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{-..t1^ ij»r "n ft S fl A a a A A A A A ,t LEON h'car The M. E. church was crowded to its utmost capacity Sunday evening, the occasion being the preaching of the baccalaureate sermon to the class of '09 •of the Leon High School by Rev. Charles Arthur Coakwell, pastor of the Leon Christian church. The church was beautifully decorated with flowers for the occasion and the graduating class attended garbed in the regulation cap and gown. Rev. Coakwell preached a powerful and eloquent sermon and we publish it for the benefit of the many who were'unable to gain admittance to the church. "Majestic Aims and Their Achievement." •*fery day is a fresh beginning every morn in the world made new." tiaug the poet. This is a beautiful creed of hope. It makes room for a fresh start in life, •when yesterday's failures have well sigh over whelmned us. Longfellow, as well, as indeed, do most of the poets somewhere, gives -expression to the- same truih in his "Ladder of St. Augustine." "St. Augustine, well hast thou said, that of our vices we may frame a ladder, if we will but tread beneath our feet, -each deed of shatr-G. Nor deem the irrevocable past as wholly wasted, wholly vain, if rising on its wrecks, at last to something nobler we attain. In the realm of character, possibility as obligation, what a person may and -can do he ought to do. Lowell makes Mfe an obligation when he says," "Life is as a sheet of paper white whereon •each one of us may write his word or two and then comes night." I realize that before me tonight are future men and women. You are em barking upon life's rugged way. There Are many struggles before you. How t© .help you meet thein is my problem. Behind you are the ages of progress, around you are millions of your fellows, •everyone of-whom have some individual purpose and privilege. Before you are •years teeming with golden opportuni ties and rife with conflicts. You are -called upon to choose that quality of life that will beautify and adorn you before your fellows. To achieve this it is necessary for you to have a definite aim. As such it will be your inspira tion beckoning you each day to do your very best. A beautiful soul makes a beautiful body, and a twisted body ia no more re pulsive than a twisted soul. High ideal ism is natural, goodness, uprightness and truth are inherent. Therefore in my theme tonight 1 only ask you to fol low the easy not the difficult and com plex. The natural and innate not the foreign. Majestic aims are absolutely necessary to a complete, purposeful life, the life that would surmount and extinguish all difficulties. The life that •would be grandly and nobly true. That life that would leave the world richer, fuller, more desirable, because of its having lived therein. That life that bas mankind at heart and Qod's up rightness in hope. The life that would be remembered by deeds not words. Humau souls surcharged with such ideals cannot but be the world's masters. Would'st thou be slave or serf? Then give no heed, but if thou would'st master, victor or king be then harken. Lowell gives it to us in a nut shell •"Not failure, but low aim is crime." Three words serve us here, purpose, perseverance and patience. Carlyle expressed it thus "The mai without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder, a waif, a nothing, a no man. Have a purpose in life and having it, throw such strength of muscle and mind into your work, as God has given you." The mistake many make, which always beckons failure, is that they regard not God. It is ever true that while "man pro poses God disposes." Providence has nothing high or good in store for him who does not resolutely aim at some thing high or good. A purpose in life is the eternal condition of success. The secret of every successful life, of Sir Isaac Newton, Christopher Columbus, George Washington, Wellington, Wilber force, Stephenson, Morse, Grant and Stewart, is perseverance. Wellington, while directing the bat tle of Waterloo, said to his officers: "Hard pounding, gentlemen, hard pound ing, but we shall see who can pound the longest." Perseverance gave to Wel lington the Victory and glad home coming, while the lorn of battle gave to Napoleon the obscurity of St. Helena. The virttte of patienoeis most difficult to achieve. Many a man has passed oat BACCALAUREATE SERMON Preached to the Class of '09 Leon High School, on Sunday, May 23d, by Rev. Charles Arthur Coakwell, Pastor of the Christian Church. \7*' Special channel reach construction. Special dash brace. Special shift heel brace. Special shifting rail. into the dark night of human oblivion because he lacked patience. Enthusiasm is a potent factor in life. It is thesoul of man in action. Many illustrations can be brought to mind. A few will serve: Jenny Lind charmed her hearers because of a purposeful object in life. Human souls and their betterment were her goal. Patrick Henry was able to make his hearers catch the enthusiasm that thrilled his breast. Michael Davitt, some few years deceased, at the age of 10 saw his wid dow mother thrust from her humble cottage by a merciless landlord. At the age of 25 destined to fifteen years of penal servitude for championing the cause of Ireland and her oppressed. Later on elected to the house of com mons by this same people, where he continued to do battle for his people. Living in poverty, dying in poverty, his all was spent in enthusiastic purpose for his country. At his demise all the world knew of his sacrifice and gloried in his life. Thus history records the true value of a noble aim and its worth. The high and lofty appeal to all human hearts as the element natural to their well being. It is the atmosphere of oxhileration, and the food of content ment. Many of us were boru in health, hence we lovo health. Disease is foreign to us. Therefore we despise it, whether it be of tho mind or body. Immanuel Kant, the great philosopher, asks, "What are the aims that are at the same time duties?" They are the per fecting of ourselves and the happiness of others. We want aims that can never grow vile and which cannot disappoint oir hopes. We all have our day dreams of what we want to be, to do, or to have. To this end it is imperative that we first learn to know and govern our selves. Says Shakespeare, "A man may smile and smile, and be a villain too."- There are men and women everywhere striv ing to regain lost ground, battling with their own bad natures, and with every struggle and triumph impressed deeply with the fact that "He who ruleth his spirit is greater than he that taketh a city." Bad people are the exception, good people are the rule. It is natural for people to lean toward the upright. Love and sympathy are a part of the Divine plan for men. That very law which moulds a tear, And bids it trickle from its source That law preserves the earth a sphere, And guides the planets in their course. As doth the marvelous in nature ap peal unto us in its 'development, like wisa the outreach and growth of the human possibilities in their far-reaching effect. I am no mere worm of the dust. I am a living, vital, throbbing soul encased in a house of clay. I see, I hear, I feel, I know and understand. I shall live on the body, only, dies. There are no limitations, for I am an eternal soul. Let mo live to gladden and succor let me yearn to help let me be useful let me, daily, bring to the storehouse of civiliz ation, some new gift of worth. This to me is the quality of appeal that should ever have our ears and hearts. Soul conquests come to one as a mas tery of purpose. The superiority of heart over brain is a pre-eminent fact, and yet how bare is the cathedral of the heafrt, and how the devotees of the bram do jostle in the effort to be first at the altar. Men axe coming to idealize intellect. Brilliancy is placed bofore goodness dexterity before fidelity. Intellect walks the earth a crowned king, while affection and sentiment toil as bond slaves. When the historian calls the roll of earth's favorite sons, he causes these immortals to stand forth an army of great thinkers. Great minds are exalted, great hearts are neglected, but the throne of the universe is mercy not marble, and the name of the world ruler is Great Heart. Ideas of the iniquity of slavery floated throagh our land for three centuries, yet the slave pen and the auction block still cursed us. Later these ideas were backed by an onslaught of the heart and slavery perished. Back of the Emanci pation Proclamation stands a great heart named Lincoln. Back of Africa's new life stands a great heart named Livingstone, back of th& Sermon on the Mount stands earth's greatest heart, Jesus of Nazareth. Impotent the in tellect without the support of the heart. The shores of time are strewn with wreckage of so oalled great thoughts. Intho»e far off days when the-over seers of the Egyptian king scourged W'+t 80,000 slaves forth to their task of build ing a pyramid, a great mind discovered steam. Intellect achieved an instru ment for lifting blocks of granite to their proper place. In that hour thought made possible the freedom of innumerable slaves, but tke heart of the tyrant held no love for his bonds men. The age into which you step is far dilTerent from any other. Our age has heart and sympathy allotted to it alone. The age of Cicero was ever fraught with cruelty as was the Gre cian and many others in their turn. Even in Shakespeare the springs of genius were not in the mind alone but in the heart. The heart of the great poet could not see the apple blossom without hoping that no unkindly frost would nip it, could not look upon the lucious grapes without wishing that no hailstorm would despoil or destroy. Likewise when he looked upon the youth, in innocence, embarking on life's rough way. His heart would long for success and prosperity. Or the bride on her way to the altar always touched the heartsprings of his life making them to (low out in sym pathetic tenderness for her well being and happiness. With him depth of mind was depth of heart. The great factor or principle of reac tion in life's character must be met. To the mystery of life and death must be added the mystery of growth. Rocks cannot grow, diamonds do not grow nor dust. But a shrunken bulb becomes a beautiful lily, a tiny seed becomes the giant tree. Men are nure or less familiar with all the forms of nature, yet this familiarity does not rob them of their mystery, no jeweler ever plants a watch expecting to reap a harvest of stem winders. No engineer would think of planting a cannon ball in hopes of growing a mogul engine, yet if this were possible it would not be more wonderful than the seed be coming the plant or mighty pine. Not greator than taking the life of an infant, and through the three score and ten yoars of allotted development, formulate the giant philosopher or mighty philanthropist. Opportunity is possibility possibility is obligation, whatever a man can do, that is what he ought to do. The joy of achievement or hopes harvest is "The Summun Bonum" of all ambition. The soul is monarch of three King doms man lives at once in the past, the present and the future. Memory presides over yesterday, today is ruled by reason, tomorrow is under the sway of hope. What you truly hope for today you will be tomorrow. Some one has said that life is like unto a vine, its trunk manifest in the present, its roots deeply buried in the past, its branches throwing themselves forward, ripening fruit for days yet to come. God governs men through the regency of hope. Its scope and inspiration are measure less. Alexander the great had hope but it was shortsighted, while he had in his power the nations of the world, yet his own life was running rampant in un restrained passions. The worlds for which he sighed were to be found in his own being. How different the pious Simeon of New Testament time as he held the Bethelem child in his arms for blessing. He, with others, had long hoped for the fulfilment of prophecy. Realizing the joy of his hope achieved he sang from a greatful heart "Now lettest Thou thy servant depart in Peace for 1 have seen the Glory of the Lord." Likewise Paul "1 have fought a good fight, I have kept the faith." These are the outbursts of purposeful souls at the end of the journey. Having laid a foundation of hope, let not the material eclipse the spiritual. The late President McKialey was greater in his moment of death than in all of the achievements of his wonder ful life. His dying words, "His will be done" portrayed to the whole civilized world, the possibility of being a de voted, spiritual man in high office. He beckons us on. At your grave, be it early or late, should be laid a finished life. So live that your very presence will make bad men good. William Ponn gives us a never dying call to the fuller life of aim. "I expect to pass through this life but once, there is any kindness or any good thing that I may do to my fellow beings, le* me do it now. Let me not defer it. I shall pass this way but once." In closing let us learn with Symonds, "Soul, rule thyself, on passion, deed, desire, Lay tliou the laws of tky deliberate will, Stand at tUy chosen post, faith's seatinel Tlio' hell's lout lefions rliif thee round with flie. leara to endure. Dark vigil hours shall tire hy wakeful eyes regrets thy bosom thrill Slow years thy loveless flower of youth shall kill, Tea, thou shalt yearn for lute and wanton lyre. Tek is thy guerdon great thine the reward Ot.tfioM eleot, who, seornlag Circe's lure, Grown'early wise, living light their Lord,' S[asterswithslavesMake lashed celestial steel, ih«ie walk secure not over their heads the pure Heareos bew, aad guardian seraphs wave God's swerd. 4 1 THE LEON REPORTER, THURSDAY. MAY 27, 1909. A Few of the Reasons Why The Velie is the First and Best Line on the Market Today It has the special single reach gear, something not found in 2nd grade work Special spring wagon body construction. Specjal plugless body. Plugs cannot show for there are none Special steel corners Can't open up for they are bolted through the corners. These are a few of the reasons why the Velie is head and shoulders above all competition. Come in, see and compare the Velie with any other line. When you compare them the Velie will do the rest. O W S E & O W S E 1 1 r.-.v '+i ,V'~^ '*, 4 LA MOM PLEASANTON 3E 3E OFFICERS President, J. P. Hamilton Vice-President,Henry J. Vogt Cashier, A. L. Ackerley Assistant Cashier, S. G. Mitchell Assistant Cashier, Carl Monroe T* &' x. p„ i-' ^»iiiiwiminiwiiiwfcwiiniwininimniiiiiiinnmiininni)iitiwinnwiiiiinnn»inm A Few Reasons Why The Farmers & Traders State Bank OF LEON, IOWA Is a good safe place to do your hanging With assets of nearly $500,000.00, or one-half million, and a paid up capital of $50,000.00 and none of it is borrowed or exempt for personal debts of the stockholders as you will note by the assessed value of the bank. Their surplus and discount accounts amounting to over $16,500.00 are profits they have accumulated and added to their business. Their Directors have offices in the bank building and are not wrapped up in a lot of outside matters. The old saying "too many cooks spoil the broth" is true in banking. Below we give you the value of the banks of Decatur county when the asses sor comes around, as shown by the assessor's books in the county auditor's office: Farmers & Traders State Bank, Leon $55,876.00 John W. Harvey, President. Thos. Teale, Vice President State Savings bank, Lamoni, Iowa $38,700.00 Wm. Anderson, President W. A. Hopkins, Cashier. Farmers State Bank, Lamoni, Iowa $27,524.00 Thos. Teale, President. Orra Teale, Cashier Weldon Savings Bank, Weldon, Iowa $25,792.00 F. L. Hall, Cashier First National Bank, Garden Grove, Iowa $23,000.00 C. S. Stearns, President. J. W. Stearns, Cashier. Citizens State Saving Bank, Decatur, Iowa $20,800.00 Wm. Woodward, President. E. W. Townsend, Cashier Exchange National Bank, Leon, Iowa $19,000.00 J. P. Hamilton. President. A. L. Ackerley, Cashier State Savings Bank, Grand River, Iowa $18,700.00 A. L. Ackerley, President. J. C. Brothers, Cashier. I Decatur State Savings Bank, Decatur, Iowa $10,000.00 J. H. Hill, President. J. C. Cozad, Cashier. Bank of Van Wert, Van Wert, Iowa $ 9,796.00 W. F. Blair, President. E. 0. Stearns, Cashier. Farmers Bank, Grand River, Iowa $ 9,000.00 J. Switzer, President. A. L. Switzer, Cashier. Farmers & Merchants Bank, Pleasanton, Iowa $ 8,800.00 Wm. Woodard, President. J. W. Chew, Cashier. Farmers Bank, Davis City, Iowa $ 6,000.00 S. Radnish, President. 0. L. Frazier, Cashier. I Valley Bank, Davis City, Iowa $ 2,000.00 J. N. Gates, Cashier. Conservative people who desire to do business with a bank in keeping with their ideas are invited to look over the list of our officers and directors which appear above. We think you will find these men representative, reliable and competent. Bound together by no ties except the successful management of this bank. Consider this matter thoroughly. It's a busi ness proposition of much importance .to youMr. Depositor. a N O* S ft ft ft Ell H=j DIRECTORS. J. P. Hamilton H. J. Vogt J. W. Wailes Stephen Varga A. L. Ackerley C. W. Hoffman E. G. Monroe il