The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-12-04
CONFER DEGREES ON
 MANY CANDIDATES
Father COyle Delivers Ser mon to the Knights of
 Columbus

A large class of candidates was initiated yesterday by the Knights of Columbus. Many visiting knights were present from neighboring councils and assisted in con- ferring the three degrees. A short ser- mon by Father Coyle on the subject, "Knighthood, Old and New" was a fea- ture of the occasion.
 The local council put on the first two degrees and the third was conferred by the Pensacola knights.
 The candidates and members of the or der assembled at the hall at 10 o'clock yesterday morning and at 10:30 o'clock, preceded by the United States flag and the banner of the society, marched to St. Paups church where they assisted at a high mass sung by Father Adam Heibel, assistant pastor. This was fol- lowed by the sermon of Father Coyle, pastor and chaplain of the local council
 DAYS OF KNIGHTHOOD
 On days like today, brother knights, when you are here assembled before Gods holy altar, the mind naturally goes back to former days, to days when khighthood was in flowers to the romantic days of old" said Father Coyle. "The title Knight-what does it not recall? It recalls to us the deeds of derring-do of olden days, of chivalry, when Arthur and the knights of the table round, went forth gallantly to aid distressed, beauty, or to search for that Chaice that, as dim legend told them, used by the Savior at the first holy sacrifice, now, guarded by angels, could be seen only by the knight of pure life whose shield was stainless, whose sword had never aided wrong or injustice, a knight without fear and without reproach. This is the first picture that the term knight recalls, picture founded on poets idyIs of the 1 kingliest of kings Another vision, too, recurs. We turn to a later day, and we see brave warriors go forth with the Red 1 Cross of the Crusader, to fight against the Saracen and the Mahommetan for the | holy sepulchre, and in defense of the land sanctified as the earthly native land | of Christ.
 What galaxy of heroes did not the 1 mlcdle ages bring forth? What incredible 1 deeds of daring, what valor what bravery | do we not admire, as we turn over his tory's pages and read of the holy wars waged by the lion-hearted Richard of England, or the sainted King Louis of France? These are the two pictures that arise in our miYs37 --her wa sneak of | knighthood, the thlr-f He of l King Arthur's ccnrs and eha Nf r of Crusader days.
 What what e aa N s s 9ay? 1 An! today cond as m the 1 old order has Z ae M new. l No dim forest sea afa aJg to be l found peopled na that kept beauty in e ftv oaGs airy spells. The whis has penetrated woot un The 1 naughty castle i 4Ic tory, ! the picturesque 0aii-4 Magir 5 no more; in his ste sea0fstast and l the man of trad ref ht it 1 would seem ths5 S al eHi- " is gone, that the sca saf was | in flower have af for ever.
 "At first sigf u0 days of chivalry arc M H0as sad fight l hood is still in lc NSu other | knights, and C 8fU p be 1 knighted are d. Ga tights of days gone by le tp the romantic trar pns cau and panoply of oth 0G, ret the same ideals to NHe same enemies against NN e un- | remtting war.
 COURA 8. u6 1 Courage wa tne asJa~A af thN early l knight. Let caiies pe oui urage 1 to be man, data c eA t may | become a ma1 GRO crla4@ t } true 1 to our own Sel y 43ig fle to our l own selves, it must follow as the night | the day, we cannot then be false to any man.
 | Hatred of injustice and wrong was also characteristic of olden knighthood. l Let us have this holy hatred against the frauds and the shams of these mod ern days, against the injustice by which the poor are ground down by the moneyed few, against the wrong that would make any man, through the accidental attend ants of birth or rank superior to his | felowman.
 Love of religion, love of holy church, was the handspring of the action of olden knighthood. We, too. in our mod ern knighthood should love our religion and our church. We cannot go forth to fight infidels in Palestine, but we can, by docilty to her laws, by loyalty to her teachings, by obedience to her divinely | authoritative candates serve her as sne needs service, in these later days.
 "Oh, we need not complain, we knights of today that there is not work for us to do. There is it is mapped out in our constitution and in our laws. Let us be faithful to these. There is work to be done so let us work,
 
 'Gainst the wrong that needs resistance,
 For the future in the distance,
 And the good that we can do
 And if we are faithful to these ideals, we shall be knights as knightly as any that in old romantic days, went forth on prancing palmrey. with lance couched to ffiht for fair lady's honor, or in quest 7 of the holy grail.
 The following received the degrees: William Thomas Anderson, John D. No- Ian, Joseph l.. Waters Ernest l.. Obering, Lambert A. Duffy, George w. Head the
 Rev. Gregory Alfaro, M. D. Flynn, Paul , w. Sullivan, Robert E. Dugan, stephen McArdle, Edward P. Roden, John P. Harding, James OHear, the Rev. Wal ter J. Tobin, Martin King, Russell J. Viller, George E. Hoffman. E. l.. Hear ing, William Buiner, J. F. McHugh. J. E. Daniel, James A. White and A. L.. Arbona.