Clearwater Republican. [volume] (Orofino, Idaho) 1912-1922, 1920-05-28
Many Hear Bac-
calaureate Talk

The baccalaureate Sermon for the
graduating class of the Orofino
high school was delivered at the
Methodist church Sunday evening
before an audience that filled the
main building and spread out into
the Epworth League room adjoin-
ing. Rev. J. A. Hoffmann the
pastor, took for his subject Amer
ica's Place in the World He
showed the ambition of the Isreal-
ties TO become o great nation. in
conformity of Gods promise to
Abraham, saying: Il will make of
thee 4 greet nation: and thy seed
shall possess the gate Of his enc
mics: and in thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed"
The speaker stated that 1sreal
had never realized her hope of
building up a great nation. In
stead. the enemy came from Baby
lon and took the proud people into
slavary. But even in Babylon the
Jews Gid not forget the promise of
I God to Abraham And the Jews
after seventy years of slavery were
permitted to return and build up
the walls of Jerusalem ara the
temple. But thev never widened
out their temporal domain On the
contrary, they were repeatedly con-
quered by opposing forces, and at
last they were driven from their
beloved Canaan and taken prisoners
| to Egypt. where so many of them
were sold as slaves that the dealers
refused % buy any more.
In view of the disruption of Is
real as nation, the speaker
averred, it would seem that God
had withdrawn his promise to Alb
raham. But this is not the case.
The Jews did not interpret properly
the promise of God. 1t was not
what Isreal possessed bur what she
did that was to make her name
great among the nations. Isreal
was rot destined, in the providence
of God, to build a great empire,
and to be served by slaves. Instead
Of being ministered unto, Isreal was
to minister. She was to be a light
unto the Gentiles.
The real meaning of the promis,
of God to Abraham was not under
stood until Jesus came. Wher
questioned about the kingdom tina
, he was expected to create. he CAV,
, a unique and interesting definition
, of greatness saying: "He tina
! would be great among you, let hin
serve" And Jesus in his own lift
+ and conduct exemplified the trutl
of that Interpretation. Three time
+ the Jews offered to make him ;
, king. and three times he refused
= He had no desire to be ministeret
> unto. but TO minister. he place.
the idea of service above everything
, else His mind was so completed.
absorbed in the idea of service tina
he called to his side twelve men
whom he trained for three year
for the continuation of the service
that he had himself rendered. The.
went out to all the world Jesu
: and these twelve were all Jews
!, BY spreading the kingdom among
y the Gentiles, they were fulfillin;
: the promise o. God to Abraham
: that in his seed all the nation o
= the earth should be blessed.
Mr. Hoffman, continued as fol
: lows:
. In the history of Isreal an,
America l see striking parallel
But what is America Historian
tell lis that It is a great body o
land discovered by Columbus. That
a mistake. 1t takes more than
great body of land to make a coun
try. II land constituted country
should prefer Russia. which ha
less waste land and smaller popu
lation to the square mile. 1t there
fore offers a man a better opportun
ity. Nut who wants to go to tn
land of Lenine and Trotzkey? N
one wants to go there. The diff
ference between Russia and Amer
lea IL not one of real estate o
natural resources. The differenc
is not one of wealth. but of charac
ter. That which constitutes Amer
lea. then. is her spirit her fran
OF mind. her attitude And VIII
is an American? One VINO is borl
on American soil and whose ances
tors came over In the Mayflower
No: II takes more than the acciden
of birth to make an American
America is spirit He who ha
not the spirit of America Is no
an American. no matter where h
was born. He who has the spiri
of America Is. conversely speaking
was born. We are told in the Bibl
that he that hath not the Spirit O
Christ Is none of his. This trut
applies with equal force to one
attitude toward his country.
Who gave America her spirit
Why, the Pilgrim fathers The
brought II with them across tn
sea. God planted 1t into thei
hearts. That spirit was desir
for freedom to worship God. The
wrote 1t into every statute tina
they enacted. and 1t is now l
every statute of America. Americ
has always been the champion c
human freedom. and the outspoke
opponent of slavery and oppression
The Boston Tea Party" was a
expression of the colonists agains
l. nnuracciou Tho Civil War was