Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1936-08-29
By George Porter.
VERY Summer, in rural Mary
l. land and Virginia, the hands
- ill., .~n t,,pnad honk 20


l. land and Virginia, the hands
Of time are turned back to
- horse and rider days.
With little effort q visitor could
we'll imagine that the time when
knighthood was in flower was back
again.
The older generation says 1t Is .
fading fiower-this make-believe
knighthood that one sees at modern
jousting tournaments. The gray
heads insist the crowds are not 20
big nor the trimmings" 30 elaborate
as they were q few decades ago.
But thousands still get . thrill out
of watching skilled horsemen spear
diminutive rings at q full gallop. And
the horsemen obviously revel In the
spotlight, as they rise above their
commonplace rank and wear the title
knight" for a day.
The 1886 version Of knighthood's
most famous drama usually Is played
by a handful Of riders, who first lis
ten to an Orator" hail them as heirs
of the chivalrous ages, and then do
their best to make perfect scores in
their gallant rides. An enthusiastic
gallery. seated for the most part in
parked automobiles, furnishes the in
spiration.
When the winner Is determined. 1t
is customary to take time out for
supper, after which the program re-
yerts to its Middle Age features. A
second more -or-less inspired orator
calls on his best supply Of flowery
language at the browning of the
queen of love and beauty" elected
by the winning knight. Second, third
and fourth place winners choose
maids in waiting for the queen. The
day of make-believe is ended with
q ball.
THE high repute in which the tour
L naments still stand IS attested by
the fact that judges, county commits
sioners and other public officers con-
sent to act as judges. As rule, legis-
lators or lawyers deliver the addresses.
For the majority Of the tourna-
ment orators their assignment looms
as a thankless task. Their subject
IS necessarily limited to some phase OF
knighthood, their audience is restless,
and they know it is almost impossible
to say anything original on a topic
that has been rehashed so often. Yet
many produce creditable results.
The speaker who launches the tour
ney Is known as the orator Of the day
and his speech as the charge to the
knights. The one who of1lciates at
the browning of the queen is the orator
of the evening, or the coronation ora
tor. You may think you have heard
speeches before, but if you have never
heard q charge to the knights or
coronation Grafton you have never
heard any public speaking at all!
Among present-day silver-tongued
platform performers who are much IN
demand at Journeys are Lansdale G.
Sasscer, president Of the Maryland
Senate; Maryland State Senator Sted-
man Prescott, Delegate John S. White
of Maryland and Attorneys Leroy
Humphrey, Oliver Metzerott. Marvin
S. Peach, ]. Wilson Ryon, Walter l..
Green and Adrian T. Fisher.
In all large Journeys the knights
are divided into two classes, profess
sional and amateur. In addition to
the honor Of choosing the queen and
maids, the winners share cash prizes
and trophies. The professionals choose
dignified names, such as Knight Of
Gonzaga, Knight of Prince Georges,
Knight of Accokeek, etc. But the
amateurs are careless about their cog
nomens. The records of nearby tour
neys show such names as Knight Of
Anything, Knight of Don't Give a
Damn and Knight of Who Cares.