The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1902-06-20
BacoaIauerate Address.

S~SeetoectSsS OeetSscs
On account Of the seating capacity
OF Christ Episcopal church being linn
tied to about five hundred, the offer Of
the Baptist church was accepted for
tn services Sunday evening when
the Rev. r o. Cooper preached the
baccalaureate sermon to the gradual
ing class of the high school. TIE
large auditorium was filed by thous-
and people, and the service was con-
Quoted accordiLe to the Episcopal
prayer book, the vested choir OF
Christ church rendering the musical
portions with Imuch spirit and effec-
tiveness. The solo, BLESSED Trim
ity," was sung with great express
sion by Miss Mary Lyon, who was ar
rayed in the robes OF an Episcopal
chOrister.
The rector-giving one Of the best
baccalaureate addresses ever heard
here-spoke in part, as follows:
Young people Of the graduating
class Of OwossO high school, my re-
marks will be addressed chiefly to you,
tonight. You are wealthy class
yes, rich in your possession Of youth,
health and high spirits. Who can
estimate the privilege Of being young,
as this twentieth century bursts upon
US with all Its mighty possibilities!
You are as athletes with feet set upon
the line and eager for the start. You
are as young recruits going into action.
The eye flashes its determination, the
heart throbs with hope, and your
whole being is aglow with inspiration.
Under these circumstances / have
selected, as basis for our thoughts
tonight, a few words of Holy Scripture
taken from the book Of Revelations,
pit. "He that overcometh shall in
herit all things" / do not believe
we are to confne the application Of
these words to the distant future and
to the visions of the heavenly Jerusa-
lem, for they are suggestive also Of
thoughts associated with the scenes
of this practical life we are now living
in the broad field Of the present world 8
activities. Mastery, therefore, is the
emphatic thought, and which seems
to me to be the absorbing one 10 this
age; and the mastery of self, and then
Of nature's forces, material and physi.
cal, moral and spiritual. We chain
the lightning, we direct the rushing
cataracts, we control the suns rays,
we penetrate the mountain base, grasp
ing the elements, as it were, for the
development Of further powers, and
thus making them vasSals OF human
will. For this mastery then OF life
and all things appertaining to it, you
will find it necessary to recognize and
lay hold Of your opportunities. They
are all about your pathway. They
come in one form or another to us all
and it is the man behind the oppor.
tunity who makes it look like one.
BY the envious and cynical it is called
only "a fortunate combination Of cir.
cumstances, but In reality it is the
man or the woman who has had sense
enough to see and lay hold OF condi.
tiOnS.
Be ambitious. True ambition is
that which is born Of God and nurtur.
ed upon the breast Of christianity.
st. Paul urged the Corinthians to "cov.
ct earnestly the best gifts" 1t is for
you to strive after the requirement OF
those powers in life by which you can
best glorify God, honor yourselves and
help the world.
The speaker here recited scene
from Shakspeare's drama, Henry
WILL" finishing with the memorable
and historic words OF Wolsey: Had !
but served my God with half the zeal
/ served my king, He would not in
mine age left me naked to mine ene-
miles,"
Anotherlrequisite in striving for the
mastery is the due recognition Of the
laws which govern life-thcse laws In
the midst Of which elive as physical,
moral and spiritual beings. Our Lord
and Maker asked the question; "Do
men gather grapes Of thorns, or figs Of
thistles?" And there is no more self
evident truth than that which we are
beingldaily taught, that Whatsoever
a man soweth that shall he also reap. "
Therefore, "Rejoice in thy youth, and
let thine heart cheer thee in the days
Of thy youth, and walk ia the ways OF
thine heart, and in the sight Of thine
eyes, but know thou, that for all these
things God will bring thee into judg-
ment." Be sure that for the use you
make OF these blessings God will call
thee to account. How often has some
habit formed in early years, some pre-
'judice, some belief or disbelief, some
evil tendency unchecked, been the
curse by which life's best efforts have
been crushed and the whole being cor
rupted.
Out In western valley some herds.
men were following their occur alton,