Knighthood 
 
 o4ncient 
 
 AND 
 
 Modern 
 
 BY 
 
 FATHER JOHN B. DE VILLE 
 
 “A glorious company, the flower of men, 
 To serve as model for the mighty world, 
 And he the fair beginning of a time.” 
 
 BOSTON COLLEGE UDTIMiY 
 OUKSTJKUT IIILL, MASS, 
 
 ' J&13: 1 
 
 > “Our Sunday Visitor Press’^ 
 
 Huntington, I-\dia aa 
 
Nihil Obstat 
 
 RT. REV. MON. OECHTERING, V. G. 
 
 Censor 
 
 IMPRIMATUR 
 
 ^ HERMAN J. ALERDING 
 
 Bishop of Fort Wayne 
 
 VIS | S3 %. 
 
 21542 
 
 Ifriiuti'is 
 
 J. A. FLAHERTY, Supreme Knight 
 HON. CABOT WARD, Dist. Dep. N. Y. 
 
This short sketch on “Knighthood” by Father 
 de Ville should find a welcome with the Knights of 
 Columbus. It is a brief historical presentation of 
 Knighthood and contains some very practical sug¬ 
 gestions for Knights of the present day. The historical 
 side is enlightening and will undoubtedly awaken in 
 the Knights of Columbus a desire to meet the dignity 
 of Knighthood. 
 
 The idea of service—service to a worthy cause 
 which is the characteristic of Knighthood has probably 
 never before had a more varied or larger field of opera¬ 
 tion. Just what this field is and how it ought to appeal 
 to the Knights of Columbus is set forth with interest 
 in this brochure. A clear understanding of a duty is 
 often a duty half done and when to that understanding 
 . you add the energy, loyalty and quality that the 
 Knights of Columbus are known to possess, it is within 
 reason to say that the call of Knighthood-service—will 
 find a fitting response. 
 
 A large circulation of this pamphlet of Father 
 de Ville on Knighthood will be a just appreciation of 
 his interest in the cause and will bring its reward in 
 the form of increased devotion to the ideals of the 
 Knights of Columbus. 
 
 MATTHEW SCHUMACHER, C. S. C. 
 
 Director of Studies Notre Dame University, 
 Notre Dame, Indiana. 
 
 State Chaplain of K. of C., State of Indiana. 
 
4 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 Some time ago there appeared in the pages of the 
 Menace and kindred anti-Catholic publications, a bogus 
 “Oath” purported to be taken by the Knights of Colum¬ 
 bus. Here below is a copy of the document which is 
 as foolish as it is false. 
 
 KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS OATH. 
 
 “I, ., now in the presence of -Almighty God, 
 
 the blessed Virgin Mary, the blessed St. John the Baptist, 
 the Holy Apostles, St. Peter and St. Paul, and all the Saints, 
 sacred Host of Heaven, and to you, my Ghostly Father, the 
 superior general of the society of Jesus, founded by St. 
 Ignatius Loyola, in the pontification of Paul the III, and con¬ 
 tinued to the present, do by the womb of the Virgin, the 
 matrix of God, and the rod of Jesus Christ, declare and 
 swear, that his Holiness, the Pope, is Christ’s vice-regent 
 and is the true and only head of the Catholic or Universal 
 Church throughout the earth; and that by the virtue of the 
 keys of binding and loosing given his Holiness by my Savior, 
 Jesus Christ, he hath power to depose heretical kings, 
 princes, states, commonwealths and governments and they 
 may be safely destroyed. Therefore, to the utmost of my 
 power, I will defend this doctrine and his Holiness’ right and 
 custom against all usurpers of the heretical or Protestant 
 authority whatever, especially the Lutheran Church of Ger¬ 
 many, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, and the now 
 pretended authority and Churches of England and Scotland, 
 and the branches of same, now established in Ireland, and 
 on the continent of America and elsewhere and all adherents 
 in regard that they may be usurped and heretical, opposing 
 the sacred Mother Church of Rome. 
 
 “I do now denounce and disown any allegiance as due to 
 any heretical king, prince or state, named Protestant or Lib¬ 
 erals or obedience to any of their laws, magistrates or 
 officers. 
 
 “I do further declare that the doctrine of the Churches of 
 England and Scotland of the Calvinists, Huguenots and others 
 of the name of Protestants or Masons, to be damnable, and 
 they themselves to be damned who will not forsake the same. 
 
 “I do further declare, that I will help, assist and advise 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 5 
 
 all or any of his Holiness’ agents, in any place where I should 
 be, in Switzerland, Germany, Holland, Ireland or America or 
 in any other kingdom or territory I shall come to, and do my 
 utmost to extirpate the heretical Protestant or Masonic doc¬ 
 trines, and to destroy their pretended powers, legal or other¬ 
 wise. 
 
 “I do further promise and declare that, notwithstanding 
 I am dispensed with to assume any religion heretical for the 
 propagation of the Mother Church’s interest; to keep secret 
 and private all her agents’ counsels from time to time, as 
 they entrust me, and not divulge directly or indirectly, by 
 word, writing or circumstances whatever, but to execute all 
 that should be proposed, given in charge, or discovered unto 
 me, by you my Ghostly Father, or any of this sacred order. 
 
 “I do further promise and declare that I will have no 
 opinion or will of my own or any mental reservation what¬ 
 soever, even as a corpse or cadaver (perinde ac cadaver), 
 but will unhesitatingly obey each and every command that I 
 may receive from my superiors in the militia of the Pope and 
 of Jesus Christ. 
 
 “That I will go to any part of the world whithersoever I 
 may be sent, to the frozen regions North, Jungles of India, 
 to the centers of civilization of Europe, or to the wild haunts 
 of the barbarous savages of America without murmuring or 
 repining, and will be submissive in all things whatsover is 
 communicated to me. 
 
 “I do further promise and declare that I will when 
 opportunity presents, make and wage relentless war, secretly 
 and openly, against all heretics, Protestants and Masons, as 
 I am directed to do, to extirpate them from the face of the 
 whole earth; and that I will spare neither age, sex or condi¬ 
 tion, and that will hang, burn, waste, boil, flay, strangle and 
 bury alive these infamous heretics; rip up the stomachs and 
 wombs of their women, and crush their infants’ heads against 
 the walls, in order to annihilate their execrable race. That 
 when the same can not be done openly, I will secretly us© 
 the poisonous cup, the strangulation cord, the steel of the 
 poniard, or the leaden bullet, regardless of the honor, rank, 
 dignity or authority of the persons whatever may be their 
 condition in life, either public or private, as I at any time 
 may be directed so to do, by any agents of the Pope, or) 
 
6 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 Superior of the Brotherhood of the Holy Father of thej 
 Society of Jesus. 
 
 “In confirmation of which I hereby dedicate my life, soul, 
 and all corporal powers, and with the dagger which I now 
 receive I will subscribe my name, written in my blood, in 
 testimony thereof; and should I prove false or weaken in my 
 determination, may my brethren and fellow soldiers of the 
 militia of the Pope cut off my hands and feet and my throat 
 from ear to ear, my belly opened and sulphur burned therein 
 with all the punishment that can be inflicted upon me on 
 earth and my soul shall be tortured by demons in eternal 
 hell forever. 
 
 “That I will in voting always vote for a K. of C. in pref¬ 
 erence to a Protestant, especially a Mason and that I will 
 leave my party so to do; that if two Catholics are on the 
 ticket I will satisfy myself which is the better supporter of 
 Mother Church and vote accordingly. 
 
 “That I will not deal with or employ a Protestant if in 
 my power to deal with or employ a Catholic. That I will 
 place Catholic girls in Protestant families that a weekly re¬ 
 port may be made of the inner movements of the heretics. 
 
 “That I will provide myself with arms and ammunition 
 that I may be in readiness when the word is passed, or I am 
 commanded to defend the Church, either as an individual or 
 with the militia of the Pope. 
 
 All of which I, .. do swear by the blessed 
 
 Trinity and blessed Sacrament which I am now to receive, to 
 perform and on part to keep this, my oath. 
 
 “In Testimony Hereof, I take this most holy and blessed 
 Sacrament of the Eucharist, and witness the same further, 
 with my name written with the point of this dagger, dipped 
 in my own blood, and seal, in the face of this holy Sacra¬ 
 ment.” 
 
 We of the Faith as well as many non-Catholics who 
 are brought into constant and intimate contact with 
 members of this organization are well aware of the 
 absurdity of the above. It is deplorable that so many 
 serious Protestant periodicals should have reproduced 
 it. If the editors who are intelligent and cultivated can 
 be deceived, for in all charity I take it for granted that 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 1 
 
 they were deceived or else would not have given it to 
 their readers, is it not logical to suppose that a great 
 majority of their subscribers will also give it credence? 
 It is not my purpose he^e to refute the slander. The 
 high character of the Knights of Columbus as individ¬ 
 uals and as members of the Order, the great and noble 
 work by them performed in the interest of Church and 
 State, is in itself an irrefragable refutation. The 
 originators of the oath are merely putting into practice 
 Voltaire’s famous axiom “Calomniez, quelquechose res- 
 tera” (calumniate, something will remain). Yes, in 
 spite of its grossness and patent falsity, some of its 
 mud will stick and many are the Catholics and 
 Protestants who express wonder at the silence of the 
 Supreme Body of the K. of C. in this matter. The 
 truth of the matter is that the Knights of Columbus 
 take no oath but they do promise solemnly to live up to 
 the ideals and teachings of the Order, ideals and teach¬ 
 ings which are noble and exalting. True it is that 
 secrecy is enjoined upon its members but not on 
 account of having anything to hide, not on account of 
 ulterior motives of which they need be ashamed. To 
 ventilate the affairs of one’s family in public is to lay 
 its members open to ridicule, unjust criticism, perhaps, 
 and what is the Order of the K. of C. but one great, 
 loving family ? There is no Society that does not warn 
 its members against discussing its business outside 
 their meeting-room, knowing full well that to allow 
 such a thing would be equivalent to revealing a lack 
 of prudence and solidarity, thus lessening its efficiency. 
 The object of this brief treatise is to remind the 
 Knights that true Knighthood can only draw its inspir¬ 
 ation and strength from Holy Mother Church; to warn 
 them of the dangers with which the road to future 
 
8 
 
 ICNIGHTHOOi). 
 
 success is strewn; and to impress upon them the fact 
 that Knighthood entails obligations which must be 
 complied with, burdens which must be cheerfully 
 borne. 
 
 “To ride abroad redressing human wrongs, 
 
 To speak no slander, no, nor listen to it; 
 
 To lead sweet lives in purest chastity.” 
 
 
 
KNIGHTHOOD 
 
 ITS ORIGIN. 
 
 “Wonderful and strange it is to see them, at once as 
 gentle as lambs and as bold as lions. I hardly know whether 
 to call them monks or Knights—wanting as they do neither 
 the meekness of the monk nor the courage of the Knight.— 
 (St. Bernard.) 
 
 In a general sense Knighthood is as old as 
 humanity and represents the highest, purest and 
 noblest aspirations of the human soul. In all periods 
 of the world’s history, among people steeped in degrad¬ 
 ation, surrounded by the most pernicious influences, 
 there will always be gigantic figures towering in moral 
 strength and fortitude above their fellows. They are 
 the beacon-lights that illuminate the path of righteous¬ 
 ness and show it to the multitudes that are groping in 
 darkness and error. Thus we find the Knightly man 
 omnipresent among the creations of the first masters of 
 civilization, the ancient Hindus; we meet him among 
 the heroes of Homer and Virgil. Traversing burning 
 seas of sand in Africa, speeding across the Asiatic 
 steppes on fiery steeds, worshipping in the sacred for¬ 
 ests of Germany or Ireland, he is everywhere to be 
 seen bent on some errand of mercy or of love. He is a 
 man of ideals and a man of action. He soars high. 
 Material, sordid things he despises and he keeps his 
 gaze fixed upon the eternal truths. He may sing and 
 dream at times but he knows that in order to reach 
 the goal he must work and suffer, too. He intuitively 
 understands his mission upon earth; hence he looks 
 about for wrongs to right, tears to dry, sorrows to 
 alleviate. He seems to be the instrument of Divine 
 Providence, ubiquitous, proteiform in his activities 
 
10 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 and manifestations. Is his age selfish, brutal and 
 cruel? In him you will find blended the spirit of 
 sacrifice, gentleness and charity. Is rebellion to law 
 and order rampant? Behold in the Knight the 
 exemplar of obedience and duty. Have luxury and 
 vice so mollified mankind as to render it weak and 
 vacillating? The Knight becomes then the just but 
 stern ruler, inflexible in his degmand for adherence to 
 principles. Even among the ancient Scandinavians the 
 chief duty of the Knight was to become the guardian 
 of womanly purity, true love and home attachments. 
 Virtue and valor were to be the passports to the Val¬ 
 halla of heroes and the Gladsheim of heavenly joy. It 
 was, however, Christianity that produced the best 
 type of Knighthood, and gradually developed it into 
 one of the greatest and most beneficent institutions of 
 feudal times- The moral and aesthetic principles of 
 the Christian Religion, its ideals of chastity, marriage, 
 and loyalty, and in particular the wide-spread venera¬ 
 tion paid to the Virgin Mother of Christ, powerfully 
 contributed to the development of the institutions of 
 chivalry. There are many pretty but merely legendary 
 stories written between the years 1180 and 1240 con¬ 
 cerning the exploits of Knights which, however, clearly 
 show the high code of honor they followed, the noble 
 motives by which they were actuated. The best known 
 is that of the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail (vide Cath. 
 Enc.) is supposed to be the dish from which Christ 
 ate the Paschal Lamb with His disciples, which passed 
 into the possession of Joseph of Arimathea, and was 
 used by him to gather the Precious Blood of our 
 Savior, when His Body was taken from the Cross. It 
 becomes identified with the Chalice of the Eucharist. 
 It is taken to Britain where it disappears. The 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 11 
 
 Knights, replete with love and devotion for everything 
 bearing relation to Christ, go in search of it. The 
 quest of the Holy Grail is a difficult one, fraught with 
 difficulties, and only the purest and bravest attain it. 
 The famous stories of King Arthur, the Knights of the 
 Round Table, Sir Galahad, Sir Percival and many 
 others are woven around this subject. The most 
 famous modern versions are Tennyson’s “Holy Grail” 
 in the “Idylls of the King,” and Wagner’s music-drama, 
 the festival-play “Parsifal,” produced for the first time 
 at Bayreuth in 1882. 
 
 THE CRUSADERS. 
 
 Am ready to sail forth on one last voyage, 
 
 And readier, if the King would hear, to lead 
 One last crusade against the Saracen, 
 
 And save the Holy Sepulchre from thrall. 
 
 The golden age of chivalry was inaugurated by 
 the Crusades. The Knight becomes invested with an 
 almost sacred character and the Church takes him 
 under her direct protection. In the 11th century an 
 extraordinary man appears in Europe. Uncouth in 
 appearance, a long beard framing his ascetic face, he 
 nevertheless possesses such powers of oratory and per¬ 
 suasion that, on account of him, an epoch-making 
 movement is inaugurated, stamping East and West 
 with the fires of war for centuries to come. His name 
 was Peter the Hermit, and he had just returned from a 
 long pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While there, he 
 saw, with aching heart, the profanation of the sacred 
 places atAhe hands of the Turks; he beheld the Chris¬ 
 tians living there submitted to a thousand indignities, 
 and he vowed that it would no longer be thus. “Is 
 there no Faith left?” he exclaimed. “Has hope for the 
 
12 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 Savior died out of the heart of man?” “Is not the 
 ground that He sanctified with His love property of 
 His children?” “How long shall the Half Moon of the 
 Prophet wave over it?” It must be snatched from the 
 minarets, and Constantine’s labarum proclaim to the 
 breezes that Christ alone reigns. 
 
 “GOD WILLS IT, GOD WILLS IT!” 
 
 Carrying a wooden Cross he travels from city to 
 city, from hamlet to hamlet. “God wills it,” repeats 
 the king; “God wills it,” cries the baron; “God wills 
 it” echoes the vassal. Long standing feuds are for¬ 
 gotten, prejudices vanish, racial differences are rele¬ 
 gated to the back-ground and Frank, Saxon, Dane, 
 Celt and Latin are made one by one great, common 
 ideal. The flower of European youth, leaving home 
 and friends, marches through unknown lands, braves 
 all kinds of obstacles and engages in deadly combat 
 with the “infidel.” It was then that chivalry received 
 its baptism of fire. 
 
 HOSPITALLERS AND TEMPLARS. 
 
 Some were almost in their prime. 
 
 Nor was a brow o’ercast. Seen as they sate 
 Ranged round their ample hearth-stone in an hour 
 Of rest, they were as gay and free from guile 
 As children; answering, and at once, to all 
 The gentler impulses, to pleasure, mirth; 
 
 Mingling, at intervals, with rational talk, 
 
 Music; and gathering news from them that came 
 As of some other worlds. But when the storm 
 Rose and the snow rolled on in ocean waves. 
 
 When on his face tlT “experienced traveller fell,” 
 Sheltering his lips and nostrils with his hands, 
 
 Then all was changed, and sallying with their pack, 
 Into that blank of nature, they became 
 Unearthly beings. —ROGERS. 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 13 
 
 Born of the Crusades were those unique Orders 
 of famous Christian warriors, the Knights of St. John 
 (or Knights Hospitallers) and the Poor Soldiers of 
 Christ (or Knights Templars). Says John R. Fryar 
 in the Ecclesiastical Review, Vol. XLYI, No. 46: “Never 
 was given to the world a more deeply interesting his¬ 
 tory than is embodied in the rise and achievements of 
 these orders—of the picturesque amalgamation of the 
 most opposite qualities of human nature required as 
 the indispensable preliminary to membership, of the 
 active bravery and passive fortitude with which the 
 objects of the institutions were pursued. They were 
 a combination of priest and soldier which powerfully 
 appealed to the popular imagination. Both formed the 
 flower of the Christian army and were the especial 
 dread of the Saracen hosts. The military annals of no 
 country or time exhibit deeds that can surpass, few 
 even that can rival, the prodigies of valor continually 
 performed by these warrior monks; bravery, chivalry, 
 moral and military discipline were in them personified 
 in a high degree; and not until later, when wealth and 
 temporal power had been thrust upon them, was it that 
 luxury, jealousy and corruption set in. Richard Coeur 
 de Lion, St. Louis IX, Godfrey de Bouillon, Tancred 
 and the Count de St. Gilles are some of their most 
 famous heroes. The Hospitallers, or Knights of St. 
 John of Jerusalem, had their origin about 1048, when 
 a hospital was built in Jerusalem for the care of pil¬ 
 grims to the Holy Sepulchre. After Godfrey de Bouil¬ 
 lon had captured Jerusalem in the First Crusade, 1099, 
 the hospital servants were joined by many Christian 
 soldiers, and they were all banded into a religious 
 order in 1113. Their especial vocation was to relieve 
 the hungry, weary, homeless, and sick of their own 
 
14 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 faith, whom piety had brought to that far-off land. 
 Their kindly offices were extended to the infidel Arab 
 or Turk, when dire necessity brought him to their door. 
 Hugh de Payens founded the Order of the Templars 
 about the year 1120 with nine Knights, but the small 
 band soon began to grow and acquire wealth and 
 influence. They devoted themselves, life and fortune, 
 to the defence of the high roads leading to Jerusalem, 
 where the Christian pilgrims were continually harassed 
 and injured by the warlike onslaughts of the Mussul¬ 
 mans, and the predatory attacks of robbers. As a 
 special honor they were lodged by the Church on the 
 site of the great Hebrew Temple, and the fame of the 
 •‘Knighthood of the Temple of Solomon” began to 
 spread through Christian Europe. Within a short 
 time the Hospitallers had become possessed of some 
 19,000 manors, and the Templars of almost 9,000 
 manors, in the fairest provinces of Christendom. Their 
 material success was also the cause of their ruin. They 
 grew lax, arrogant and envious. Instead of working 
 harmoniously for the common cause they even turned 
 their arms against each other, and the decline of 
 Christian power in the Holy Land may be traced in no 
 small measure, to those miserable jealousies. These 
 Religious Military Orders originated at the end of the 
 11th century, and ceased to exist toward the close of 
 the 18th century. They have left a halo around their 
 memory, a picturesqueness about their history, a rev¬ 
 erence for their aims and deeds. Glorious in the 
 humility and sanctity of their inception, rapidly pow¬ 
 erful and affluent in their progress, they were painfully 
 pathetic in their fall. “The Knights are dust and their 
 swords rust,” but they have bequeathed to posterity a 
 great history, an ennobling example and remarkable 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 15 
 
 remains. The Order of the Knights of Malta was a 
 branch of the Hospitallers. Another Order which de¬ 
 serves some mention is that of the Teutonic Knights 
 (T'eutschritter) founded at Jerusalem in 1190. They 
 observed the rule of St. Augustine with the exception 
 of the knightly part which was borrowed from that of 
 the Templars. They slept on straw pallets and those 
 who were priests said Mass in armour and sword at 
 the side. Candidates for the Order had to be Germans 
 of noble birth. A split in the Order took place in 
 1525, when Albert of Brandenburg, the Grand Master, 
 embraced the doctrine of Luther. The Catholic 
 Knights met at Mergenteim in 1527, and elected a new 
 Grand Master. It was abolished by Napoleon in 1809. 
 Other celebrated Orders were those of Calatrava 
 (1157), Santiago, and Alcantara (1212) in Spain. All 
 these institutions, till they retrograded from their high 
 principles and aims, were extremely charitable and 
 used their vast wealth for the alleviation of suffering. 
 
 TRAINING THE KNIGHTS. 
 
 “Nay—but thou errest, Lancelot, never yet 
 Could all of true and noble in knight and man 
 Twine round one sin, whatever it might be, 
 
 With such a closeness, but apart there grew. 
 
 Save that he were the swine thou spakest of, 
 
 Some root of knighthood and pure nobleness; 
 Whereto see thou, that it may bear its flower.” 
 
 Every Knight had to acquire skill in the use of 
 arms, in riding and politeness. The weapons used 
 were the lance for the encounter, and the sword for 
 the close fight. For protection they also wore a coat 
 of mail which was called the defensive weapon. They 
 must possess three horses: one for the battle, called 
 
16 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 high horse; one for the journey, and a heavy one for 
 luggage. The very word “chivalry” comes from the 
 French “cheval,” (Latin “caballus”), a horse. Its 
 equivalent “Knight-hood” is derived from the Anglo- 
 Saxon “eniht,” youth, military attendant, and is akin 
 to the German and Dutch “Knecht,” servant, and, per¬ 
 haps, to the English “kin.” Each had several atten¬ 
 dants of whom the principal one was the “squire,” or 
 shield-bearer. The squire after serving his time, if 
 worthy and proficient, could become a Knight. An¬ 
 other integral part of knightly equipment was the 
 square banner which was attached to and carried on 
 the lance and bore the arms of the King or baron in 
 command, and also the Knight’s personal ensign. 
 
 Almost every ancient noble house of Europe had 
 a Knight for its founder, hence it is evident that the 
 social standing of the Knights was of the highest order. 
 The nobility was recruited solely from its ranks. It 
 must be observed, however, that Knighthood itself was 
 not hereditary, though only the sons of a Knight were 
 eligible to its ranks. These were sent, when seven years 
 old, to some baron who undertook their training. The 
 highest rank of chivalry, Knighthood, was conferred 
 upon the candidate when 21 years of age. The cere¬ 
 mony of “knighting” was at first very simple, but it 
 gradually developed into a very elaborate one. After a 
 vigil of prayer and fasting, the candidate received the 
 Holy Sacraments, and then was invested with a white 
 robe, symbolic of the purity which must adorn his 
 soul. Renewing his baptismal vows first, he would 
 swear allegiance to the Church, promise to protect 
 widows and orphans, to live in harmony with his 
 equals, never to lie or slander. Here is given the mili¬ 
 tary oath. 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 17 
 
 OATH OF KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 “In the presence of the Almighty God, and of His 
 Son, Jesus Christ, the Lord, here present upon this 
 altar, and of the Lady Mary, the Holy Mother of God, 
 and of the good Knights St. Michael and St. George, 
 and of all good Knights, the Angels and the Saints, 
 and of those whose relics are here upon this altar; and 
 trusting in the help of these, I do solemnly swear to 
 serve loyally and truly, and to fight manfully for God, 
 for Country, for the Ladies, and for all the weak and 
 oppressed; in this cause and in defense of these, never 
 to count the enemy. And as I keep this, my oath, 
 sacred and true, and do this, my devoir, knightly and 
 well, so may the Almighty God, in His mercy, grant 
 me His grace, that my life may J)e without reproach, 
 and my death with honor, in arms, upon the field of 
 battle, and my place in eternal life with those whose 
 aid I here invoke. 
 
 The Roman Pontifical still retains the form of 
 blessing for a new Knight (benedictio novi militis) 
 and that for the imposition of the Cross. After the 
 Cross was especially blessed, it was imposed upon the 
 candidate, usually by the -Bishop, with these words: 
 “Receive the sign of the Cross in the name of the 
 Father, and of the Son of the Holy Ghost, in token of 
 the Cross, Passion and Death of Christ for the defence 
 of thy body and thy soul, that by the favor of Divine 
 Goodness, when thy journey is accomplished, thou 
 mayest return to thy family safe and reformed (salvus 
 et emendatus).” 
 
 After that the “accolade” or final degree took 
 place. While he knelt, the godfather, who must be a 
 Knight, gave him a slight blow on the neck with the 
 
18 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 flat of the sword in order to teach him that Knight¬ 
 hood entailed obligations, and he was “dubbed” a 
 Knight in the name of God and St. George, the patron 
 of chivalry. 
 
 ST. GEORGE. 
 
 It may be of some interest here to state why St. 
 George appealed so strongly to those warriors as to be 
 chosen as their official protector. St. George was born 
 of noble Christian parents and early in life joined the 
 Roman army where he distinguished himself for his 
 great bravery. Diocletian bestowed great honors upon 
 him, creating him an officer- When the persecution 
 broke out under this cruel Emperor, George laid aside 
 his uniform and personally pleaded the cause of his 
 coreligionists before his sovereign. He was immedi¬ 
 ately cast into prison and soon after beheaded in 
 Nicomedia, in the year of Our Lord 300. Two things 
 rendered him popular among the Knights: his profes¬ 
 sion, that of a soldier; and his martyrdom; his physical 
 prowess and moral fortitude which were also the re¬ 
 quisites of true Knighthood. The war-cry of feudal 
 England was: “St. George and Merrie England” and 
 the Red Cross banner of St. George is still inscribed on 
 the Union Jack. The Greeks call him the “Great 
 Martyr,” the Georgians take their name from him and 
 Genoa honors him as a patron saint. It was in his honor 
 that Edward III in 1344, on the day of his feast, insti¬ 
 tuted the “Most noble Order of St. George or the Blue 
 Garter.” “And now,” says Edmund Burke, “the age of 
 sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded, 
 and the glory of Europe is extinguished forever. 
 Never, never more, shall we behold that generous loy¬ 
 alty to rank and sex, that proud submission, that 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 Iff 
 
 dignified obedience, that subordination of heart which 
 kept alive even in servitude itself the spirit of an 
 exalted freedom; the unbought grace of life, the cheap 
 defense of nations, the nurse of manly sentiment and 
 heroic enterprise is gone. It is gone—that sensibility 
 of principle, that chastity of honor, which felt a stain 
 like a wound, which inspired courage while it miti¬ 
 gated ferocity, which ennobled whatever it touched, 
 and under which vice itself lost half its evil by losing 
 all its grossness.” 
 
 “How sad it were for Arthur, should he live. 
 
 To sit once more within his lonely hall, 
 
 And miss the wonted number of my Knights 
 And miss to hear high talk of noble deeds, 
 
 As in the golden days before thy sin.” 
 
 CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS. 
 
 Only the ghost of our great Catholic Queen 
 
 Smiles on me, saying, “Be thou comforted! 
 
 This creedless people will be brought to Christ 
 
 And own the holy governance of Rome.” 
 
 He stands alone, in a class all his own, this Chris¬ 
 tian Knight of imperishable fame. He is the link of 
 transition between ancient and modern Knighthood. 
 Though the sword is by his side, though he takes part 
 in adventurous expeditions on land and sea still we 
 find him often lost in thought, his brow pluckered, his 
 eyes roaming over a chart, his hands grasping mathe¬ 
 matical instruments. The Crusades are over, and a 
 new era of fruitful effort has commenced for Europe. 
 Born in Genoa or vicinity in 1451, of good parents, 
 Columbus’ early education for some reason or other 
 had been neglected, and he became a mariner when 
 only 16 years old. Very little is known of his life 
 
20 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 previous to his migration to Portugal. During the 
 long voyages to Iceland and other regions he must 
 have devoted all his spare time to the study of cosmo¬ 
 graphy, astronomy, navigation, and kindred sciences, 
 and must have become very proficient in them, if we 
 are to judge from the events of his later life. Whether 
 the idea of discovering the Far East by sailing west¬ 
 ward was conceived by him or was suggested to him by 
 his brother Bartholomew, a designer of geographical 
 charts of no mean ability, is not certain; but this much 
 is certain, that to carry it through became the sole 
 purpose of his life. He travels from court to court, his 
 faith undaunted by indifference or ridicule. His native 
 land cannot help him, because it is torn by intestinal 
 dissensions and constantly a prey to the invasion of 
 foreign princes. Portugal turns a deaf ear to his en¬ 
 treaties ; Spain is driving the Moors to their last stand; • 
 and besides, the University of Salamanca was hostile 
 to him; Henry VII of England considers him a vision¬ 
 ary and Charles VIII, of France, is too much occupied 
 with his Italian campaign to listen to him. Will he 
 give up in despair? No, not Columbus. He feels that 
 he is the man of Providence and that failure is, conse¬ 
 quently, impossible. Mere chance leads him and his 
 beloved son Fernando to the Dominican Convent of 
 La Rabida, and there seeks a much needed rest. The 
 Prior of La Rabida, Father Juan Perez, becomes his 
 friend and adviser. Through him and other influential 
 personages he finally obtains from Queen Isabella and 
 King Ferdinand the sighed-for means for the equip¬ 
 ment of his expedition. After having devoutly received 
 the Sacraments and the blessing of the Church, he sails 
 from Palos with the flagship Santa Maria and two 
 caravels, the Nina and Pinta, carrying in all 120 men, 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 21 
 
 for that memorable journey that will, a few months 
 later, on Oct. 12, 1492, give to the world a new contin¬ 
 ent and inscribe his name on the imperishable tablets 
 of fame. For the sake of truth and impartiality it 
 must be admitted that, in the light of present standards 
 at least, Columbus was not without defects, but he 
 certainly expiated these by his troubled life, the sorrows 
 and injustices inflicted upon him by the ingratitude 
 of former friends and beneficiaries, which culminated 
 in his solitary, pathetic death at Valladolid, Spain, in 
 1506. Two great, principal motives actuated Colum¬ 
 bus and informed his every action during the entire 
 period preparatory to and embracing his discoveries: 
 love for God and added glory and wealth for his 
 adopted country. The discovery of an inhabited 
 continent primarily meant for him that the light of 
 Christ’s Gospel and its saving grace would be brought 
 to millions of benighted people; secondarily, he exulted 
 in the thought that the flag of Ferdinand, the Catholic, 
 would wave over the new land, thus adding lustre and 
 riches to the already powerful Kingdom of Spain. 
 Pure, confiding, persistent faith, unaltered and unal¬ 
 terable fidelity to God and His Church, disinterested, 
 untiring efforts in behalf of the moral, intellectual and 
 material weal of the Republic, these are the aims of the 
 Knights of Columbus and therefore they could not 
 choose a more appropriate and inspiring patron than 
 the immortal Columbus. 
 
22 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 THE MODERN KNIGHT. 
 
 Every day brought out a noble chance. 
 
 And every chance brought out a noble Knight. 
 
 The age of chivalry has not passed. It will last 
 as long as man’s ideals last, as long as a benign Provi¬ 
 dence will watch over the destinies of humanity. Its 
 external forms of pageantry, institutions and methods 
 must necessarily change with the changing of time and 
 standards, but its animating principle is as eternal as 
 the aspirations of the human soul. Just as the so- 
 called “Dark Ages” needed a splendid body of men, 
 clad in armor, strong of body and of heart, to check 
 the lawlessness of the feudal social fabric, so society 
 of today feels the imperious need of having in its midst 
 a body of fearless, clean men; and why? Because its 
 foundation is undermined, it begins to tremble upon 
 its base, it hears the ominous rumbling of its various 
 parts that speak of disintegration. We are not lacking 
 in gold or silver, the materialistic anchors of progress. 
 The arts are flourishing, commerce is expanding. Look 
 at the monster sky-scrapers of our large cities. Like 
 a new tower of Babel they raise their lofty metal 
 columns to Heaven as if to defy it. Human ingenuity 
 has reached its apogee and the elements contain few 
 secrets that have not been unraveled, few forces indeed 
 that have not been harnessed by the intelligence of this 
 mighty Titan, man. Why, then, is there so much rest¬ 
 lessness? Whence comes this fever of excitement that 
 consumes us ? It is because self predominates and self 
 gradually destroys character and lofty aspirations. 
 People now-a-days are devoid of sentiment, and delight 
 in cynicism. They are no longer capable of noble out¬ 
 bursts of enthusiasm. Sacrifice, generosity and self- 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 23 
 
 denial no longer appeal to man, who considers them 
 merely as rhetorical words void of meaning. Is there 
 any wonder then that the world is fearful with the 
 fear of impending doom, and asks itself: “where is 
 salvation?” The home is disrupted; the beautiful 
 virtues of conjugal fidelity and forbearance are laughed 
 at, and as a consequence, chastity leaves the souls and 
 bodies of our children at an early age; parental 
 authority is reduced to nil. When the family—the 
 soul of society—is destroyed, what can you expect of 
 the Nation? Unscrupulous politicians are sure to 
 make the people their foot-stool for self-advancement, 
 the integrity of the judiciary is lessened, plutocracy 
 grows arrogant; while, on the other hand, the germ of 
 discontent in the masses grows apace, and, under the 
 leadership of violent demagogues, is bound to enkindle 
 sooner or later the fires of revolt that with amazing 
 rapidity will spread from coast to coast. “Where is 
 Salvation?” The Catholic Church, the world’s im¬ 
 mutable teacher and infallible guide, gives us the 
 answer. “God wills,” she cries out to her children, 
 “that you return to the simple truths of the Gospel, 
 to the pure and holy doctrine of the Nazarene. In 
 that doctrine you will find the panacea for all the ills 
 of life, you will find the cravings, the aspirations of 
 jour souls fully satisfied.” Her voice,, however, is not 
 heeded, but instead false social theories, atheism, 
 materialism and indifferentism have their cohorts ever 
 ready to attack her, to slander her, to misrepresent 
 her activities. She calls for volunteers and at the 
 magic invocation of the old, yet ever-young Mother, 
 drawing from her ever-fertile bosom treasures of 
 vitality and inspiration, behold there is born a new 
 order of Knights, who line up all around her, ready 
 
24 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD 
 
 to defend her and die for her if it needs be, as the 
 Crusaders died. The society was conceived and organ¬ 
 ized in New Haven, Conn., February 2, 1882, with Rev. 
 M. J. McGivney, Rev. P. P. Lawlor, James T. Mullen, 
 Cornelius T. Driscoll, Dr. M. C .O’Connor, Daniel Col¬ 
 well, William M. Geary, John T. Kerrigan, Bartholo¬ 
 mew Healey and Michael Curran as incorporators. The 
 first subordinate Council was that of San Salvador, 
 No. 1, New Haven, and the Order soon spread through¬ 
 out the State of Connecticut. On April 15, 1885, the 
 first Council outside the State was established at 
 Westerley, R. I. The growth of the order was so rapid 
 that in 1892, State Councils were first organized. The 
 fourth degree was given for the first time in New York 
 on February 22nd, 1900, and twelve hundred candi¬ 
 dates from all parts of the United States received it. 
 Now there are Councils in every State and Territory 
 of the Union, in Canada, Newfoundland, the Philippine 
 Islands, Porto Rico, Cuba, Panama and Mexico. It 
 has a membership of nearly 260,000 and has paid to 
 the beneficiaries of deceased members nearly four and 
 a half million dollars. What they will accomplish in 
 the future is merely a matter of conjecture, but the 
 work done in the past is splendid, and comprises a 
 long list of private and public benefactions. The 
 K. of C. have established lecture bureaus throughout 
 the land; they have borne the expense of missions for 
 non-Catholics, provided education and homes for Cath¬ 
 olic orphans, and endowed scholarships in Catholic 
 Colleges. In 1909, the order gave $50,000 to the Cath¬ 
 olic University of Washington for a chair of American 
 History, and has now raised $500,000 more to endow 
 fifty scholarships in the same University. Instead of 
 hating non-Catholics, as the bogus oath contends, they 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 25 
 
 strive to establish the most cordial relations with 
 them, and in order to do away with blind prejudice 
 and bigotry, they inaugurated a series of public lec¬ 
 tures in various parts of the country. The series was 
 opened in Denver (1900) by the El. Kev. Bishop J. J. 
 Keane of Cheyenne, Wyoming. “It is a movement,” 
 says Ed. Hearn in the Catholic Encyclopedia, “which 
 does not aim at attacking any man’s belief, but at 
 building up charity among men and bringing us all 
 closer to God Almighty.” It was due to the tireless 
 efforts of the K. of C. that the United States govern¬ 
 ment erected a monument to Christopher Columbus, 
 in the City of Washington, and that Columbus Day is 
 at present observed in California, Colorado, Connecti¬ 
 cut, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, 
 Michigan, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, 
 Ohio, Indiana, Pennsylvania and Khode Island. They 
 will not rest until they have made it a national 
 holiday. 
 
 And God 
 
 Hath more than glimmer’d on me. O my lord, 
 
 I swear to you I heard his voice between 
 The thunders in the black Veragua nights, 
 
 “O soul of little faith, slow to believe! 
 
 Have I not been about thee from thy birth? 
 
 Given thee the keys of the great Ocean-sea? 
 
 Set thee in light till time shall be no more? 
 
 Is it I who have deceived thee or the world? 
 
 Endure! thou hast done so well for men, that men 
 Cry out against thee. Was it otherwise 
 With mine own Son?” 
 
 And in the strength of this I rode, 
 
 Shattering all evil customs everywhere. 
 
 And past thro’ Pagan realms, and made them mine. 
 And clash’d with Pagan hordes, and bore them down. 
 
26 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 And broke thro’ all, and in the strength of this 
 Come Victor. But my time is hard at hand. 
 
 And hence I go; and one will crown me king 
 Far in the spiritual city; and come thou, too. 
 
 For thou shalt see the vision when I go.” 
 
 And more than once in days 
 
 Of doubt and cloud and storm, when drowning hope 
 Sank all but out of sight, I heard his voice, 
 
 ‘Be not cast down. I lead thee by the hand, 
 
 Fear not.” And I shall hear his voice again— 
 
 I know that he has led me all my life, 
 
 I am not yet too old to work his will— 
 
 His voice again. 
 
 —Tennyson. 
 
 DUTIES OF THE KNIGHTS. 
 
 The first duty of the Knights is fidelity to God, as 
 well as loyalty to the Church that gave them being, 
 under whose flag they are militating. To deviate in 
 the least from the constant practice of this duty is to 
 be guilty of treason. It follows as a corollary that to 
 be a good, consistent Catholic, one must also be an 
 upright, thorough going American citizen. In matters 
 political the Church does not concern herself, except 
 to emphasize the fact that Catholics must live up to 
 the standards of the great moral principles of Chris¬ 
 tianity if they wish to do their full duty toward their 
 country. The annals of Columbia record many ser¬ 
 vices rendered by Catholics to the nation, but not one 
 single act of treachery. In all our national cemeteries 
 rest thousands of Catholic soldiers mutely attesting 
 their loyalty to the flag, and the sacrifice of their life, 
 joyfully made, is a continual protest against the oft- 
 repeated slander that an obedient son of the Church 
 cannot at the same time be a devoted citizen. THE 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 27 
 
 IDEAL KNIGHT must not only be a Catholic, but an 
 exemplary Catholic. The boast of the Knights of 
 Columbus is that the cream of the Church belongs to 
 their Order. What constitutes the cream of the 
 Church? Not wealth, station or intellect, but true, 
 simple piety and honesty. The Knight of old was 
 eonstantly exercising his prowess* in tournaments, so 
 as to keep in trim and be ready for action when duty 
 called; the modern Knight is engaged in a continuous 
 warfare with the enemies that surround the institu¬ 
 tions he has promised to defend; but how can he hope 
 to succeed and win if he lays aside the only weapons 
 that constitute his armory; if he grows lax and re¬ 
 ceives the Sacraments only once a year, thus neglect¬ 
 ing to eat of the “heavenly manna” that alone can give 
 him strength and valor. Among the Knights of King 
 Arthur only those of stainless honor and spotless 
 purity find the Holy Grail, which is but an emblem 
 of the Holy Eucharist which the modern Knight ought 
 to receive with great frequency if he wishes to preserve 
 his Knightly attributions. 
 
 “And at the sacring of the Mass—I saw 
 The holy elements alone; but he 
 Saw ye no more? I, Galahad, saw the Grail, 
 
 The Holy Grail descend upon the Shrine— 
 
 I saw the fiery face as of a child 
 
 That smote itself into the bread and went.” 
 
 Caution in receiving new members is of the high¬ 
 est importance. The conferring of degrees teaches 
 beautiful lessons, stimulates manly thoughts and feel¬ 
 ings, but does not create manhood, which must be 
 extant in the candidate. Both Catholics and non- 
 Catholics, the latter especially, are watching the 
 Knight very closely. Let his life, whether public or 
 
28 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 private, be above reproach; let it be a beacon-light 
 unto others. Every dishonorable act of his is a stain 
 upon the escutcheon of the Order. He must be 
 magnanimous. He should never be jealous of the suc¬ 
 cess of the other societies, nay, every noble enterprise 
 should have his most willing co-operation, even though 
 it may not redound to the glory of the Order. The 
 Church societies should have him as a member, especi¬ 
 ally the Holy Name, Temperance and St. Vincent de 
 Paul. The pastor and clergy are entitled to his respect 
 and obedience, even when they are indifferent or op¬ 
 posed to the Knights of Columbus. Whatever may be 
 the cause of their hostility, he must assume that they 
 are sincere and the best way to render them favorable 
 is to prove to them by his conduct that the Knights 
 are worthy of consideration. 
 
 PAROCHIAL SCHOOLS. 
 
 “All the more need,” I told him, “to seek the Lord Jesus 1 b 
 prayer; 
 
 They are all his children, and I pray for them all as my 
 own.” 
 
 In its attacks the enemy always concentrates its 
 forces upon and directs them toward the strongest, 
 best defended part of the fortress. One of the bul¬ 
 warks of our institutions, and therefore constantly 
 assailed, is the Parochial School. Let the Knight be 
 ever at his post on the battlements, ready to defend its 
 right to existence and to extend its beneficent activi¬ 
 ties. It is quite obvious that in order to fulfill this 
 duty of his, and declare himself the champion of the 
 Catholic School the true Knight must be the first one 
 to send his children there and nowhere else. Yet Cath- 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 29 
 
 olics are not the enemies of the public or secular 
 schools. We believe that “character-building and 
 spirit-nursing” must go hand in hand with “head¬ 
 training” if we wish to do our full duty toward the 
 children confided to our care, and for this reason we 
 support our own schools where we teach Keligion with¬ 
 out infringing upon the rights of fellow-citizens whose 
 tenets are not our own. We say with Bishop Greer, 
 of the Protestant Episcopal church: “There never 
 was such an appetite for knowledge in the world as 
 now. It is the altar and the shrine at which the world 
 kneels. All this is admirable. But we are beginning 
 to discover that intellectualization of the world has 
 been growing in advance of its moralization. We are 
 coming to feel that knowledge in its secular significance 
 is not sufficient. We must have moral training, and 
 that training must begin with the child. ‘The child is 
 father to the man/ and the church that lives and works 
 for the child will contribute most to the greatness of 
 the future.” 
 
 SOCIALISM. 
 
 Thereafter, the dark warning of our King, 
 
 That most of us would follow wandering fires, 
 
 Came Ike a driving gloom across my mind. 
 
 Then every evil word I had spoken once, 
 
 And every evil thought I had thought of old. 
 
 And every evil deed I ever did, 
 
 Awoke and cried, “This Quest is not for thee.” 
 
 And lifting up mine eyes, I found myself 
 Alone, and in the land of sand and thorns. 
 
 And I was thirsty even unto death; 
 
 And I, too, cried, “This Quest is not for thee.” 
 
 From the impracticable utopia of Communion, 
 and the unrealizable dreams of theorists, Socialism has 
 gradually blossomed forth into a system which, fos- 
 
30 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 tered by a well directed propaganda and an intelligent,, 
 strenuous Press, is drawing to its ranks not only mal¬ 
 contents and adventurers, but also men of serene 
 minds, studious habits and orderly lives. It has be¬ 
 come the great problem of the age, yet it is only a very 
 short time since people have awakened to the realiza¬ 
 tion of its tremendous importance. In times of peace 
 and prosperity we become morally lax, weak and 
 selfish; we give ourselves up to indolence and luxury; 
 our vision becomes obscured and a false sense of utter 
 security takes possession of us, while, at the same 
 time, clouds are gathering on the horizon all around 
 us, becoming gradually thicker and blacker until the 
 storm breaks forth in all its fury. The reform of 
 Luther, writes a contemporary whose name escapes my 
 memory, and the thirty years war, fought in the name 
 of Religion, leaving every home in Europe saddened 
 and desolate, followed the splendid period of the 
 Renaissance and the Age of Leo X—the so-called 
 Medicean age of enlightment. After centuries of in¬ 
 tellectual advancement and material grandeur, the 
 patient serf of France gives his tired shoulders a dis¬ 
 dainful shrug and the old, proud throne with all its 
 allied institutions passes through the crucible of blood 
 and becomes mere matter of history. The apathy 
 of ecclesiastics made possible Luther’s triumph; 
 the foolish motto of Autocracy “Vetat cest moi” 
 (I am the State), the complete disregard of the 
 people’s rights, criminal extravagance and its conse¬ 
 quent exactions furthered the cause of “Republicanism” 
 and a gigantic stride was made by “Liberty.” Rous¬ 
 seau had paved the way for the Republicans just as 
 Marx has paved the way for the Socialists. Republican 
 institutions have degenerated; they no longer satisfy 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 31 
 
 society and a feverish unrest is apparent everywhere. 
 Republicanism has failed because its Spartan virtues 
 are no longer to be found. Plutocracy has grown ram¬ 
 pant within its bosom, has sapped its vitality, has made 
 sycophants and grafters of its defenders. Socialism is 
 everywhere hailed as the new Messiah and it will, must 
 have its day. What is or will be the attitude of the 
 children of the Church during the struggle ? The issue 
 is going to resolve itself into a clean-cut, well-defined 
 issue and we must be either with it or against it. The 
 Church has already spoken and her words emanate 
 from the Eternal Wisdom. Socialism, as it is today, 
 is condemned, and though it will shake the world from 
 its very foundation, it will sooner or later meet its 
 doom in its impotent efforts to demolish the battle¬ 
 ments that are built upon the rock of Truth. What 
 business has the Church to meddle with the issue? 
 Has she not always allowed the Nations to work out 
 their destinies unhampered? Do we not find her 
 crowning Emperors at Aquisgrane, anointing Kings at 
 Rome and blessing the new Republics that arose out 
 of the debris of feudalism? Yes, and a blessing she 
 would bestow upon Socialism also if it were merely a 
 politico-social evolution. Did not Leo XIII, with his 
 splendidly-equipped—almost prophetic mind—foresee 
 the needs of our present age and prepared to meet them 
 by forming a sort of Christian-socialistic party? What 
 a pity that its leaders went astray and the whole move¬ 
 ment had to be condemned! The only way to solve the 
 great problem of Socialism is to have a Socialism all 
 our own, built upon the indestructible principles of 
 Christianity and controlled by Christianity’s in¬ 
 fluences. We cannot prevent Catholics from taking 
 an active interest in social, political or civic reforms, 
 
32 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 nor does the Church intend to do so, but if we do not 
 organize them so that they may work along certain 
 lines, with definite objects in view and under the 
 leadership of able leaders, we may expect numerous 
 defections. Here is a splendid field of action for the 
 Knights of Columbus and an opportunity to win im¬ 
 perishable laurels. The Church opposes Socialism 
 because it has become a Religion which aims to over¬ 
 throw the most fundamental ethical principles of 
 Christianity. Let us read the works of nearly all the 
 exponents of Socialism and we will find that they are 
 teeming with irreligious maxims. They "tell the un¬ 
 wary that he may be a good Catholic and a Socialist 
 at the same time. They speak to him of social inequal¬ 
 ity, of the wrongs of capitalism against labor, of the 
 tentacles of mammon reaching out in all directions, 
 destroying competition, holding up the consumer, get¬ 
 ting hold of public utilities for selfish aims; they sow 
 the seed of discontent within his breast and do not 
 throw off the mask which hides their antagonism to 
 Religion until they have him completely in their 
 clutches. The educated Socialist of today is a mater¬ 
 ialist. He does not believe in a personal God, much 
 less in Revelation. Man, according to him, has evolved 
 from the brute. He scoffs at the idea of the soul’s 
 immortality, hence there is no future retribution. He 
 attributes man’s tendencies, whether good or bad, to 
 environment, heredity and temperament, thus deny¬ 
 ing free-will. It can be readily seen that these prin¬ 
 ciples are destructive of all morality and show the 
 fallacies of the system. What is the incentive to be 
 good, to do good, to work for the betterment of the 
 race, if there be no future life? It is not so very long 
 ago that Victor Hugo wrote: “If you want to avoid 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 33 
 
 the red fires of revolt which are already looming up 
 on the horizon, throw a Bible into the plate of the 
 poor, thus making some compensation to him for the 
 many injustices you have heaped upon him. You 
 deprive him of his faith in Immortality—the one thing 
 that makes him patient and happy in spite of his ills, 
 but what do you give him in return? Is his lot im¬ 
 proved, the burden lifted from his shoulder ?” History 
 has since amply justified what was then styled as 
 “Hugo’s oppressive pessimism and vagaries. Social¬ 
 ism is unalterably opposed to authority. According 
 to its tenets a Catholic would have to refuse obedi¬ 
 ence to his ecclesiastical superiors for “authority, dis¬ 
 tinction between class and class originated in fraud 
 and is maintained by oppression.” It aims to dis¬ 
 integrate the very life of the Church and hates her 
 with exceedingly great hatred because it recognizes in 
 her an enemy worthy of its steel; because it is the 
 very authority of the Church that frustrates its 
 efforts, impedes its progress. It is evident, therefore, 
 that we must impart a good, solid, Christian education 
 to our children in order to enable them to withstand 
 the attacks that will be made upon their faith,—as 
 they grow up,—by insidious, cunning enemies. The 
 Most Rev. Francis Redwood says in his pastoral letter 
 to Australian Catholics, that Socialism antagonizes 
 Christianity because it attacks every man’s natural 
 right t© acquire and to hold property. Sweeping 
 away all the old titles to ownership, it erects in their 
 place but one, that of labor. Labor alone, it says, 
 and not the intrinsic usefulness of a thing, determines 
 a thing’s value as an article of exchange. Hence in its 
 eyes, accumulated wealth of any kind, whether in land 
 or capital, is nothing but the hoarded yield of labor, 
 
34 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 and is unjustly withheld from the workingman whose 
 labor went to make it. They even go so far as to say 
 that whatever can be used as a means of production, 
 distribution or exchange, in short, the whole capital of 
 a country, should be wrested from private hands and 
 placed in those of the state, for the state to maintain 
 all citizens alike. Now there would be no injustice 
 done if all people agreed to such a transfer. But is it 
 possible that all would agree? Is human nature cap¬ 
 able of making such a sacrifice? And if it did make 
 it, how long would perfect equality reign in the com 
 munity? The Church has always safeguarded the 
 rights of individuals. She enjoins upon men the com¬ 
 mand of the Old Law: “Thou shalt not covet thy 
 neighbor’s house, neither shalt thou desire his wife, 
 nor his servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his ox, nor 
 his ass, nor anything which is his.” (Exod. XX-17) 
 The Church is against Socialism, because it destroys 
 the family. True, there are many Socialists who do 
 not believe in free-love, but the underlying principles 
 of Socialism, as well as those of Atheism and Material¬ 
 ism, are subversive of the sanctity of the family, they 
 offer no safeguard for the indissolubility ©f the mar¬ 
 riage tie. Again Socialism preaches the economic 
 independence of husband and wife, it claims that the 
 child is born into the state and not into the family; 
 and as the child belongs to the state, it is for the state 
 to tend and train the child, and to determine both the 
 character and the quality of its education. The 
 Church, on the contrary, holds that paternal authority 
 can neither be abolished by the state nor absorbed; 
 for it has the same source as human life itself. The 
 child belongs to the father and it is, as it were, a con¬ 
 tinuance of the father’s personality. (Leo XIII, Enc. 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 35 
 
 on Oond. of Labor). From this it follows that Catholic¬ 
 ism and Socialism are utterly at variance and irrecon¬ 
 cilable- I again repeat, the opportunity now offers 
 itself to the Catholic Knights to perform knightly, 
 illustrious deeds. They have but to pick up the gaunt¬ 
 let and enter the field. Let them take an active part 
 in all public affairs, especially in whatever concerns 
 labor questions, civic and national economic questions. 
 Above all, let them see to it that their public men are 
 strictly honest, and invariably faithful to their trust. 
 We have much to learn from Socialists. In less than 
 ten years they have created an organization of over 
 125,000 dues-paying members. They have about 300 
 periodicals, and several dailies; lecture courses are 
 given all over the country and branches have even 
 been established in leading universities. Are we as 
 zealous as they? Do we lack men, means, talent? No, 
 but we lack the faith of the neophyte which they have. 
 That in itself is a tremendous asset, as every student 
 of the philosophy of history well knows. 
 
 THE PRESS IS YOUR WEAPON, 
 MODERN KNIGHT. 
 
 Go forth, for thou shalt see what I have seen. 
 
 And break thro’ all, till one will crown thee king 
 Far in the spiritual city. 
 
 Pope Pius X once took the stylograph out of the 
 hands of a Catholic journalist kneeling at his feet 
 and blessed it with these words: “I bless the symbol 
 of your office. My predecessors used to consecrate 
 warriors. I am happy to draw down the sword and 
 armour of Christian blessings on the pen of a Chris¬ 
 tian journalist.” Blind indeed must be those who do 
 
80 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 not recognize and disregard the power of the Press. 
 Such an assumption is equivalent to an admission of 
 impotency and consequent defeat. Listen; to what 
 Catholic leading Prelates have to say on the sub¬ 
 ject. 
 
 Pope Pius X: “The characteristic feature of our 
 age is, that for everything connected with manners of 
 life and thought, the ordinary source of inspiration is 
 the widely circulated newspaper. To remedy, there¬ 
 fore, the evils of our day, we must make use of the 
 means best suited to its customs. With this in view let 
 us meet writings with writings, errors wherever propa¬ 
 gated by the truth, the poison of evil reading by the 
 antidote of wholesome reading; the bad newspaper, 
 whose pernicious influence is daily producing its effect, 
 by the good newspaper. To neglect the employment of 
 such methods means to condemn oneself to exert no 
 influence whatever over the people and to utterly fail 
 to grasp the spirit of the times; while on the contrary 
 he alone proves himself a discriminating judge of the 
 needs of his time, who, to implant truth in souls and 
 make it reach the greatest number of people, knows 
 how to make skillful, zealous and unremitting use of 
 the daily press. 'Neither the faithful nor the clergy 
 make use of the press as they should. Sometimes peo¬ 
 ple say that the press is an innovation and that souls 
 used to be saved without newspapers. They do not 
 bear in mind that in former times the poison of the 
 bad press was not spread everywhere, and that, there¬ 
 fore, the antidote was not necessary: “In vain will 
 you build churches, give Missions, found schools—all 
 your works will be destroyed, all your efforts fruitless, 
 if you are not able to wield the defensive and offensive 
 weapon of a loyal and sincere Catholic Press.” 
 
knighthood. 
 
 37 
 
 Cardinal Merrier, Archbishop of Malines: “Take 
 my word for it—the necessity of consecrating all our 
 forces to the development of the Catholic Press is a 
 necessity of capital importance at the present moment. 
 I, Bishop as I am, would delay the building of a church 
 in order to help in the founding of a newspaper.” 
 
 Bt. Rev. Bishop J. H. Alerding, Fort Wayne, Ind.; 
 “The work of the Catholic press is a true Apostolate. 
 Our Blessed Lord said to his Apostles: Ho ye unto the 
 whole world and preach the Gospel to every creature.’ 
 Then it was the spoken word, today it is the printed 
 word that educates human intelligence. Prior to the 
 invention of the printing press the work of education 
 was a slow laborious task. What a debt of gratitude 
 does not the world owe the much maligned monks for 
 transcribing precious manuscripts!, popularizing art 
 with their inimitable illuminations, and preserving 
 literary treasures which would otherwise have been 
 lost! If you want to ascertain the vitality of the 
 Church in any country you have to inquire into the 
 strength of its press. The press is a supplementary 
 teacher in all that pertains to Holy Religion. It 
 unites the people more closely together. Being better 
 instructed they can make converts, for they reach 
 people the priest cannot reach. The President of the 
 St. Vincent de Paul Conference in France, thirty years 
 ago, prophesied that unless the French people took 
 greater interest in the Catholic press, some would live 
 to see Catholic churches and establishments boldly 
 confiscated. The prophecy has come true. Three mil¬ 
 lion dollars’ worth of church property has been swept 
 away by a single enactment of law. A short time ago 
 the Cardinal Arch-bishop of France affirmed that if 
 one-tenth of the money spent on churches and religious 
 
38 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 institutions had been devoted to the development and 
 support of Catholic papers, this property would not 
 have been confiscated.” 
 
 Says Rt. Kev. JBishop Hoban, Scranton: “Com¬ 
 pare Germany with France and what do we find ? 
 You will find the Catholic German with four or more 
 Catholic papers coming to his home. The German 
 Catholic feels that it is his bounden duty to support 
 the Catholic papers, and in no other country of the 
 world do we find Catholics better organized than they 
 are in Germany. There we find over one hundred of 
 the leading Catholics occupying seats in the senate; 
 they form a wedge. At their front in stormier days, 
 sat the great Windthorst. He sat within twenty feet 
 of the speaker. A few feet from him sat Bismark, the 
 man who had crushed France. But Bismark found 
 Windthorst worthy of his steel. Windthorst led one 
 hundred men in the Reichstag, but back of this pha¬ 
 lanx, behind these one hundred men were a million 
 German Catholics educated in and kept in touch with 
 Catholic matters by a Catholic press; and these edu¬ 
 cated Germans, with Windthorst at their head, brought 
 Bismark to his knees. In France what do we find? 
 The poor Frenchman claims he cannot afford to buy a 
 Catholic paper and the rich Frenchman does not 
 bother his head about it. What is the result? They 
 are at the mercy of the unscrupulous politician.” 
 
 Poor France! How much has she not done in the 
 past for the Church! Missionaries, orators, liter- 
 ateurs all vied in their devotion to her, but now the 
 people are being robbed of their faith, the crucifix is 
 banished from the school, the schools themselves are 
 closed and their noble teachers exiled. John Mitchell 
 tells us that the executive council of the American 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 39 
 
 Federation of Labor passed a resolution lauding 
 Ferrer, tbe Spanish Anarchist, as a martyr to ‘Liberty’ 
 because ‘every bit of news published in the American 
 newspapers ’for nearly two weeks after Ferrer’s death 
 indicated that he had been put to death unjustly, and 
 that it was not till weeks after his death that the 
 other side of the matter came out. Five of the eleven 
 members of the council that passed these resolutions 
 happened to be Catholics. If they had been readers of 
 a Catholic paper they would have learned what kind 
 of a man Ferrer was, that he was an out-and-out 
 anarchist, and not an idealized martyr of liberty. 
 
 It is consoling to know that France is gradually 
 returning to the practices of the ancient Faith and that 
 there is a revival of Catholicism throughout the land. 
 Even the anti-Catholic and liberal press is forced to 
 admit this. Last year (1912) at the services on 
 Christmas day the churches were thronged with the 
 faithful very many of whom received the Holy Sacra¬ 
 ments. Zealous Bishops are building new churches 
 and dividing the very large city parishes so that the 
 people might be better attended to. May we not sup¬ 
 pose that this renewed activity is due in great meas¬ 
 ure to the strenuous Catholic press which, directed by 
 that wonderful publishing institution “La Bonne 
 Presse,” has ramifications in every town of consider¬ 
 able size? Its founder, Father Bailly, the dean of 
 Catholic journalists, has only lately passed to his 
 reward. 
 
 Father Casey, S. J.: “Do not talk about expense. 
 The price of most of our Catholic papers is only five 
 cents—the price, let me say it plainly—of one glass 
 of common drink. Cannot a man omit one glass of 
 drink during the week to bring home a Catholic paper 
 
40 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 on Saturday evening to his Catholic family? Or can 
 he not refrain from one glass of stronger drink for 
 which he pays ten cents; and bring home another 
 Catholic weekly? If a man has any real desire to 
 support the Catholic press, money will be no obstacle 
 in his way. The poor man finds means of getting five 
 cents to spend on the Sunday secular paper, perhaps 
 for the sake of its colored, comic supplement- 
 The work of the Catholic press is the work of Christ. 
 It is a work carried on for the spread of the Gospel, 
 and for the salvation of the souls for whom Christ 
 died. You help the work of the missionary—the mis¬ 
 sionary among the Indians of Alaska, the Chinese and 
 Negroes, and the missionary here at home. But the 
 Catholic paper is a missionary in every house which it 
 enters. Even though you are too busy to read the 
 paper yourself, by being a subscriber you help its cir¬ 
 culation, you enable a copy to go into some home where 
 it will be read and where it may spread untold bless¬ 
 ings. A Catholic paper went into a district where no 
 priest ever visited. And that Catholic paper won three 
 hundred souls over to Jesus Christ. Ah! I wish I 
 had been the person who had sent that paper. But 
 apart from any controversial value of our Catholic 
 papers, we should give them our support, that we may 
 see our Religion not as it exists in the Catechism or 
 prayer book, or around the altar or the confessional 
 but see it also in its relations to the history of the 
 world, to the great questions of the day and to every 
 movement in the world’s progress. From your Catho¬ 
 lic paper you will learn what books to read and rely 
 on; what books to buy and recommend to others, what 
 books to condemn as unjust to Catholics, as false to 
 history. If you will not support the Catholic press 
 
&KIGHTHOOD. 
 
 4i 
 
 for the sake of those who are sitting in darkness and 
 waiting for light, support it at least for the sake of 
 your children. Yon contribute generously for the sup¬ 
 port of your schools but remember that an education 
 is far from being complete if it does not include a 
 taste for good reading. Such a taste can easily be 
 fostered in them. It will save them from many a 
 temptation, from many a sorrow. It will enable them 
 to understand their Faith better and better as they 
 grow up, and grow in love for it as they grow in years. 
 Christ, our good shepherd, did not forget the children 
 when giving his commission to the Apostle Peter. 
 Before saying to him ‘feed My sheep,’ he said ‘feed 
 My lambs.’ This commission given to Peter and 
 through him to the priest, must, in a great measure, 
 be carried out by you. Supervise, then, and direct the 
 reading of your children. Take them away from what 
 is dangerous and hurtful; lead them to what is safe 
 and pure and healthful. They are the lambs of Christ. 
 Lead them out of the quagmire and morass. Lead 
 them up to the hills—to the pure air of Catholic 
 truth, and the sunshine of God’s own word.” 
 
 It used to be said that Catholic papers were too 
 dear, whereas non-Catholic publications sold at such 
 a low price as to be within reach of the poorest of the 
 poor. Even this problem has now been solved by one 
 of the youngest and withal ablest of Catholic journals. 
 I speak of “Our Sunday Visitor,” edited by Father 
 Noll, of Huntington, Ind. Early in 1912 he conceived 
 the idea of editing a penny paper, didactic in character, 
 and devoted to the exposition of Catholic truths and 
 the refutation of slanders against Holy Church that 
 appeared no longer sporadically but continuously in 
 various periodicals started for that purpose and also 
 
42 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 in Protestant magazines, which had heretofore been 
 characterized by an illuminated spirit of tolerance and 
 fair play. It was not his intention to take away sub¬ 
 scribes from existing Diocesan Organs, but to reach 
 the two-thirds of Catholics who read no Catholic paper 
 and to create and foster an appetite for Catholic lit¬ 
 erature; he urges his readers to subscribe to as many 
 Catholic periodicals as they can afford, the Diocesan 
 ones especially. In response to circulars sent broad¬ 
 cast throughout the country he received many letters 
 of encouragement from Bishops and Priests and the 
 “Sunday Visitor” appeared for the first time in May, 
 1912, with a circulation of 35,000. Its success was 
 instantaneous and phenomenal. He offered it to the 
 clergy for distribution on Sunday for the nominal sum 
 of sixty-eight cents per one hundred copies when sent 
 in one bundle, or at fifty cents a year when sent by 
 mail to individual subscribers. Subscriptions poured 
 in with every mail until by the end of the first year, 
 it had a circulation of 140,000. It is still growing by 
 leaps and bounds. Some of the Bev. Fathers who take 
 the “Visitor” in bundles have it sold for a penny at 
 the church by school boys to whom they give the dif¬ 
 ference between sixty-eight cents and one dollar; 
 others distribute it in the school, and collect a penny 
 from the children so as to train them when still young 
 to support Catholic literature. Those that have a book 
 rack have it on the rack; while a few, encouraged by 
 a spontaneous suggestion from their Bishops, distrib¬ 
 ute it gratis and take the amount needed to pay for 
 it from the penny collection. 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 43 
 
 DISCIPLINE. 
 
 “Nay,” said the knight; “for no such passion mine 
 But the sweet vision of the Holy Grail 
 . Drove me from all vainglories, rivalries 
 And earthly heats that spring and sparkle out 
 Among us in the jousts, while women watch 
 Who wins, who falls; and waste the spiritual strength 
 Within us, better offer’d up to Heaven.” 
 
 In conclusion I shall state that it is the duty of 
 every member of the Order to attend regularly the 
 meetings of the particular Council he belongs to. In 
 unity alone there is strength and without unity noth¬ 
 ing can be accomplished. But unity cannot exist 
 without discipline. Lessons in discipline are gradu¬ 
 ally given at the meetings in the respective Council 
 Chambers. It is there that the wishes and commands 
 of the superior officers are made known; there it is 
 that matters are discussed for the future framing of 
 laws for the welfare of the Order, to be taken up at 
 the state and national conventions; it is in the Council 
 Chamber that the spirit of solidarity is strengthened 
 and the “esprit de corps” fostered that makes social 
 intercourse among the members delightful. The Order 
 of the Knights of Columbus carries with it no menace 
 to anybody. They are not banded against their fellow- 
 citizens, much less against the country at large. They 
 are prepared to take advantage of the country’s laws— 
 and, if necessary, to agitate constitutionally for the 
 repeal of obnoxious laws. But they do not want to 
 shirk one single civic duty, to throw off one single 
 social burden, or to encroach by a hair’s breadth on 
 the liberty of a single fellow-townsman. Nay, the 
 Order will smooth the ruggedness of controversy and 
 diminish the jarring of strife, by forcing agitation into 
 
44 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 lawful channels, and by curbing the rashness and the 
 exuberance of individual champions. May all our 
 Catholic Societies continue to grow and flourish and 
 may they be ever characterized by a living faith, 
 brotherly feeling and chivalrous devotion to Holy 
 Mother Church. “Shield to shield, helm to helm, man 
 to man.” (Iliad, XIII, 131.) 
 
 THE KNIGHT SHOULD PROTECT 
 WOMAN’S PURITY. 
 
 One of the characteristics of the old Knight was 
 his unsullied, pure devotion to the ladies. He looked 
 upon woman as the embodiment of chastity, modesty 
 and sweetness. To him she was ever an inspiration 
 and at her bidding he was willing to undertake the 
 most hazardous enterprises. He fought most valiantly 
 upon battlefield and in tournaments and the only re¬ 
 compense he aspired to was a tender glance or the 
 privilege of kneeling before her and kiss the proffered 
 hand. The knightly troubadour would thus sing: “My 
 golden-haired lady has deigned to smile upon me and 
 I am happy. Her eyes have darted forth a light which 
 has illuminated my soul. Her coral lips have opened 
 and spoke words that awoke a thousand glad songs in 
 my heart. In her presence I become oblivious of the 
 world and I see no one but her. She must be the twin 
 sister of my guardian angel for a sweet, heavenly peace 
 pervades me and even memory banishes the phantoms 
 of former affections. She reigns alone undisputed queen 
 of all my faculties. When she abandons her hand in 
 mine, I feel stronger, I ascend to higher spiritual pin¬ 
 nacles and though frail, when I falter, her grasp is that 
 of a giant. Though inexperienced, she seems to possess 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 45 
 
 the intuition that sees into the most complex life. In 
 life’s turmoil Holy Faith became dormant and I forgot 
 how to pray. I sought surcease from sorrow in the ban¬ 
 quet hall and amid companions that passed the flowing 
 bowl ’round and ’round. It is no longer thus. My golden¬ 
 haired lady has in her inimitable way, with hardly any 
 words, taught me what I had forgotten—a child-like 
 confidence in God. She cleansed my heart of unholy 
 affections and brought back to my lips the prayers my 
 poor mother tried to engrave on mind and heart when, 
 a lisping child, I sat on her knee. To my lady fair 
 then I offer my best lay, to her I sing the carols sweet¬ 
 est, when the sun lingers in the West or the moon sits 
 high in the heavens, and the air is full of the exhala¬ 
 tions of the June blossoms and nature all around me 
 whispers words of an exalted, beautiful, pure love.” 
 
 This idealization of woman, however exaggerated 
 it may seem to us today, exercised a tremendous in¬ 
 fluence over the morals of the times when “Knighthood 
 was in flower” and licentious barons and noblemen 
 were vigorously opposed and often punished with the 
 loss of their estate as the result of war caused by their 
 acts of libertinism. 
 
 The lack of “ideals” renders the condition of 
 woman pitiable in the extreme. To transgress against 
 the moral law does not mean much now-a-days and the 
 suffrage movement, to my way of thinking, is a neces¬ 
 sary step—a step in the right direction, for it bands 
 women together for mutual protection; it gives them 
 self-confidence; by asserting their God-given, inalien¬ 
 able rights they are rendered stronger and better able 
 to avoid the snares by which they are surrounded. 
 We, who sit almost daily in the confessional, well know 
 how hard fought is the battle for virtue in girls and 
 
40 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 women employed in homes as domestics, or in stores 
 and factories as clerks or workers. It is the duty of 
 the Knight of Columbus to constitute himself as pro¬ 
 tector of the girls with whom he comes in contact and 
 whose virtue he knows to be assailed. This is a theme 
 of frequent conversation among the Knights, yet they 
 sit stolidly by and allow many a pure girl to become 
 the victim of some unscrupulous man’s lust. They have 
 wives and sisters at home whom they love dearly. How 
 grateful would they not be if any one would apprise 
 them of the least danger overhanging them?. The 
 pastor who looks after the spiritual welfare of those 
 girls is a prudent, world-wise man. Why not inform 
 him when any serious danger threatens them? Don’t 
 consider this as “idle spying” on any one. It is the 
 highest form of rescue work. 
 
 SIR GALAHAD. 
 
 My good blade carves the casques of men, 
 
 My tough lance thrusteth sure, 
 
 My strength is as the strength of ten, 
 
 Because my heart is pure. 
 
 The shattering trumpet shrilleth high. 
 
 The hard brands shiver on the steel, 
 
 The splinter’d spear-shafts crack and fly, 
 
 The horse and rider reel: 
 
 They reel, they roll in clanging lists, 
 
 And when the tide of combat stands, 
 
 Perfume and flowers fall in showers, 
 
 That lightly rain from ladies’ hands. 
 
 How sweet are looks that ladies bend 
 On whom their favors fall! 
 
 For them I battle till the end. 
 
 To save from shame and thrall: 
 
 But all my heart is drawn above, 
 
 My knees are bow’d in crypt and shrine: 
 
KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 47 
 
 I never felt the kiss of love. 
 
 Nor maiden’s hand in mine. 
 
 More bounteous aspects on me beam, 
 
 Me mightier transports move and thrill; 
 
 So keep I fair thro’ faith and prayer 
 A virgin heart in work and will. 
 
 When down the stormy crescent goes, 
 
 A light before me swims. 
 
 Between dark stems the forest glows, 
 
 I hear a noise of hymns: 
 
 Then by some secret shrine I ride; 
 
 I hear a voice but none are there; 
 
 The stalls are void, the doors are wide, 
 
 The tapers burning fair. 
 
 Fair gleams the snowy altar-cloth, 
 
 The silver vessels sparkle clean, 
 
 The shrill bell rings, the censer swings, 
 
 And solemn chants resound between. 
 
 Sometimes on lonely mountain-meres 
 I find a magic bark; 
 
 I leap on board: no helmsman steers: 
 
 I float till all is dark. 
 
 A gentle sound, an awful light! 
 
 Three angels bear the holy Grail: 
 
 With folded feet, in stoles of white, 
 
 On sleeping wings they sail. 
 
 Ah, blessed vision! blood of God! 
 
 My spirit beats her mortal bars, 
 
 As down dark tides the glory slides, 
 
 And star-like mingles with the stars. 
 
 When on my goodly charger borne 
 Thro’ dreaming towns I go, 
 
 The cock crows ere the Christmas morn. 
 
 The streets are dumb with snow. 
 
 The tempest crackles on the leads. 
 
 And, ringing, springs from brand and mail; 
 
 But o’er the dark a glory spreads, 
 
 And gilds the driving hail. 
 
48 
 
 KNIGHTHOOD. 
 
 I leave the plain, I climb the height; 
 
 No branchy thicket shelter yields; 
 
 But blessed forms in whistling storms 
 Fly o’er waste fens and windy fields. 
 
 A maiden knight—to me is given 
 Such hope, I 'know not fear; 
 
 I yearn to breathe the airs of heaven 
 That often meet me here. 
 
 I muse on joy that will not cease, 
 
 Pure spaces clothed in living beams. 
 Pure lilies of eternal peace, 
 
 Whose odors haunt my dreams; 
 
 And, stricken by an angel’s hand, 
 
 This mortal armor that I wear. 
 
 This weight and size, this heart and eyes. 
 Are touch’d, are turn’d to finest air. 
 
 The clouds are broken in the sky, 
 
 And thro’ the mountain-walls 
 A rolling organ-harmony 
 
 Swells up, and shakes and falls. 
 
 Then move the trees, the copses nod. 
 Wings flutter, voices hover clear: 
 
 “O just and faithful knight of God! 
 
 Ride on! the prize is near.” 
 
 So pass I hostel, hall, and grange; 
 
 By bridge and ford, by park and vale, 
 All-arm’d I ride, whate’er betide, 
 
 Until I find the holy Grail. 
 
 (l^=S[£M7J 
 
 —Tennyson.