The San Francisco call., 1895-11-17

WHISPERED about that the time was ripe for the
knights of the Round Table'to undertake the
quest of the Grail. The Round Table had re-
ligiOus Significance, for its members were
sworn Soldiers of the Cross, and there was one
seat at the table that was alWaysVacant-mS
bold knights had tried to occupy II; outah had
net with disaster ihat seal mao Deen "a NacailS "a ~
since the TRAGEDY of Calvary, but tradition SAID
thai one day a knight, pure and without staln,
would occupy that seat, and then tne quest ol
the Grail should begin. AND when the stalh-
less Young Galahad was made a kiilsht OF the
order and took the seat 81 murmur ran rounu
the room "1he time has GOMEZ q nght
brighter than MONDAY flashed through the
hall crashing thunder shook the castle ana
the holy cup covered with white sam1te,
foated through the room over the heads OF the
amazed knights and disappeared They arose
with onewill, drew their swords ana sWore 10
enter on the-quest OF the Grail.
l canuot describe their marvellous adven-
lures. Soon they began TO return empty-handed
and disappointed. 1t was not battle to be
won by the strong or sk1lEfuI; earthly weapons
were of no avail. The warrior needed TO be
clad in spiritual armor. Faith, purity and a
holy life; these were his weapons in the quest
OF the Grail. The worldly Gawain and Ector
soon wearied of the pursuit; the peerless
Launcelot still clinging TO his guilty love
caught glimpse OF the holy emblem, but no
more. Only the pure IN heart can see GOD.
maiden" as Mallory quantity calls him, ana
Percival, s'the virgin knight" and Bors, the
white bull, with one black spot. They accom-
plished their quest, and saw the sacred vision
in the Holy City, where Galahad and Percival
ended their lives. When Bors returned and
told Arthur OF their success, the good King
wept freely tears OF mingled JOY ana sorrow !;
Joy at the success of the quest; but bitter sor-
row filed his heart when he saw half the seats
at the Round Table were empty, so many
knights had perished in the perllous quest;
-T The glorious order which Arthur had cherished
as the bulwark of his land was shattered for-
ever.
These disasters were followed by frightful
scandals about Launeelot and the Queen.
Modred, one OF the knights, full of envy and
hatred for Launcelot, contrived the fatal scene
which brought about the breach between the
King and his dearest friend. The 1neXorabIe
fates we're slowly weaving the net around
Arthur.
Many years before in the flush of youth he
had unconsciously committed helnous sin
"My Lord said Merlin, "God Is dlSpIeaSed
with you for this sin. The child that is born
OF twill destroy you and your best knights" }"
That child was Modred. All through these
years Of prosperity the dark cloud had lain
across ATthurS future, and now the storm be-
gan TO gather.
=: BY Modred's cunning an impossible gulf was
opened: between Arthur and the friends OF
Launeelot, and the brothers of the Round Ia
BILE were ranged in deadly enmity against one
another. Years of unrelentlng warfare fol-
loved and the unhappy King saw the blood or
those who had been his trusted friends hoWlng
freely Oh either side.
-AUlastin the absence OF ofArthur the wretched
ModFed seized the throne and the Queen
When the news reached the King he hastened
back. ga thered his forces and routed Modred
in battle. The traitor again gathered his army
and was second time defeated. A third time
they confronted one another on the downs
bordering on the seashore, when the ghost of
GaEain appeared to Arthur i'll the night and
warned him not to fight the next day. Awed
by the vision the King consented to truce.
But the enyieus fates were not to be baked of
their prey. As the contending parties were
arranging the terms of the frnce. adder bit
the heel of d. knight. He drew his sword to
kill the reptile, but the flashing blade was
taken for signal OF battle, and in moment
the muTderous conflict had begun. It lasted
alEday with desperate fury, and when the sun
sank upon the waves all the knights engaged
in. the battle had perished except Modred
among the rebels, and Arthur and Bediyere
OF the Kings party. Bedivere implored the
King to retire, but Arthur, filed with frenzy
o t the sight OF Modred, rushed upon him and
pierced him through with his spear. Modred,
gathering his remaining strength pressed tor
.wGrd upon the spear, dealt the King mortal
wound and fell dead. BeGivere bore Arthur
tenderly down TO the edge of the sea; as they
reached 1t barge, clad all in black, came in
upon the strand, in which were three ladies in
mourning weeds, weeping bitterly. Bedivere
laid his master gently in the barge and it
moved away out into the sea. He watched it
from the shore till the wailing of the women
died away in the distance, and at last the
barge was lost in the mist and twilight.
Arthur was gone, and the grand fabric OF his
II was the old story OF man wrestling with
fate; Men had pondered over the problem
since the dawn of time. The Greek has drawn
it with dignity, a calmness and poise that
our romance never reaches, but in the picture
OF knightly honor, loyalty and devotion moth
Fig can surpass this story. "Ah, Launcelot, "
said Sir Ector over his grave, ''thou were head
of all Christian knights; thou were the truest
friend to thy lover that ever bestrode horse;
and thou were the truest lover of q sinful man
that ever loved woman; and thou the
. meekest man ana the gentleSt that ever ate in
hall among ladies, ana thou were the sterneSt
knight TO thy mortal foe that ever put spear in
rest"
There is much in the story that we might
wish to change, but Arthur and Launcelot are
high spirited, generous and devoted. A new
element has come into the world and is re-
hected in its literature. 1t marks the dawn of
q better age to come.
The Chairman-Upon the walls of liter
ature's temple are many pictures. They
portray human life in ali it's phases-its
loves, its ambitions, its disasters; there
we see rare peace, much struggling and
frequent intrigue. The word artists, whose
work hangs upon these walls-some to
beautify but many to deface-crowd about
the gates. They are the toilers in modern
fiction. OF them and of what they have
done and have not done no one can tell us
better than Professor Hudson of Leland
Stanford Jr. University.