The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1904-02-07

From the Washington Post.
Col. Paul Beclkwiths history of the
sword. which was read before the An
Theological, Society at one of its recent
meetings. has struck a popular chord in
the minds of fencers IN the city, and while
strictly technical in treatment, has yet
been a theme of conversation among the
young swordsmen 1t has lent that now
fashionable weapon a new meaning. for
with the dryer history of this the ear
liest weapon of mankind Colonel Beck
with has deftly interviewer a lot of ro-
nance gathered from history.
In his talk, Colonel Beclewith said that
to learn the history of the sword, one
must study the history of man. for it is
the Oldest, has been the most universal
and the only weapon that has lived from
the earliest period of man to the present
time, and is as popular now, in the day of
many weapons as in the past. when it
stood alone. as mans only artificial means
Of defense
I'VE read of the sword of God, or holy
sword, the sword of the Lord of Gid
CON-" said Colonel Beckwith ut was
the favorite weapon of gods and demi-
gods; a gift of maggie sent down from
heaven. By the ancients the sword was
consecrated to the deites, and stood in
the temples and churches. To 1t was at
tributed superhuman powers; 1t was an
object of affection, and its loss mourned
as the passing of near kindred. In an
cient times, as In the battles of today, to
surrender the sword means submission; to
break =. disgrace. 1t was the symbol of
oil arfyr nd alt 10
accompanied its owner to the feast and to
the grave. The sword raised the northern
races upon the ruins of important sava-
gerry, and has carried in her wake the
progress of art and sciences.
"Oaths were taken upon the sword,
the point being thrust into the ground,
the hilt was cruciform, and therefore
sacred The oath was always taken with
the hand resting upuon the hit. Among
the pagan Germans the blade of the
sword was considered sacred. According
to Ammianus Marcellinus the QUAD, like
the pagan Saxons, took oath upon drawn
sword. Even in the middle ages. the
sword instead of the cross, was used In
administering the oath, while the free ju-
rors in the scored tribunals of Westphalia
took their oath with their hands resting
upon the broad sword. In Holstein this
mode of swearing was practiced to a
later period than in any other country.
Meant Freedom.
I'm the oloen times the presentation of
sword to slave was to give him free
dom. Until late in the seventeenth CEN
fury members of Parliament wore the
sword at their sittings as sign of their
political and judicial authority. When
Goth wished to adopt a son he handed
a sword to the object of his desire, and
1t was in this maner that Theodore
adopted the King of Heruli as his son.
with the English in the first days of
their monarchy the sword was used as
the symbol of dominion. The kings who
proceeded Henry III. are represented on
their great seals bearing the sword In the
right hand instead of the scepter. Lands
and dominions were transferred by means
of the sword of Germany under the reign
of Frederick ]. 1t was also the custom of
Germanyfor the ancient counts never to
attend court without this weapon. When
a free count was to be invested with au-
thority over life and death he was given
a sword and a rope. Uutil quite recent
date the Hidalgos de Espada Y Horca or
the noble of the sword and gibbet in Spain
superintendent theirpenal jurisdiction over
their estates
Even in the nuptfa1s of past genera
tons the sword was employed SYMBOL
caly. In a Tristan bridal party one
young man lead the procession. carrying
in his hand a drawn sword. which was
supposed to be emblematic of the author
ity the husband had over the life of his
wife. By some ancient peoples the drawn
sword was used at marriages by proxy
1t was placed in the thalamus between
the bride and the representatives of the
bridegroom. This custom was still in
vogue In the fifteenth century. when the
Duke and subsequently Emperor Maxi