Los Angeles herald., 1906-01-29
NORMAL CLASS HEARS
BACCALAUREATE SERMON
LESSONS DRAWN FROM PAUL IN
ATHENS
Rector of Christ Episcopal Church
Speaks to Graduating Glass Upon
Value of Religion in Facing the
Battles of the World

Rev. Baker P. Lee rector of Christ
Episcopal church preached the bacca-
laureate sermon yesterday morning be-
fore the winter graduating class of the
state normal school,
The long line of pretty girl graduates
class, and the members of the faculty.
and occupied reserved seats at the
front of the auditorium.
Rev. Mr.. Lee took for his topic Paul
in Athens" and preached forceful SER
mon, applicable to the young students
just leaving their Alma mater He said
i'll part:
ut is an old old story that | bring to
and as new as those same stars are and
as new as they will be to your chill
dren's children-the old, old story of
the fatherhood of God as shown in the
brotherhood of man.
Here in Los Angeles, this match
less city which God has given us, there
are more idols today than in Athens
more cults, fads and fancies, and like
the Athenians of old we run after ev-
erything new. We have greed lust,
ambition, envy and malice. Unless
in your lives, you have gone back to
the paganism of long ago.
ut is not to argue with you, nor
compare you young ladies to the beauty
of our wonlanhood that 1 shall speak.
I shall not give you predigested food
nor matted milk.
paul, back in Tarsus, removed the
veil from the unknown god. Would
that had the power to pull aside the
realize that the education that leaves
out Jesus Christ. just that much will
IL never attain the divine fullness. L
hope before many years that that old
book, that grand volume we know as
the Holy Bible, will have a professor
in every college, who shall teach 1t as
the most beautiful literature we have.
Why one branch of the holy church
should object to the Bible being taught
in the public schools is more than 1
can see.
Paul met both sides of human life.
The school founded on the principle
that the greatest good is In the great
est pleasure and the greatest happiness
led a chase Otter amusement that be-
came liberty and license The other
stood for bravery in self sacrifice, and
how easily that led to the hard, stern,
astute and unsympathetic. Christ
joins the two in perfect life and has
made of the grave simple vestibule
to the life that follows
"Woman owes her station in life to-
day to Christianity The first person
converted in Europe was a woman.
and / honor her and through her all
womanhood. You have the magnificent
womanhood that always repels sin and
It will keep you. You need not always
be before an altar II you have that
within which viii keep the SCOT from
sticking.
"The religion of your grandparents
Is not for you. You young people must
have good time. Dance and go to the
best theaters and take the enjoyment
that God meant for you to have, and
IL you can thank God for 1t the physical
pleasure and the little mental exertion,
there cannot be wrong in 1t.
Some of us seem to think God fool
ish, childish, to be trampled on. ig-
nored, cursed and blasphemed and at
last to allow him, i'm the most patron
izing way. to save our poor little souls.
God is a God of justice.
would you have Confucianism and
make the world a vast Chinese en-
pire. In Buddhism there is no hope
and Judaism is but remlniscence. a
promissory note 1000 years overdue.
LET this one thought go through
life with you, that Christ will be your
personal friend. Let us dare TO think
our humanity so sublime as to make 1t
perfect to God"