The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1890-04-17
ADDRESS
or REV. ENOCH POWELL BEFORE
THE KNIGHTS TEAPLAR OF
sALINA BAsTEE Sun
DAT, APRIL q, 1890.

I0o OTlklu OF hulkutuOou - Situ-
pie and secular. It existed among
the rudest Of Northern aud Saxon
people. IL consisted Of certain
forms Of admission to the ranks OF
fighting men.
when the barbariaBs had taken
possession OF Europe, and their
leaders had usurpsd the rights Of
sovereignty, they divided the Provin-
ces among their military leaders.
These were sub-divIded among their
warrior tenants, who lived like
Lords. They studded sil lands
with their castles. The military
aristocrats constituted the nobility.
They alone fought on horseback,
and they alone were eligible for
Knighthood. With the privileges
Of KnIghthOOd went certain duties
and manners. Thus arose n social
institution called chivalry, which
united all Knights In 3 bond which
did much to soften, elevate and hu-
mamie the powerful Ia an age when
might was right-an age when q
life Of plumber was not considered
Inconsistent with honesty or person.
al worth.
We may cOncede all that has been
claimed for the lofty aud ideal code
Of morals ineuleated by chlvalry.
IL may be historically connected
with that severe system We know As
StOieism. but we cannot be blind
70 the fact that even chivalrous
KnighthoOd sank to the lowest level
Of inhuman barbATlty. Before chiy-
airy was touched into a regensrated
life by our humanitarian religion,
life was everywhere unspeakaUly
gross and cruel. We cannot over
estimate the benefit TO humanity
resulting from the Roman Church
giving TO KnighthOOd a religious
character, and directing the ener-
Sies OF rhivAlTy to the defense Of the
weak. Before this was done,
knights were courteous to Knights.
but the defenceless were inferior be-
ings 10 he made the slaves nf their
pleasure. TO rightly value the
christian orders OF KnighthOOd you
must have a clear conception Of the
CHASTITY misery Of lie before the gTa-
cIous influence OF christian chivalry
became q felt power.
Ia the tenth century the Baron
was = tyrant robber ruling like n
70 was
gross and as abjectly superstitiOus
as the serGs he euslAved, debauched
and tortured at his pleasure. The
castles that sprang up everywhere
were filled with devils aud armed
men," say the chrOniclers. When
out on n winters hunt the Baron
had the right Ia warm his feet in the
disembOwsled carcass Of slave. The
daughters Of the land were the min
listers OF his lust.
A pagauiZed priesthood we've but
little less brutal, superstitinus, aud
greedy than the nobility. The sim
plIeity aud purity of Christianity
was Overlaid by foreign supersti-
tiOns. The religion which chris
tIanity had superseded had cor.
ruptsd IL. The Christian priests
were incredibly ignorant, gross aud
supeTstitious. Great indeed were
their spiritual preteniiOns of the
representatives Of an inlallible
priesthood when sunk TO its lowest
state. Even in her best days the
Roman church never quite freed
herself from tue Vices Oi the Latin
race-lust Of power aud Pagan
superstition. The church was a
semi political system. The monas-
teries were the center Of intrigue
aud hot beds of sensuality. But 50
besotted were the lives Of men that
they did not realize the incOngruity
between the iniguitOus lives aud
spiritual preIensiOns Of an infallible
priesthood.
The state Of life among the COM
mon may bp imagined but not de-
scribed. The want aud wretched-
ness OF seTfs living in novels with
out light or fire, destitute of cloth
ing, and feeding on Ofial, without
light aud without freedom makes
up q picture without light. The
more fortunate freedmen were often
cast into foul aud pe-lilent dungeons
and cruelty tortured until they yield
ed up their wealth, and their fairest
daughters carried away into = life
OF degradation and shame. All
that humanizes aud redeems life
seemed lost.
At the close al the tenth century
feudalism aud ecclesiastical ambl-
ton closed In = death grip. The very
foundations nf morals and law were
broken up. The spirit Of evil seem
Nu lNA lbO5F AilN NaAAh.
iawlessness swept like a flood over
all lands. Human flesh was de-
Voured, aud even exposed for sale.
Grim despair seized on all hearts.
All the furious passions were lOOsed,
"even women aud children were
killed and roasted in the madness of
u universal fear" The eud of the
world was expected. The world
was about to collapse. There was
fearful looking for Judgment. 4
general horror was -uperinduced 10y
a blind sIupOr of despair. Fear did
its worst. Because nothing was safe,
nothing was sacred Because moth
ing was hoped for, nothing worthy
was done. Faith and hope are as
essential to the life which now H.. as
To that which H. Ia become. Great
beliefs are essential to the living
aud the resisting nf fiendish
passions and lawless desires.
The Christian orders OF Knight
hood began with the revival of hope.
They were the creation of the new
ERA. Sweetest flowers are rooted Ia
Toulness. The first breath of dawn
Ing hope touched into life a daring
iaith, aud a dauntle-s courage. A |
lew great souls took anew Ia their |
hearts the cause al, the cross, which |
10 ever the cause Of humanity. The |
principles Of our religion began to |
i've again, and this life gave mean |
ng aud power Ia old myths aud |
,ymbOls. Chivalry was resurrect- |
ii la neWness Of life 10y the breath |
II the Holy Spirit, aud knighihood |
vas redeemed by being invested
with q religious character
Mohomadlsm, which arose in the |
IevenIh century, may hare had
much To do with this revival. Mo-
had its roots in
HISTORIAN christianity. Not until u
vas intoxicated with It's wonderful
uccesse-, aud not until disgu-ted
With the divisions, aud srandaliZed
y the idOlat -ies of those christians
rho can never err, did IL repudiate
- origin as 9 christian sect. IL ever
etAined its reverence for Moses and
esus. aud came In time wisely
Olerant and learnedly liberal, aud
developed chivalTic spirit which
Tas at once the example aud de-
pair Of the ruder European wsr-
Tors. We need not fear to acknowl-
dye that our ancient fathers learn
q much from their ancient foes and
praciiced many Of their
Mystic rites. We may Ioldly de-
lArs thst u il possible that the
hristian warriors first came into
with the ancient Mason
~ In the tent of the Saracen.
The RDman church nv Ipyesfing