 For four grim years General Lee And his boys in grey fought heroically Against a ruthless foe in defense Of the Southern land. Many, going thence, Died a grievous death, bodies torn by cannon shell And musket ball, writhing in blood and spittle. Many, also, those who survived such an encounter, At the cost of a limb, an arm hack-sawed at the shoulder. Knowing hunger, knowing thirst, knowing dreadful cold and heat; Hard ground for a bed, marching often with bare feet. For such acts of self-sacrifice, their memory Should be forever praised by their progeny. But across the South, corruption has set in, And hearts are hardened against their patriotic kin. In a perverse ritual of mockery, Hailed as a supreme act of manly bravery, The limpid press of a legislature’s voting machine To erase their names from public honoring! To the faithful sons and daughters of Dixie, to them it falls To remember their names and shining deeds in the halls Of their homes and in the rooms of their hearts, Praying rest for their souls and healing for a culture torn apart.
0 Comments
 It is disheartening to see the ongoing destruction of the monuments erected to honor our Southern forebears. There is, however, a bright ray of light shining in Serbian history that should give Dixiefolk hope for our future. The story begins several hundred years ago, with the repose of St Savva, the beloved archbishop and patron saint of Serbia: After his death in Trnovo, Bulgaria on January 14, 1235 Saint Savva was buried in the Cathedral of the Forty Martyrs. On May 6, 1237 his relics were carried in procession from Trnovo to Mileshevo Monastery in Serbia. When the casket was opened, the relics were found to be incorrupt, and produced an ineffable fragrance. In 1253, the Serbian Orthodox Church glorified the holy hierarch Savva as a Saint. Because of the intense love of the people of Serbia for their archpastor, he became a source of inspiration for the Serbs after the Muslim Turks conquered their land: Following the Battle of Kosovo on June 25, 1389, the Serbian nation fell under the Turkish Yoke. During this period the Serbs continued to visit the tomb of Saint Savva, asking him to give them the strength to endure the oppressive persecution they suffered at the hands of the Turks. His icon was placed on their flags, and the faithful turned to the Saint for encouragement, consolation, and healing. Here the parallels with Southern history begin to come into view, as Southerners, during the dark days of Lincoln’s war and in the aftermath, were often consoled, encouraged, and uplifted by the news or the presence or the recounting of the deeds of the patriarchs they loved ardently, like Lee, Forrest, and Jackson. In their efforts to quell the resistance of the Serbs, the Turks made the decision to burn the holy relics of St Savva: Following the Battle of Kosovo on June 25, 1389, the Serbian nation fell under the Turkish Yoke. During this period the Serbs continued to visit the tomb of Saint Savva, asking him to give them the strength to endure the oppressive persecution they suffered at the hands of the Turks. His icon was placed on their flags, and the faithful turned to the Saint for encouragement, consolation, and healing. Likewise, those who hate the South are attempting to undermine what remains of our yearning for independence by destroying the memorials of our heroes. Yet the Turks’ burning of St Savva’s relics did not have the desired effect: Instead of becoming despondent, the Serbs were inspired to even greater love for Christ, for Holy Orthodoxy, and for Saint Savva. Although the Saint's relics had been destroyed, the people continued to venerate him, and to remember the burning of his relics every year. Not only that, but the people of Serbia went further, and built a grand and glorious cathedral in honor of St Savva, a project that was not accomplished without difficulties: After national independence in 1879, there was a proposal to build a memorial church in honor of Saint Savva. In 1895, the three hundredth anniversary of the burning of Saint Savva's relics, plans were made to build a church on the site where his relics were burnt. A temporary chapel was constructed the following year, but it was not possible to build a large cathedral until after World War I. In 1927, Patriarch Barnabas announced a competition for architects to submit designs for the cathedral. In 1935, architects were chosen and construction began. Southerners should take heart from all of this. Yes, things look bleak right now, as the Yankees and scalawags do their best to imitate the Turks, destroying the physical monuments dedicated to our people’s great men. But there is no reason to believe that we, with God’s help, cannot be victorious in the end, rebuilding the memorials of our forebears in a more glorious form just as the Serbs did for St Savva. But we must take note: It was a long process, with several setbacks. We, and our children, and their children, and so on, must be ready to encounter and endure obstacles on the path to the restoration of our Southern ethnos. A famous saying among the Serbs grew out of the cruelty of the Turks’ burning of St Savva’s relics: ‘Sinan Pasha lit the flames, Savva's body burned, but Savva's memory and his glory did not burn.’ May it be said one day of the South, Yankee vandals with their bars and cranes Dixie’s generals and their soldiers broke and crushed, But their memory and their shining honor In their madness they did not scathe nor dent. Notes:
All quotes above come from this essay: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2022/04/27/100127-the-burning-of-saint-savas-relics For pictures and more details about the splendid St Savva’s Cathedral in Belgrade, Serbia, follow these links: http://www.serbia.com/church-saint-sava-orthodox-heart-belgrade/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Sava  President Joe Biden represents in many ways what Dixie is not. One of his oft-repeated refrains is that the united States should lead the world in some sort of ideological contest between democracy and autocracy, as though there were no other ways of organizing politically than around the ideas of disconnected, autonomous individuals and the absolute rule of a single, all-powerful strongman. The South by herself is proof that there are other legitimate kinds of political structures – in our case, it is a broad participation in political life combined with a deference to an aristocracy of proven virtue (rather than rule by a self-anointed, ‘educated’, Gnostic elite as at the North). But the Biden obsession with democracy/individualism gives birth to even more dangerous ideas than those involved with political forms; it leads to confusion about even the most basic facts of human nature: that there are only two sexes, man and woman. A comment of his on Twitter in 2020 removes all doubts about this: ‘Let’s be clear: Transgender equality is the civil rights issue of our time. There is no room for compromise when it comes to basic human rights.’ Alas, this is the way it goes with Yankees (and not just them, but also with their offspring/fellow-travellers – assorted coteries of scalawags, globalists, transhumanists, and the like), wedded to a notion of Progress that extols change for its own sake without any identifiable stopping point or end goal to temper its ‘creative destruction’. This derangement has reached such an absurd level that the Silicon Valley Yankee Mark Zuckerberg is literally inviting everyone to become a demiurge in his digital simulacrum of reality called the metaverse. This contrasts vividly with what Mr Luke Brown, in his prize-winning essay, notes about the South: ‘[Dr Russell Kirk] said the South had “impulses” in a “distaste for alteration”, a “determination to preserve…society”, and “a love of local rights.”’ Great as they are, these impulses have been and remain under relentless assault from the united forces of Big Government, Big Business, and woke religion. They are in serious need of shoring up lest they collapse and disappear completely. Where can we turn for help in this essential work? To a family that will be unfamiliar to some: to the Maccabees, whose lives are recounted in the books that bear their name in the Old Testament of the Holy Scriptures. The Maccabees – Matthias, Judas, John, Simon, Eleazar, Jonathan, and John Hyrcanus – were kinsmen who led a small band of Jews against the mighty empires of Egypt and Syria in the 2nd century before the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. The rulers of those two latter empires at various times attempted to either exterminate the Jews or to change their customs. But through the faith, integrity, and boldness of the Maccabees, they failed each and every time. Thus, for Southrons, they are invaluable guides and examples for us as we try to defend our own lives and inheritance from extermination by evil powers. In one of their encounters with Antiochus, it is related that 41. Then the king wrote to his whole kingdom that all should be one people, 42 and that each should give up his customs. 43 All the Gentiles accepted the command of the king. Many even from Israel gladly adopted his religion; they sacrificed to idols and profaned the sabbath. 44 And the king sent letters by messengers to Jerusalem and the cities of Judah; he directed them to follow customs strange to the land, 45 to forbid burnt offerings and sacrifices and drink offerings in the sanctuary, to profane sabbaths and feasts, 46 to defile the sanctuary and the priests, 47 to build altars and sacred precincts and shrines for idols, to sacrifice swine and unclean animals, 48 and to leave their sons uncircumcised. They were to make themselves abominable by everything unclean and profane, 49 so that they should forget the law and change all the ordinances. 50 "And whoever does not obey the command of the king shall die." 51 In such words he wrote to his whole kingdom. And he appointed inspectors over all the people and commanded the cities of Judah to offer sacrifice, city by city (I Maccabees 1:41-51). Now, anyone who has even a lick of knowledge about the South after the War will recognize that this destruction of culture is precisely what has been going on in Dixie also via the Yankees et al. But we have had few who will defend it with any vigor. It was the same with the Jewish people in the time of the Maccabees. But God gave them help. When faced with the extermination of their way of life given to them by God through the Patriarchs, the Law, and the Prophets, their God-inspired leaders answered with ringing words that should inspire all faithful Southerners: 17 Then the king's officers spoke to Mattathias as follows: "You are a leader, honored and great in this city, and supported by sons and brothers. 18 Now be the first to come and do what the king commands, as all the Gentiles and the men of Judah and those that are left in Jerusalem have done. Then you and your sons will be numbered among the friends of the king, and you and your sons will be honored with silver and gold and many gifts." 19 But Mattathias answered and said in a loud voice: "Even if all the nations that live under the rule of the king obey him, and have chosen to do his commandments, departing each one from the religion of his fathers, 20 yet I and my sons and my brothers will live by the covenant of our fathers. 21 Far be it from us to desert the law and the ordinances. 22 We will not obey the king's words by turning aside from our religion to the right hand or to the left" (1 Maccabees 2:17-22). Very much like the leaders of the New South, Matthias was offered great wealth and honor from the haters of the God-given covenant, but unlike those vile, dishonorable traitors, he did not accept the soul-destroying bribe. He hurled it back at them in a valiant spirit of defiance. Would that Dixie’s leaders would do the same! And when confrontations came as a result of their refusal to acquiesce to their own cultural suicide, the Maccabees were unafraid, placing their hope in God, which was not disappointed: 17 But when they saw the army coming to meet them, they said to Judas, "How can we, few as we are, fight against so great and strong a multitude? And we are faint, for we have eaten nothing today." 18 Judas replied, "It is easy for many to be hemmed in by few, for in the sight of Heaven there is no difference between saving by many or by few. 19 It is not on the size of the army that victory in battle depends, but strength comes from Heaven. 20 They come against us in great pride and lawlessness to destroy us and our wives and our children, and to despoil us; 21 but we fight for our lives and our laws. 22 He himself will crush them before us; as for you, do not be afraid of them." 23 When he finished speaking, he rushed suddenly against Seron and his army, and they were crushed before him (1 Maccabees 3:17-23). While we have no need at present to fight any physical battles, nevertheless, how many of us quail from any other kind of confrontation with enemies of the South due to their perceived might in our eyes? How many of us are even able to resist the allure of modern entertainment rather than immersing ourselves in something from our own rich cultural patrimony? Let us take courage from Judas and the other the Maccabees, who, ‘committing the decision to the Creator of the world and exhorting his men to fight nobly to the death for the laws, temple, city, country, and commonwealth’ (2 Maccabees 13:14), accomplished great things for Israel. Dixie, with the rest of the world, has entered the Lenten season, a time when we increase our spiritual endeavors that we may be fully prepared to encounter the Risen Lord on Easter Sunday. This is the perfect time for all Southrons to familiarize ourselves with the heroic life and deeds of the Maccabees, and to put their faith and courage into practice in our own lives as we seek to hold onto the inheritance handed down to us by our forebears. All the while let us pray to God that we may be granted leaders like those we once knew – Hill, Stuart, and the rest – leaders like Simon and Jonathan Maccabeus and their kinfolk, who will help us attain those salutary and essential elements of a praiseworthy society – unity in beliefs and purpose and trust in and worship of the All-Holy Trinity – so that one day, if it pleases God, we will see our enemies driven out from fair ol’ Dixie.  Glory to God Who helps us in many and varied ways! A writer from Armenia has described the problems of his native land and how she can begin to solve them. Without knowing it, however, he is speaking to us here at the South as well. Here is the relevant portion of his essay:
The South, like Armenia, was once a land renowned for her leadership in various fields in the united States, but after a devastating war and various reconstructions and reeducations, she has grown weak and timid and looks for help and deliverance from outside herself – to a President, to the federal Supreme Court, to the ‘star power’ of a celebrity, and so on. But as Mr Ayvazyan says in his essay, that is not the proper place to look. Southrons, like the Armenians, must look within for answers to our problems. This will be more difficult for us than in the past. Before, we had a class of Christian country gentlemen and ladies who could give us good leadership. Today, what is left of them is too busy jostling for a seat at the Great Barbeque put on by the powerful in Washington City, Los Angeles, and other political and cultural centers dominated by globalists/Yankees. More than ever, the plain folk of the South must band together, cultivate new leaders from amongst themselves, and ‘work hard for the homeland’. But isn’t this just what Jefferson and his disciples told us to do? Dr Clyde Wilson writes,
The federal government exists; we do not care much for it, but let us try to use it to our benefit even while we work to either drastically change it or separate from it altogether. But, per Jefferson and the Armenian example, our main work must be closer to home, at the State and local level: organizing, building, reaching out, connecting, so that we can be free from the parasites who use us to fight their wars, play in their football circuses, and perform atrocious country music songs for them. The example of Russia in the 1300s offers us a great deal of hope that we can accomplish this:
The country of Georgia in the 11th and 12th centuries under the leadership of the holy King David IV likewise overcame incredible odds to gain her freedom from the Turks.
Inspired by them and by the example of our Southern forebears; with prayers to the Saints of our people; with hope in God; Dixie will also reclaim her independence.  Southern history is full of semi-legendary figures – from explorers and settlers like John Smith and Daniel Boone to unconquerable warriors like Francis Marion and Bedford Forrest to centaur-cavalrymen like J.E.B. Stuart. But what are we doing with these riches? Unfortunately, not a lot. Johnny Cash shows what is possible. His ballad ‘The Legend of John Henry’s Hammer’ about the half-mythical folk hero John Henry is one of his finest works. The graphic novel recounting the deeds of General Patrick Cleburne is also praiseworthy. And there are some excellent poems scattered here and yonder. But more needs to be done. Dixie’s young folks especially are ‘gobbling poison’, in C. S. Lewis’s words, for lack of true sustenance, turning in increasing numbers to alternative sexual identities to try to give meaning to their lives. They need the Gospel first of all, of course, but mankind has been constituted in such a way that he also needs roots, stability in a place and in a tradition, in order to be a whole, healthy person, body and soul. We need to find new ways to pass on the Southern inheritance to our children and to Southrons of all other ages. This inheritance is being suppressed, but Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who spent years in the Soviet gulag and witnessed the unbelievable destruction of Russia’s thousand-year-old Christian culture, gives us reason for hope. While Russia was living in the midst of that nightmare, he was able to say, ‘When “the overly straight shoots of Truth and Goodness have been crushed, cut down, or not permitted to grow,” then perhaps the “whimsical, unpredictable, and ever surprising shoots of Beauty will force their way through and soar up to that very spot, thereby fulfilling the task of all three”’ (The Solzhenitsyn Reader, Wilmington, Del., ISI Books, 2006, p. xxxvi). And that is what has happened in Russia, where Communism has been overthrown and a return to tradition is well underway. Through new works of beauty, the South can also preserve and renew her heritage. It is to Mr Solzhenitsyn’s fellow Russian Christians that Southerners can turn for a remarkable example of how this has been accomplished in another country, of how the influence of folk legends can remain strong over an extraordinarily long period of time. Several hundred years ago, Ilya (Elijah) Muromets lived and died. He is recognized as a saint by the Orthodox Church, and the legends about his life form a wonderful tapestry that extend into many fields of the arts. An encyclopedist has written, For nearly a millennium, tales of Ilya Muromets have been passed on from generation to generation. In traditional fables he is a wise elder, whereas in the most recent cartoon – Vladimir Toropchin's “Ilya Muromets and Nightingale the Robber” – he is a dynamic and rather muscular young man, determined to gain the favours of a voluptuous blonde (a princess, of course). Films, cartoons and even video games have been dedicated to his eventful legendary life. All of these unlikely representations are united by one determining feature: physical and spiritual integrity, dedicated to the protection of the Homeland and People. We do not have to confine depictions of our Southern heroes to traditional mediums. Films, cartoons, video games, internet videos – any canvas should be welcomed, as it is with St Ilya in Russia. The encyclopedist goes on to say, What follows, according to the tales, is an avalanche of great exploits and victories. Ilya Muromets single-handedly defends the city of Chernigov from invasion by the Tatars and is offered a knighthood by the local ruler, but Ilya declines to stay. In the forests of Bryansk he then kills the forest-dwelling monster Solovey-Razboynik, who murders travellers with his powerful whistle. Ilya Muromets becomes the greatest defender of Rus against all of its enemies, both real and fictional ones. Similar things could be said of Lee or Jackson in their battles with the Yankee enemy who was better armed and more numerous than they were. Yet no one has bothered to write even the first symphony in their honor, expressing their great deeds in music, though Ilya of Murom has one. The Christian fantasy writer and deacon Nicholas Kotar shows how Ilya’s legends have spread beyond the borders of Russia into other lands (Germany, Scandinavia). Have not a fair number of Southerners also become well-known in places outside the South (Poe, Faulkner, O’Connor, Welty)? Surely our myth-makers could craft something from that – misty legends of story-tellers who travel o’er the seas to captivate entire places with the power of their words. The traditional Southern mind, being soaked in Greek and Roman classics, could likewise make use of the myths from those lands, combining them with our legendary figures. Forrest storming Hades to save Tennessee from an invasion of furious shades instigated by the hateful, bloodthirsty Hera? General Lee visited by the Graces in the mountain forests of Virginia, receiving a promise of their watchcare over him during the War? Some mythical figures could stand on their own as well. In Southern literature, Aeneas is an archetype for the South as a whole, a man who transplanted his culture from Troy to Rome, just as the South did from England to Virginia. The possibilities in this vein are tantalizing, especially considering how a Greek mythology-based video game, Hades, has just been awarded the first Hugo Award, heretofore primarily given for sci-fi and fantasy literature, for a video game. The Southern mind could no doubt do some interesting work in this field if it so desired and if the Lord so willed. But we do not mention mythology lightly. It is important to utilize the elements of it in our re-presentation of Southern heroes. Dr Boyd Cathey, writing about Hollywood’s better Western films, makes a key point: Perhaps it is the need to rediscover an American past that, after all, may be partly mythic, but mythic in the very best and most honorable sense of that word. Indeed, did not John Ford in “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” have his newspaper editor tell Jimmy Stewart: “This is the West, Sir; when legend becomes fact, print the legend”? Myth speaks to people in a special way. C. S. Lewis makes the point over and over again that it conveys truth in a manner that bare facts cannot: The idea of myth was an important one for C.S. Lewis, especially with regard to his conversions to theism and Christianity, and his later apologies for the Christian faith. Lewis came to define myth in perhaps a non-traditional manner, writing that “Myth in general is not merely misunderstood history… nor diabolical illusion… not priestly lying… but at its best, a real unfocused gleam of divine truth on human imagination” (Miracles, 138). Thus, one must understand that what Lewis refers to as myth is not some cleverly narrated story but truth wrapped in narrative which can, when properly understood, convey great truths to its readers. The South will need to make wise use, then, of myth and myriad other materials to keep her heroes alive and relevant for each new generation. Ilya of Murom is a perfect illustration of how this can be done. The South will probably always be most comfortable with words, written, spoken, or sung, but we should not let that be a hindrance to the creative spirit within her in re-telling the stories of our noble men and women. Great dedication and sacrifice will be needed (forming film or video game studios, guilds for painters, etc.), but when we consider that the alternative is the bleak, sterile world of globalization, or the idolatry of Yankee Americanism/consumerism, then we should happily take upon us the arduous labor for the sake our forebears, the patrimony they have bequeathed to us, and the generations who will follow us here in Dixie.  November’s cold has come round again But no more family gatherings Will be held at the Harden home. Time has taken a heavy toll. No more will we hear Aunt Jackie’s Joyful laughter rippling from her smiling Lips. No more will we see the calm Serenity of Uncle Lance’s face. The gruff silence of Uncle Ken could be Intimidating, but more shy was he Than stern. Aunt Norine was our never- Tiring hostess, ever-busy With the kitchen and endless laundry. Granddad Art and Claire, his Yankee second wife, Could be awkward, but we loved them all-alike. Cousins of every age filled their hollow legs With mounds of lemon squares and pumpkin bread And enjoyed the boisterousness of youth. Before Great Grandmother Garlington, our heads Each we bowed, by age and virtue consecrated. Outside, a cold wind blew in the dry grass. New pecans, pressed together in the palm, Yielded their meat for our food as we walked Quietly along, gifts of the naked Limbs suspended above us. And the bristling Half-wolf Riggs gave us all a frightening Greeting when we returned to the ranch. Youthful days are gone; many kin have passed. The Harden house is mostly empty now. And the soul begins to think more Of reunion in the heavenly home Than of memories of meetings past.  Walking down a road lined with elm and oak, A puzzling image strikes the wand’ring eye – An anthill at the foot of a mailbox Covered in a white coat of poison. What purpose did this serve? To protect The postman from savage stings? He is overdressed In metal and in glass. To save the owner Of the house? The placement of the nest Would not make him strain his arm to get His letters. To beautify a space? That pile of powder looks completely out of place. Man’s nihilistic control of nature Is its hidden meaning; the corruption Of the Southerner’s inner disposition – His close-felt kinship with the creation And his strong yearning for what is comely – Is its final, sad conclusion.  The latest act to provoke the outrage of the faux conservative punditry is the National School Board Association’s letter to President Biden, requesting that he use the massive weight of the federal security apparatus – DOJ, FBI, Dept. of Homeland Security, Secret Service, and others – to squash the frightening terror that threatens the well-being of Americans everywhere: informed, caring parents who want a proper, moral education for their children. On one hand, this is a serious matter. Any moves in this direction by the federal government would be yet more evidence of the brazen totalitarianism it has embraced as its guiding philosophy in recent months. On the other hand, this shouldn’t be shock to anyone. During the misnamed Civil War, President Lincoln set the precedent for just this sort of unrestrained, unlawful federal activity. Professor Thomas DiLorenzo gives a helpful summary of Honest Abe’s virtuous acts while in the office of president (‘The Great Centralizer: Abraham Lincoln and the War between the States’, p. 263):
The problem for many of the professional conservative commentator class is that they revere Pres Lincoln and honor him as one of the greatest leaders of the united States. They have trapped themselves in a contradiction: They laud one dictator (Pres Lincoln), but then turn right around and decry another (Pres Biden).
Where were these ‘conservatives’ when another idol of theirs, Pres Reagan, vastly expanded the reach of the panopticon spy-state by issuing Executive Order 12333? Where is their outrage over COINTELPRO, the FBI’s project in the 1960s and 70s to secretly infiltrate and bring down various left-leaning figures and groups which that agency found distasteful? Most of the professional conservative class cares about only one thing: Preserving and promoting Yankeefied America as the sole exceptional, indispensable nation with the right to ownership of the whole globe. Thus they can praise Lincoln (and Teddy Roosevelt, Reagan, etc.) for putting the States on this course, overlooking his criminal acts, but they will excoriate Biden (and Carter, Cleveland, Pat Buchanan, Ron Paul, etc.) for restraining American ambitions, magnifying any and all indiscretions. Or said another way, anyone who uses federal power (whether allowed by the Philadelphia charter or not) to expand the influence of the American Empire in the world is virtuous in their eyes; those who restrict its influence are enemies. Ergo, smashing the South and her centuries-old Christian agrarian culture, or Native American tribes with their even older pre-Modern cultures – which were and remain just such impediments – and ‘Americanizing’ them, are also virtuous acts. However, now that the well-meaning parents rightly giving their school board members a hard time for their pro-CRT, pro-LGBT curricula are being threatened by the federal storm troopers just as the South was 160 years ago, perhaps they will give a second thought to the narrative they have been told about the South and the War of Northern Aggression. Perhaps they will now be sympathetic to the Southern desire to be left alone by the tirelessly meddlesome Yankees. Perhaps they will understand why the South wanted to separate from the North and the federal government. Perhaps they will reconsider the delusional Puritan myths about ‘America’s destiny’ and ‘greatness’ ballyhooed by so many fake conservatives. Perhaps all the cultural regions of the current unnecessary, involuntary American union will now be free to discuss a way to separate peacefully, or, at the very least, to strip a great deal of power from Washington City and the various giant corporations that control most of the officials there, allowing all a measure of cultural autonomy unknown since the current federal constitution was adopted in 1788.  See below for full pictorial essay "Richmond Left Behind A City of Plinths," a poster contributed by John L Morgan III. Link to high definition pdf below. Shameful city, Ungrateful to a kindly father. Shameful city, Defiler of beauty. Shameful city, Scornful of a noble honor. Shameful city, Ignorant of history. Shameful city, Enslaved to infernal philosophers. Shameful city, Men at the Final Judgment shall arise And curse you for your monstrous parricide, A scar of shame for all eternity. Richmond Left Behind poster contributed by John L. Morgan III. (Morgan's website is Republic of Virginia.com. Click the link below to open high definition pdf.
  We see it mentioned with depressing regularity: New Orleans is a mess. Is there a way to revive what was once one of the leading cities of the South? That depends on the solutions offered. A merely materialistic approach – good jobs with good pay, good housing, better policing, etc. – will not get us very far. It is part of the answer, but man is body and soul, not just a body. If we tend to the body but neglect the spiritual side of man, we will get an imbalance in society, which breeds societal illnesses – just like an imbalance in a single body breeds illness there. This is why, for instance, we see euthanasia increasing in wealthy American and European States/countries: Though they are awash in material comforts, they have no will to live because the Christian faith is collapsing. We need to build with both hands, so to speak – the material and the spiritual. There are examples in Christian history we can look to for guidance and inspiration. One is the Holy Prince and Martyr Andrew of Russia (+1174), who not only built cities and defended them against enemies but also blessed them with many churches to strengthen the souls of the people: A brave warrior [Andrew means “brave”], a participant in his military father’s many campaigns, more than once he came close to death in battle. But each time Divine Providence invisibly saved the princely man of prayer. Thus for example, on February 8, 1150, in a battle near Lutsk, Saint Andrew was saved from the spear of an enemy German by a prayer to the Great Martyr Theodore Stratelates, whose memory was celebrated that day. And the layout of a city is also important for transmitting Christian ideals to her citizens. Father Andrew Phillips of England writes about the design of Bristol, to give but one example (this was how most cities in Christian lands were designed prior to the onset of Modernity, something touched upon also in this podcast): Bristol provides a classic example of a later sacred town-plan. Built on untouched land on the north bank of the River Avon from the eighth century on, by the eleventh century it was the most important city in the West of England. To the south of Bristol ran the River Avon, to the north the River Frome. Bristol was built within an elliptical wall between these two natural features, with the north and south sides of the wall touching on the two rivers. It presented then the form of a circle. Within the circle, roads running north, south, east and west, formed the sign of the cross. Thus the whole plan was that of a cross within a circle, symbolising that the Cross triumphantly dominates the Universe. Politicians often give lip-service to Christianity when campaigning for office: ‘I’m a Christian and a conservative.’ ‘I’ll fight for our Christian values.’ And so on. But they usually don’t get around to implementing truly Christian policies. For the sake of a brighter future for New Orleans, she needs someone like a Prince Andrew who will not only defeat the criminal element, not only restore essential infrastructure, not only build up private businesses; but also use the powers and finances of the city to build churches and monasteries (and otherwise adjust the fabric of the city into a Christian orientation), and encourage the folks of New Orleans to attend them – by word and example. A good exemplar of this kind of leader in our own day is found in Viktor Orban, Hungary’s Prime Minister. In a recent interview, he had the following to say, amongst other key things: . . . Christianity, first of all, created the free man. Therefore, we must – first and foremost – protect human dignity. Then, Christianity created the Christian family. We must protect the concept of the Christian family. Next, Christianity has created nations in this part of the world. If we Hungarians had not followed Christianity for a thousand years, we would have disappeared; so we must also protect the nation. But we also have to protect religious communities and the Church. To summarize, our task is not to protect theological principles, that is the mission of the Church; but our mission is to protect the great Christian achievements of our civilization.… Whether New Orleans thrives or continues in her slow agony of death depends on whether or not leaders with the vision, and the courage to implement it, of a Prince Andrew or a PM Orban step onto the scene. And even if they do, will the people of New Orleans welcome them or chase them away, preferring the sewer of rank materialism to the profound goodness and beauty of the Grace of God found in His Church? New Orleans already has good material to work with: St Louis Cathedral, the Ursuline nuns, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and so forth. Hopefully, God willing, they will choose the better part if given the opportunity. |
|||||||||