Boys, each one of you has an opportunity of becoming President of the United States or filling any office from that of President down to the lowest. Dear boys and girls, work hard for the attainment of the highest character, as millions of such are wanted and needed, and they will always be in great demand to fill good positions. Millions are also needed as good citizens of the United States. If all our citizens were of the first class our country would be a very pleasant place in which to live. Some of you may say or think that you cannot cultivate your habits in order to build a good character, that you do not know how. If you will try and persist, you can succeed. Study the Bible intelligently, and it will enlighten you on the subject. Leave off bad habits and practice good ones, and then you will soon enjoy success. There will always be a good demand for your services. You will be wanted as ministers of the Gospel, school teachers and other officials by the hundred thousand.
Uncle Sam also needs thousands of young men of the good qualities spoken of for the mail service, and other occupations too numerous to mention. None need apply unless they are of the best habits.
Last, but not least, millions of boys and girls of unblemished characters are needed to become noble men and women, as good citizens of the United States. A nation’s destinies are determined ultimately by the ideals of its people. The good and righteous men and women influence our whole people, and the rulers of our government. Men and women of pure and noble character in a community may be compared to beds of beautiful roses in a lawn. People love to congregate about them, and enjoy their sweet and pleasant countenances, that speak for the soul, which like the beauty and fragrance of the rose permeates soul and body.
Dear boys and girls, and all: We have a most cheering consolation in the fact that we are living under the protection of a banner (“Old Glory”) which guarantees equal rights to all. The humblest child has an equal opportunity with the one in a high station of society, for education and the attainment of the highest position in our government. It is true that many of our best government officials, from the President down, were men who attained their official positions by their own hard labor and study, who when boys were poor and in humble station of life, but were honest, industrious, frugal, and were workers for good attainments. Some of them, while attending school, by strenuous efforts, earned enough money by doing odd jobs to complete a moderate education. Boys and girls, be true to yourselves and every person you meet. Be honest, temperate, industrious, and frugal and become noble citizens of our land. Do not waste precious time in idleness while you are young and able to do something, for the time may come when you will not be able to work. What you learn in your childhood days will not depart from you. Do nothing that would be detrimental to your character while you are boys and girls, with the intention of reforming after you have become men and women, because habits that are formed when you are young are hard to reform. Build good characters while you are young, and do not allow them to decay; then good will follow.
Of course these exhortations do not signify that you should not take any time to play. A certain amount of play is necessary, but it should be in moderation. People strive for enjoyment in this life, and some people employ a dishonest method which they imagine will bring them enjoyment, but instead brings sorrow. For example: A young man who held a good position in a bank imagined that if he could come in possession of a large amount of money it would give him great enjoyment during his lifetime. He escaped with a large amount of money belonging to the banking house of which he was an employee. He went to a foreign country, and there used a small portion of his dishonest gain, which he did not enjoy, as he subsequently confessed. He was captured and brought back to face his acquaintances, and was sentenced to the penitentiary, which is a very common consequence in such cases. If this young man had obeyed the exhortations of the Scriptures, he could have had enjoyment, but by his one dishonest act he committed a great sin, which ruined his character and enjoyment. He could reform, but the faint marks of his dishonest act would remain.
The work of reformation is child’s play to that of making your friends believe that you have reformed. Boys and girls, resent every temptation to commit a disreputable act. If you want to enjoy life fully, take the Bible for your guide, then you can enjoy this life and the life to come. Be kind to the poor and unfortunate, especially those who are mentally not your equal. The most cowardly and mean act that any one can commit is to impose upon a person who is deficient mentally, who needs our kindness instead of imposition. A person guilty of such a crime should be punished.
Educate yourselves in a way that will make you capable of dealing honestly with your fellow men. “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” (Luke 10: 25-37.) Who is my neighbor? some person may ask. Our neighbor includes any one of the human race with whom we may come in contact, without regard to place of residence; whether he or she resides in the vicinity of our home or far from us. Generally speaking of those people who reside near our homes, we speak of them as neighbors because we meet them frequently, and generally treat each other like the Good Samaritan treated the man who fell among thieves, which makes us neighborly. How can I love my neighbor as myself? may be asked. The answer is, by having the love of God in your heart. When you have that you will be in a mood to treat your neighbors as you wish them to treat you, and will love to see them prosper as well as you desire to prosper yourself, and will cultivate your disposition in a way that will cause you to have a desire or inclination to assist those who are in distress, and jeopardize your own life for the sake of saving your neighbor’s, For example: You see a fellow man standing upon the railroad track near you, and a fast approaching train is about to strike him, you would at the risk of your life try to pull him off the track and save his life. A person doing the foregoing mentioned good deeds in the right spirit, is obeying the command, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” And you will also be in a mood to pay your debts; a duty that is sadly neglected by some people. Romans 13:8: “Owe no man anything.”
Large Section of National Cemetery.