The Holly chieftain., 1919-06-12
THE INSPIRING
LIFE" HIS THEME
Rev. Robert Adams Delivers
BaCCalaureate Address.
FOUR PUPILS FINISH FOUR
YEAR COURSE THIS YEAR
Splendid Discourse Is Enjoyed by
Full House-Address to Class One
of Inspiration and Encourage
ment for Future Service.


The Commencement season for
Holly schools for the current year
was happily begun with the bac-
calaureate exercises held on Sunday
evening at the Presbyterian church,
when Rev. Robert r. Adams, pas
tor of the Methodist church, preach
ed the annual baccalaureate SER
mon, taking for his theme The In
spring Life
A well filled house and the pre-
sence of the teaching force and
school board, and the entire stu
dent body with their friends, made
a notable occasion. The music, by
a choir under the direction of Miss
Hilda Phelps of the High school,
was exceptionally well rendered
The four pupils who finished the
Holly High school course this year
were Misses Anginette Sherman, Els
ther johnson, Gladys Mcdaniel and
Myrtle Barnes.
Rev. Adams spoke in part as fol
lows:
The baccalaureate sermon is an
ancient institution and is frank
recognition of the fact, that public
and religious education are at least
essentially one; that no education
is a truly complete education
which leaves God and religious
truth out of the account.
Strange as it may seem, the Amer
lean people are committed in q
whole-hearted way to two seeming
ly irrevocable positions. The first
drawn out of the old world entan-
clements and experiences is the be-
lief in the absolute divorce Of church
and state; and no true American
would wish it otherwise. Blood
shed and terrorism have marked
the course of their union. The
American people have decreed that
church and state shall be forever
separate and have poured out mar
velOus treasure to build up our pub
lie school system based upon this
foundation. Along with this truth
has gone another truth equally
passionately held by the people;
namely, that no education is COM
plete without it is religious educa-
tion and that loyalty to Jesus
Christ and His teaching is the only
way of life and the safeguard of q
free people. To reconcile this par
adox, we have built up, side by
side with our public schools. Sun
day schools and churches, not to
supplement but to complete the
work of our public school.
The baccalaureate frankly rec
Ognizes that the home, the school
and the church are mutual
trinity, one and inseparable, in
their mutual task of making
life, and that each in its way con-
tributes its share in moulding the
life of our boys and girls. That
teacher, parent, preacher, Sunday
school teacher and friend are at
one in their God given task.
Because of this underlying uni
ty, I have chosen my theme this
evening to be '.The Inspired and
the Inspiring Life; Their Mutual
Relations and for a text [ have
chosen the words of Job, 32d Chap
ter, Sth. verse: There is a Spirit in
man and the inspiration of the al
mighty giveth him understanding"
Mr.. Adams then discussed the
following points:
First, to inspire a boy or girl,
young man or young woman to be
of service in the world is the secu.
lar teachers great task and re-
ward.
Second. to inspire his disciples
to be their best selves by the i'm
partation Of his own spirit was
the great achievement of Jesus
Christ. the great teacher.
Third, to inspire boy or girl,
young man or young woman
to be their best selves for Jesus
Christ is. the religious teachers
task and reward and here the task
of secular and. religious teacher are
united.
In closing Rev. Mr.. Adams spoke
especially to the graduates, say.
ing, You have come to the end Of
tOilsOme journey. The four years
during which you have been in
the Holly High school memorable
years to you in your studies; they
are memorable years because they
have been the four years of the
great worlds war now successfully
come to a close. To that end you