[DFT] Fw: [ChivalryToday] Convenience, Corruption & Chivalry

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The Iroquois Theater: Convenience, Corruption and Chivalry
By Scott Farrell
©2004, Shining Armor Enterprises
www.ChivalryToday.com

When we talk of knights in shining armor in the workplace, there are a
few vocations that come naturally to mind. You can easily see how
soldiers, police officers, firefighters or rescue workers need knightly
courage and strength in the discharge of their duties. Even doctors and
lawyers occasionally put themselves in harm's way to fight for the
safety and welfare of others. But what about the people whose daily
tasks require less adventure and more routine; less "guns and sirens"
and more "lunch boxes and time clocks"? For someone with a workaday,
run-of-the-mill job, isn't the Code of Chivalry a needless
inconvenience?

To answer that question, let's take a look back into the
not-too-distant past at an event that highlights the importance of the
Code of Chivalry for the "working stiff."

In 1903 a brand-new playhouse opened in Chicago, Illinois, just in time
for Christmas. Its premier production, "Mr. Blue Beard Jr.," was aimed
at the thousands of local families who were enjoying the holiday.
Theater management and city officials assured parents that the new
facility featured state-of-the-art safety equipment and modern designs,
making it "absolutely fireproof."

Yet on December 30, just five weeks after the Iroquois Theater's grand
opening, fire broke out backstage during the play's second act. The
blaze spread with frightening swiftness, the performers and audience
panicked, and within minutes nearly 600 people had been killed by
smoke, fire and trampling. The Iroquois Theater disaster became the
second most fatal fire in U.S. history.

Months of investigation revealed the cause behind this fiery tragedy in
an "absolutely fireproof" building: corruption. Builders used
substandard materials in construction, owners falsified documents, and
public officials accepted bribes for "looking the other way" when the
theater didn't meet code. The Eastland Memorial Society reports that
the disaster was due to "unbelievable laxity on the part of the theater
and city officials charged with public safety."

Architects, suppliers, carpenters, decorators, bankers, inspectors and
others with quiet, everyday jobs may not conclude their days covered in
blood and sweat, but they can (and should) still be knights in shining
armor. Chivalry is more than strength and bravery; it is also found in
those who respect the law, honor their commitments and refuse to
compromise their high ethical standards.

No matter how you earn a living, there is probably someone who depends
upon you to be honest, diligent and caring in what you do. Living by
the Code of Chivalry in the workplace is sometimes inconvenient, but
the story of the Iroquois Theater disaster is a reminder that knightly
virtues such as faith, nobility and justice are sometimes matters of
life and death. Customers, clients, students, patients, tenants and
patrons of all types want to know that there are knights in shining
armor working quietly behind the scenes to keep them safe in all
aspects of their lives.

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Readers are permitted and encouraged to share this article with others
as a way of furthering the understanding of the Code of Chivalry in the
modern world. Scott Farrell's seminars on chivalry and the knightly
virtues are available to businesses, schools and civic organizations
throughout the Southern California area; more information can be found
on our website. Please include all copyright statements and
attributions when forwarding Chivalry Today articles. Copyright 2004
Scott Farrell and Shining Armor Enterprises. Visit our website at
www.ChivalryToday.com .