The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-04-24
Baccalaureate Sermon Delivered
By Rev. w. E. Pugh Sunday

win its battles with such powers as
these. when it learns the all import
ant lesson that love and right. justice
and truth are the most powerful
forces i'll the universe.
Let not the failures of the present
deter you from privately and public
ly proclaiming your faith in the pow
er of right. and so live that wherever
your influence is felt il shall not be
true that Truth is forever on the
scaffold; wrong forever on the
throne"
Power of Public Opinion
! Closely allied with this doctrine
of the almighty power of physical
force is another power called public
opinion. great in its possibilities
either for good or evil Those in au-
thority in the days of Esther depend
ed upon the reclamation of public
; opinion to carry out their evil plan.
They followed the theory that if a
majority subscribes to a plan. then
the plan is just and good For it is
declared that the voice of the people
is the voice of God, and we are glad
o grant the truth of the statement
when possible. But public opinion
has had many crimes committed in
her name. For public opinion is on.
ly what people think that other
people think" and sometimes the
mind of the public is misled II was
public opinion nurtured and cultiva-
ted by the priests and Pharisees that
/ put the Saviour of mankind on the
cross Many times did they attempt
I 10 accomplish his arrest. only to be
{ stayed in their purposes because of
! the opinion of the public The time
finally came. however. when they
had so influenced the thinking of the
! people that is seemed safe for them
I TO act; and soon those who a short
time before were singing hosannas to
his name were crying cruelty him :
cruelty him" Pontius PLATE cringed
before the opinion of the multitude
and feared the results of opposition
10 its demands. tie gave up his own
convictions that he might win the ap
proval of public opinion, and thus
sold his Lord and his soul.
There are two things in regard to
public opinion that we should remem
her: First. do not be afraid of it:
help mould it. DO not be afraid O.
. il if it is in the wrong, but use YOU
: powers to set it right That has
been the program of all the world,
worthy ones. Jesus set himsel
+ against the public of his day and b,
his life an bleaching and death Sc
up new kingdom on earth. Pau
could well have said. 81 count tn,
friendship of the world as wortl
! while If thereby may win men to thu
cross but in order that ! NAV BIZ
accepted of God | press forward un
afraid of the opinion of man." Ant
he did wonderful work in mouldinf
the opinion of the world in regard te
God and man. He was noble
: moulder of public opinion. John Hus
could dare the flames of adverse pub
: lie opinion, and finally, without fear
give his body to be burned. a MARTYR
to the Truth, and an object of the
heartless vengeance of public opinion
1t is certain that he helpde wonder
fully in moulding the thinking of his
day, and the opinion of the years
that were to follow. Luther, Cal.
win. Iwingli, Knox. and scores of
others of Gods noblemen have dared
to stand up against the power of mis-.
guided public opinion. and have been
mighty in their influence in moulding
the thinking of the world. In our
own time there are those who are
witnessing for the truth as God has
given them vision to see the truth.
and oftentimes standing for the