Daily south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1881-18??, 1884-10-02
LOUISVILLE VICTORIOUS.
In the Competitive Drill.
knight Rust's Presentation Speech


In the Competitive Drill.
knight Rust's Presentation Speech
The big event of the day Wednes-
day was the Competitive illbetween
the X. of p. Divisions. AT IL O'Clock
A. NJ. the Grand Lodge Drill corps
and visiting Knights, together with
the members of Evergreen Lodge
formed for the grand parade. Be-
ginning at Spring Street the column,
the Grand Lodge being in carriages
the rest on foot, marched through the
Principal streets and then to the Fair
Grounds. Music wasfurnished by the
Henderson band.
The Drill for the prize banner
took place at 3;3O O'Clock. The
Evansville Division declined to
enter and the Louisville and Hop
kinsville Divisions were the only con-
testants. The prize was easily won
by the former. Capt. p. A. Fits,
Capt. w. L. Smith and Col, f. A. G.
Myrick were the judges.
After the dicision. the command
was drawn up in line and the ele-
giant and costly prize banner formal
ly presented by Knight John o. Rust,
of Evergreen Lodge, i'll the following
eloquent and appropriate address:
RusT's SPEECH.
KNIGHTS OF LOUISvILI v DIVISION,
No. In behalf of Evergreen
Lodge, No. 80, it becomes my pleas
ant duty to present to you this BAN
ner, in recognition of your superior
excellency of drill.
There was time, sir, in the dark
ages that have passed, when the
crude ignorance and sordid deprayity
of the people gave rise TO an order,
whose Knightly devotion to the
"True, the beautiful and the good, -.
was as magnificent as it was neces-
sary. On every side surrounded by
opportunities for chivalric daring
and with hearts aglow with a sub
lime passion of romantic love and
with imaginations fired by the trans
cendent mythologies of the ancients
the gallant Knighthood of the middle
ages was decoyed into the chase of a
poetic phantom, which led them from
the rugged braveries of the noun
tain and the wood into the sickly
curtsies of a masquerade. The great
two-handed sword gave place to the
dainty, jeweled rapier; the pure ant
lofty love as the chevalier was chang
cd into the fawning sentimentalism
ofthc charlatan; while the dintcd ar
NOR, that had. flashed in the grandcs
battle deeds of Knighthood, was laic
aside for the gorgeous costumes of {
splendid prodigality.
But at this time the world wa
growing wiser and growing better
The demand for this order, now 81
wasted by luxury, was no more, ant
so the swan-like dirge of chivalr.
was sounded and Knighthood vanish
ed like the glorious pageantry Of
dream.
1t is said that on the ground wher
the battle of Bull Run was fought
pure, delicate flowers might be seel
growing out of empty ammunition
boxes and a wild rose thrusting u
its graceful head through the top O
a broken drum and a cunning, scarle
verbena pecping out of fragment O
an exploded shell, and just so, / hav
thought that, out of this magnificen
decay of Knighthood, we have gath
cred unto ourselves the sweetest, tn
noblest and the best of those qualitle
which go to make our Order bless
ing, its life beautiful and its manhoo
glorious. Not only are you brave
aye as brave as that old Lacaedemo
Man general, who in the lead of hi
forces became target for the Spar
tian columns and when his body wa
filled with arrows he, with the dal
ing of dying hero, plucked them OIL
and fired them back at the enem!
not only as brave as he, | say, bl
you have a grander bravery, bray
cry that will stand out for justice an
the right against the bristling oppt
sition of a worlds venality. Not onl
are you courageous, even as the chez
alier Bayard, who alone maintaine
a bridge against two hundred Of til
enemy until the French could rctrea
but you have nobler courage
THAT highest gift that scOrns to bend
70 mean device for a sordid end"
Nor could l, for moment, suspe