TO BELIEVE IN THE LIFE OF
LOVE; to win in the fresh morning of our youth the loyal love
of faithful friends, who will go with us unmoved into the darkening
shadows of life's closing day; and so to seek and to find, to have and
to hold the friendships that will abide. To think of God as the common
father of all men, and all men as a common brotherhood, thus recognizing
the continuity of the Divine and the solidarity of the human life. To
build somewhere in the wide world the sheltering walls of a home,
however humble and obscure, where Love shall glorify the wife, Duty
enshrine the mother, and Affection ennoble the child. To keep green the
sainted memory of our loved and lost, their faults forgotten, their
virtues enshrined in our hearts forever. To try bravely to do unto our
fellowmen as we would they should do unto us, reckoning not their
lineage nor their wealth, but esteeming their manhood above their badge
of rank. To let our lives be led by the spirits of Gentleness, Justice,
and Mercy. And so to be true to the Knighthood of Love.
TO WALK IN THE WAY OF HONOR;
to exalt the fundamental virtues of the race; and, prizing every
noble impulse, to realize so deeply the baseness of deceit, that no
obligation will be more binding than our plighted word. To be steadfast
in the performance of every trust, and, spurning the gaudy gifts of
greed and power, to be content to live by our knightly vow that our
honor is dearer to us than our lives; and so to esteem the man's
character first, his culture second, and his pedigree not at all, unless
he be worthy of it. Emulating the chivalrous deeds of courtesy, and
sealing not our hearts against the torch of tenderness, to win the love
and care of some incorruptible woman. And so to be loyal to the
Knighthood of Honor.
TO SERVE IN THE LIGHT OF
TRUTH; to open wide, Life's windows to the revelations of
heaven and earth. Avoiding the Phariseeism that belittles the soul and
scorning the bigotry that blights the mind, to respect every altar of
faith built in God's name, by every sincere worshiper to whom, if we
cannot give our sympathy, we shall not deny the kindness of our manly
silence; and, whatever our creed, to reverence the Christ as the Divine
Compassion for struggling humanity -- a compassion that, giving the
world its gospel of human service, saves men to the end that they may
serve their fellowmen.
To seek in nature, the meaning of the Infinite Truth;
to understand that the laws of growth are the laws of God to believe
that the melody of birds, the laughter of children the unmeasured
sacrifice of motherhood, and the ceaseless yearning of all men for a
wider outlook and a nobler existence are prophetic of the perfect joy
and love of another world and so believing, to find rest, as in the
shadow of a great rock, against all the storms that beset us; catching
from the silence of the starlit nights, the peace of the autumn days,
the solemnity of the boundless seas, that spirit of Hope and Faith which
soothes hurt of grief, heals the wound of wrong, and calms the fever of
doubt.
To welcome the achievements of art and science,
religion and learning, labor and law, under whose radiant banners battle
the hosts of progress; honoring every honest student as the benefactor
of his race, and every consecrated school as a bulwark of the Republic;
and so to be loyal to the American university, as the home of American
liberty, democracy, religion, and culture.
To guard with jealous care not only ancient rights of
human freedom, in whose name we shall destroy all wrong and oppression,
but also the newer rights of social service, the ultimate purpose of
whose ministrations shall be to give to every life, the opportunity to
enjoy the earth in the fullness of its beauty and grace, its comfort and
good cheer; holding fast to the conviction that whatever sweetens our
natures, uplifts our ideals, strengthens our character and disenthralls
our spirits will bring us in the end into the full stature of a noble
manhood; and, so inspired, to cling to the visions of our youth, and,
despite the sordid struggles of the selfish world, to practice every
day, as lads in college, and men in the world, the Faith of our
Fraternity, thinking of it not only as the inspiring Ideal of a militant
Brotherhood, but also as a creative force for the spiritual development
of men, whose lives it shall dedicate to Love, glorify with Honor, and
conquer for Truth. And so to be faithful to the Knighthood of Truth.
