order of knighthood
and chivalry was founded. The reason for this was the feeling on the
part of the best men of that day that it was the duty of the stronger
to help the weak. These were the days when might was right, and the
man with the strongest arm did as he pleased, often oppressing the
poor and riding rough shod without any regard over the feelings and
affections of others. In revolt against this, there sprang up all over
Europe a noble and useful order of men who called themselves knights.
Among these great-hearted men were Arthur, Gareth, Lancelot, Bedivere,
and Alfred the Great. The desire of these men was "To live pure, speak
true, right wrong, follow the king." Of course in these days there
also lived men who called themselves knights, but who had none of the
desire for service that inspired Arthur and the others. These false
knights, who cared for no one but themselves and their own pleasure,
often brought great sorrow to the common people. Chivalry then was a
revolt against their brutal acts and ignorance and a protest against
the continuation of the idea that might was right.

Nowhere in all the stories that have come down to us have the acts of
chivalry been so well told as in the tales of the Round Table. Here it
was that King Arthur gathered about him men like Sir Bors, Sir
Gawaine, Sir Pellias, Sir Geraint, Sir Tristram, Sir Lancelot, and Sir
Galahad. These men moved by the desire of giving themselves in
service, cleared the forests of wild animals, suppressed the robber
barons, {238} punished the outlaws, bullies, and thieves of their day,
and enforced wherever they went a proper respect for women. It was for
this great service that they trained themselves, passing through the
degrees of page, esquire, and knight with all the hard work that each
of these meant in order that they might the better do their duty to
their God and country.

[Illustration: Ancient knight.]

Struggle for Freedom

Of course this struggle of right against wrong was not confined to the
days in which chivalry was born. The founding of the order of
knighthood was merely the beginning of the age-long struggle to make
right the ruling thought of life. Long after knighthood had passed
away, the struggle continued. In the birth of the modern nations,
England, Germany, France, and others, there was the distinct feeling
on the part of the best men of these nations that might should and
must give way to right, and that tyrann