The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1903-06-09
57TH COMMENCEMENT
NEWBERRY COLLEGE.
MARKING CLOSE OF VERY SUCCESSFUL
SESSION.
BaCcalaureate Sermon aud Address To The
StudentS,--Other Commence
ment Events.

on Sunday morning with the baccalau
reate sermon by the Rev. G. E. Welt
ner, of Augusta, Ga, marks the close
of one of the most successful sessions
in the history of the institution. The
total enrolment has been one hundred
and sixtyfour, and the graduating class
is the second largest which has com.
pleted the course, numbering twenty.
two, four of whom are young ladies'.
The very successful work and the re.
newed energy and activity of the college
during the past session, have been a
source of great pleasure and gratlfica-
tion to the Lutherans throughout the
South, whose pride is Newberry College.
The proposed new building for use for
recitation rooms, society halls, etc., the
movement for which was begun at the
recent meeting of the Synod at Little
Mountain, has been practically assured.
DR.. Cromer, during his canvass of a
part of the field, secured in cash and
subscriptions something like $4,000 of
the $4,000 required. There have been
fzany other indications of progress.
All this is very encouraging to the
friends of the college everywhere, and
they regard this annual commencement
as one of themos important mile-stones
| along her march of progress.
The commencement opened with the
baccalaureate sermon by the Rev. c.. E.
Weltner, on Sunday morning. The SER
vices were held in the opera house. The
various city churches were closed, and
as is always the case on commencement
occasions in .Newberry, the large build
ing was filled to its capacity. For New
berry College, the pride of the Southern
Lutherans, is especially the pride of
Newberry.
The exercises were conducted by the
Rev. w. L. Seabrook, who read the
scripture lessons for the day. An ear
nest prayer was offered by the Rev. S.
II. Hallman, d. D.
THE BACCALAUREATE SERMON.
Rev. Mr.. Weltner announced as his
text the 33d verse Of the sixth chapter
of Matthew: "Seek ye first the king
dom Of Gcd and his righteousness, and
all these things shall be added unto
YOU" We are reminded today Of the
first and greater commencement oc-
casion, held not in building made with
hands, but in Gods great cathedral.
The music was furnished by the choris-
tess of the forest, and the great audience
stood reverenr because twelve men had
entered the school of the apostles. The
speaker was humanity's great teacher.
He touched upon all the great branches
of learning-of physics, mineralogy of
sociology. And he sums up all his say
ing in one sentence Of supreme impor-
tance: "Seek ye first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness, and all
these things shall be added unto YOU"
In keeping with the spirit of this text
and of this beautiful occasion, let us
mediate upon the theme drawn from
the text: ''How to succeed" And we
let the text make it's own divisions
first, into human division; second, into
divine addition.
Success comes not by blind chance 1t
is the crowning glory of an effort, and
this definition places the credit where it
should be upon the individual making
the effort. But faith and prayer and
activity must be used.
By human division you must succeed.
You will not always have the same
quantity to be divided, but the dvisor
will remain the same if you are true
men and women. All the difficulties
in life must be divided by three: This
divisor is Gcd, others, and |.
'Seek ye first the kingdom of God"
etc., has been turned by some into
''seek ye first wealth. and all things
shall be added unto you." All Of us
are seeking something. Young women
and men, always be careful that you
centre your thoughts upon the right OBJ
Ject to be sought. Life looks happy
and bright just now, but there are
| other things than the Immediate ncccs-
sites which you must seek. You must
steer further than tomorrow. | say
unto you that if ye seek first the king
dom Of God all things will be added unto
you. Seek We first: In the race which
you arr going to run, the laurel wreath
stands at the end awaiting the victor.
Around is a cloud Of witnesses. God in
heaven and the angels and the re-
deemed are looking on. Your friends
are looking on, and they are the cloud
| of witnesses. Many a mothers heart
has beat hard today and many a faith
er's brow has knit because they know
not if you will make the mark. Young
women and men, as the general direc-
tion of an England-bound steamer is
east, SO is your general direction God
ward. If it is not, your college course
has been in vain. You have two main
objects in life to spread the kingdom
of God, and so to live that your lives