This week, we look back on the dedication of the Titanic memorial in Washington, D.C., on June 9, 1913.
In the aftermath of the tragic sinking of the Titanic in 1912, hearings were held in the U.S. Senate. During these hearings, the doctrine of women and children first was reviewed, and it was found that 90 percent of those who died in the disaster were men. The first lady, Nellie Taft, was so moved by the courage and sacrifice of those men that she raised funds to build a memorial to them. It was placed near the White House, bearing the inscription, “To the brave men who gave their lives that women and children might be saved.”
Not everyone was in favor of the Titanic memorial. Feminists argued that women and children first was a disguised form of paternalistic oppression. They even criticized the women of the Titanic for accepting preferential treatment. The memorial apparently remained offensive to feminists, and in 1973, it was removed from its prominent place and put in storage. In 1979, it was moved to an obscure location overlooking the Potomac River.
Today, the feminist agenda is at its ascendancy, and they are well on the way to eliminating special preferences for women and children. Institutions which are designed to protect children are being forced to put them at risk to sexual predators in the name of equality, and almost 60 million have been killed in furtherance of the feminist abortion agenda. Women, especially single mothers, are increasingly left to fend for themselves, and now, thanks to the feminists, women can be sent into front lines of military conflicts. They are even thinking of subjecting women to the draft. The old belief of chivalry and sacrifice is ridiculed, and the abandonment and abuse of women and children by men encouraged to have no sense of honor is increasing every day with tragic results.
We need to pray that there will be a revival of chivalry and sacrifice in our men. The biblical role of men, to love their families even to the point of sacrificing themselves like Christ (Eph. 5:25) and the men of the Titanic, must be restored.
Let us remember the Titanic memorial, and pray that its message is moved from the Potomac into the hearts of our men and women.
Next Sunday, Father’s Day, would be a good time to start.
