The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-05-23
COUNTING THE COST
Subject of Rev. 1hayers
BaccaIaureate Sermon.
AUDITORIUM WAS FILLED
With Friends of Wichita's
Public Schools.

sermon. The room was lastly decorated
with plants and class colore, while over
the platform was hung the class motto,
out of the harbor into the sea- The
seats in the immediate front were re-
served for the class of 1899 and the mem
bers of the High school faculty and the
school board. The large Auditorium was
WE'LL filed. The music was furnished by
the Plymouth quartette, with Miss Helen
Fisher as organist. The quarteJte rem
dered two beautiful selections, "Jubilate
Deo,' by Corbin, and The King OF Love-
by Shelley. Mrs H. ". Wilson sang
Dudley Bucks Fear Not, Ye Of Israel"
Mr.. Thayer took as his text Luke 14:33.
Likewise. whosoever he be you that for
saketh not all that ne hath he cannot be
my disciple
This language was intended to repress
the people who were too hastily following
Jesus. Let a man count what goodness
counts. The builder must see if he has
enough to finish his tower. The king
must not go to war till he estimate his
forces. So let every man reckon what
manhood costs. The would-be piano player
must surrender all for success. The youth
cannot give less than all to his beloved.
Authority in science requires complete
surrender to the field of enquiry, and the
Christ must die to save men. There is
the lesson of rejecting. just as important
as that of using. Today the emphasis is
to be put upon poverty. not upon riches.
We shall hear of restraint rather than of
liberty, of sacrifices and not of self.
And this is not an arbitrary method
chosen by Jesus, but the application of
large principle to be used everywhere
The text will not lead to the Ascetics
cave, but to the kings throne
For consider what is meant by the word
disciple" Surely it does mean to be
Christian. There is no basis for life ex-
cept Christ. The first consideration of
manhood Is self-surrender. love of others
and whatsoever We are TO DE in this world
we are to reckon that we are not here
for our own good.
But the disciple is more than a Chris
tan in name. Some people are good gen.
orally, but not good for anything in par
ticuar. Some have been well taught by
good teachers, but have not learned any
great lesson. The disciple must know one
thing intensely; his goodness must seek a
particular thing.
Then this discipleship must look to
equipment. The disciple" is a learner:
he must have knowledge and training.
This is the day for the trained man, and
experience has proved that the farther
- IL oS
higher learning the better his chances for
success.
Discipeship may be defined as equipment
for some particular part Of the respon-
siblity of perfect manhood
With this idea OF manhood we look at
the conditions in the teaching Of Jesus,
"Forsake all that he hath" Good things
cost The soldier cannot be recluse. The
politician cannot live in ease. The good
man cannot revel in wrong.
Let US distinguish between wrong and
hindering. Nothing Is wrong in itself
Every creature IS good" if 1t is in its
place. It is wrong when out of its place.
There are many delightful things. inno-
cent things in the world, but they hinder
your noble service. Mrs. Siddons would
leave her hotel flied with the passion OF
the character she was 70 enact in the
theater What harm that she should stop
to receive congratulations and praises Of
her friends? These were innocent and de-
lightful, surely but such hindered the
passion she was 70 have IN the play. and
to her such were an offense. You would
be a poet. an artist. you cannot then be
numbered with politics or business. The
violin is innocent, but in the hands Of
Nero before burning Rome it was out Of
place.
We must confess the fact OF limitation.
I should Ike to know all art. all history.
all science. all h1osophy-everythin4 and
In perfection, but just cannot. / am too
small
We must honor the fact Of surrender.
This good age Of ours IS due 70 suffering.
You recall Winters lines:
Never on customs oiled grooves
The world to higher levels moves,
But CRATES and grinds with friction hard,
On granite bowlder and hinty shard
The beast must bleed before II feels.
The pool be troubled before it heals.
Even by Losses the RICH: must gain.
Every good have its birth in pain"
There Is A time when We may reckon
that we are strong IN that which We can
refuse
Consider also the contrast ot restraint
and liberty. Says NJ Rustin: "Of the
Two abstract ideas. restraint ard liberty
the glory & always w.th restraint -
why" SAYS Alfred Momeri. as poetry
more beautiful than prose- Because az
restraint. Way e the good man roaler
than the bad man? Because az restraint.
The devil can do anything that God can
10. do.
Restraint means Intensity. The stream
in rhe ditch On the mountain side va
sluggish and unsuEgestlve untH we sax
Il dropped through a auue ;hres hundred
feet and forced through a great nozie..
Then L was made 20 tear away re SIDE
q a rocky alI % sa-vs n placer Hia.az.
Ard = counting che cest XIV a,s3 me
worth q pova-tv- Poverty means con
5d31 OF wan In the soai: Z does 10,
necessarily reter % tae material CIR
6.r.ou. Buddhism T5ul5 rgle o1t al zzn:.
Christianity makes ore . zz1t ererv
good talEE that s. - sanctsaes van
TIE condition. p Eart n TO- s,oi e.
Gods op7o-ruz.-y- Progress has alxzyz
been through Ias l5Ely ard resay. T1zs
T.oEeI says.
Not first OF rz1are q es-bss-as srrs
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