A Night to Remember

Two nights ago, my son Daniel and I had the great privilege of attending the 11th annual Christian Men and Boys Titanic Memorial Society dinner in Washington DC. This is a group of men and their sons and grandsons who meet each year on or near the anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic to honor the men who died that night for the principle of “women and children first.”

It is difficult to describe the wonder of such an event in 21st century America. In today’s society, the idea of “women and children first” is treated at best as a quaint anachronism, and at worst as a scornful misogynistic threat to all things modern and progressive. Yet, each year, the men and boys of The Society spend an evening together to celebrate this foundational premise of Christian Manhood, and to encourage one another to restore and advance the cause of sacrificial love and manly courage.

Clad for the occasion in our finest coats and ties, we shared a splendid meal in a private room at a restaurant on the DC waterfront, and sat for hours talking with each other about the ideals of manly virtue and the challenges of rearing Christian warriors in a society so at odds with the notion of Biblical Manhood. We were entertained by the fabulous baritone singing of balladeer Charlie Zahm. Finally, at 10 pm, our dinner speaker, Mr. Doug Phillips, rose to deliver an inspiring 90-minute stemwinder of a speech honoring the sacrifice of the men of the Titanic and others like them who demonstrated similar manly Christian virtue during the past 400 years of American history.

One interesting element of the speech was Mr. Phillips’ description of what he described as “the most politically incorrect monument in America,” the John Smith monument on Star Island, in the harbor of Portsmouth, NH. Now decayed and broken, this monument to the founder of Jamestown once included a majestic pillar topped by the impaled replicas of the decapitated heads of three Muslim warriors. The story behind this unusual monument is too long to recount here, but is worth reading sometime. If you’re interested, you can click here to read the remarkable story of John Smith’s adventures before he came to Jamestown.

After the dinner speech, we enjoyed more music from Charlie Zahm, including a moving rendition of The Minstrel Boy, accompanied only by his expert playing of the Irish Drum. (I’ve always loved that piece, especially since it was chosen by Teddy Roosevelt as the regimental song for his Rough Riders during the Spanish-American War.)

Finally, just after midnight the men and boys of the Society set out on foot for a short stroll down the Potomac River waterfront to the Titanic Memorial. I had never before visited this particular monument. Indeed, it is hidden away in a very obscure corner of the District of Columbia. It was erected in 1931 by the “grateful women of America,” in honor of the men of the Titanic who went down with the ship in order to save the women and children. Whether they were first-class society ladies or third-class washerwomen from the steerage compartments, their lives were placed in higher esteem by the men of the Titanic than own mortality.

The Titanic Memorial is a statue depicting a man with arms outstretched, Christ-like, looking out over the waters of the Potomac river. Inscribed on its foundation are the words:

TO THE YOUNG AND OLD
THE RICH AND POOR
THE IGNORANT AND THE LEARNED
ALL
WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES TO SAVE WOMEN AND CHILDREN.

As the men and boys, about one hundred of us, gathered in the chilly darkness at the foot of the monument, we sang together, a cappella, six verses of Nearer My God to Thee, while a wreath was laid at the monument, and each boy reverently in turn placed a single white carnation at the base of the statue. Thus strengthened, inspired and encouraged, we each parted to go our separate ways and to return to our homes -- to the women and children who awaited us there.

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I didn't take the following picture. It shows the Titanic Memorial in daylight.