Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1859-01-14


licicnt for the day. I;r. Pitch il, - rF"'t
darlings and go it like rocSetS-oT
Mid ponrcu, wn.iLac, row ring tEo.
With X. y. Bo,ts AMI old liiic Scott:
Enjoy, by turns this ever ,:urfal 'l!"ir--
oar plays the brass, anu Cir lie s.!:'n -.
>--1>-%-----
FOR Mr EHYv1'er
Charge to the Knights in tt. La, Tournament .
Hampton.
Some ,lrca,nv l,i;nirer Of tic past--sOmc iom
lin.ercr amid the ruins OF aby-gonc age, Wont
iitin tell us that the days Of chivalry are gone
some "Oll Mortality, ,..'s'eiing ainoi,@ desert
cl halls and tcnan.lcSs castles. vii! lament II
mourninl numbers. ihc Gcgcner;cy of the pre-
sent. and sigh for the ''olden time. will tci
,s. in the melancholy language Of the poet -
Tie harp that onrc through Tara h'il'.
! Tia soul OF music .h-.
Now hangs = EIu,e on Taras %a.l-.
Asf that soul were dead
Some time.worn an;;Guary. absorbed III retro
spcction, will tell lis that the exclamation OF Ii,
, Roman maiden jtoan. HDMd. E0Hi", nm
! p;u comtra primo r. may be lity uttered a.
7 lament over the decline 81 the present .lnf
vet mcthnks that even now thcr: are - gal
/ liant hearts and rs manly forms, surely As lair
. faces, as in DAYS OF yorc-hcarts that beat VIII;
as chivalro,is leryor, under tho proSaic Sarb d
! the modern gentleman. as ever ,hrobhcd un'!e:
! harness Of Milan steel.
! And while no courtlv Knight goes iorh 70
shivcr his lance in defence OF MS ''iadyc iovc,
yet. when my eye rests upon the galaxy ogtean
" and manlinc>S mere present, the scene tells
rne the days Of chiyalry are not gone. When the
pages ii lnv counirys history are uniolacd. my
bosom swcIiS with patriotic prize at the men
/ ton of the deeds Of yalor performed NY her
sons; my heart again responds, the days ot Chi
valrv are not gone. When the battle plains
/ of Mexico with the faces ci o'ir war-worn yctc
/ rams pa,s in review, again, ! answer. the days
of chivarv are not gone.
When am told ui the rescue of heleagurcd
| Maux from the insurgcnt pca:antry oi franc
I with equal pride, though achieved bY ioreig:;
! arms ] can poin, to the relief .: Lucknow
When the heroic deeds Of the icIddl mobiles ar'
a,l,lucci AZ examples Of brilliant vaior with
just pride eau point 30 tic battle plain; Q!
Mexico yet eloquent OF the arm, ol my COM.
trvmcn Then DO not tell INC the days Of rh!''
airy are gone. Eo. while the name rf this Re
public retains It's present position 1T home a..
abroad-whilc her SONS arc Is free a$ the w;md'
of Heaven, and her soil unuod ny the foot o
tyranny. the DAYS Of c!ivary can never depar;
Ard. while we Of the South preserve inyiola;,
the faith and traditicps oi our ;ore..nthcis-
I while we hold sacred the ties which now bnf
us together. Honor in man. purity III wonian
and sancti,y in religion, the age %! chiva'Fy
! can ncvcr depart--no nc"cr, Du; ] na" bc
told that the age is too ut!!it,rian that * a"c
too practical for the pursuit Of arms. T"ai,wei
, this. let Inc but ask. vino wcr. the mcn q: The
: Revolution: Who but the hardy pioneer Ola
! A new world, who with the sword and the axe
+ hcwcd cut their fortunes amid the wiIdS and
/ fstnc-scs OF the new, and per!o;hv'i s'ich pro-
digies Of valor as to astonish ;Ec old. Shall
then he told that the days o. cilr:ir; arc CONC
while the laurels arc yet green upon the hrow'
I Of the heroes Of the present. while the bright;
{ cs! pages Of the worlds history aye illustrated
bv the deeds of our own ere answc" 30
and 20 further and clam this aS the age %
cliivairy. Without the fantastic decorations o
the past VIC have preserved the substance with
Oh, the quaint and c,mtcrouS form. and l!c
sent to the gaze ofan admiring world the spec
,ac!c akin to Rome IN her palmic,t days wlle!
the exclamation. 81 am Il Roman citizen. wa'
the proutlest boast Of the times. SO Of the pre-
sent. the proud exclamation. II am an .Imeri
can citizen is the higies, boast Of freeman
And here, in the fulncSs OF iav heart. breath,
my earnest aspiration ior tlie rcrpcttliiy oi con
stitutional liberty But while | pay this tri
butc to my own times, will dono injustice Is
the past The proud, historic past. rount
which fancy delights to lingcr: thougl
the iyy entwincs itself over its rru'nbinc co
, lumnS and broken vaults: though silence rcign'
where once resoundcd the shout Of battle m,
the song Of the Troubadour:
Though the good knights are !as!,
AMI their good swords are rust,
AMI their souls aye with the Saints, Hc trust,
Yet their duos remain bright
.,s the stars in :.c iarsTaul'"l Heaven 4: ng!:"'
Though ,icsclation broods over the past. YET
the present is indebted to it for many substantial
advantages. Ii has given us the origin of
! system replete with lessons the most yaluabl;
and cnnoblinc. Ii has furnished us tho foun
dation Of code OF conventional laws. which
! have been tower Of strength to our social inS.i
tutionS. The character of the modern .cntle
man has been formed, III :: great measure Epo,
kn,ghtiy traditions feudaism gave iis tn,
clav model; later civilization has produced th'
finished statue. 1t elevated the fair sex. an(
Cavc woman n position from which she ha
since steadily advanced, until now We recognise
civilization. II gave to the passion cf lo"c
degree Of refinement unknown To the world be
fore It's rise. and elevated woman while il soften
cd our ruder sex. 1t mitigatcd the laws Of war
and NAV be considered rs. in part, the cause @
that mildncss and humanity which bell;gercn
powers now display 10 their prisoners.
Modern manners and modern poitcncss liav
their origin in the heroic past Of which speak
Thus, in the elegant language Of Sir Waite
Scott, the institution of chivalry, may he look
ed upon as "A beautiful and fantastic piece {
frost-work which has dissolved in the beams .
the sun; though we look in vain for the pillars
the vaults, the corniccs. and the ircttcd or;ia
mcnts of the transitory fabric we canno; bu
be sensible that its destruction has lefi mpo
the soil valuable tokens Of its former existence.
To you, then, gentlemen. who have thi
tay entered the lists, It is needless f"- me
speak further Of the past. with lis historic IS
sociations. Let your thoughts be of the pr,
sent fraucht with its hopes cf the future an
Of your duty TO her ri whom it has been bca,
tifllv said: "Thc very first Of life must sprin
from woman's breast. your frs; small word
are taught You by her lips, and your late;
signs too often breathcd out in woman's hca
ing." And last though not least, think upon ii
f,mc Of our dear old town. upon whose TIM
honorcd cscutcheon may nc fttingIy inscribed
''vuld Ayr, Eham n-er u town ,urpa.'es
For GALLANT men AMI honni" iasic-.'
'Quotvi from memory.
Sors-In presenting Til. yirw 80 Wit that the spir;;
civalry is no. extinct, that has ausineh aohler er'
the eonu-nt lameu: Of nr Burke in hi fTWcIs 'f.is