The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1907-06-26

memory Of g young girl kneeling by
the deathbed Of a devoted and eX-
elup.ary father; the memory Of a
young maiden bowed down before
Gcd's altar upon which she had
placed as a votive Offering her pure
young heart, kneeling there in the
Convent chapel. hly-like in the yes
ture OF body and soul. beautiful
bride Of Christ.
And here, too. is one whose name
is held in benediction by priest and
reople of my parish, especially by the
boys whom she taught and who, near
i11s manhood now, speak Of her day
by day with gratitude and affection.
Perhaps my first utterance this
evening should have been to the for
tunate young ladies Of the graduating
class-fortunat in receiving the
crowning testimonials and rewards OF
faithful application and exemplary
| deportlnent; doubly fortunate in re-
ceiying these from this favored insti-
tuition, this sanctuary Of virtue and
/ learning.
t But i feel that they would have me
first make grateful Acknowledgement
to those whose loving care has made
/ this the graduates other home-a
happy and hallowed home through all
their studious years.
If I have seemed to err would fain
make amends by taking for my text
this evening their felicitious class
motto: Astra Castra, Numen 1unen-
the Stars Our Camp, the Diety Our
Light.
How keenly your motto quickens
the happy memories Of college days
and conjures up "The glory that was
Greece and the grandeur that was
Rome
It's adoption to express your Chris
tian aspirations suggests another line
Of thought, namely the transfornaa-
ton of Pagan Basilicas to- Christian
churches, the conversion of Pagan
souls into temples Of the Holy Ghost,
and the reduction of the language
you have chosen to the Liturgy and
Ritual Of the Church of Christ. Is
not such dedication note Of the
|apostolicity of that church whose Wis
ible head is the Roman Pontiff?
Even as the church changed the
Pagan Basilica into the Christian
temple permit me to translate your
motto into the Christian sentiment:
| Heaven is our home; God is our
glory"
Your classic motto taken from a
Pagan world is evidence OF a univer-
sal truth. AS that world went dark
ling down the ages glinmerings from
Eden pierced the gloom and back Of
all polytheism,i pantheism and idolatry
was belief in the Numen, the Diety.
Plato beautifully says: 1--WE are plants
not of earth, but of Heaven; and from
the same source whence the soul first
arose divine nature raising aloft our
head and root, directs our whole
bodily frame"
But the 'lumen'' of the Pagan
world was faint and fickering. Rea-
son pointed to tie Astra and the Cas-
ira there, but Revelation pointed be-
ycnd to the Trinity. Plato, Socrates,
Aristotle spoke wisely, but Christ
spoke divinely. They dispelled some
of the shadows that deepened the
darkness Of mems minds, but He
was the Light Of the World, the re-
fection and conception of the eternal
Fathers contemplation Of His own
infinite perfections through all the
years of eternity, the second Person
os the most Holy Trinity, the Cod
man Jesus Christ, born and crucified
for our redemption; the Light OF
Light not only illuminating, but vivi-
flying the souls of men; the Kindly
Light leading us through life
Ger moor and fen,
Ger crag and torrent till
The night is gone.
Even through the valley of the
shadow out over the stars and back
to our home in Heaven, whence
came this deathless soul. this breath
divine, and where it reposed a below
Cd thought in the divine mind from
all eternity. He is the Light that en-
lighteneth every man that cometh
into this world, and in Him are crys-
talized all the pure and high ideals
Of life and. conduct set before you in
this favored acadmey. the alma mater
Who has clasped mind and heart, to