Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1878-07-26
knights Of the Garter
SOMETHING ABOUT THE ORDER TO WHICH roRn
BEACoNSFIELD HAS BEEN ADNITTEn
w. GTenvile Murray in Belgrayia


BEACoNsFIELD HAS BEEN ADMITTED.
Nv. Grenville Murray in Belgravia
IL is curious and perhaps unparalleled
circumstance in English administrative annals
that during tenure of office which has now
lasted four years the Prime Minister has had
put one Garter at his disposal Mr. Gladstone
during hye years premiership, had at least
nVe olue rlhandS TO give away, while four OF
the present knights date from the period of
Conservative rul e in lS66-'6s, which lasted less
than two years and a half. Several foreign
princes have, indeed, been admitted To the
order since 1874 1.-THE last being Humbert |. of
Italy, but these are Extra Knights :" twenty
live ribands having been reserved for subjects
not descendants of George H., by the statute
of 1906. Very likely 4 Minister does moi think
himself unfortunate in being relieved from the
responsibility OF making selection from the
coveted OF hOnorS. For every blue rihand |
give away" said Louis XIV, speaking of the
order, of the Holy Ghost, .! make one I'M
grateful and eleven disappointed persons
Lord Me bourne, who would turn pale when
ever he saw letter bordered with black on
his breal fast table, fearing it announced the
dea h OF II bishop, may well have felt similar
uneasiness when called upon TO decide what
peer should be granted the privilege of having
the letters X; G. put after his name.
How eagerly that privilege has been sought
is matter OF history. For five centuries il may
almost be said TO have been 1.-The last infrmitv
of noble minds in England, and since l6J3, in
Scotland, too. Probably, indeed, a good deal
of The soc al bitterness with which North Brit
OnS were long regarded in London was due to
the fact that they obtained from the Stuart
kings far more than their share of honOrS. and
no ably an undue proportion of blue ribandS.
James L.. by the way, while as yet only the
SIKH OF Scotland, was generally understood 10
have accepted the Garter from Queen Eliza
beth 10y way of compensation for his mothers
10: of her head. But the English Queen Judi.
clously supplemented the gift of the George
with pension of 5000 year. One of William
III. s allies among the German princes thought
money could hardly be weighed in the scale
with Carter. His Serene HighneSs had long
SiStn r1t- lnI1 ,I,,.sl
$1,000, but cheerfully agreed to accept
10000 plus the blue riband. Opinions differ.
The late Lord Fitzwilliam, on being offered
the same distinction, asked what IL would cost
him. and on being told ''abOut a thousand
pounds he said he thought he could find
better use for the money.
or foreign princes the EmperOrS of Austria,
Russia and Brazil are Knights of the Order:
so is the German Emperor, as well as his eld-
est son and eldest grandson. The sOvereignS
of Greece and Persia lin strange juxtapOsi-
tiOn), as well as the SovereignS of Italy, Den
mark, Portugal and Belgium, are also knights,
as are several princes of the German empire.
The Sultan and the Kings of Spain and Swe-
den have still TO receive the honor. Unlike
the Golden Fleece, conferred on Marshal Mac
MahOn and M. Theirs, the Garter has not in
our age been bestowed on the chief magistrate
of republic.
Ladies were occasionally admitted as Com
paniOnS OF the Order down to the reign of Ed
ward W., who, for the greater cOntentment of
his subjects on the other side of st. Georges
channel. instituted an Irish Carter The sis
ter Order was, however, abolished by act OF
Parliament, 10 Henry VII, 1894.
Three clergymen are always members of the
Order, according to modern custom aud il is
as Prelate of the Order that the Bishop of Win
chester takes precedence of all other bishops,
excepting those of London and Durham The
union of the ChancellOrShip with the BiShOpric
OF Oxford is OF more recent date, but appears
now to be considered a matter of course The
Dean of Windsor is eX-offico Registrar of the
| Order. One Knight, it may be observed, and
only one excepting the Sovereign, is mem
| Der of the Order by right of birth, the Prince
of Wales being. as Sir Bernard Burke OBJ
serves "a constituent part of the original in
| Stitution.r
The Order of the Garter may be said to be
| interviewer with the very constitution of Eng
| land. The roll of the Lords Spiritual and Tenn
/ pOIal is still called Carriers Roll" while the
Gentleman Usher of the Black Rod is APP
| pointed under the great seal Of the Order. 1t
| Is not surprising that under the circumstances
| an extraordinary value should have attached
to some of the external and visible symbols
heirlooms of the Crown of England. Readers
! of Isaac Walton'S life will remember how
after the battle OF Worcester, the fugitive
Charles, by way of expressing to Walton his
high sense of the latter's loyalty, employed
him on the dangerous and honorable service
OF conveying the Lesser George" to place
| of safety. The Lesser George is the badge
fastened on the riband, the Greater George, or
| George proper, being worn suspended from
| the golden collar. Down TO the reign of Charles
III, the rband was worn across the neck, as the
| rlhand OF a Knight Commander of the Bath is
| still worn. The custom Of wearing it over the
left shoulder is said to have been introduced
| by accident. The Duchess of Portsmouth
with French taste, had arranged it in that way
across her little sons breast with which fash
ion the King was SO much pleased that he
| adopted it for himself, the other Knights, of
was created Duke of Richmond at the age of
three, and installed a Knight of the Garter
before he had completed his ninth year. He
was the ancestor of the present Duke of Rich
| mOGd ard Gordon. who, some men say will
one day be the premier of a Conservative Cab
met.