The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1896-05-21


burg.
On last Thursday evening, Ascen-
sion Day, the Knights Templar of
Danville and Bloomsbury attended
service at st. Paul's Church in a body,
in full regalia. The Danville delega-
tion came up on the 6:36 train, and
were met at the station by commit
tee of Crusade Commanderv, who
escorted them to Masonic Hail. From
there they proceeded to the church
with 42 Knights in line.
The service was a very impressive
one. The full vested choir led the
procession from the Parish House,
with Edward Searles and Lambert
McHenry playing first and second
comets with very pleasing effect. The
Sir Knights followed and took seats
in the front of the church reserved for
them. The service was one specially
prepared, and printed in pamphlet
form. The music was well rendered
by the choir. An eloquent and appro-
pirate sermon was preached by the
rector, who took for his text:
/" If any man will come after me,
let him deny himself and take up his
cross and follow me-" ST. Matthew
XVI. "a.
The preacher first drew attention
to the angels song at the birth of
Christ, and then to the conspicuous
absence of their notice of His Ascen-
sion, from this drawing the lesson
that the appreciation of Chrst's work
was left by the angels for spontaneous
recognition by those for whom Christ
lived and died. The question is, has
man taken up this work of praise, and
is he returning the debt of gratitude
expected of him ?
The Christian churches planted all
over the world are pointed to for
answer, and the individual lives fash
ioned after the type of Christ. And
to you, Sir Knights we point in ans
wer, for you also are followers of the
Christ. 1t is truly 50, for the first OBJ
ject of your order was in connection
with those places in the Holy land
made sacred only by their associations
with Him whose Ascension we COM
memorate to-day. The first Knights
Templar made it their special task to
protect poor pilgrims on their march
to the scenes where Christ lived and
died. And the emblem so distinctly
marked on your noble banner is that
under which they fought and died.
And now, to no crusade with barren
purpose of winning back mere materi-
al things or earthly places for the
church of God do we summon you,
but to the fight against the sins which
so beset us, and to the guarding Of
the faith once for all delivered to the
saints do we summon you that, under
the sign of the cross of Christ, you
may fight the battles of the faith of
the cross.
You are familiar with the question
of Tennyson, "Who would keep an
ancient form, through which the
spirit breathes no more ?" The first
Knights Templar buckled on the
sword, disciplined themselves to mill
tary service fired with the spirit of
devotion to the cause of Christ and
His church. You, their successors,
are keeping up to the ancient form.
To your sides is girt the sword, en-
blematic of your readiness for war:
the symbol of the cross (Which is the
symbol of the faith of Christianity is
blazoned on your banner with the
legend SIN hoe signo vineeS"; it is
marked on your uniforms, and it is
printed in your service books. Can
it be that you are content with the
form onlyl Are you satisfied with
what those in generations past accom-
plished, content that yourselves should
wage no active warfare, but to glory
only in the memories of the achieve
ments of your order in the years of
long agol Are you willing to be
Knights without one spark of chivalrya
Mummies decked up with deceiving
fnery1 Enrolled in a cause for
which you have no particle of interest.
Perish the thought ! Here in this
sacred shrine only few moments
since, when the simple creed of
Christendom was recited by us all, ye
barred your words and held them aloft
as if to declare your readiness to fight
for the safe keeping of that faith as
earnestly as your sires did before you.
Let this be your crusade, Sir
Knights of to-day, ye eau find no
higher-to revenge the deity to whom
you have sworn devotion by winning
back the desecrated shrines of human
hearts to His service and his King
dom. In the task, take unto you the