Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1912-06-07
Baccalaureate Sermon.

The graduating class of the High Schoo
at Rockville attended divine service in Chris
Church Sunday, May 26th. The rector
Kew. I. A. Houghton-Burke, officiated an,
preached to its members an eloquent ser
mon.
Mr.. HouehtOn-Burke read, as an intro
duction to his address, the following pas
sages of Scripture: Ecclesiastes 12:1O-l:
and Cor 1912.
Addressing the graduates. Mr.. Houghton
Burke said, in part must ask your indul
gence for few moments while say
word of warning to the parents and friend.
here today.
Baccalaureate sermons have to do, &C.
cording to our American use, with gradu.
atlng classes, and always, more or less,
bring before us the character and advan-
tages of the institution from which the
young people come.
There is, perhaps. nothing of which we
may be so justly proud as of our public school
system, and this impression is so deeply
rooted in our minds that we have almost
concluded, as people. that we have the
ideal, or perfect. method of educating the
young, and yet it might alarm us to learn
and the sooner we learn it the better-that
our system is far from perfect In fact, it is
very imperfect, for that for which all edu-
cation should primarily stand, the moral
and religious training of the child, is, ac-
cording to the best authorities on the
subject, not only woefully deficient but,
in many cases, deplorably neglected.
Furthermore we are learning every year
that we as people are not getting from
our system of public education even as
much as we might.
You connot, any more than any other
nation could. expect to make sturdy.
upright conscientious citizen out of child
whose religious and moral nature has been
neglected. This is not question of SEN
timent. but of principle. You cannot de-
velop boy Intellectually and neglect his
religious nature without doing him very
serious wrong. We are religious nation.
Our civilization is peculiarly Christian The
church has gone hand in hand with our
every development, and it is an injustice
to our past great leaders when we permit
either sentiment or prejudice to interfere
with the religious training of our youth.
You cannot have strong moral conscious
ness without the knowledge of God, and
you cannot have a right knowledge of God
without the church.
In confirmation of his remarks Mr..
Burke quoted from addresses de-
livered by the superintendent of public
education of the Greater New York, also
from the judge of the Childrens' Curt of
Denver. Col, and from Mr.. Wiley. of Wash
ington city.
Turning to the graduating class, the rec
tor said: am very glad to see you here
today and most heartily wish you success
in your future studies
1t is proper that you should spend this
Sunday in Gods house and publicly, thank
Him for the advantages you have received
There are so many things want to say
to you, but time is all too short.
You have learned in your studies two
things First, how little we know and how
much we might know. Second. what de-
pendent creatures we are and how we have
to learn the simplest things that come to
the lower animals by instinct. Man is "a
tool-using animal. He must use means to
the end. Books and study are the means
that develop brains and make strong men.
The great world outside of you is a
closed book TO the mere casual observer,
but to you who will press open the door the
truth charms far surprising in rewards
your labors and trials
Seek to know something of your great
national inheritance, your religion and the
church of your Lord and Saviour.