an earn
est purpose, of worthy ambition in life.
The thought in the apostles mind was
that every man who hopes to see God pre-
pares himself accordingly; he keeps him
self pure. ''even as that for which he hopes
is pure" Few things are more apt to
help man and hold him to his best than
desire to do something, or be something,
or possess something. Nothing gives us
confidence in a young man or woman like
finding that he or she has plans and hopes
for the future-is castle-building in these
present days for the time TO come. Every
father and mother knows that the time OF
anxiety is past when the child begins 10
have hope in itself. No one can tell how
many men have been saved by having this
hope in them, as the text puts it. Let the
youth beget in himself an ambition to do
something well in the future; let him have
a hope in him of making of himself some
thing that is worth while; let this hope
grow and possess him and all real danger
is past. The only people we shall have to
fear in the future are those who have no
hope in themselves. A high hope, liv-
ing, animating purpose OF whatever klnd
is an armor which wraps man about all
through his life, so that the arrows OF in
temperance and evil appetites and false
ambitions thrust him not Let man be
filled with a hope of righting a great
wrong, let him feel the chains of the ne
groes tearing his own flesh, let him feel
the hunger of the poor, let him breathe
the poisonous vapors of a saloon at every
corner-let any evil of his time rankle in
his soul, and that man walks the world
with an army in his single fist, and a
thousand shall fall at his side and ten
thousand at his right hand but it shall not
come nigh him. This is not an artificial
doctrine trumped up here for sermon.
You can depend on it being true. You
can use it as a fundamental axiom when
you are treating of human nature.
What is true of the individual is true
also of men in the aggregate-of the
church, the state, the political party. A
great hope, true purpose, purites and
uplifts false hope narrows and weakens
Real religion in man or woman, boy OF
girl, is that hope which makes them play
fair, that makes them chivalrous, that
makes them f-own at wrong and unkind-
ness, that directs the tone and temper OF
the life toward what is tender, and trusty
and true and unselhsh.
Those of you, my young friends, who
are thinking of yourselves as possible in
struments of God in the world have in you
hope that shall verify keep you pure. The
pith of my text and sermon are that he
who measures what he wishes to do by
what Christ would have done, who is dis
contented with himself as Christ would
have been discontinued with him; he whose
hope is to make his business, or his teach
ing, or his learning, or the household task,
or his life itself, gift worthy to be laid al
the feet of the eternal Christ-verily ev'
cry one that hath this hope in him purif'
eth himself even as He is pure.
Mr.. Crothers's Address.
On Monday evening the Unitarian
church was again filled with an audience
gathered to listen to the address to the
graduating class by Rev. S. NJ. Crothers Of
Cambridge, Mass, and to witness the for
NAL commencement exercises, The int
rior of the church presented pleasing ap
pearance with its decorations of ferns and
knots of flowers tied upon every pew. As
the guests arrived they were shown to theil
seats by members of the school-Misse:
Annie Leonard, Annie Richardson, Laura
Pentland and Helen Emerson-acting as
ushers. Spirited music was furnished by
Leitsinger's orchestra. Prayer was Offered
by Rev. E. B. Leavitt.
Mr. Crothers's theme was education as q
training of the mind to search for and
know truth. The process of education diff
fers from any other work upon which We
may enter in life. The child goes to schoo
unwilling and knowing not why all the
drill and discipline. He submits himself
to it because it is the will of his parents
and teachers. Were we to ask why Sc
much education there would be various an
swers. One might say because it is the
custom, the fashion. A haId-headed mar
of business might say that it gives the boy
or girl better chance to get living. Bu
the law of human society at its best is no
the law of the jungle. We live for some
thing higher than that we may kill and de
your one another and the strongest survive
The true end of education is the attemp
TO fit each one to live truly in the tru'
world; to develop character in the light o.
reality; to learn to feel the supreme value
of simple truth.
We think it easy 10 speak the truth
while it takes little skill and brightness
TO tell a lie. We speak in a patronizins
way of "a good honest fellow" as though
very term involved certain weakness
The fact is that simple downright honest!
is the grandest thing in the world. Trus
in the truth is a comparatively late devel
opment. People were pious long befor
they were honest. We are just beginning
to find out that one must study long ant
ponder deeply before he can speak the rea
truth. The problem of our lives is to lear
enough of this great universe to help us Il
live therein Alright
When we first begin our education W
try to get along easily; we memorize word
and phrases; we try TO twist facts to fit GU
own ideas; but ultimately we find that W
have got to accept facts just as they are
When you find the true scholar you find
man of open mind, broad, tolerant, read
TO accept all truth. Another mistake is T.
suppose that after so long time you hav