The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-29
DR.. stage breaches
To THE GRADUATES
Commencement Sermon TO the
Birmingham Seminary
THE POWER OF EDUCATION
The Influence of an Educated and
PrincipIed Woman Is unques-
tlOnable-shs Should Be a
Light to Society.
The POWER OF EDUCATION

The Rev. Dr. John ". stagg.. pastor
of the First Presbyterian church. preached
the bacealaureate sermon to the gradu-
ates of the Birmingham seminary yester.
day morning at the First Baptist church.
The church was filled some time before
the time for service, and the partition
separating the Sunday school room and
the church was raised in order that the
full seating capacity of the building, which
is about 1900, might be used.
The entire membership of the seminary
attended in body The young ladies',
all wearing white, made an attractive ap-
pearanee. The choir formed of twenty
excellent voices from the seminary, rem
dered some very fine music, 1t being es-
pechlly effective on account of Its perfect
harmony.
DR.. stagg took his text from Matthew
5;1S and 14-"Ye are the aalt of the EARTH"
I'VE are the light of the world"
He said in part:
Here are two essentials of life. The
absence of either one will cripple, and the
absence of both will destroy life. Salt
is the preventer of putrefaetion and light
the preventer of corruption.
There has been time, among barbarons
tribes, when a bag of salt was worth
More than man. Life depended upon 1t
more than on any possession of the tribe.
Since the days when William Shakes
peare used to hold the lighted torch for
London theatregoers to find their way,
men have been learning the influence of
light on morals. The better a city is light
ed, the less the crime. Bad men love the
dark because foulness hates the light
When these two elements are used as
Jesus has used them in these texts, to
set out the influence of men ana women
on human life. here and now, they make
a powerful call to duty.
They are intended to teach that men
may actually have in them the purpose
and power to keep the worlds life pure
and prevent the coming In of the bad.
Salty men and women and a light-giving
citizenship are the two bulwarks of So
ciety.
Power of Education.
Those of you who take your place in
the world, after having had the privileges
of your college training, should feel that
enlightenment without influence is the
foremost kind of rubbish. 1t has cost ten
times as much to bring you where you are
today as 1t cost to educate the average
woman, and hundred times as much az
1t cost to rear a girl without an educa-
ton.
The day is past when education means
ornament, and the time has come when
1t means responsibility and when the
world expects you to pay for your cost
in saving and converting.
The greatest danger to any nation is
ignorance But especially is 1t true of
America. Our government Is complex and
our liberty is large. Nowhere on earth is
there such need for a self-controled peo-
pie as In this land.
Ignorance is easily appealed to, bad
men love 1t. Education Is the enemy of
all that menaces our institutions. Presi-
dent Eliot said the other day that he saw
in education the solution of all our prob
lens, north and south. We should pray
Gods richest blessing on every public or
private school anywhere In this union that
seeks to better equip the youth for llfes
battle.
1t Is no longer possible anywhere for
the unframed to stand against the trained.
1t Is Incumbent, therefore, to lift the
great mass of the people where corruption
cannot control and where their intellI-
gence will save them from the appeals
of designers who live at the expense of
the public good.
Those who have had the privilege of the
school ought to understand relationship
we'll enough to be governed by principle.
Just to be comparatively clean and up
right is not enough. If virtue is genuine
1t is worthy of better use Ii should
be used as salt or as light.
There are nriltitudes of our fellow-men
whose existence is dark, confused and bit
ter. Every great city contains centers OF
moral decay. Unrighteous practices In
business, licensed frauds and falsehood
in politics, vulgarity In art and literature
and journalism, false standards in So
ciai life. These are all signs of decay.
Woman's Influence.
And you as women of principle should
act on society as salt. In no other way
can you make life interesting, and sayory
and powerful. II we could look out
over the homes of this great city and
say In all of them dwell women of prin-
ciple, 1t would be impossible for things
to go far wrong down town where life
has its struggle and hustle.
Bind the elements of life together by
a profound faith in God and you make
a man or woman proof against the wrong
and untrue. OF those who have stood
for all that Is pure and of good report,
there have been women not a few. Are
you prepared" said Admiral Coligny to
his wife, Ito endure confiagration, flight,
agony, shame, nakedness and hunger,
and what is more, suffer all these in
your children? | give you eight days TO
reflect upon it," The reply was, THE
eight days are already expired, go sit
where duty calls. In the name of God
call upon to save your brethren or
lie In the attempt"
Jonathan Edwards was so poor that
he had to write his great essay on the
will. on pieces of wrapping paper. John
Fiske says he is the only king of thought
America has ever produced. His last
words to his daughters were TELL your
mother that such a union as ours here
must have a reunion in the beyond"
When John Watson tells of preaching
his first sermon in his birth place he
was so embarrassed that he omitted two
petitions in the Lords prayer. Neverthe-
less he smoke so good a word for his
master that an old Scotch woman, pass
Ing him on her way home. said: AYE,
I'M