The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-05-26

\ nearer to us, the Bishop of Asheville
land the Bishop of East Carolina. we
looked upon them; we fondly sup
posed that we should have on this oc-
casion words Of elOquence and Of WIS
dom from them. But less regardtul
i''"r we're our brethren from the
they. too, have left with no
tssr cxhortated for us-and they
only as the remembrances OF
"a ssucsl that tarrieth but a night! we
are left to manage our commencement
as best we may without the pleasure
or the assistance which We had antlcl-
pated i'm the presence of our brethren,
Episcopal clerical or lay, of South
Carolina, East Carolina and AsheVllle.
"You remember the story OF the
farmer and the lark. The young
larks in the nest heard the farmer
planning to reap his barley the next
dav by the help of his friends and
neighbors and when the old lark re-
turned in the evening, she found her
young ones clamorous to remove az
once to safer quarters. The wiser
bird. however. thought that she might
safely defer the matter, so long as
the farmer was depending on ms
neighbors to do his work Tor hlll'
Sure enough the next day came out
no neighbors appeared with Shafpened
Gil
son that they must the next day call
on their kinsfoIks to help in the har-
vest since their friends and neighbors
have failed them, and again the young
larks begged their parents to remove
i'm haste before the morrow. But the
kinsmen proved no better reliance
than the friends and neighbors. The
third evening the young birds have to
report to the old ones that the farm
er and his son, despair of getting any
help, and propose harvesting the bar
lev themselves in the morning. Now,
my children. said the mother bird, we
must be moving. When a man gets
to the point of doing his work him
self it will be done | suppose we
must make up our minds to do our
commencement work as best we can
ourselves, thankful if we have help
and contented if We have not.
81 will venture 70 draw from this
q lesson for the class of, 1905, and for
all the pupils of the school. We
should not undervalue others, nor neg
lect the help they can be to us in
many ways. But after all we must
learn to depend upon ourselves. We
are wonderfully helped and guided
and protected and influenced for good
by others, but there is in us an ele-
ment of personal freedom, RESPONSE
bility, duty and upon this personal
element we build our lives. We, per-
hans. underestimate the influences eX-
ecuted upon our lives and characters,
and careers by providential causes be-
yond our control We are largely I'M
conscious of their operation and con-
troll. and shape our destiny more that
we know-and yet in spite of all this,
If is also true that we are what we
determine for ourselves. We may
not be able in our philosophy to re-
concile these two things, our per-
sonaI freedom and the controlling
power of providence, yet we know
that both are true; and we feel in our
hearts that we have within us the
power of determining that at least
our lives shall be pure and true and
good, whether they are worldly sue
ceSSes or not.
preach a beautiful sermon on the
words of the prophet; He planteth
an ash, and the rain doth nourish it,
There are the two elements in life:
Gods providence and mans respon-
sibility. He planteth an ash. IT the
man had not planted it, it would not
have been there. ''The rain doth
nourish it, God supplies the rain and
the great sunshine and all the other
conditions of growth and develop
ment.
so | say to you as the one lesson
I have for you today-remember that
YOU have within your own power the
essential character of your life and
work Do your part and God will
supply what is needed to make you
grow up into what he would have you
to be.
az have one or two things to say,
which I am sure will be of more JIM
terest to this audience than any re-
hections or ideas of mine. Eight
years ago the trustees of st. Mary's
School purchased the school property
for the agreed price of $4,000. We
did not have the money to pay for it,,
and many wise and good men thought
that we were assuming too great a.
burden by undertaking to pay such q
price. l am happy to say that by a
payment of $4,000 made yesterday, at
least the check was to have been
mailed yesterday-the debt of $4,000
has been reduced to $1,000, and the
treasurer lacks only $40 of having
another 81 900 to pay UP on the debt,
and some may safely anticipate the
reduction of the debt to $4,000
within few days. This is a result
for which we are ourselves most
grateful. We thank God and take
courage. Besides. we have spent
more than $4,000 in the permanent
improvements and enlargement of the
buildings and appliances of the
school. For the accomplishment of
this great result all have co-operated
the rector and teachers of the
school, the masters and the alumnae.
This beautiful chapel in which we
are assembled, which so fittingly il
Illustrates the growth and prosperity of
st. Mary's is the work of the alumnae.
They became responsible for its cost,
and they are still at work to complete
their generous purpose.
81 have another thing to say: The
Rev. DR.. Niles, of Trinity church. Co
lumbia, S. c.. who preached the COM
mencement sermon last Sunday, was
SO much pleased with what he saw,
and feels such an interest in this
girls school of all the Carolinas, that
he offers as a prize a gold medal to
be given next year to that girl who
shall attain the highest mark for
scholarship throughout the year.
Most of you doubtless have heard
of the municificent gift of Miss
Eleanor Clement. late of Germantown,
Pa. an old pupil and life long friend
of ST Mary'S. She leaves to us a spe-
oific honest of S5 600 for the establish