The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1920-06-07
ST. PAUL DIVINE
ADDRESSES NORMAL
GOOD ATTENDANCE OUT LAST
NIGHT no HEAR COMMENCE
NENT SERMON

The normal auditorium was well
filled last evening by an intelligent
audience that assembled to hear the
baccalaureate address delivered by
DR.. John G. Briggs, pastor of Wood
land Park Baptist church, St Paul ,
Preceding the opening hymn, Two
young ladies ushered to the seats re-
served for them near the stage the
graduating class of this year. There
were fourteen of them capped and
gowned. Miss Leila Clark was at the
piano.
After the opening hymn, Day is
Dying iQ the West" Prof. b. NJ, Law
renee read the commencement an
nouncements for the week. Rev. A.
l.. Olson read the scripture lesson
and Rev. w. S. ArgOw gave the open
ing invocation.
In introducing himself to his hear
ers. DR.. Briggs, who is also president
of the board of trustees of Pillsbury
academy, paid a fine compliment to
his former instructor, now the acting
president of the Madison state nor
NAL who. he said. was the first to in
duce the speaker to take up the study
of Latin and pursue regular college
| course.
The main text for the evening was
! taken from Deuteronomy, 1913
wherein was the statement of the
great lawgiver TO the children of Is
| rael: Sacrifice not on every altar
thou seest." The substance Of the
one can easily eZpend energy un-
necessarily and unprofitably. that is,
powers can be dispersed on things
! that are practically valueless. 1t was
! shown that man has certain ilita-
| tions of ability and time hence con-
centration on things should prevail.
| Addressing the graduates more par
| ticularly, DR.. Briggs stated that there
were multitudinOus opportunities
! open now, the only danger being the
| tendency TO dabble here and there
| instead of choosing one line of en-
deavor and pursuing it with energy
So many have an uncOordinated life
| scattering their forces and not win
| ming lasting success. Young people
! must learn to apply themselves.
The speaker touched on devotion
! to a great object or purpose in life
! He spoke of a clarified conscience
and its need in today's turmoil when
the world is on the brink of a preci-
pice. Consciences we must save and
| reform, train and quicken for big
| problems. They must be trained tC
| line true with out convictions. We
| disObey them in the darkness and al
so in The light. What are needed
! most are minds built on deep founda
! tions and strung through with rein
forcing moral fibre.
The second text was from Pro
verbs. where there is no vision th'
people perish" was its burden. Th'
faculty of insight was mentioned "a
! big factor in accomplishment. Goo
i gave us aspirations and ideals anC
i Imagination leads us on to highel
and nobler things.
DR.. Briggs is a firm believer il
those stricter consclences that Wer'
the possession of the Puritans who's
, lives were simple but whose spiritua
outlook was idealistic. He spoke o
the effort towards world brotherhood
and our common responsibility TO
the other fellow. Science and philo
sophy are getting us back to the firs
great source where we can under
stand life and the nature of thing
and movements in this world. Hi
parting counsel to the class, VIII
> courteously arose, he said that tn
: young people could not get their in
) spiraton from their teachers or fror
their parents wholly; it must com
- from within. Your greatest heritage
i they were told, is TO accomplis
. things worth while for you are on
4 hope and the hope of our country.
/ The service concluded by selet
! ton from the ladies seXtette con
2 posed of Miss Leila Clark, Miss Lucil
o Baker. Mrs. A. G. Schmidt, Miss Inc
Herber, Mrs. Don Porter and Mrs
G II. r. Hovde.