Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1903-06-06
SERMON
Delivered Last Night by Dr.. Hoff-
helms at Christ Reformed Church.
ABLE AND ELOQUENT ADDRESS
Graduating Class Of High School and Teach
ers and Pupils Hear Words Ct Advice
and Encouragement

members of the graduating class OF the |
Nartinsburp High school was deliver
ed Sunday night by DR.. Hoffheins at
the s O'Clock service at Christ Reform
ed church, before an audience which |
comfortably filled the spacious auditor
ium. There were present IN addition
to members of the board. the teachers
and the members of the class and their
families and friends, MANY of the pu-
NILS and patrons of the schools, to whom
the baccal aureate sermon is an annual
event.
DIR. Hoffheins greeted the sixteen
younp ladies of the class and their one
lone companion OF the Steiner sex. and
expressed the profound sense of honor
he felt and the pleasure it atT arded him
to address the graduates on thah occa-
sion. He said as once school boy
himself he could appreciate the JOY
they felt in the relief, for awhile at
least. from taskmasters and the ire
ouent examinations of school life. Yet
he would that he were boy again. to
live over his school DAYS. Verify they
are the heydey Of life, thrilled with
an exhuberance of spirit known only
TO the young The years of youth. of
girlhood and povhood, are largely the
prophesies of future manhood and
womanhood. the enrichedisoil in which
grow among the fiowerings of earth
what is known the world over as the
American beauty, and the sturdy. ma
jestic manhood. developed into the
highest type Of American citizenship
the solid foundation upon which are
built the noblest structures Of living
temples both in church and state.
Dr. Hoffheins reviewed the school
life of the class ND to the present time.
and said: But you have reached that
stage of life's DEVELOPMENT when you
have done with the public school as
your teacher and trainer. You have
attained unto that degree of scholar
ship bevond which the public High
school does not pretend to carry Won.
Yet few days and you will bid fare
well to the board. your teachers and
schloomates. and with the award of
diplomas to the effect that you have
completed the course prescribed. your
names will be enrolled among the grad.
auates of the city High school. What
then? Surely it is an honor TO have
your names so enrolled. But is this
your highest ambition? Is it for this
alone YOU have toiled, is the goal
reached? You answer no. What then?
The commencement of a larger work
in wider field. AS take it, this SER
mon, if you please so to call it, is to
be not simply an expression of congrat-
ulation, nor vet of fulsome praise.
While do sincerely congratulate you
and praise you for the work done, / feel
that would not be true to nv APP
pointment. and through it my relation
to you. did / fail of word of caution
and OF encouragement to you as YOU
ARE about to enter upon life's weightier
responsibilities and it's wider sphere
of effort. You have done with the
classroom. but not with the broader
range of the worlds lite.
Life has it's two sides--a positive and
negative, right side and wrong. a
true and false. Because of it the
wisdom of the wise lays stress upon
holding fast in the one and stunning
the other. The ideal of life as some
set it before them, and of which they
are wont to boast. which vet con-
sists only in self-restraint, is not doing
that which is forbidden, is of char
aoter of goodness at best but mere
negative--a very travesty on life's true
meaning and purpose. Its distin-
guishing marks are that these neither
swear. nor drink. smoke nor chew, some
adding to the list of evils of which |
they are not guilty that they don't |
lie or cheat. Let their list of donts |
double their number, what is gained |
of positive goodness and of moral char |
acter and worth? To keen oneself |
unsDotted from the world, from the
doing of evil things is indeed as il
should be. But this sort of building
of merely negative character, does
not after all make the true ideal man.
the man after the pattern of Him who
came working all righteousness no.
not any more so than he who never
touches brush to the canvas becomes
a skilled painter. 1t is not the keep
ing of oneself from that which works
harm, but the doing of that which
works good. in the spirit and after
the example of the man Jesus. who is
called Christ. the tvpal man, whose
meat and drink was to do the will of
Him that sent Him. and in the full
fllment OF that will in all righteous
ness. went about continually doing