The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-06-12
TO CLEVELAND STUDENTS.
Rev. Homer G.. Ashcraft Addresses
the Graduating Class.


Rev. Homer Cicero Ashcraft, Of the
Grace M. e. church. yesterday morn
ing delivered a baccalaureate sermon
for the graduating class of the Cleve-
land high school. The service was at
tended by the twenty-five classmen and
many of their friends The. eighth grade
of the Lincoln school, in charge of Miss
Ella Walker, also attended the service
in body. Miss Ethyl I. Weimer gave
couple of solos. Rev. Ashcraft took
his text from I Cor. ILL.,. 9: rye are Gods
Building The speaker said in part:
AT time like this, conscious of the
choice you have made and the work that
has been necessary to bring yourself to
this sublime moment, it may be that you
have reached the conclusion that to this
time you have been the architect of your
own career. You may say I have not
seen God in any phase of my life.' But
the apostle says fYe are Gods Building
which may suggest the thought that you
are nothing and that God is everything.
1T Is easy for US to conceive that
neither God nor yourselves have been
alone in the development of your pres
ent character. but that both have work
ed together in the noblest endeavor con-
ceivable to the mind Of man, that of
shaping a soul which shall be both hui
man and divine. No teacher, no student
Is alone. The teachers, from kim
dergarten to high school here, each had
their part in the development of your
mental and moral life, and the success
of their efforts has been made public
only through your studiousness. rf:s.3
In the Central West a quarter of a
century ago, the sod house was the
abode Of man. but now in their stead
are to be seen residences with multipIic-
ity of rooms, the walls or which are dec
GRATED with scores Of artistic combina-
lions to please the most aesthetic taste
Here we have the illustration of the pos
sibility in character building.
''Old things pass away and behold all
things become new The earth of your
childhood has gone, the heaven OF your
childhood has disappeared. As boy,
full of youthful vigor, you mounted the
stick horse and made a race track out of
your fathers back yard AS q girl your
doll was the richest treasure you knew.
But note the change. The heaven of
your earthly childhood, so interesting and
80 awful in its lights and shades-the
cloudland wherein were seen great ami
mails walking in the air, and the rift
in the cloud we thought to be the OPEN
Ing through which God looked down on
all we did; the stars, Gods eyes; the
thunder, His yoice-these conceptions
have largely gone. And in the ascent of
knowledge we have come to know that
the myriads Of stars are suns, which are
the center of planetary systems like unto
our own, and we note unity In all their
movements, and behind all and above all
and underneath all and around all the
hand Of experimenting Providence, and
desiring to know the name Of the great
Master force, We go within ourselves and
ask the question, Who is this?" and tina
answer Is returned Cod
No thought is complete until 1t reach
es the source of all thought. knowledge
to be useful must have reference to the
source of all knowledge. OF what value
is your knowledge of botany If It does
not not lead you to discover the Lily Of
the Valley or the Rose of Sharon? WHY
study zoology if it does not lead us to dis
cover the Lion Of the Tribe Juda? In
your study of astronomical subjects, who
sweep the limits of creation with a tele-
scope IL 1t be not with a view of discov-
ering the bright and morning star? Why
puzzle over mathematical problems If the
study Of them will not lead you to the
solution Of the profoundest of all cues
tions, What will 1t profit a man If he
gain the whole world and lose his own
soul?' or to teach US to number our DAYS
to apply our hearts unto wisdom?"