The sun., 1900-06-11
MILITARY CADETS
ADN0N|SHED BY
THE ARCHDEACON
Rev. George C. Hall Delivers
Baccalaureate Sermon TO
Military Academy.
TO PLAY A WORTHY PART
Archdeacon Hall as He Addressed
the Graduates and 80 Students
Wore Beautiful Surplice,
the Gift of One of
His ParishiOners.

lHe DacclauTehte sermon TO tine graQu-
ating class of the Wilmington Military
Academy was delivered in st. Johns
Church yesterday morning by Arch
deacon George @. Hall. The class of 1900
composed of John Gerry Dobbins, Vic
tor dupont, Alexander Bradshaw Cooper,
Jr., Harry Heron johnson, and Charles
lngersol Cause, together with other
cadets of the academy, in all 50, were
present attired in the handsome dress
uniform of the institution.
The sermon was a most appropriate
and eloquent one. DR.. Hall took for his
text: lst Kings %, "Be Thou Strong
Therefore, and Shew Thyself Man."
This" he said, twas the charge of
father to sou. David, the great Hebrew
king, felt that his days were drawing to
a close. He therefore laid last injunc-
tion to his son. These we're times OF sor-
row for David. An element that added
to the sadness OF the occasion was the
youthhood of Solomon, one writer says
he was about u years old, and Josephus
places him at IA years. While the
fathers powers were ebbing away, the
sons powers were just developing.
"Another element that added to the
seriousness of the occasion was the times
and the condition of the country. Solo
mon was to succeed to the throne and
David knew what momentous tasks were
at hand for him. There were forces at
work in the kingdom that threatened to
destroy it. There was danger from
without also.
''Since Solomon was to wear the crown
and direct the destinies of the most in
fluential nation in the world his father
very properly enjoined upon him to
show himself a king and be an ideal
monarch like the one whose picture
Moses had sketched. David had been a
great general but in his dying injunction
to his son did not directly or indirectly
say that he wanted him to be a great
field marshal.
"Great stress is laid on the nation one
belongs to. If Torn in the Rhine coun-
try, one must show himself to be a Ger
man; if born subject of Queen Victoria,
an Englishman, and if born in this coun-
try, an American. This same spirit had
as large place in the nation David gov
erned, but he still, as his end APP
preached, did no1 call upon his eon
to call himself Hebrew and be true to
the history and tradition of lis people.
He reaiz ID that what his son needed
most was to show himself man."
DIR. Hall stated that Solomon in his
injunction to his son had in mind par
ticularly moral and physical strength.
"Solomon saw that what his son needed
was faith in God and obedience to His
will, and il he would walk in His way
be would prosper in all that he under
took.
"Parents nowadays do not see this
question as Dayid did. They have in
mind only the culture of their children,
both bodily and mentally. They see
that their sons enter the best schools, but
overlook the great element needed in
life's warfare. They put the study q
Shakespeare on one hand as the great
work Of modern literature, but on the
other hand neglect the Bible, which
they should make as lamp unto their
feet.
Recently in one of our leading Jour
nails saw an article headed Ignorance
of the Bible The president of one OF
our leading universities some time ago
selected from Tennyson's poems refer
ences from Scriptural events. Among
them we're
"1-'My sin was of thorn among the
thorns that girt the brow
''2-'As Mamma in My Wilderness
''3-'Aud strike the hard, hard rock
and { b nee, sweet in their utmost bitter
ness W uld issue tears of penitence'
''4-'Ruth among the fields of corn
"5-'Perhaps like Him Of Cana in
Holy Writ, cur author kept his best til
the last.
Familiar and obvious az these refer
ences were, nine out of the thirty -four in
the Freshman class did not understand
the crown of thorns,' sixteen were ig.
norant of the significance of striking the
rock, nineteen never read the story ol
Ruth, twenty-four knew nothing OF
Christ's first miracle. They were SONS
of c'ergymen, lawyers, teachers, mer
chants, etc. All but one had church al
ti,iations. Snch facts make it plain that
the Bible is no longer read as it once
was, although more widely circulated.
DR.. Hall admonished the graduate,
that as they stand on the thresholds ~
the world they should determine
make position, fame and wealth, lax
only end of their life, but III years tC
come show themselves not governors
jurists or business men merely but mel
no matter what their spheres Of life may
be. He said many man has burieC
his manhood in his business and many 8
poor slave dug his grave with a wine cur
for the spade. Be strong therefore Ii
your age and the country whose fl ,g il
the beautiful taesman Of the free arc
the b'ave and requires that you play
| worthy part"
The benediciion was pronounced by
Bishop Go emun. Or. Han wore for th'
! fl st '''"" . basH'ifn ~u'plicp, the gil! @
Uno "a -iIs patisiIIunels.