The Lamar register., 1922-04-19
Knight Templarism.

order of Templars, it seems appropri-
ate that on an occasion of this kind,
that brief history of the ancient or
der be given, to urge US to emulate
the courage, chivalry and virtues of
our ancient brethren, in their efforts
to protect the pilgrims on their way
to the holy city of Jerusalem, and to
uphold the standard of the Cross, and
make practical application of those
virtues in the conduct of our own lives.
Palestine is pre-eminently The Land
of Pilgrims. To the Jew it is the
home of all of his prophets, priests
and kings; nor can he ever renew his
system of rites and ceremonies, or ev-
er again eat his Passover Lamb un-
til his altar is erected upon Mount
Moriah. To the Christian it bears the
same sacred relationship as to the Jew
with additions, for there lived and died
Jesus his Savior. Thence went forth
the Word of His testimony. All places
hallowed to n Christians memory are
in Palestine. To the Mussulman it
bears the same relationship as to Jew
and Christian, with the addition af-
forded by his sacred legends of Mo
hammed and his flight to Heaven from
Jerusalem. To the historian, the stu
dent of Oriental manners, the student
of religious cults, the tourist, to every
class of travellers, in fact except those
given to commercial interests, Pale
stine is pre-eminently the Land of
Pilgrimage.
Previous to the LIST Crusade while in
the possession of the Saracens, all the
prosecutions of Moslemism could not
stop the crowd of Christians who re-
paired to Jerusalem. There were no
evils, no outrages that they could not
support with resignation when they
remembered that Christ had been load
ed with insults, and had died upon the
Cross in the places they were about
to visit. To the desire of visiting the
tomb at Jerusalem was Joined the
earnest wish to procure relics, which
were then sought for with eagerness
by the devotion of the faithful. All
who returned from the East made it
their glory to bring back to their
country some precious remains of
Christian antiquity. and above all, the
bones of holy martyrs, which consti-
tuted the ornaments and riches Of their
churches, and upon which princes and
kings swore to respect truth and JUS
tice.
A few years before the list Crusade,
Peter q French hermit set out from
the coast of England bound for Syria.
He remained nine months at Jeru-
salem, then under the dominion of the
enemies of Christ On his return to
Europe he related what he had seen
in Palestine and in all the sacred spots
visited by pilgrims of the West. The
people followed the steps of Peter in
crowds. The preacher of the Holy
War was received as a messenger from
God. At the sound of his voice diff
ferences in families were reconciled,
the poor were comforted, the de-
baunched blushed at their frivolities.
Nothing was talked of but the virtues
of the eloquent Hermit. His austeri-
ties and his miracles were described,
and his disCourses were repeated to
those who had not heard him and been
edited by his presence. He often met
in his journies Christians from the
East who had been banished from
their country, and wandered over
Europe, subsisting on charity. Peter
the Hermit presented them to the peo-
pie as living evidences of the barbar-
ity of the infidels; and pointing to
the rags with which they were cloth
ed he burst into torrents of invectives
against their oppressors and perse-
cutors.
With these facts firing his own
heart with Indignation, and with his
lips touched with a live coal from off
the altar of cloquerce, the jealous
Hermit hurried from place to place,
from hamlet to city, from court to
court, with the touching story of the
suffering pilgrims until eyerv Chris