The Dickinson press., 1908-05-30
BACCALAUREATE SERMON

BACCALAUREATE SERMON
In spite of rain and mud, a large |
audience gathered at the Congrega-
tional church Sunday evening when
Rev. w. J. Brown delivered the bac-
calaureate sermon before the high
school graduating class.
To the patriotic decorations arrang-
ed for the morning service was added
the class motto, Onward still and
upward"
The opening services were appro-
pirate, the choir rendering the an
them, "Glory be to God," with Miss
Alcott as soloist.
The text chosen was from Phillip
ians 3:13, "One thing I do,' which,
with the class motto, furnished the
theme of the address, a synopsis of
which follows:
"Life's career will be a success in
the measure you strive to fulfill the
idea expressed in the text. Every life
that is dominated by ruling purpose
Is a success. Not all whose names
find large place in history have sue
ceeded in the spirit of Paul's motto
and yours; else must the crown be
given to Alexanders, Caesars, Char.
lemagnes and Napoleons.
'The forces which have given new
life to the world, changed the trend
of history and inaugurated a new or.
der of civilization, are the lives of
men and women whose purpose in life
was like yours. Heart-power more
than mental acumen draws the world
upward on its onward march.
Success means specialization and
concentration of life's best energies.
Random aim rarely brings down any
game. A purposeless life usually
comes to grief and the more gifted
the life, without high aim, the greater
the disaster
Knowing what you wish coupled
with resolute, persistent determine
tion to go forward, is the secret of
attainment. Without this we would
never have had Columbus, a Grant,
Lincoln or Roosevelt.
"You have no doubt already felt the
thrill Of ambition to succeed in some
walk of life and you have gone long
way if you have decided what you
want. If, in youth, one determines to
obtain wealth, position or influence
and sets himself heroically to obtain
it, it is reasonably certain he will OBJ.
tain his end. The more one narrows
one's aim, the less he is jack-of-all
ceed.
"The goal cannot be reached with
out paying the price. To attain selfish
aims you must ask sacrifices of 9th
ers, and you will not be able to con-
slider the rights of others. You have
your selfish ends to gain no matter
who suffers. If you choose the goal Of
official position you cannot hesitate to
| do the shrewd, trucking thing and to
heed honor and public welfare might
mean failure. If you chose scholar
ship, you must not consider whether
your ambition robs younger sister or
brother of an education.
| again, in gaining worldly ends, you
sacrifice yourself, your true self, and
become slave to the ambition which
masters you. The reward may be
great as the world counts rewards, but
Gods judgment differs from ours. In
his plan our work is but means by
which we reach certain results in our
selves. We are to obtain manhood
and womanhood by means Of mis-
sion.
Our age has no place for the pur-
poseless; no place for the selfish; no
place for the constituencies. The
aim, then, is not so important as what
we will become by following it. Your
work can never be better than the
personality back of it. The secret of
failure is in the loss of integrity and
self respect.
i Be true to your motto. It means
genuineness; it means veracity; it
means whiteness of soul; freedom
from coarseness; it means loyalty
steadfastness, not to sentiment, but
to principle.
""Onwau still and upward is 8
splendid ambition with which to entel
into your place in the worlds work
. Life with such purpose, such ambi
ton, means much to the world. Yor
!. could not have fixed upon more com
prehensive motto which interprett
the divine idea for every day life. Be
true to it and take broad views Of life
and success is attained. You may no
be what the world counts great, bu
you will be what God wants you tt
. be-
. At the conclusion of the address
Miss Alcott sang the beautiful solo
my Redeemer," Mrs. Remmen play
ing the organ and Miss McNitt th'
piano accompaniment.
CLASS HISTORY
Of the original class but two, Coil;
: Litch and Arthur Parker, completed tn
: course. Gladys Scofeld removed from
!. the city and Mary Mckinley is complet
ing her course elsewhere. On account o
illness two, Irene Walton and Pau
!. White will graduate with the class o
1909.
Three years ago Myrtle Merrill
entered the class coming from Doom
Iowa, and two years ago Mable Cum
mings and Elsie Pelissier joined tn
/. ranks, the former from Canada and tn
latter from, the convent at jamestown
J! Last fall the class received an acquisition
y in Miss Pearl Nichols, who took the fin