Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-05-25
GRADUATESURCED
To OBTAIN TRUTH
AND SELL IT NOT
Baccalaureate Sermon to High
School Seniors Given by
Rev. William j. Suckow.
SUPREME IDEAL IN LIFE
Pearl of Great Price Must Be Secured
TO Make Earthly Success
10 Advice Given.

oNSSSSo
central theme in the baccalaureate SER
mon. which was given by Rev. William
j. Suckow, pastor of the Edwards Con-
gregationa1 church, Davenport, last
evening at the Broadway Presbyter-
ian church. to members of the grad
uating class OF the Rock Island high
school.
The church was appropriately deco
rated with the senior class colors,
black and gold, and a big IA was
placed on the pulpit. The program
given during the evening follows:
Organ Prelude.
Hymn 96-"The Spacious Firmanent
on High"
| Responsive Reading.
Anthem-'I am Alpha and Omega"
| Steiner.
| Prayer.
Hymn 14-"Again as Evenings
Shadow Falls"
Announcements and Offering.
| Duet-"The Lord is My Shepherd"
Miss Ruth Blakemore and Miss
Stewart.
Baccalaureate Sermon-'Buying and
Selling" Rev. w. J. Suckow.
Prayer.
Hymn 2S-"Abide With Me-"
Benediction.
Organ Postlude.
A Trading Nation.
Rev. Suckow took as his text, BUY
the truth and sell 1t not" Proverbs
1929. Among other things he said:
This advice is pertinent to the age
in which We live. Ours is a trading
age. The spirit of commercialism is
the dominant spirit of the times. Up
to within a few decades, war was the
chief occupation of the world; but war
has become almost impossible because
of its interference with commerce. !
Less than a hundred years ago the mill |
tary hero was accounted the success !
full man; today IL is the man who can |
drive the best bargains and accumu- |
late the largest profits 1t was once |
the fashion among the European aris- /
tocracy to speak contemptuously of
the Americans as nation of traders;
today all civilized nations have gone /
into trade to such an extent that none
can accuse the others of excessive de-
votion to the God of Trade without
furnishing a conspicuous example of
the pot calling the kettle black.
But there is yet a deeper sense in
which we are all traders. Not only
and farmers, but preachers,
teachers. lawyers, doctors, students,
are continually engaged In trading
We are always exchanging one COM
modify for another. We often hear
the words free, gratis and they have
a pleasant sound; but in reality they
are meaningless.
I'm the limited time at our disposal
we must pass by every inferior kind of
truth and fix our attention upon the
highest And the highest truth, be-
yoad all question, is the truth to live
Dy, the truth that enters into the for
nation of character, the truth that de-
ermines our future veal or woe. Sci
.ntifc truth, political truth, all other
orms of truth that pertain to different
spheres of life, are valuable and i'm 1
,ortant; but the truth that over
hadows all these with its vast sig
lificance is the truth that makes char.
.cter, and, therefore, destiny. The
most important thing in human life is :
Iuman life itself. Man is greater than
is surroundings, greater than his cir :,
greater than his achieve "
nents; greater than the thousand and =
ne things that minister to his needs.
md as personal character is greater /.
han its environment, by so much does
he truth that makes character tran
cend all other forms of truth. Il
But how are we to buy the truth? o
/ cannot be bought, of course. in the g
over commercial sense. Large cities e
ave so-called information bureaus.
here certain kinds of knowledge and
ruth can be bought for a stipulated
rice. But spiritual truth, the truth
,hich nourishes and vitaliSes the roots h
Z character, is not sold over a coun- g
pr and yet the text is right in advising e
S to buy II, for IL cannot be obtained u
'ithout paying a price for 1t.
Toll Is Price.
What is the price? Toll, for one A
hing. The higher truths of life are a
blamed only by severe and honest s.
oil. Occasionally a man may stumble II
pom a nugget by accident; but most CT
Z this gold must be mined. Edison
Lbors for months to catch and i'm
rfson a single beam of truth. Paul =
pent years in seclusion that he might u
laster the problems OF his new faith. 81
len OF truth have been men of toll.
ne reason why there are so many
eople whose religious life is shallow 81
nd unstable and destitute OF deeply II
,oted convictions, & that they are not n
filing to undergo the labor OF deep
"a soundings for the truth. They
re- content to skim upon the surface
I'D pick up a few floating opinions.
you are content to gaze upon the
lrface OF the sea OF truth, you will see
tile more than a reflection of your
Tn features. Launch out into the