The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1921-05-23
GREAT THRONC
ATTENDS SPECIAL
SERVICE SUNDAY
Commencement Week Began With
Fitting Exercises at the Auditor
ium When DR.. Bell Preached
Baccalaureate Sermon to Grad
uating Class of Lakeland High
School.

high school was the service held il
The Auditorium at IL o'clock Sunday
morning. When the forty-three mem.
bers of the graduating class, after
marching in procession from the res
idence of Mrs. A. B. Lowell at 40e
South Massachusetts avenue where
they donned cap and gown, reached
The Auditorium there were few va
cant seats in the main body of the
building while the galleries were well
filled
Rev. w. J. Bolin, pastor of the First
Baptist church presided at the service
which started with an invocation by
Rev. S. H. Eshman, pastor of the
Cumberland Presbyterian church and
the hymn, 'All Hail the Power of Je-
sus' Name" the choir of the First
Methodist church under the direction
of Miss Ellen Hodges leading the
singing in which the great congrega-
ton Joined most heartily. Rev. c. H.
Trout, pastor of the Christian church
read the scripture lesson and Rev. Dr..
G.. l. Stacy pastor of the First Pres.
byterian church offered the prayer.
During the service the choir of the
First Methodist church sang with fine
effect two anthems, the first Il Heard
Voice" by Emerson and the second.
There Is a Land of Pure Delight
by Adams.
The baccalaureate sermon, preach
ed by Rev. ]. F. Bell, pastor of the
First Methodist church, was most able
and inspiring. He chose for the text
the twentieth verse of the sixth chap
ter of st. Paul's first Epistle to Tim
othy, Keep that which is committed
to thy trust" The three great trusts
which he would emphasize particular
ly were Citizenship, Wealth and Edu-
cation. DR.. Bell made it plain that
the young men and women before him
were entering upon new and impor-
tant obligations, and obligation i'm
piled in the words of the text. With
smashing force he drove home the
need today of a public conscience and
the recognition of the rights of others
as absolutely essential to good citi-
2enship. He said that men and wo-
men must have the courage to vote
right and to speak out against evil
whenever the opportunity presents it.
self. Good citizenship is an impoSSi-
bility unless men and women have the
courage Of their convictions and he
hoped that the young people so soon
to take upon themselves the response
bilities of maturer life, would not fail
to realize wherein lies their duty to
their fellows and to God. DR.. Bell
mentioned the fact that in these days
we show such lack of appreciation
of the worth while things that are ac-
complished by unselfish souls while
we are so quick to criticise and con-
denim and in this connection he men
toned the splendid record of the
young governor of Georgia, Hon.
Hugh NJ. Dorsey, who has been, since
his inauguration, the champion of
right and the unfailing foe of evil in
public life.
Touching briefly on Wealth as one
of the factors in human welfare, the
preacher reminded the congregation
that there is proper use for money,
that it is not ours and that whatever
we have we owe entirely to the good
ness of God. But the point was fur
Their made that in the possession of
whatever wealth We may have there
is involved duty to our fellow men,
that there should be no selfishness in
wealth and that it should be the
means of opening to US fresh oppor-
tunities for bringing blessing and
contentment to those around us.
In the matter of Education DR.. Bell
emphasized the necessity for people
encouraging. culture and that one of
the great trusts imposed upon us in
these days is the spread of education
and of culture to the overthrow of
ignorance and prejudice. With rare
sympathy the preacher dwelt on the
sacrifices made by the mothers of our
land in training with infinite patience
and tenderness the boys and girls of
tine family circle that they might
make their mark in the world and be
in position to hold their own in the
time of stress and storm.
In concluding his sermon Dr. Bel!
took occasion to mention in a special
way two great men of history, Abra-
ham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis
both were held up as examples of rare
fidelity to principle, both of them men
who had stood the most exacting tests
anu IhC light VI WOulu COH-
tinue to be among the worlds
noblest souls. Lincoln, great man
that he was, died with his face to-
ward his principles while Jefferson
Davis, whose anniversary will be cell
ebrated on the third of June, was true
to the best traditions of theSouth and
Of his race. Although misunderstood
to some extent in this age, DR.. Bell
predicted that his memory will con-
tinue to be honored more and more
with the passing of years.
His concluding appeal was that the
members of the graduating class
might go out into the world equipped
to perform their obligations in the
fear of God and with due sense of
their greater responsibilities in their
new life
The benediction was impressively
pronounced by Rev. VIM. B. Curtis,
rector of All Saints Episcopal church.
ATTEND SOUTHERN
COMMENCEMENT