Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1901-06-24

~ meaning or all this is that il you,
inicl Is to become saint he must
chanse his nature; if your artist il r.
enange his picture. he must change his
character. All the art. science. phi,os.
ophy and culture will not change the
| thief or the artist, unless by willing
ana praying. tEcsc become a part ~
his life. Vi
| You must know that your final des-
| uny Is In your own keeping.
| ii TWO courses Of action are omen
10 you. ana che that corresponds Ia
your physical. mental and moral char
| "cter IS the likeliest one to be chosen
Inc human body is n chemical laboro
| Tory. tie mind is the unconscious
| chemist. The subtle delicacy and COM
Piex'ty OF the chemical TRANSFORMATIONS
which are ever succeeding each other
III the physical organism are unnnral-
| iected In the most exhaustive exner;-
ments of the best euuipped extern.,
, laboratories. This thought chemist. who
| does his work b-conscientiouslv and
IN secret. at last is known to ali tho
world in the finished product of q do
velopcd life. The moral as wen rs tho
physical life is under the control of tho
accumulated past of our lives. mr. in
other words. our inner spiritual livcs
make our choice and settle our destiny
forever. Thus you see why the suprcmc
purpose of.onr lives compels us to will
ana pray by--night and by day: to toll
ana sacrifice; to fight and contend
fiercely for truth and honor and lofty
ideals. IL willing secures to us the gifts
OF this life. praying secures for us the
gifts of heaven. Emerson has said
again: Two things are absolutely nee
essary, sclf-reliancc and God-reliance.
we must trust ourselves and we must
trust God. Self-reliance leads us to
make the most of self; God-reliance
leads us to make the most of self for
the sake of Others
There are three ways in which
judgement may be exercised in the
choice between alternatives. BY choice.
by pure reason and character: the last
Is something between pure reason and
chance. Chance is rejected and pure
reason is impossible; but character
the daily restraints. tempers. judg-
ments and impulses all focused into
one supreme master passion. all acting
with the rapidity of instinct-this
tllc ueClSlOIl. 30, 1neN-
itably and finally each human
soul by the momentum of it's
own acts will go down to irretriev-
able defeat or mount to glorious vic
tory. The life decides. False ideals and
principles once accepted by the indi-
vidual, will finally dominate the whole
being. They will make right thinking.
feeling and acting impossible. The
selfish. unprincipled. sinful life has
broken with nature. humanity and
God. To do right then. becomes as i'm
possible as for n fool to think the
thoughts Of Newton: as for a foam
heck to beat back the giant wave: or
for n speck of dust to defy the power
of the whirlwind.
Are you at the beginning? If you
decide now to stand for the best. if
you will pray for strength and wealth.
for learning, for culture, for political,
for commercial power. that YOU may
use these for those who have them not.
then there are no heights to which you
may not attain: no ambition you may
not realize, Learning in itself is no
more a true end of life than commerce
or politics or mere pleasure; the intel
iectual miseries, if anything, more to
be despised than the money miser. Ac-
uuisition must always be for the sake
of bestowing either knowledge or
things.
Young man. young woman, there is
rcthing that you and God cannot do;
therefore see to it that with all your
earnest determined, constant doing
and choosing the best things of earth.
YOU also. with as much earnestness
and determination constantly pray for
the gifts of God. He will give you the
strength and motive, the force and the
love that will endow earth's gifts with
a moral content and transform the
things Of earth into things of heaven:
things of time into things of eternity:
and convert all your possessions into
moral character.
~ willed and the sense was given
me- All, that's il. You have begun
yo,r education with the dctermina
ton to know the truth: you have re-
solved to take the straight and narrow
read and have turned from the down
yard way; you have taken the rough
and often rugged way and have decid-
ed to walk through it alone by frn
and steadfast willing Reward has thus
far come to faithful volition. You now
desire for education in the spiritual
world. where your senses are no longer
,.our teachers. but the Maker of the
senses. And that teaching you cannot
get by labor alone. but by petition only
- prayed and the Spirit of Wisdom
came upon me.
Members of the graduating class.
vour CITY has trained you these four
vears To become in your days of
greater strength, each one teacher
and a pattern in religion; decialmer
and doer Of justice in her courts or