They gathered on the banks of the Potomac in Washington, D.C. at 11:30 in the evening, ninety-two years to the hour after the sinking of the world’s second most famous maritime vessel. They gathered, fathers and sons, to remember a night when more than sixty cabin boys — sixteen years of age — perished to preserve the honor and life of women; to remember when some of the wealthiest men on the planet willingly gave up their seats on lifeboats for third-class washerwomen; and to remember when boiler-room workers, telegraph operators, and musicians acted above and beyond the call of duty by staying at their posts and dying in their selfless acts. By giving up their own lives they preserved the peace and safety of many others.

As we have done for eight years, the Christian Boys’ & Men’s Titanic Society reconvened to proclaim the ancient Christian doctrine of male sacrifice and chivalry, to warn against the ever-present threat to family freedom and virtuous womanhood posed by the insidious doctrine of the feminists, and to remind the next generation of young men that they, too, must value the life of women and children. Standing beside the only memorial in our nation’s capital dedicated to the ancient biblical doctrine of male sacrifice, and erected by the women of America in gratitude to men giving up their lives for women and children, a dozen home school boys placed flowers at the foot of the statue in honor of the nine men who died for every one woman aboard the Titanic.

At the close of our own ceremony, we were delighted and suprised when eighteen grey-haired men in tuxedos arrived at the monument for their own private ceremony in honor of the men who died for women and children. We discovered that this private men’s Titanic society, made up of corporate business and media magnates, has been meeting on the anniversary of the sinking for the last twenty-six years.

Vision Forum Ministries friend, historian, and Faith and Freedom tourguide, Mr. Bill Potter, began the evening of remembrance and later, at the Titanic Memorial, told the heroic story of “The Two Archies” on the Titanic, both of whom had served in the confederacy during the War Between the States, and both of whom were prepared to make the ultimate sacrifice on April 14, 1912, by the faithful witness of fathers who loved and mentored them.

Earlier in the evening, we met at the Phillips Flagship for a sumptuous dinner and an evening of remeberance through songs and speeches.

The role of the balladeer in a society which highly esteems women and children is to motivate and inspire the men of the generation to remember the glorious praises of God and His wonderful works which He demonstrated to our fathers (Psalm 78). No one does this better than Charlie Zahm. His rich, manly, baritone voice and skills as a musician are unsurpassed in his genre of maritime, Celtic, and American ballads.

Charlie wowed the faithful 150 attending the Christian Boys’ & Mens’ Titanic Society dinner with a rousing rendition of the classic multi-generational father and son war ballad, “The Minstrel Boy.”

Men traveled to attend the dinner with their sons from more than a half-dozen states including Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

I was blessed to be joined by both my father, Howard Phillips, and my brother Samuel.

Candidates for President of the United States from the diverse political parties including Republican, Democrat, and Constitution Party were invited to attend and address the audience on the issue of “Women and Children First and the Presidency.” Only Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party accepted. He brought an inspiring message in word (and song).

As is the tradition of the Christian Boys’ and Men’s Titanic Society on the annual memorial dinner for the men of R.M.S. Titanic, the boys in attendance were invited to test their Titanic trivia knowledge. The winners received special prizes.