OCR Text |
Show POWKR OF WILL IS ELOQUENTLY URGED The Kev. Dr. H. W. Reherd, B. P., delivered de-livered the baccalaurete sermon to the graduates of the Collegiate Institute of Westminster college at the Third Presbyterian Pres-byterian church yesterday morning. He took as his theme "The Power of the Will." In part, he said: On almost every battlefield there is some spot where the issue of the battle is decided. It was so at Waterloo. Wa-terloo. There was a farm house around which the battle surged for hours. Troops were massed against it. Cannon and rifle were directed toward it. To possess it was to suc-i suc-i ceed. When at last English troops held It firmly, English troops had won "Waterloo. Similarly in every human hu-man being there is an element about which the battle of life is fought. It Is the will. The whole contest of good and evil over our humanity Is aa to the control of the will. An untrained or diseased will is a dangerous element in man. The dangerous dan-gerous classes among us are neither the rich nor the poor per se. but those of every grade wno are degenerating in their manhood because of their loss of self-control. Some of our young people have become pastmasters in moral imbecility because they have let their wills become diseased. Sometimes Some-times the diseased will does not show itself until mature age, as in tlie case of Von Wallenstein, who once held central Europe in his grasp, but later became a military weakling, or in the' case of Samuel Tajior Coleridge, whose physical shift lessness was 'jo , matched by his mental sloth that in later years his inability to break certain cer-tain habits amounted to a deep soul tragedy. , Discipline Necessary. On the other hand, a disciplined will is a great factor in achieving success. This is true both negatively and positively. posi-tively. On the negative side we see temptation as the greatest hindrance to success. The trained will is a power against temptation, because it gives a man self-contmi in the hour of his peril. Tt therefore behooves a man to husband all the rpsnnrcpM of the will to make it strong. Roth a strong body and a strong mind arc such resources. A strong body gives a man surplus nervous energy po that he can be alert In the hour of temptation temp-tation to choose the higher considerations considera-tions of life. A strong mind likewise adds to the power of attention, and helps to hold a man true in the hour of peril. ' On the positive side the will makes for success because in every walk in life drudgery- appears, and the successful man must summon his will puwer to drlvf through the unpleasant un-pleasant task . Grant bated war as a profession, but became a great general gen-eral by holding himseif bvsheer will power tu his task. Walter S--ott S'V:oo;ed himself to "roil at a subject terribly." Joseph Cook spent nine consecutive dn-s thinking un a definition defi-nition of cons-ien.-e. Edison"has been willing to m?ke lii.f'iy. failures in an -xperirncpt to secure one result and HerM.el walked about p...'i?'.it.g his great !,-:?, -ope 1rn? for sjMeen hours ;i dnv. his sir-rcr putting ins foo.-j jn is ruoijt;, a h..- wa'krl nnd rubbed ".'('.;'r !au,-"-rc,ie'1 -' s,'er wili The sreutcrrt triumph of the will is J when it becomes subservient to a higher will. Every man must choose his path in life, and that choice is governed by his will. A man's will triumphs when lie chooses to sav to the creator of all, "not my will," but thine, be done." Not until" then does a man rise to tlie highest possibilities of his nature. Admiral Foote reached this height when in the midst of an hour of terrible temptation he sternly resolved. "Henceforth Andrew Foote serves God." The man who thus j sriws himself to the service of Gd finds that God works In him "both to wilt and to work for his good pleasure." pleas-ure." Our s rent est desire for you as gradates grad-ates of tids. school Is that you may win success of the highest type by putting your wills into the control of the creator of them. 'Up would not point you to Alexander or Napolenri n examples of will power, for both fa i led in the h if; best mora I rea 1m. bu t 'o Admiral F'oote with Ids decision, "henceforth Andrew Foote serves God." and to the Christ of th- ages wh.- s,tid, "Not my u ill. but thine, b. donn." |