We have arrived at the present. Ideals that once fulfilled people's lives have been mocked, scorned, or misused in our country. There is now a desire to be free from all ties, living in the present, being self-centered, and fixated on materialism. The Vittinghoff, Vietinghoff, and Schell families, as epigones of a bygone historical era and children of a changed world, strive to nurture and preserve the spiritual legacy of that time within the family association founded in 1890. Even though the nobility may have completed its historical role, the virtues that have shaped its thoughts and actions, especially those of the lower nobility, are more necessary than ever in our time for our culture to survive. These virtues include: chivalry and decency, duty and sense of responsibility, loyalty and willingness to sacrifice, family values, and awareness of tradition.