The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-10-24

At the beginning OF the Fifth century,
Judea overfowed with Christian pill
grims, and around the tomb of Christ
were heard the song of thousands in dl-
vers tongues from all over the world, hill
ing the city of Jerusalem with praises TO
the Lord.
But events soon rendered the pilgrimage
to Jerusalem difficult and for some time
impossible Judea was invaded by the
fersians, who captured the city of Jeru-
salem and for fourteen years the Chris
| tians were the captivcs of the enemies OF
the cross of Christ After these years of
patient enduring, Jerusalem once more
fell into the hands of the Christians who
planted the banner OF the cross on Mt.
| Calvary, and the pilgrimages to Jeru-
! salem resumed tehr course. But pre-
cisely at this epoch there appeared an
enemy far more formidable to the Chris
| tians than the secretaries of Zoroaster.
The Mohammedans sent two generals
10 take Jerusalem. For. to the Mussul
| mans also, Jerusalem was a holy city
since they claimed that from there Ma
homet assembled to heaven. The seige last
| ed four months, and the Christians were
forced to surrender to superior force.
How heroic were these men, they sur
| rendered to Omar, they knelt down with
| their faces toward Calvary, and whilst
surrendering their swords they pledge
themselves to God. and though defeated,
|
Christ and His cross. Their enemies
showed no mercy to them, they were
| driven from their own houses and the
| fanatical Mussulman and Saracens robbed
them of their children and led them away
captives, making them their slaves. They
| cruelty murdered them to suit their own
| fancies. And on the site of Temple Solo
| mon, they saw erected the Mosque of
| Omar
The Christians of Jerusalem soon at
| tracted the sympathy of the Christian
world and Charlemagne plying their hui
| initiation and poverty sent his Christian
| aims beyond the seas, to Syria Egypt
and to Jerusalem. wherever he knew that
there was Christian living in poverty
ana oppression. On all sides arose chal-
| lenges and appeals to the warlike ardor
| or the faithful. Stories of dreadful
cruelties reached the west and seemed 20
| inspire them with pity for their unfor-
tunate brethren in the east, and of wrath
against their oppressors. Letters were
| sent in the name of the church of Jeru-
| salem to the church universal to take up
| arms as soldiers of Christ and to deliver
| the Christians from the insults and ty-
| ranny of the ini1de
| We have thus far studied the worthy
| spirit of knighthood is was a spirit that
! scared above all selfshness toward the
| IDEAL OF Christian virtue, and a desire to
| Keep and protect the faith A great many
| or us have no adequate ideas of what
1t is to become a knight, we are knightly
| on the outside, that is, we are recognized
| better as Knights of Malta when we APP
! pear in public decked with the cross, and
| in our hands the sword That is about
all some of us know of a knight, It having
| never dawned on many of us that We are
made knights first in the very center
! or our being, and that the spirit of the
| Gospel OF Christ can only make US such.
| First, one should be a Christian at heart
| or play the blackest hypocrisy.
Knight was ever distinguished by his
| moral and Christian bearing. He was a
| child of the church, and child of God
| They stood before the world as men that
| had pledged their destines to God I
| press upon you as your brother. to be-
| come such. and prove by your daily life
| those true and high purposes of our or
| der You belorg to the true spiritual
aristocracy. The ideals are before us.
| what are the facts.
Brethren be pure of heart and clean or
| hands lest you defile the holy thing you
| are called to administer within the con-
| ines OF your lodge room. Brethren, be
| fearful lest you take the name of God in
vain and pollute the very name you have
! pledged yourselves to honor and revere
! Be faithful to him who is no longer pres
| ent with you and whose empty chair re-
minds one of the Christ who died for our
sins. Let the principles of our order per-
meate our very life, lest heaven blush
! and we deceive ourselves.
| Our order is the child of the tempes
| and we were Graded in seas of blood. We
| cannot get away from the fact, that we
| represent a fighting faith which has been
the most sublime faith on earth And it
is for us to pattern after those noble types
of manhood: men who subdued their pas
sion, and who lived a life of self-denai
and prayer. who went forward in the
defence of the truth as il kings had been
! their hired serN ants. They gloried in the
cross of Christ as "In hoe signo vinces"
thus they conquered. Bearing scars for
medals they died with a smile If only as
| sured that the banner Of the cross was
| moving forward.