The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1912-06-12
BACCALAUREATE SERMON
Continued From Page One.)

their fling" will then turn from
you as from the plague and hy-
pocritically declare that If you
had only followed their advice,
you would not have reached
such degradation.
Right here | am going to ask
If you can give me any reason
why men should not be as pure
in their lives as women? Why
they should not be as chaste,
why they should not be as
sober? We insist that a young
woman shall be pure as the
falling snow, and then we mate
her, apparently ofttimes she
makes no objection, with an un-
clean sot who will wreck her
life. How many of you boys
are started on courses which
will sometime wreck some good
woman's life, and make the
Paradise which she is entitled
to, and which God intended that
you should share with her, a
veritable hell? And the reason
is that there are altogether too
many respectable people who
condone what is called the
double standard" which says
that while a woman must live
clean and wholesome life,
man is privileged, simply be-
cause he is a man, to live a life
of shame and still be held re-
spectacle. And here | wish to
say--I am not arguing now for
allegiance to the church of
Jesus Christ-but l wish to say
one of the very plainest and
strongest features of the teach
ing of Jesus Christ is that the
unclean man was precisely as
reprehensible as the unclean
woman.
And as to the fortune in
money or the fame and position
in life | will simply ask you
whether you are purely and
irredeemably selfish, or whether
you have room in your thought
for your brotherman. Jesus
Christ was the Prince of the
lovers of men. He was willing
to hang in torture upon the
Cross that his fellowmen might
have nobler ideas of life and
greater help and inspiration to
realize them.
There is another fallacy Of
ten enough with a supremely
self-satisfed expression given
currency. How often have you
heard a man say, and expect you
to applaud him for the senti-
ment, Il am just trying to be as
good as the average men?" or
woman say, Il just desire to
be as good as the average wo-
MANI"
Cain was cursed because he con-
sidered his hastily gotten sacri-
flee as good enough for pres
ent to his God. And any man
who dares to stand up in the
presence of his Maker and de-
clare that it is his intention to
try to be only an average man
instead of the best man that
God will make it possible for
him to be, will be cursed with
the curse of Cain. He is
sloven and a child of the Devil,
for he is fighting against the
plan of God that men shall rise
to noble achievements in char
acter and life Those who are
bearing the brunt of the battle
in the hard fight for making
the world a more decent place
to live in fear this contemplate
malady as they in the physical
sphere, would the hook-Worm
disease, for it is of the self
same paralyzing enervating and
degrading character. 1t attacks
its victims and leaves them
miserable apologies for men.
Rather is it manly to say, Il
may make an absolute failure in
my endeavor, but with the
strength which God has prom
ised to give me l will endeavor
to conform my life to the very
best standards which he has set
in the earthly life of his Son,
Jesus Christ. l will not be sat
isfied, God helping me, with
low standards or imperfect
standards, but l will push on to
attain that which is absolutely
best" If only you young men
and women should become ami
mated with this divine ambi-
tion, your effect upon the life of
your generation would be mark
ed; it would be wonderful.
From Possibility to Actually"
you have chosen for your motto.
| appeal to you to make that a
real instead of a mere hollow
and vapid sentiment. From
the possibility inherent in the
image of God in which you were
created advance with all the
earnestness and with the capac-
ity for development in charac-
ter and life which goes with it,
advance to the reality which
stands before you as your goal,
which invites your manhood or
womanhood to attain it.
/ have spoken OF your atti-
tude toward life. And now let
me make as strong a plea as |
know how, but a brief one
for | must not be long-for
faith in Jesus Chhrist, the Son
of God, as the only reasonable
attitude for you young men and
women.
1t is absolutely necessary that
you have something beside your
self and better than yourself to
which you may devote your life.
If we are to avoid living in a
mean and sordid, narrow circle,
we need to look up with rever-
nnca TO Snmanna Praatar than