We Pledge Our Sacred Honor

The phrase "sacred honor" is not commonly used anymore, so I will define the words using Noah Webster's 1828 American Dictionary of the English Language.

Two hundred years ago, the noun honor meant "reputation; good name; true nobleness of mind; magnanimity; dignified respect for character, springing from probity, principle or moral rectitude; any particular virtue much valued, as bravery in men, and chastity in females."

The adjective sacred meant "holy; pertaining to God or to His worship; separated from common secular uses and consecrated to God and His service; inviolable, as if appropriated to a superior being; as sacred honor or promise."

Since people once used a larger vocabulary than we do today, a few more terms contained in the definitions also need defining to make this phrase crystal clear:

Magnanimity was defined by Webster as "greatness of mind; that elevation or dignity of soul, which encounters danger and trouble with tranquility and firmness, which raises the possessor above revenge, and makes him delight in acts of benevolence, which makes him disdain injustice and meanness, and prompts him to sacrifice personal ease, interest and safety for the accomplishment of useful and noble objects."

Probity meant "primarily, tried virtue or integrity, or approved actions; but in general, strict honesty; sincerity; veracity; integrity in principle, or strict conformity of actions to the laws of justice."

Inviolable meant "not to be profaned; that ought not to be injured, polluted or treated with irreverence; as, a sacred place and sacred things should be considered inviolable; not to be broken; as an inviolable league, covenant, agreement, contract, vow or promise; not to be injured or tarnished; as inviolable chastity or honor."

Wow! When you consider what this phrase really means, it seems the embodiment of men like George Washington. None of the founders were perfect, as they were human beings and not God, but they certainly held themselves to a high standard, and that standard has been all but lost today.

I am humbled yet encouraged to hold (or pledge) myself to that same standard. If even a fraction of our fellow Americans would do the same, what a revival of honesty, integrity, respect for the rule of law, and sacred honor would shine to illuminate our way!