Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1905-06-23
mo CROSS, NO CROWN"
Commencement Exercises the Opera House This Evening
Close Busy Week for Alma High School.
BaccaIaureate Address by Rev. h. S. Higgins.
Reception the Seniors Tuesday Evening and the Senior Class Day
Exercises at the High School Were Enjoy able Events

The trump of heraldry the pomp Of power
And all that beauty all that wealth & or gave
Await alike the inevitable hour
The paths OF glory lead but to the grave.
Is life frivolty and dissipation; No
for these carry with them the seeds of
decay and death. Carthage, superb
republic 800 years before Caesar was
born, was precipitated into ruin and
almost oblivion, more by the unbridled
dissipations of its citizens than by the
victorious depredations of the Roman
legions. The great life is joyful life
but not frivolous Christ attended the
marriage feast at Cana as we'll as he
stood by the tomb of Lazarus. Let us.
young friends, distinguish between
healthy enjoyment which rests mind.
body and soul and dissipation which
dissipates and wastes our very best
energies and faculties.
Is life even education? Then to how
few would life be a reality. Education
IN ieheth and en- 'argeth lie. bat life
must be a larger term. Thousands are
denied what you and l enjoy tonight.
rs far a. books are concerned many of
Us are better educated than our Master
himself was when living here on this
earth. If education were life. then
Athens, the ancient city of art and
culture, would today continue For
consider what great educators and
thinkers lived IN the same country
Miltiades, Pericles, Euripides, Socrates.
Plato Sophocles and Phidias one has
wisely remarked, If culture and art
are the secret of life, the Parthenon
would not be in ruins nor the Areopagus
forgotten. - Angeles disappointed
shrek at his marble statute, "Why
don't YOU speak to me-" is the impa-
tient cry of all who seek for the riddles
answer i'll mental achievement only
No, life is not any of these nor even
all of them combined. They may make
up much of Ones life, but if the secret
is really found, they will occupy sub
ordinate place. What then. is life?
Seven centuries before the Christian
era voice was heard among the
wandering Israelites chiding the people
IN rythmical cadences for their forget
fulness of duty. The wierd prophet in
authoritive tones inquired What doth
the Lord require of theeo" His own
answer TO his question contains the
solution of the riddle Of life: do
justly; love kindness, and walk humblv
with thy God Members of the class Of
1908, want to commend these three
virtues for your consideration and prac-
tice This do, and thou shalt live"
Do justly Justice for the living
Justice for the dead Justice to thy
God! Justice for thy neighbor Justice
10 thyself. This above all, ITO thine
own self be true, and it must follow a.
the night the day thou canst not then
be false 10 any man" Crown upon the
throne of your heart the God of
justice. Let your character be unim-
peachable in this respect. Let neither
friend nor foe. money, life or death
make you otherwise Whether in the
home as one who rocks the cradle. or as
merchant, teacher or judge, do Justly.
To serve your fellow men, you do well
If You act wisely and justly, for this
involves sacred sense of duty. No
greater honor can pc paid you than for
friend and foe alike to respect your
justice.
Love kindness. This is more than
duty This is benificence and benevo-
lence. This is that which was said of
Christ "He had compassion on the
multitudes." BE the good Samaritan
and not perfunctionary Levite. Like
your master, find way through justice
to the path of mercy and kindness.
There is no broader field for human use
fulness than the worlds need of kind
ness. At your door stands the poor and
destitute; yyour side lives the lonely,
the sad, the forsaken. And who can
better minister unto these than youy
Your education, your cheerful youthful
hearts fit you in a peculiar manner for a
work which is akin 10 the work of
angels If your education has been
what it ought, it has quickened your
sympathy and put you in touch with
the work of relief of mankind. Educa-
tion should enable you the better to
minister to your fellow men. And
friends, if for any reason we should be
denied admittance to an Office where we
can directly serve our generation, still
there is a very useful place for each of