BE OUR GUEST: GRADUATES, NOW IS THE TIME FOR WISDOM AS YOU VIEW THE REMAINDER OF YOUR LIVES

Wilver W. Wessel is a former postmaster in Cape Girardeau. He is a graduate of the Cape Girardeau Central High School Class of 1936.

Commencement the act or ti~me of commencin~g; beginnin~g; start. Congratulations! You are now a high school graduate. This is an honor. Through your diligence and perseverance you have attained it. Out of every five pupils who began the first ~grade with you less than four graduate from high school.

~Yet, while you bask in and en~joy your new status, remember that commencement is a new beginning. Young people are often lon~g on knowledge and short on wisdom. Now is the time to ask for wisdom as you consider the remainder of the business of your life. You are faced with super opportunities and awesome responsibilities. Sometimes, through our personal indiscretions, we become embittered with life. Haven't you heard some of your peers say, "~Is this all there is?" The classic words of embitterment are the words of William Shakespeare's ill-fated hero, Macbeth:

Out, out, brief candle

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage

And then is heard no more: it is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Si~gnifying nothing.

Life is a precious gift. No one has a moral ri~ght to your life. I would dwell a few minutes on three aspects of your future life. First, there is your spiritual health. Thousands of years a~go as Joshua was preparing to lead the Israelites into the promised land of Canaan, he paused on the ban~ks of the Jordan River and admonished his people, "Choose this day whom you will serve ... ~As for me and ~my house we will serve the Lord." As you stand on the threshold of your future, you must ~make a choice. Whom will you serve?

Rosey Grier, the one-time all-pro defens~ive line~man of the Los Angeles Rams, wrote, "One day as I was lying on the turf of the Los Angele~s Coliseum~ football field, I said, `There has to be more to life than this.'"

He accepted the Lord a~s his partner and has been a worker and evangeli~st in the poorer section~ of Los Angeles.

Will you accept the Lord as your partner? The ~gift~s are bounteous love, joy~, peace, patience, ~kindness, ~goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. Above all, the bottom line is the pro~mise o~f eternal life. A life outside this partnership is vain, wasted, bitter, without hope now and forever.

The second aspect is your physical health. Many of you will live to be over 100 years of age. Some may even reach the total of 120 years that Moses lived. Many scientists speculate that 120 years should be the lifespan of man based on studies of the nu~mber of times a bodily cell divides. Who is the custodian of your health? You are. The doctor only repair~s the da~mage~. I ha~ve never read an article~~~~~ sayin~g that poor nutrition, nicotine, alcohol, drugs, caffeine or sexual immorality were conducive to good health. Proper nutrition, rest and exercise will ~give you "the kic~k" without the hango~ver.

In today'~s indu~strial society many ~jobs are detrimental to your health. As you see~k e~~mployment be sure that the wor~kplace of the position you ~accept~~~ is free from contamination ~~that would endanger your health and well-bein~g.

The final phase is your financial health. D~on't get cau~ght in the quicksand of a dead end ~job. Now is the time to gather and study figures as to the present and future cost of living as we near the 21st century. You will be surprised at the amount. As~k your parents about the budget. At the age of 18 years you may thin~k that ~$100 per week is a lot of money. This is a terr~ible illusion.

Be wise in the spending of your money. Never in history have we been told how easy it is to buy the thing~ we may not need. Many years ago, an elderly ~man with whom I worked said, "It doesn't matter how much money you earn. It's what you put on your hip th~at counts." One of the greatest phenomenons of all time is the rule of compound interest. A dollar saved at age 18 has so much more potential than one saved at ~48. Out of every check pay yourself first.

An Armed Forces television ad once said, "Be all you can be." Take up the challenge, move down the field, score a touchdown~! The class of 36 fumbled the ball!