General Robert E. Lee certainly understood what it meant to have authority over others and how to use that authority properly.

Understand that following legitimate orders issued by those in authority over you is also the mark of a Southern gentleman. Respect for authority is the cornerstone of a civilized society – respect for legitimate authority.

What brings this to mind is the way that National Park Service rangers have abused the authority vested in them during the 2013 government “shut down” by following political orders to make life miserable for the public they are supposed to serve. Did all NPS rangers act this way? No, I’m quite certain that was not the case. What I find troubling though, is that I have not seen any reports of rangers who stood up and said they will not be part of this. Would it be reported? Absolutely. Probably not by the major media, but the alternative media would have hailed such men as the courageous gentlemen that they would be. I saw no such reports.

That brings up the question of what is the proper way to handle illegitimate, immoral, or illegal orders? If you’re looking for a safe, easy, and painless answer, there is none. No one wants to lose their job – especially in a job market such as we have now. That is why it is so important to be selective when going to work for someone (including working for yourself) to make sure that you are working for someone who is of good moral character and will not require you to do that which you know is wrong.

What if you find yourself in such a situation anyway? As difficult as it is to say, a letter of resignation that clearly spells out the reason why you can no longer work for that employer is the only proper way to handle the matter of being issued immoral and/or illegal orders.

Before I get accused of being “holier than thou” and hearing “you don’t understand”, and “it’s obvious you’ve never been in that situation”, I’ll say, “Yes, I have been in that exact situation.” Did I follow my own advice here, and do the right thing and resign? Sadly, no, I did not. Instead I told the person over me that I knew exactly what he was doing and what he told me to sign my name to, and that this had better never happen again. Yes, I signed my name to something I knew to be false. I put my signature on a lie. That is something that I will live with for the rest of my life – always wishing that I had done the right thing. That, my fellow aspiring Southern gentlemen, is why I am writing this. It is written in the hope that others will not make the same error that I made decades ago. Learn from my mistakes.

This short video illustrates a boy’s entry into manhood; it requires no words.

The Hazardous Journeys Society (HJS) was founded to give glory to God, not man, as part of an exciting effort of world exploration. The purpose of the HJS is to provide teams of intrepid adventurers, photographers, students, scientists, journalists, and naturalists with an opportunity to engage in journeys of discover around the globe and to interpret their findings from a perspective that honors the Creator.
External Links

www.hazardousjourneys.org

One year ago, families from all across the country came together to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. It was an incredible event and one which gave glory to God for His hand of grace on the lives of the men who sacrificed themselves on that cold April night. With more than a hundred reenactors, soul-stirring messages, many live performances that highlighted the music of the era, and a memorable dinner cruise, we have been told by many that it was one of the most moving events in the history of Vision Forum Ministries.

The hundred-year mark of Titanic’s sinking truly stands as a place holder in a culture which has forgotten what it means to act nobly, to willingly give your life for another, and to honor women and children. At the heart of the forgotten notion of chivalry is the biblical doctrine of male sacrifice. This was exemplified in the life of Jesus Christ who gave his life for his “Bride,” the Church.

But the legacy of the men of the Titanic may not be ignored and left to end after its centennial mark. Click here to view a collection of more then thirty music, message, and performance clips from the Titanic 100.

The Legacy and Ongoing Work of the CBMTS

More than fifteen years ago, my father founded the Christian Boys’ & Men’s Titanic Society (CBMTS) to promote the biblical understanding of “Women and Children First” to future generations. Our goal is to study the many spiritual lessons which can be derived from the sinking of the Titanic and to apply them to our lives today, both spiritually and practically. Since that time, the CBMTS has come together for one evening each year to commemorate the legacy of the Titanic and to remind boys and men of our duty to carry the mantle of sacrificial manhood.

Last year, for the one hundredth anniversary celebration, my father passed the baton of leadership for the society to me. My desire is to see this important work advance. This next week, a group of men and boys will be gathering in San Antonio, Texas, headquarters of the Christian Boys’ & Men’s Titanic Society, to continue to honor the men of the Titanic and to commit to living sacrificially as we remember this monumental event with our annual dinner.

An Appeal to You: Gather a Dozen Friends and Hold Your Own Titanic Dinner

This year, I also would like to encourage each of you to begin a similar tradition. It doesn’t need to be big; it doesn’t need to be complicated. Just gather a few or many of your friends together for an evening meal of prayer, thanksgiving, and commemoration as men. What a wonderful thing it would be to know that, in dozens of places around the country, men are gathering to honor those who went before us!

How to Host a Dinner

The elements are simple:

• Gather your friends (men and boys).
• Eat out or in, but make it a memorable feast.
• Read excerpts from The Sinking of the Titanic or other historical accounts.
• Let each person share a Scripture, prayer, poem, or toast.
• Exhort each other to noble leadership and sacrifice.
• Leave a record of your gathering in some form or another for the future.

Remembering the legacy of an event from so long ago is not just about getting together, but it is about gathering, giving thanks, and applying the lessons to our own life.

For Women and Children First,

Joshua Titus Phillips
President, The CBMTS

Commemorative painting of the Stigler/Brown encounter by John D. Shaw, courtesy Valor Studios.

The following is taken from the Men Who Lead blog by best-selling author Marcus Brotherton. Mr. Brotherton’s post is titled, The Most Overlooked Command Ever. Be sure to take the time to read his original post and add his blog to your regular reading to learn more Lessons in Leadership.

On December 20, 1943, in the skies above war-torn Europe, two bitter enemies—an American B-17 bomber pilot and a veteran German fighter ace—met in what is undoubtedly one of World War II’s most remarkable encounters.

The American bomber, piloted by 21-year-old West Virginian Charlie Brown, was severely damaged. Bullets from German fighters had chewed the bomber to pieces. Others bullets had shot straight through the fuselage, and several crew members had been hit and were near death.

The German fighter plane, piloted by Franz Stigler, was poised to blast the bomber from the sky. It was Franz’s job to kill the enemy. His sworn duty was to triumph in blood.

In fact, encountering a wounded bomber was Franz’s lucky break. Other fighters had already done the initial damage, and when Franz flew up to the bomber, it was the most badly damaged airplane he’d ever seen still flying. That meant an easy target. And in the kill-or-be-killed quest to reach air superiority, the odds against the German’s survival were much worse than the American’s. Of the 40,000 German fighter pilots in WWII, only 2,000 survived.

But what happened in that tense moment when Franz and Charlie came to stare at one another across the frozen skies only can be described as other-worldly.

The American 8th Air Force would, in fact, classify the incident as top secret for decades.

The German military sealed the record as well. Franz was ordered never to speak of the act again, at risk of facing a firing squad.

What happened was, very simply … mercy.

Franz didn’t turn his machineguns on the Americans.

Instead, Franz risked his own reputation, career, and even life, to fly for miles in close proximity to the bomber’s wingtip, providing a “shield” for the damaged enemy plane.

Instead of killing his enemy, the German fighter pilot escorted the sputtering American bomber to safety.

Franz Stigler and Charlie Brown

Both men survived the war and became close friends.

See also the post, Compassion for Others – Even the Enemy.

Risk from Hazardous Journeys on Vimeo.

Part 7 of our series on the Southern Gentleman and the Boy Scout movement. Obedience is the seventh point of the Boy Scout Law.

Obedience is a tough one for many of us. The main reason we have trouble with obedience is pride – the sin that is at the root of all other sins. Another reason it is tough is because we are so often faced with demands from illegitimate authority. The legitimacy of authority is an important matter, and one that today’s society (and government) would like us to ignore.

The Yankees called us “Rebels”, claiming that the seceding states were in rebellion against the legitimate authority of the federal government. The Yankees were wrong. A rebellion is disobedience to legitimate authority, and that was simply not the case since secession was (and still is) completely legal. Any Southern gentleman should find the term “Rebel” to be offensive; we would do well to gracefully inform others who do not understand.

The real question comes down to “Obedience to whom?” The answer to that is actually pretty straightforward.

Obedience to God is, of course, the primary point. That means that we must first know and understand God’s word – not what we would like for God’s word to say; not what some self-proclaimed “expert” says; not just the parts of His word that we agree with – all of God’s word. That also means rightly dividing God’s word. We cannot take what was written to the Hebrew people of the Old Testament and apply it our lives; it wasn’t written for us as New Testament Christians.

We must also understand that in an evil world, there are always forces trying to claim authority that they do not have. Our Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It holds the same place as the king in an absolute monarchy. If a lawfully elected leader proclaims that we must do something, and the Constitution says otherwise, then being obedient means that we must follow the Constitution and not the illegitimate authority of those who disobey the Constitution. The same holds true for those appointed to enforce the law.

It must also be pointed out here that each of us routinely obey illegitimate laws and illegitimate authority on a daily basis. It is part of the price of living. While I would rather live here in America than any place else in the world, it is still a system run by man, and therefore, it is a corrupt system. Each of us must determine our own line that we will not cross. We must also understand that we willingly accept the penalties that the system imposes on those who oppose it.

“There are two types of people who are doomed to failure in this world:
Those who cannot give orders and those who cannot follow orders.”
Author unknown

“Rebellion to Tyrants is Obedience to God.”
Benjamin Franklin’s suggested motto for the Great Seal

“If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land”
Isaiah 1:19

“For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things.”
2 Corinthians 2:9

“Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work”
Titus 3:1

“Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king.”
1 Peter 2:17

Friendly – Having the temper and disposition of a friend; kind; favorable; disposed to promote the good of another.
Courteous – Polite; wellbred; being of elegant manners; civil; obliging; condescending.
Kind – Disposed to do good to others, and to make them happy by granting their requests, supplying their wants or assisting them in distress; having tenderness or goodness of nature; benevolent…
— Websters Dictionary of 1828

For this post, I am combining three points of the Scout Law into one. Friendly, Courteous, and Kind are three sides of a triangle that makes society work smoothly. When any of those are missing, we all suffer.

So much of the world today seems to be coarse and cruel. We see videos posted on the internet showing gangs beating and humiliating an innocent person while the mob of thugs laughs and videos this cruelty as though it were a great spectator sport. Although it is currently almost exclusively a Black phenomenon, history has shown that Whites tend to follow the worst traits of Black culture. That makes it all of society’s problem – it is not just a Black problem such that we can smugly point our fingers at someone else. While Whites have little or no influence over Black culture, we do have influence over our own. The question is – will we exercise that influence in a powerful way to assure that our culture, at least, is friendly, courteous, and kind. We must become active role models. The best outcome would be for other cultures to see and emulate this so that their culture is taken to a higher, nobler level.

Our objective here at Confederate Colonel is to preserve and build up the culture of the Southern gentleman. While the most immediate benefit is to ourselves and our families and our circle of friends, it also benefits all of society. Ideally, others will observe, appreciate, and then follow the life pattern of the Southern gentleman. That is what makes a successful culture.

A few quotes on manners and etiquette:

Traditionally Southern statesmen have been orators. A society emphasizing social rituals and manners requires a kind of reverence for words to adequately express sentiment and feeling. The dregs of this rhetoric remain the stock in trade of the grass roots politicians. The Southerner generally does not shy away—to the extent the Northerner does—from a use of language that is something more than bare statement. The Northerner, with his conditioned respect for practicality and getting-to-the-point is more likely to possess a far greater reading than speaking vocabulary and to associate anything more than simple expression with ostentation.
William Van O’Conner 1947

Manners are of more importance than laws…. Manners are what vex or soothe, corrupt or purify, exalt or debase, barbarize or refine us, by a constant, steady, uniform, insensible operation, like that of the air we breathe in.
Edmund Burke 1796

Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices.
Ralph Waldo Wmerson 1876

I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
James Russell Lowell 1873

More quotes about manners.

When my father first started walking with a cane, and my mother with a walker, they were  both amazed at the politeness they experienced – often by the people they would least expect it from. They routinely had doors held open for them, they were quickly ushered to the front on any lines, and were generally given the preferential treatment that an elderly person dealing with a handicap should be given.

Simply holding a door open for another person is not only “helpful” but it shows respect for others that a decent and orderly society needs to maintain itself.

A Scout is Loyal - by Norman Rockwell

Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines Loyal as:

Faithful to a prince or superior; true to plighted faith, duty or love; not treacherous; used of subjects to their prince, and of husband, wife and lovers; as a loyal subject; a loyal wife.

It’s easy to be loyal when things are going smoothly and going the way you like them to go, but that’s not loyalty – that’s convenience. Loyalty is sticking with someone no matter what. Be very careful about who you give your loyalty to; it is a commitment not to be taken lightly.