The Detroit times., 1912-09-24
WITH uhOBltSSE OBllG9
AS TEXT PASTOR SAIPPth
DRAWS LOCAL LESSONS
Says Detroit's Wealthy Citizens
Should Meet Obligations
Imposed by Riches
OPPORTUNITIES ARE MANY
Fairgrounds and Kindred Insti-
titions Should be Aided
Praises Mrs. McGregor

Some local conditions received at
tention in practical address by the
Rev. Eugene Rodman Shippen In the
First Unitarian church, Sunday. DR..
Shippen spoke in part as follows:
The happy phrase 'noblesse oblige.'
nobility obliges, is a bequest to US
from the age OF chivalry, What pic
lures OF knights and Journeys. OF fair
ladies and adventure does that age
suggest. Lovers OF Chaucer. Mallory,
Scott and Tennyson find IL dificult to
think OF the age OF chivalry in any
other terms than those OF Its ideas.
I'VE think OF II as a romantic age,
and we draw our knowledge, l fear,
largely from the romanticjsts. A re-
cent English writer. Cornish, in his
work on chivalry summarizes what Is
commonly believed OF medieval
knlghthood: 'Chivalry taught the
world. the duty OF noble service will
ingly rendered. II upheld courage
and enterprise in obedience TO rule;
IL consecrated military prowess TO
the service OF the church. glorified the
virtues of liberality, good faith, un-
selfishness and courtesy. and above
all courtesy TO women. This was the
aim OF chivalry, but 1t does not ac-
curately describe the age OF chiyalry.
The fact Of the matter is. chiyalry
gave currency to some very noble
ideals without securing their general
enforcement. The same is true OF
all moral and religious codes. The
religion OF Jesus is one thing, the
practices OF Christendum quite an
other. The historian, Freeman, de-
picts, as romancers do not. the actual
conditions OF life in the age OF chivaE
ry, but though his verdict is Olsen
chanting Il Is reassuring to realize
that our own age Is more chivalrous
than the age of chivalry. The earlier
chivalry inculcated the spirit OF class,
the love OF war for wars sake. false
codes of honor, and what Freeman
calls fantastic courtesies toward
rank. 'Chivalry in short he says, is
In morals very much what feudalism
is in law; each substitutes purely per-
sonal obligations devised in the inter-
ests OF an exclusive class for the
more homeIy duties of an honest man
and good citizen
I'm the thirteenth century half the
population OF England was serfs, chlv-
airy resting upon slave labor, the
knight OF sort of parasite, eating his
bread in the sweat of other mems
faces. The medieval knight may
have been without fear but he was
not without fePFeaeh In THIS respect
AS for the treatment OF women un-
der chiyalry, II did not begin to
measure up to our standards. In
theory Gays Gautier. the knight
was the defender of widows and or
phans, but in practice wardships and
marriages were bought and sold as a
matter OF everyday routine
Gardner quotes a fifteenth GEN.
tury knight, who had more learning
than the majority, In that he could
write, 10 this effect: For very need
was fain to sell a little daughter
have for much less than I should
have done In other words, the
noble knight complains not that he
had to sell his daughter, but that he
had to sell her so cheaply. In France
the chivalrous lord was by law denied
the privilege OF beating his lady i'm
moderately. His blows must be ap-
piled, as the law put II, reasonable
ment.' An excellent law. forsooth!
BE reasonably brutal Here is an
application OF the rule Of reason In
restraint or wife as our courts today
apply IL In restraint Of trade.
"In short, the unselfish champion
OF God and the ladies' figured more
often in song and story than in real
life Women are today safer and
more truly honored than In the age
OF chivalry. Yet the ideals of chival-
ry, whatever the practices, never died
and never can died. They survive like
the memory OF music. Indeed,
'noblesse oblige,' the highest ideal ot
the old regime, is now recognized as
perfectly expressing the gospel OF
Christ. That priilege imposes obliga-
tion is the essence of Christianity. or
him that hath shall much be expect
ed. He who would be noble must
serve Once .noblesse' signifed the
nobility, an aristocracy OF class. Time
has exalted the word SO that 1t now
stands for nobility, an aT1stocracy OF
character.
The gentleman is the gentleman,
the Christian, No others need ap-
ply Christianity is the synonym OF
moral chivalry. The armored knights
have gone, but their VOWS TO meet
needs and to redress wrongs are part
of the spiritual equipment OF every
true soul.
Let us apply this principle OF
'noblesse oblige' to two classes OF
privilege, education and wealth.
Education is power, hence privi-