The Portland daily press., 1880-11-11
THURSDAY MORNING. NOV. IL.
The Legion of Honor.

In speaking of the numbers of the Legion,
one ought to bear one or two facts in mind.
France has no peerage officially recognized, Or
baronetage; while the comforting of knight
hood would be ceremony almost unintelligi-
bic to the majority of educated Frenchmen.
Several other fashions in which the British
sovereign delights to honor her leges, e. g.,
by making them honorary Privy Councillors,
or of cher counsel learned in the law" are
wholly unknown to our neighbors. The
"Cross," and after it, the successive grades of
the Legion are the sole honors with which
France can reward the most ilustrious of her
sons; the sole outward and visible rewards.
Praise to the living and posthumous renown
she accords more generously than any other
nation; and it is no empty phrase that is in
scribed on the facade of the Pantheon, and
which bids each successive generation remem-
Der that TO great men the fatherand that bore
them is grateful. 1t is worth noting, too, that
we English seem to have acquired, in respect
OF decorations, the appetite that comes from
eating. Every one knows the story of the
British ambassador who appeared at a confer
ence without single star among his bejew-
elled colleagues; and how fool pointed out
the circumstance to Talleyrand, thinking he
had "scored Off our envoy; and how the
Frenchman contented himself with ramarking
that the Englishman's dress was certainly
very neat. But we have changed all that.
Lord Dufferin, in full dress. would wear three
stars; Lords Lyons and Odo Russell two apiece
We have perfect constellation of royal and
imperial orders in these days-from the Garter
conferred for wealth, to the Victoria Cross con-
ferred for valor, Still, it must be admitted
elA4n ~ ~ D.,
together would not e1nal in number the
knights of the Legion of Honor. Only the fig
ures are not quite SO disproportioDate as might
be imagined. The Prince of Wales is natu-
rally Grand Gross of the Legion, as he is
Grand Cross of everything else under the SUM-
The Duke of Cambridge also ENJOYS this dis-
tinction. Very few Frenchmen indeed enjoy
the distinction (Which only half corresponds TO
it) Of Grand Cross Of the Bath. Among them
are Msrshas MacMahon and Canrobert, and
Prince Napoleon. Old Peissier got it after
the fall of Malakoff, and was so proud of the
honor that some time after he was wont to
sign ''Pelissier. G. G. B." Perhaps after all.
the rough soldier meant to pay compliment
to the allies of his country. If so a grand
segneur of the time of Louis XIV. could
scarcely have conceived more delicate one
The badges of the inferier orders OF the Legion
have been pretty eagerly sought after by for
eigners. even by Englisnmep. 1t is related of
an English merchant who had rendered some
strNiCe w NdpoieoH LIZ tnaG ne was invited
by that Prince to spend few day at Fontaine
bleau. When the merchant took his leave.
the Emperor asked him whether he could be
of service to him in any way. "May 1t please
your Majesty" stammered the guest, 1 should
like-the Legion of Honor REFRESHING the
national habit of Struggling his shoulders
ever so slightly-C@sar replied that he should
be most happy to give him the Cross. Il fam
cied," he added, that your Government did
not allow you to wear foreign decorations.
Ilawr DO .s-~l,% Al,
English Administration you are heartily well
come. Meanwhile you must permit me to give
you Cross of the Legion worn by my uncle,
the King of Westphalia." So saying, the EN-
peror went to a drawer and took out diamond
star that had once glittered on the Marshals
uniform of Jerome. 1t was handsomely done
grave as were his faults, Napoleon Ill always
showed himself gentleman.