The Lamar register., 1922-04-19

Ioiueu iiHl ny leHlplafSJ iisiu iohS
coveted the rich possessions of the or
der. These two made haste to carry
out their conspiracy. They secured
procured testimony from apostate
Templars and began to circulate vari-
Gus dark rumors and odious reports
concerning the Order. On the night of
the 18th of October, 1907 all the
Knight Templars in the French do
minions were simultaneously arrested.
Accusations of idolatry and horrid
iniquities and denominations were false
ly charged against the Templars, and
a number of them were subjected to
the tortures of the inquisition, until
they would make confession of the
truth of the charges, while a number
were burned at the Stake. The Grand
Master of the Order Jaques De Molay
was arrested and confined in a dunge-
on for several years until the 18th
day of March 1913, when he was led
out of his dungeon and was burned
to death in a slow and lingering fire
of charcoal. Thus perished the last
Grand Master of the Ancient Temp
lars. His dying words are rendered
as follows:
81 am presently to die wrongfully.
Woe will come ere long to those who
condemn US without cause. God will
avenge our death"
Strange as it may seem both the
Pope and the King died within the
year. Today the King and Pope are
regarded as infamous, while DeMolay
is held in honored remembrance, and
his memory will be revered as long |
as time shall last.
Thus it was that after an existence
of two hundred years the ancient Or
der of Knight Templars perished. |
Many of the members united with the |
Order of st. John where their identity |
as Templars was lost. Many retired !
to religious houses notably in Scot
land and others to private life
But while this ancient Order was
its members dispersed and !
its warlike spirit passed away, its his
tory remains, piercing the gloom of |
a period in the worlds history known |
as the Ozark Ages" with a ray of /
sunlight showing a chivalry and de- |
votion to the cause of Christianity |
that was a harbinger of what future |
Gges would bring forth. Their motto |
"the defense of innocent maidens, de- |
stitute widows, helpless orphans and /
the Christian religion" is as potent to |
day as it was in the 18th century. And |
so centuries later it is not strange |
that the impulses of the human heart |
ever striving for something better, for
the uplifting of mankind and inspir- |
ed by the history Of this Christian |
Order should bring forth and estab-
lish the modern Order OF Knight Tenn
plars which is founded upon the Christ
ian religion and the practice of the
Christian virtues. But when we call |
to mind the hardships and fatigues, the
dangers, sufferings and death, to which
the ancient order voluntarily devoted |
themselves in far distant land, the
sacrifice of personal comforts, of the
ties of kindred, and all the endear-
ments of domestic life, which they
made without any prospect of worldly
gain or temporal advantages, for OBJ
jects which they believed to be just,
noble and righteous, we must ever
rank the generous impulses by which
they were actuated among the most
sublime emotions which can influence
human character. and as an apprecia-
ton thereof, we therefore display the
Beausanant, the ancient battle flag of
the ancient Templars, which is half
white and half black, signifying that
they were fair and favorable to the
friends of Christ, but dark and ter
rible to His enemies.
Emulating the devotion of the an
cient Templar as modern Knight
Templars let us adopt and devote our
Order to the PRONUNCIATION and carry
ing out of those great principles that
Jesus Christ taught as the fundament-
al principles that should actuate man.