Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-06-06
lArIera.

who ever wore one, will state, for their benefit,
that decoration is q bit of ribbon, blue, red,
yellow, green, or varegated, as the case may be,
to winch is usually attached star, cross, medal,
or shield, made of gold, silver, enamel, or even
iron, and worn on the breast, TO the great deec-
tation Of the-wearer.
They vary in size and color from microscopic
bit of ribbon, worn in the button hole, as in the
lowest grade of the French legion Of honor, 10
shield the size of a small dinner plate, flaming
with all the colors of the rainbow, and often ar
ranged in a way that would put the rainbow to
blush, as in some of the Spanish and Portuguese
orders.
The "Amanach de Gotha" gives a list of $50
orders, nearly all European, of which nine are
Austrian, ten Spanish, seven English, five ltal-
ian, seven Portuguese, eleven Prussian, eight
Russian, three Turkish, four Dutch, two Belgian,
one French, two Danish, and six Swedish the
rest being distributed among the smaller Ger
man and Italian states.
The new world counts only nine, of which six
are Brazilian and three Mexican. These latter
are doomed, it seems, to experience all the vicS-
STUDIES usually attendant on Mexican govern
ment, and live and die and grow up again,
perish, are renewed and abolished in way that
must test the patience of the staid and punctil-
ious "Almanach de Gotha." The first Mexican
order-thataof Notre Dame of Guadaupe--waS
founded in 1922 by the Emperor ltur5ide, was
afterwards abolished, then renewed in 1858 by
Santa Anna, again suppressed in 1855, and
again renewed in 1868 by decree of the impe.
rial government of Macmillan. Poor Maxi
militant He lived long enough to found two
new orders, the decorations OF which did not,
however, prevent Mexican bullets finding their
way to a brave and noble heart
When il is remembered that all of these orders
average at least five ranks, each rank demand
ing a separate decoration, thus making about
seven hundred decorations in all, it will be seen
that it would require some years of hard study
TO master them all so as 10 know them at sight.
The means of acquiring a decoration are yar-
Gus. You distinguish yourself on the field of
battle, or you save somebody from drowning,
or you make yourself renowned in the world of
letters or of art, or you perform your duties as
a functionary of the government iaithfully-or,
at least, you make somebody believe so-or you
are good friend of somebody who has dccOra.
tons TO give, and sometimes being simply polite
to him is enough to insure you one.
knew man in Brussels who got decora-
ton for the somewhat ambiguous reason stated
in the decree by which it was conferred on him,
for the "fete at the northern depot" and auoth-
| err who was decorated because che lived pious
life, which, il must be admitted is better
son than those generally given. The readiest
and easiest means of procuring q decoration
however, is to avail yourself of your merit in
being the pOSsessOr of a considerable quantity
of what the scoffers term "hthy lucre," kind
of merit never, or, al least, rarely, overlooked
in comforting them.
The greater part of the orders have their
prices, varying according to the rank of the de-
coratOn and the hOnorability of the order, and
there is in Paris an agency where you may get,
negotiate, and obtain decoration of almost any
order, il you are willing to sacrifice a sufficient
amount of money on this altar of distinction
Aiwell known American dentist, living at this
side of the Atlantic, has, believe, about a hun
dred, of which he is exceedingly proud; but as
he cannot find room for them all on his breast
he has had them nicely framed and hung up in
his paror, wearing them by turns, fifteen or
twenty at a time Some say he is making a
collection of Observation-Disclosures of any and
all sorts of things, a Ia mode nowadays, and
the way he gets them Is this: As is well known
he has great many royal patients, whose de-
caying molaIS and incisors require mending,
and when any of these crowned heads who have
decorations to give ask for his bill he answers,
81 never take money from royalty; but in case
you wish 10 decorate me, far be it from me to
refuse, American citizen though be"
Cynical and soothing people who, regret TO
say, abound everywhere, have n great many
malicious and uncharitable stories to relate
about decorated people, the way in which they
obtain their decorations, and especially about
the enormous number some Of them have. A
story is told of famous Pfussan officer or
general PRUSSIA more than any other country
reioices in decorated people, who has so many
that, like the doctor, be cannot tiud place for
them all on his breast, and SO when he goes to
CftuinS party uC HAS MS ncIfdHl DIltlp lncm
in after him on platter, and follow him around
us he salutes the company.
| remember a bon mot of Rochefort's on this
subject during the commune. While the YER
sailles troops were pounding away at the Porte
Maillot and the Arc de Triomphe, and Dom
browski fighting from street TO street and from
house to house in the village of Neuilly, the
news came that the gendarme who had cut
down Flourens with a blow of his sabre had been
decorated rs a member of the Legion of Honor
"What a pityP exclaimed Rochefort; "tlle
avengers OF Flourens will now never be able to
find him."
A few of the orders confer, however, the high
est distinction, as that of ST. George of Russia
Maria Theresa Of Austria, the Iron Cross of
Prussia, and one or two characterization
of the two former especially being only con-
ferred for real merit, and that of no ordinary
kind.
Some OF the orders, as that of the Golden
Fleece of Spain and the Order OF the Bath En-
gland, are limited TO a certain number OF mem
bers, the badge or decoration Of each being re-
turned to the society upon the death of the
wearers, and they pass from hand to hand and
from wearer to wearer some of them for cen
turtles. Thus the count of Flanders, brother of
the king of Belgium has the same collar and
badge Of the Golden Fleece once worn by Column
bus, and in England the present Earl Crowley
has the garter formerly held by Lord Palmer
ston.-St. Petersburg Correspondence New York
Herald.