Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1906-06-12
HIGH SCHOOL COMMENCEMENT
Part of the Weeks Program passe,,

The commencement program of the
high school started with the inni,r.
senior banquet, June l, which was
well planned and executed affair 10
say the least. The second event was
'ne oaccalaureate sermon, given at the
FIRST congregational church Sunday.
June 10, by Rev. P. S. knight. The
sermon was given in a most interest.
ing manner, and it has been said by
not few that it was the best of the
kind ever given in Salem. 1t is as
follows:
Baccalaureate address to the first
graduating class of the Salem high
school, delivered June 10, 1906. Text
Psalm 97:4, "Delight thyself also in
the Lord, and He shall give thee the
desires of thine heart"
There are many things in which the
young heart delights. Yet, many pure
beautiful and worthy things. But af
ter list is made of all the delightful
things that the eyes can see or the
hands can handle even of all that the
uninspired mind can fathom or com
prehend-there is an ":also." 1t i,
suggested by the text:
"Delight thyself ALSO in Jehovah. y
And what great promise fol
lows: "He shall give thee the De-
SIRES of thine heart"
Aspiration is the first result if in
spiration. And by inspiration I mean
the spiritual stirring that may come
to every soul. The soul once breathed
upon cannot rest. 1t is filed with de.
sires- aspirations. The soul moved by
the Spirit desires to be something mob
lr, to do something more worthy. Al
first it may be blind desire. The
soul is conscious of want, but knows
not where nor by what it may be sat
| isfed. 1t is a condition of spiritual
unrest.
In sheer self defence the trouble
soul may seek to quiet and quencf
these rest destroying aspiratons-tc
administer anodynes to troubled con
science-in hope that peace may be Sc
cured. 1t is a vain hope. Not thus
may an immortal soul hope to escape
what the poet calls ''The mighty mael
strom of divine unrest"
1t we're as rational to seek to quencl
the life germ that is in the seed. Th'
only way to stop that life germ from
restlessness and growth is to put i
where it will die. For,
"When life begins to throb and stil
The tiniest seed will find the day;
One germ of life is mightieh
Than whole universe of clay
And what germ of life, we may asl
is more mighty than that which tn
Eternal Love and Power has plante
in mans immortal nature. viii yo
put that germ of life under mOuntai
of clay and imagine it shall keep quiet
Some day you shall see that mountai
crumble. Will you seek to quench tha
struggling light under a scared an
hardened conseience9 Some day
will break forth to illuminate the VI
speakable horrors of the darkest abod
of sin in which you can hide.
To appreciate the force of the wor
'desires" as it occurs in the text, "
need TO realize to some extent Il
range of mans activity in nature. III
plant that has within itself the enc
gies of a growing life is NOSE than
: clod. The animal, endowed with Sc
: sation and degree of reasoning po'
er, is more than plant. Man, In
whose nostrils the Creator breathed u
breath of life, is more than an animi
The higher you rise in the scale OF D
ing the wider you find the range OF
ivities. The plant grows and bears
fruit, but cannot move from place
place. The animal may move frC
place to place but cannot en'
the realms of scientific or imagnati
] thought. In man you not only d