Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-06-19


The program for the service was:
Hymn. "Oh. Worship the King;
Scripture reading; prayer; response;
! hymn, "SoNereign and Transforming
Grace: sermon and address TO the
class b. Rev a. Francis Walch;
singing, "America"; bcnediction; re-
cessiona'. The congregation Joined
in the singing of the hymns and Of
"AmcriCa.'
Rev. \. Francis Walch in giving
4 the L2ccalaureate address spoke as
follows:
The most lasty view of the
world must convince one that some
things are supreme while other
things are only relatively important.
The writer OF the Old scripture was
, right in affirming that it is Gods
purpose to teach His children by
their experience with the world that
man may not. ard cannot live by
bread alone. but by every word of
God, needed and obcycd. From the
point of view of religion there can
lie but one all absorbing purpose in
life, but one supreme call TO the
soul of man. That all absorbing
purpose, that supreme call. is not
and cannot be physical or material,
but chiefly and significantly spiritual.
| The New Testament makes this fact
very clear and distinct. Jesus was
always teaching men that the i'm
portant thing is spiritual perspective,
Il divine view of the world. the
! heavenly vision OF life. A man must
| have bread to nourish his body, but
he cannot. lie dare not try to live
by bread alone. Else while his body
/ becomes sleek and fat. his soul must
! shriveI and die. The life is more
than meat and the body is more
! than raimcnt. What shall it profit
) a man if he gain the whole world
and lose his own soul? or what
Shall man give in exchange for his
. soul? These are the solemn adiura-
tions Of the Gospel. He who needs
( them is wise and he who neGeCts
them is infinitely foolish. Jesus was
therefore very anxious that men and
women should do first things first;
and the first thing because the chief
thing was and is to place proper
emphasis upon this matter of the
soul: its nourishmcnt its spiritual
culture its high direction and in
, SEPARATION. The whole meaning OF
| life is to discover and act ON the
major premise that the real and
abiding forces of the universe are
! spiritual and not material. The
world about us. its armies and ma
vlcs. its wars and distractions, its
commerce and traffic, its buying and
| selling. its defeats ana Victories; all
! these things are very real and very
! important. but they are but the
| chariot wheels of the Almighty upon
which He would ride forward to the
| throne of His glory, which is the
| soul OF man.
/ Another phrasing Of the thought
! is that we only live truly by moral
! and spiritual realities. through con-
| tact with God. such contact as nour-
| ishes the soul. imparts power Gre
! ates energy and impels the world.
! There must not be and there cannot
be any real antagonism between the
! body and the soul. or between the
world and it's spiritual Head. our
! Heavenly Father That there has
| ever seemed to be any such antaS-
! onism must be because both have
( been wrongly conceived. We shall
/ never rightly understand the world
| of matter and the world OF spirit,
| the physical and spiritual man. un-
| til we learn that it is Just as natural
| for man to be hungry for the bread
| OF heaven, as it is to he hungry for
/ the bread his mother makes.
| The great lesson of life. therefore,
| is to learn that it is a mighty enter
! prise 10 build a soul. to erect q life.
to feed and nourish the roots of the
! spiritual existence so that it may be
possible to trace the divine Inca
ments in Gods human child.
| 1t is only through such a realization
( Of life as this IS that we shall be able
! to grow characters that shall be strong
enough to bear the strain of our ex-
! periencc with the world. The great
demand is for a human character that
shall be broad Of vision, deep of faith
( and strong in power. This demand was
! never so real as the present moment.
! These are strenuous times when ac-
! tons count nightly either for or
| against the cause of right and truth.
/ l am among those who believe that
there was never more real, true re-
| ,iSion than today, that there was nc !cr
actually more moral purpose and spir-
itual activity tx II now. But as true is
| il also that there never was time
| when men and women to leave re-
, ligion, leave neral and spiritual reali-
| ties. for less worthy things than this
present time. So in the midst of all
! the mad rush for wealth and place,
this inordinate passion for ease and
bodily comfort and for cnervating
pleasures, we 90 need the prophets
tongue and the loets vision. We need /
the conservation of every faculty of |
! the soul to the end that life may meas |
ure up to God demands.
So if the thousands of young men |
and women who are just now going
forth into the world from our schools