The Glenwood post., 1910-05-28
Interesting Exercises Of the Week 80
Bacca|aureate Sermon, Commence
ment Exercises and Receptions
LAST OF EVENTS TONIGHT

ilightest touch.
"And when that touch is evil the
work of Il moment may result in an
eternity of ruin. You may have read
lof the artist who wished to fashion an
image of the pleasure that abideth for
| could get, on which TO carry out his
idea, was the bronze into which was
wrought an image of the sorrow tina.
endureth forever. You perceive the ap-
lposteness of the illustration. l bring
this in to show you that at the thresh-
hold of life it is possible for you to
Eembrace an evil, apparently trivia,
(which may be your final undoing.
''ln your work in school, during the
year about to close, you have studied
the tragedy of Macbeth. and that
great drama illustrates this thought il
a very remarkable manner. Macbeth
and Lady Macbeth, the two principal
characters of the play, yielded to GER
tain impulse, which was evil and the
moment that evil was admitted, it
worked by remorseless logic, appalling
and undreamt of ruin. Macbeth was \
bold warrior and noble patriot; a
man of whom report spoke in highest
esteem: He had done great things for
his country, and at the moment of
highest reward, certain witches greeted
him with predictions that promised him
sovereignty. Already there must have
been a eaven of evil working within
him, for the prediction awakened a
sense of guilt, which startled him to
grim resolve. Only one way occurred
to him by which the prophecy must be
fulfilled, and that was by the murder
of the old king who was rewarding his
valor with such royal bounty. The
matter was broached to Lady Macbeth
and her force overcame the dawning
scruples of her husband. ga little
water clears us of this deed'' is her
plea and she. and he, at her suggestion
! reply on the power and station the ,nur-
der will bring tl,m TO gain immunity
from the consequence of their crime.
Circumstantial evidence will convi It
Duncan's chamberlain, and who dares
receive it other!' 1t was thus the
woman summarized the causes on which
their safety shall depend. When the
deed is done, the sophistries which
made it easy no longer have force
to relieve Macbeth's conscience, and
then follows that tremendous abandon.
ment to crime which forces from him
it is a tale told by an idiot, full of
sound and fury, signifying moth
ing.
"The little water Lady Macbeth
deems sufficient, cannot dissipate the
stencil of murder, and conscience pro
claims, with trumpet tongue, that not
all the perfumes of Arabia could
sweeten that little hand. Suicide was
probably the last act which acknowl-
edged in Lady Macbeth the irresistible
sway of the evil first so lightly admit
ted. Bangguo affords the same lesson.
though in a somewhat different man
ner. He begins well. but he gets to
a point where he acguieses in the evil
of others, and is silent when he should
speak. His death comes before evil
has time to work more dreadful issues
in him, but that death is, nevertheless,
the penalty of his guilt. Now no mere
mortal knew human nature better than
Shakespeare, and from the high plane
of magnificent tragedy there rings a
lesson for you graduates this evening.
'1n your lives, and perhaps very
soon, there will come moment of
dread choice, that may have eternal
consequences. The evil, on whose re.
lection you will have 70 oecide, can
be dressed in shapes of rare attractive
ness. Fascination is never so subtle
and seductive as when it conceals sir.
"And now, what shall I say to you
that may help you to avoid fatal
step' Cultivate good associations.
Let the great, noble, the pure, the