The Greeley tribune., 1904-06-09
BE SINCERE
THAT IS The ADVICE OF
PROF. COPELAND.
Part of Address Delivered to
Greeley High School Grad
uating Class before De-
livering Diplomas.

Following is in part the address
delivered by Prof. A. B, Copeland
to the graduating class OF the Gree
ley High school last Thursday even
ing: SN --.-,
My dear young friends OF the
class of 1904: Before handing you
these diplomas in behalf of the scnool
board, | wish to congratulate you
upon the successful and honorable
completion of your High school
course wish Furthermore to bear
testimony on this occasion and be-
fore this audience to YOUR gentle
manly and ladylike conduct as mem
bers Of the school during the pur-
suance of your course. AS class
you have left record for right con-
duct which augurs well for the quail
ity CT your future citizenship.
'About half Of your number l
have known from infancy and nearly
all | have seen take the successive
steps of promotion from the first
grade to the step you are now about
to take; and as you 90 out from US
to face other experiences | assure you
it is not matter of Indifference to
me what you may be and do in the
years to come While | know full
well that you have largely settled
this question by the habits and char
acters you have already formed, |
have faith to believe that such words
of admonition as l may speak to you
tonight will be factors OF some i'm
portance in its final solution. But
do not forget that responsibility at
tends upon opportunity. Yous oppor-
tunities are vastly superior to those
Of the great majority Of the human
family.
Il think l do not need to apol.
oglze for making specific mention Of
some OF the obligations that rest
upon you ny virtue Of your opportun-
tiles. | admonish you to shun de-
grading habits OF every kind whether
they be habits that directly pollute
the soul or those that blight and
wither the soul by polluting the
body; these bring only sorrow and
shame in the end, while purity of
life and conduct make for peace and
happiness and long life. Shun the
Of oh
yourselves strong to meet the tempta
tiOnS you cannot avoid
Be sincere. Make no professions
that are not clearly and strongly re-
flected in your lives. No mere pro-
fession of Christianity can success
fully hide the deformity of an un-
Christian life-a life given over to
falsehood, dishonesty and injustice.
Hypocrisy has always been one of
the besetting sins Of humanity.
Jesus encountered it, and denounced
it in the most scathing terms. The
temptations to hypocrisy were then,
as they are now, constant and pCWer-
tul, vet no amount of temptation can
excuse it or counteraCt its blighting
influence. 1t is futile TO steal the
livery of heaven to serve the devil
in. " 1t can not deceive the ALI
Wise; it cannot defeat the Almighty.
The virtues and beauties of Christian
character shine out through the life,
not through the professions. Pro-
feSsions are not to be despised OF rid
icuod of themselves, but they surely
diScredit themselves if tney are not
consiste with the life.
In all the relations Of life, do
your duty, honesty, earnestly, con.
sCientiOusly and fearlessly. If your
home life and your school life have
not already made you sensitive to
the call of duty, then have they
failed in one of their chief functions,
and you are started upon life's jour
ney seriously handicapped. Without
this early acquired responsiveness to
duty's call, you can not achieve sue
cess that is worthy of the name.
Without it you are the constant vic
tim Of the temptation of cowardly
evasion OF duty.
If you would he successful in the
best sense of the word, be men and
women Of conviction and never leave
anyone in doubt as to where you
stand on any question of right and
wrong. Every firm stand you take
for right and duty will make you
strnnunr for the next encnunter