Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1901-07-31

in less than ten years. And yet grand
father always said drink never hurt
him any. he was one of these per-
sonal liberty fellows. He never thought
Of the possibility that might 20 to the
devil even if he didn't. It's possible,
though, that we shall meet In hell.
Maybe in Gods sight he's as much to
blame as am"
"Don't!' cried Edward, shocked at
the reckless, savage manner in which
Willis spoke. The sight Of the miser-
able face and the thought of Willis
possible future haunted him all the
rest of his college course.
God keep you from knowing any
thing about this feeling" said Willis
and came over to Edward.
Med, old boy, I'm going away, and
l may never see you again. l owe you
lot tor the way you've borne with
me, and I'll never forget it. You and
Freeda have prompted the best feel
ings l ever had Don't think too hard
of me, will you? l wish you'd write to
me once in awhile. Don't give me up.
even If l do seem to be past hope.
Maybe Wheaton's prayers will save me
yet"
Oh, Edward Blake, college student,
when the judgment day reveals the
secrets of the universe, will you see
then what you missed because you
were not a Christian? What might
you have said or done at this time to
save this poor soul if you had really
had some higher standard of life than
your cold, moral standard, that never
warmed your heart or fired your soul
to help save another soul? The Lord
open your eyes to see not only the
great opportunity you missed, but also
the great sin Of daring to live always
with no better purpose than the one
that has so far ruled you.
So he let Willis go, and 60 out Of his
life, at least for the time being, with
a kindly and even self reproachful
feeling, that in time became a vague
sort Of hope that he might not turn out
quite so bad as he himself said be
grandfather's sins was on him, how is
it that even then you do not yet re-
alize, either Of you, that there Is a
power even greater than hereditary
faint in the blood and that the blood
Of Jesus Christ the Son of God can
cleanse even that faint of that other
blood? For he is able to save to the
uttermost those that put their trust in
him.
And now the commencement season
was on, and Edward realized that he
was through his junior year, and in a
few days, as soon as the graduating
class had received their diplomas, his
own class would be entitled to the dig
nifed name Of seniors. He was not so
devoid Of imagination as not to be
quite deeply moved at the thought.
He and Freeda were now classified to-
gether, for, although she had entered
six months earlier, Edward had ar
ranged his course so as to make up
certain studies, and Freeda had drop
ped back part Of a year in order to
be with him and take special course
in music. So they were glad to think
Of the comradeship still possible for
them another year.
AS they sat together that commence
ment day and heard the charge to the
outgoing class they realized as never
before the value of their college life.
The president never said very much at
commencement Perhaps that is one
reason why the class that graduated
remembered a good many things and
carried them away with them.
1T would not be fair nor true to say
to you," continued the president after
giving the diplomas, that you had all
done the very best you knew how dur
ing your entire college course. You
yourselves know that you have neg
lected many opportunities and wasted
many important hours. You cannot
now help this, and am not going to
use this occasion to blame you for not
having made better use of your ad-
vantages.
"The question for you to ask now is,
What can do with what have gain.
ed in Hope college? AS you go out in
to the world you will find great many
temptations to use your intelligence
selfshly. A college bred man or wo-
man always is strongly tempted to be
more or less exclusive, growing farther
and farther from a knowledge of and
sympathy for the people. Will you let
me urge every one Of you to use your
powers developed here to get nearer
the people who have not had your ad-
vantages? If education does not mean
a brotherhood, If it does not mean the
strong bearing the infirmities Of the
weak, then it is not Christian; 1t is
pagan in it's selfshness and narrow
ness.
'There is Just one other thing want
you to feel at this time, and that is the
great first thing in all life. l mean the
Christian life. If every member Of
this class in the course of the next ten
years should forget every lesson he
ever learned in mathematics or chemis-
try or astronomy, the loss might be
great, but it would not necessarily be
vital nor fatal to life of great useful
ness. But if every one of you ten
years from now should forget and
cease to practice all the lessons you
nave been taught in Christian charac-
tsr and the value of truth and purity
and self denial and usefulness the loss
would be not only terrible, but abso-
lutely irreparable. All the things you
have learned in the whole college
course are not worth knowing without
the knowledge of God. Paul said that
II man had all knowledge, but did
not have love, it profited nothing; it
IT |TN} N II !