The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-05-30
ADDRESS of EDWIN LEWIS
To the High School Graduating
Class, Sedgwick, Colora-
do, May 10, 1912

My young friends. one and two
years ago we met here to graduate
students who had finished the pre-
scribed course in our nigh school
To the parents and patrons this is a
most pleasant occasion.
Your proficiency has been such as to
entitle you to be a graduate. This is
first step on the stairway of educa-
zion which is the reason we call it a
commencement. In after years you
will many times recall the occasion
of your first graduation. You may be
on the platform many times to re
ceive degrees, and honors, but this
one you Will remember best.
The business world is ever in need
of well educated young men and wo-
men. To know the languages. class
les, arts and sciences is only one
branch of education; others you must
learn by experience; i. e., humping
against propositions, meeting with
success and failure alike.
You cant succeed on this planet
without friends that are true to you.
A friend that is true to you and
knows you have faults and failings.
and loves you in spite of them, can
always be trusted. You cannot have
a friend without being a friend. The
condition must be mutual. These are
the bets assets the world can give.
The second best asset is an opeE
avowed but true enemy. One tnar
will push you to the verge OF hell to
defeat you. and still remain manly IN
the battle for victory. If you have "A
true enemy in opposition in the fight,
that enemy will bear the most re-
spect, and must finally become Il
friend
In third division we place the
sneak and coward. One that sits
astride the fence, or joins the side
they think will win, regardless Of
principle; one that aims to gain pow
er, influence or money without regard
to how or the character of methods
used.
Love a friend, respect an open and
true enemy; but forever hate and de-
spise a sneak or moral coward. And
when beaten in the games of life have
the moral fiber and the common hon
esty to lay down.
A failure is as necessary to edn
cate as success Don't be scared of
possible hardships. and remember
that one who tries and fails, and tries
and fails again, and yet has faith in
himself and works. is a success. As
many young people have failed
through too much success as through
too much failure. Trouble and disap-
pointment with success and happi-
ness are as necessary to make per-
feet mind as food and drink is to the
body To do right is more natural
than to do wrong.
There can be no heights without
corresponding depth: there can be no
right without corresponding wrong
We make our heaven or hell as We
live our life. The mansion we will
have in heaven is built out of the ma
terial we furnish during life, and re-
member as you travel through lie
others have passed over a similar
way.
To be religious is natural to man,
but as he develops his power of reas-
oning his religion takes a higher
meaning If his dsreea:Is for others
rights develops he prostitutes his
beliefs for selfish interests. always
claiming TO ;" pur" ana straie't.
In these conditions reserve your
judgement for no one is in position TO
judge his fellow man, and few of us
dare cast the first stone
In these conditions you are apt to
lean toward infidelty. But stay
your mind, hush the thought of dis
belief. for no normal mind can believe
in infidelty. Remember that God is
true regardless of state or church.
Fate may place you so that your
church may push you from its doors
and curse you from its alter, but
keep your soul facing God in all con-
ditions in life. and success must be
yours.
You may not he a power that some
are, or as great as others. but we un-
derstand that the really great is not
the one who commands an army and
slaughters their thousand, or the one
who controls the most money stocks
and bonds, or the one who rules the
greatest empire. But the greatest
mind today or ever has been is the
mind that lifts up the greatest num-
Der of hearts by the power of its own.
The victory does not always go to
the right or the battle to the strong.
but the general aggregate is for the
best: humanity in general is true.
The great desire of average humanity
is to do right Perversions are rs
natural in the stream OF humanity as
eddies in the streams of water. The
reason we distrust our fellow man Sc
much is that we betray them so often
and the one who distrusts most is the
Judas OF all
AS YOU go out into the world OF
business you will find il in need OF
one who can do best what others do
well. There are today more good