The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-05-15

SIR KNIGHTS AT CHURCH.
The Impressive Liturgy of the Order
of rempInrism.

VI
The Sir Knights gathered at the De
Soto again at O'Clock, and, half an
hour later, preceded by the band,
marched to the Independent Presbyte-
rian Church, where the liturgy of the
order was conducted by Rev DR.. J. Y.
Fair, and where the annual address
was delivered by Hon. Thomas ].
Chappell of Columbus.
This liturgy service is a most elab-
crate, impressive and beautiful one,
symbolizing the preparation of the
Knight for battle and the reconsecra-
ton of himself to the cross before
that event. In the beginning of the
service the Sir knights, after reaching
their pews, remained standing and I'M
| covered while Rev. DR.. Fair delivered
an eloquent prayer closing with the
Lords Prayer.
Then the liturgy was begun. In
consists in a large part of the re-
sponsive reading by the Grand Prelate
and the knights, with interpretations
of hymns, many of these being the
same as the old chants of the early
Knights and dating back to the fourth
and fifth centuries. The music was
an especially fine feature of
the service. 1t was sung by
the double quartette consisting of
of Mrs. s. F. Smith and Mrs. n. ].
Alderman, sopranos; Mrs. L. w. Du-
pont and Mrs. II. +. Crittenden, altos;
! Mr.. William McIlveen and Mr.. William
A. Reeves tenors; and Mr. F. H. Opper
and Mr.. G. w. Beckett, BASES. Prof.
John Wiegand organist.
Sir knight ChappeITs Address.
At the conclusion of this part of the
service Grand Commander Cults in a
Oh, 4 fnIa Naid hfnrlo
tribute to Hon. Thomas ]. Chappell, in
PRODUCED that gentleman as the speak
er of the evening. Mr. Chappell made
a most interesting address which con-
Guided the services and the Sir Knights
returned to the De Soto to change to
the regalia of Shriners and assist in
helping several unregenerate sons to
cross the hot sands of the desert.
There is" said Sir Knight Chappell,
"a peculiar propriety in the converting
of grand conclave of the Valiant and
Magnanimous Order of knights Temp
! lar in this delightful city. The COM
mandery of your city and of which the
order is now the guest, bears the name
of Palestine, the sacred field on which,
now near one thousand years ago,
knight Templarism in its infancy was
| baptised in blood.
More than this; hos pitality is one of
!
! der, and is instilled in the heart of
every sir knight The world over
! America is famous for it's hospitality;
the South gave it that fame, and Geor-
| gia easily leads her sister Southern
states, and every Georgian points with
pride to the fair city of Savannah by
the sea as the very high seat of hos
| pitality.
Indeed, so close akin are the tenets
| nj x n MI ri IN nat
| characteristics, and so faithfully have
the sir knight in your midst exempli-
fled those tenets. that you, above all
others, need less to be informed of the
! principles of the order or the reasons
J for its existence. And as are the sir
/ knights here and within the state of
Georgia, so are they. or so do they
aspire to be throughout enlightened
| ChriStendom. Hence these public eX-
ercises of this secret order demand not
that we should stand and deliver Why
this martial array Why these fierce
paraphernalia and habiliments of war
in this piping time of peace! Why this
invasion. thus armed and equipped of
this sacred sanctuary of the living
God!
Strength of the Order.
I'VE are in the United States one
hundred and forty thousand strong and
]
paCity of the largest cities of the
/ Union, which vie with each other in Sc
curing the grand encampments. In
1895 we marched through Boston, some
thirty thousand in line. and in 1904 we
propose to be with fifty thousand in
! San Francisco. So from the Atlantic
to the Pacific, we may say from Ply
mouth Rock to the Golden Gate, the
! plume of the sir knight, his sword and
/ passion cross are known and welcomed.
| But be it remembered that this
! pomp of plume and pageantry and the
! glittering blade of the sword are dedi-
| Gated and devoted to the ser
| vice and to the defense of
the passion cross. The passion
| cross, that emblem of humility. of suf-
/ fering and of death. The passion cross
| that Jesus, the Amounted, bore with
sweat and torture up Calvary's hill
and on which he there yielded up his
life for the redemption of mankind
I History of the Cross.
"Have you ever permitted yourselves
to contemplate the cross from pre-
~ secular point of view, relieved of
the devotional glamor of its spiritual
and religious significance? Possibly
you have. Probably Yea have not.
If not, you have dom a great and