Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1919-05-30
INSPIRING SERMON TO
HIGH SCHOOL SENIORS
DIR. w. A. Spalding Urges Graduates
TO Have "a Fixed and Righteous
Purpose in Life

Following is a summary of the
thoughtful and inspiring baccalau-
reate sermon delivered to the grad
uating class of the Pullman high
school last week by DR.. W. A Spald
ing.
The theme of the discourse was,
THE Power and Need of a Fixed and
Righteous Purpose" He illustrated
it by the life story of Daniel, the
student in training for high position
in the Baoalonian government The
text was Daniel is. Daniel pur-
posed in his life that he would not
defile himself" and Daniel 1921
And Daniel continued even unto the
first year of King Cyrus" The min
lister held up before the class an ideal
of purity of life and definiteness of
purpose as essentials to success. In
part he said:
Each one of the thousands of
young men and women who are grad
uating from the schools of America
this year could be properly represent
ed as standing on the threshold of
locked door. to which he or she
alone holds the key or the combina-
ton. Daniel, according TO the first
text, was "a young man of about Il
years, and was similarly situated
with the young people who are about
to go out from this school with their
diplomas. And the other verse
shows what came of him as result
of certain fixed and righteous plans
and purposes in life which he formed
in his youth.
Daniel was a young fellow with
out experience of the world. He was
OF good blood, and was in training
for leadership. Now he had come
to the crucial day. because of having
successfully passed certain eXamina-
tiCns, and was in the place where
he was to be tried on lines that would
compel decisions, frequent and
prompt, the result of which would eff
feet radically the future, of himself
and possibly of the whole world Tor
all time This decision was to be
made between right and wrong.
Personal purity and self defilement.
Perspective advancement from the
world viewpoint with a lowered
standard of righteousness, and a
problematic future, possible defeat,
possible loss of personal and politi-
cal prestige, but with clear con
science. SO this young blooded He
brew of twenty-five hundred years
ago presents a marked similarity
with the young bloods who are cross
Ing the thresholds of our schools to-
day.
You young men and women will
have all sorts of tempting bats held
out, the taking of which means low
ering the standard of righteousness,
if not personal defilement. And the
time for decision will be so short
that you need, as Daniel had, fund
OF righteous character back of you
to hold you steady and to keep you
true.
For this, l hold Daniel up as an
example that you may see the trus
value of a fixed and righteous pur-
pose; for it is this, under God. that
will give you efficiency, power, and
endurance. 1t is this that will re-
veal to you the combination that will
open TO you the door of useful life.
1t is this that will enable you to make
decisions, which will cause you to
keep peace with the soul with which
you must live every day and sleep
every night while you live; to pre-
serve your own self respect and in
the final round up come off with the
victory.
What are you eoinS to do after
school? That is what is yur life
purpose? Have you any fixed plan?
L not. why not? Don't drift. Don't
follow the crowd merely? A friend
o. mine. successful business man,
his this motto over his desk Live
Fish SWIM up stream" Don't be a
dead one floating with the current.