higher life even before he becomes a man." Seeing, then, that there is
this possibility of death even in the midst of life--a possibility, we
would fain hope, seldom realised in this school, but still a
possibility--shall we not be very careful, men and boys alike, so to do
our part in this society, so to shelter the young and strengthen the
weak, and to keep the atmosphere of our life a pure atmosphere, that
every sensitive soul which comes amongst us may grow up here through a
healthy and wholesome boyhood, and go out to the duties and the calling
of his life, strong, unselfish, public-spirited, pure-hearted, and
courageous--a Christian gentleman.




IV. THE INFLUENCE OF TRADITION.


"Making the word of God of none effect through your traditions: and
many such like things ye do."--ST. MARK vii. 13.

Such was our Lord's word to the Pharisees; and if we turn to our own life
it is difficult if not impossible for us fully to estimate the influence
which traditions exercise upon it.

They are so woven into the web of thought and opinion, and daily habits
and practices, that none of us can claim to escape them. Moreover, as
any institution or society grows older, this influence of the part which
is handed on from one generation to another tends to accumulate; so that
the weight of it lies heavier on us in an old place than in a new one,
and it is obvious that there is both loss and gain in this.