The House of Columbia — Lynchburg, Virginia
“The time of myth is not finished. The age of heroes is not over.”
The Manifesto
Within the Western Soul there exists a sacred link to our people. The long lineage which stretches from time immemorial to the present. We are held not with chains set about us binding us permanently to times forgotten, but by the bonds of affection and remembrance which serve as a compass by which to navigate the great sea of time, and as a fire by which to light the long dark of eternity. To this lineage we owe our piety, our duty, and our sacred honor.
We have resolved here in our own time, to do our part to ensure the continuation of that lineage. That the deeds and dreams of our fathers and mothers will not be forgotten. That they will not fade quietly into that good night. It is through our own endeavors here in this age, that we will carry out our duties and forge our own link in that great chain. We resolve to carry that fire of the West forward, with affection and reverence towards our past and with hope towards our future.
Hear us then. The time of myth is not finished. The age of heroes is not over. The dead still cry out to the living and demand of them that they take their place in that great family from which they came. The call will be answered. There is yet time for greatness. To perform deeds of valor worthy of song. To nurture the myths and father the legends. To strengthen those sacred bonds with our fellow Westerners who have gone before, and shall yet go forth from us, into that undiscovered country. We swear to hold fast to the glory of our fathers and the grace of our mothers, and to commit ourselves, in all of it, to their service and to God’s.
To that end, may all who enter here and travel these Seven Hills find themselves in good company. Let the spirit be stirred to arise within you! Lay yourself down along the banks of the James. Dream under the boughs of the Dogwoods and Magnolias. Rest here in the presence of Providence, in whose goodness all things are at last made well. Stay, we bid you, for a little while; and rise, then, with the blessing of your fellows and your forebears, to stand first in the company of heroes and then follow in the footsteps of saints, and to march forward into that bright new morning.
