The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1915-05-21
UNION CITY SCHOOLS
COMMENCEMENT WEEK
The School Year Closes With Inter
esting Exercises.


Exercises accompanying the close OF
the 1914-15 term of the Union City
Schools began last week with the junior
reception at the home of Miss Marjorie
Adams.
On Saturday the annual exhibit was
inspected by the patrons and friends OF
the school. This was SSNy extensive
with many new and valuable features.
On Sunday night the baccalaureate
sermon was delivered at the First Chris
tian Church by Rev. w. w. Armstrong.
On the stage were seated with the min
lister Revs. Roger L. Clark, H. H. Drake
and VIM. Thorne. The Junior and senior
classes were seated in the front pews.
The music for the occasion was special
with several good voices and selections.
Rev. Drake read a lesson from the
Bible and Rev. Thorne invoked Divine
blessing on the class and the service.
Rev. Armstrong spoke froni'the book
of Esther, illustrating the personal sac
rifice Of the queen to save her kinsman,
Mordecai, and the Jewish people from
the treachery of Haman. Esther had
succeeded the banished queen Vashti to
the throne and Haman had thru the
favor Of the king become one of his
chief princes. Mordecai refused to
acknowledge the authority of Haman,
and Haman's displeasure was shown
by seeking to destroy Mordecai and
his brethren and causing scaffold
to be built for Mordecai Mordecai,
clad in sackcloth and ashes, ap-
pealed to the queen, saying that his
people were in danger OF being de-
stroyed and the queen with them. He
plead with the queen to appear before
the king for her people. The law for
bade the presence of anyone not invited
to appear at the inner court before the
king, and unless the king held forth the
golden sceptre death was the penalty.
Therefore the queen, appearing before
the king, offered herself as personal
sacrifice for her people. The king ex-
tended to the queen the golden sceptre,
and the queens request was granted
and Haman went to the scaffold in the
place of Mordecai.
Thus Queen Esther, who had been
favored above all those Of her sex, rec
ognized the voice of justice and the call
of duty above the glamor and the glare
of court and even at the risk of life
itself.
The lesson of Queen Esther was ap-
piled to the responsibilities Of the pres
ent. Every young lady in the class is
as beautiful and good as queen and
every young man as manly as king.
But there are two roads in life. One
leads upward to those things which form
the virtues and character of noble men
and women. The other takes down
ward course thru fashion and folly, de-
ceit and dishonor. One honors God,
the other forms an alliance with Satan.
The highest objects of womanhood
and motherhood are not to be attained
thru the 500 club, neither will the 500
club strengthen the morals nor enrich
the mind. The minister severely con-
demned the customs Of the card clubs
and the accompanying tendencies. Now
is the time, the turning point in life,
when the right or the wrong step may
be taken. A beautiful temple may be
disfgured with sin, homely face and
an honest heart may shine with beauty. |
The minister reached out with his
discourse to the affairs of public life.
He spoke of the European conflict and
the ungodIy alliances and inhuman
practices OF war. His heart revolted
with the idea that God is with any of
the nations in this monstrous horror.
His Bible did not teach him Of the re-
of human warfare and
The preacher waxed warm
when he invoked the displeasure of
God upon the armament of nations and
trusted with all his heart that the United
States would never construct another
Men and women can never
attain the highest ideals of citizenship
and the noblest purposes of life while
nations are engaged in bloody war,
seeking one to overthrow the other, and
10 rise from the ruins and ashes, the
Scared remains, the bleeding hearts,
he unholy birthright, to might and do
minion over the earth and the sea.
There is no such plan as this in the
Holy Scriptures, and the young men
and young women to-day should be
taught that God holds them responsible !