Chivalry

CHIVALRY* By Elder John F. Bowman, Member of the General Board Y. M. M. I. A. We are told by a great many that there is a movement in the world today known as "the youth movement." It is rather evident on every hand; that is, there are evidences indicating that there is a tendency on the part of our modern youth to disregard, to some extent, our traditions, our customs, and our practices, to withdraw further from parental control and from the leadership of the older people. There is a greater spirit of independence, a greater spirit of experimenting, a greater desire for thrills and adventures, probably, than we have had at any time previous to this. I hope and trust that this "youth movement," if we have such a movement, is not making and will not make inroads upon many of the old virtues: politeness, courtesy, our respect for and attitude toward women. In the search for thrills, I hope our youth of this generation will not go beyond the bounds of propriety. There is a tendency along that line. I hope that their conscience will keep quickened to that point that it will warn them, and they will be pre- pared to stop before they proceed beyond the bounds of propriety. The love of women and the attitude of men toward women, and the respect of men for women have resulted in some of the greatest of our literature, music, art, culture. Some of the greatest things in the world have resulted just through these things. The great Divine Comedy of Dante grew directly out of his respect and his boyish love of Beatrice, which carried on through his life. We find the same thing in all of the arts. And today we find the influence of the love of man for woman and his attitude toward women the moving power propel- ling our men on to great achievements and accomplishments. So we should respect our women. Our minds should be high, our attitude should be clean, our thoughts clean. Especially should we impress upon our young people the importance of keeping their attitude right toward their girl companions. I remember reading, a short time ago — and such things as these are common in the papers now — of a young lady, a Springville girl, who jumped from an automobile and fractured her skull, and she is probably in a hospital today as a result of that jump. And now what was the thing back of that? Think of it for a minute! We have had it happen time and again within the last year or two. Many young people — I hope not many of them of our Church young people — are in the courts today because of the thing which caused that young lady to jump from that automo- bile in self-protection — because of the presence of an unclean man ♦Address in Y. M. M. I. A, Conference. June 11. 1927.

8 70 IMPROVEMENT ERA with unclean motives, who made unclean and improper proposals to that young lady on that occasion. 1 was talking to a young lady a short time ago — a girl in one of our high schools — seventeen years of age. She had been invited to go out with a young man, one of the boys of the school, to a dance or some other function, and another young man said to her, "I would not go out with that boy; we know things about boys sometimes that you girls do not know. I think you ought not to go out with him." The boys had discovered, prob- ably, a moral leper in their community, and this young fellow, with the spirit of a real knight of old, made it his business to be a pro- tector of this girl by this kindly warning — not a warning of jealousy, but a warning which came from the manhood of that boy's soul, his desire to protect his friends. That is the attitude that our M Men, our young men in this Church, ought to take toward their girl companions. They ought to remember the love of their mother, the respect they have for their mother, the ends to which they would go in the protection of a sister. They ought to realize that these other girl companions are sisters, perhaps, of dear friends. It is their business, it is their duty as men of God in this Church to be protectors, defenders of the rights and the virtues of their girl companions and associates. That should be the business of every young man in this Church. If there is a moral leper and they know of it, it is their business, as it was the business and duty of this young man to whom I have referred, to protect them against that type. Have you people ever thought of the scarlet woman and the dope fiend? In prosecuting here in this county, a number of years ago, my duties brought me in contact with that type many times. I have seen them in the opium joints here in this city. They are not as common here today. And I have seen some of our girls, brethren, lying in those opium dens in some of the alleys, under the influence of opium. And I have seen the scarlet women. I had something to do with the closing of the old stockade here, the segregated district! I understand something about those people. The thought I want to impress upon you is this — what was the cause of the downfall of those women? Was it a man? In most cases, it was a man who brought those women down to that situation of degradation. We are told that the worth of souls is great, that if one labors all his life and saves but one soul, his reward will be very great. That soul will go on and on and on, and will draw many after it. In the Celestial Kingdom of God, eventually, that soul may reach the stage of godship itself and likewise those it draws after it. What joy to the one who has been in any degree responsible for so glorious an ac- complishment! Then again, what is the result to one in any degree responsible for a soul cast down to hell? Keep in mind, too, that just as the soul that proceeds on to the heights of glory draws many

CHIVALRY 8 7 1 after it, so docs the one that proceeds along the downward course drag many along with it; it never walks alone, or falls alone. Do you think one could sit smugly in his exaltation, in a state of glory and happiness, with one of these latter to his credit? Of course you don't. So, it is our business, my brethren, to be protectors, just as were the knights of old — protectors of the virtue of women. The order of knighthood was organized with that as one of its chief objectives; one of the chief purposes of knighthood in mediaeval times, between the ninth and twelfth centuries, was the protection of the virtue of women and exemplars of virtue themselves. You remember the beau- tiful saying of Tennyson's Sir Gallahad, "My strength is as the strength of ten, Because my heart is pine." That was the spirit of the ancient knight. Let that be the spirit of our modern knight, our youth, to make it his business to be a protector of the virtue, all the virtues, of our girls and women. Would any of our boys offer a cigarette, or a drink of liquor to a girl companion for whose protection he should feel charged with responsibility? Would he embrace her in the dance with any unholy or unclean thought? Would he stand in the presence of others, unheard, where such a thing was done, or would he arise in the dignity of his young manhood, mindful of the holy priesthood which he bears and its responsibility, and challenge the proposal of the unthoughtful one? Shame on the fellow who stands idly by when his girl com- panion is placed in even the slightest danger by the unclean or un- thoughtful fellow, when his blood, when his priesthood, when his heart of hearts should fairly shout within him to speak in protection of his friend! May the Lord help us to impress upon our M Men, and other young, men in the Church, the importance of their responsibility of being protectors of our girls, of being challengers to all who challenge the virtue, the integrity, the purity of our young women. May the Lord help us to impress upon them the importance of this mission of manhood and of membership in the Church, I pray, in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.