Millheim Journal. [volume] (Millheim, Pa.) 1876-1984, 1881-01-20
The Order Of the Golden Fleece.

The name OF the Golden Fleece had
a two-fold Specification. IJ meant to
typify the spirit of chivalrous adven-
ture-of going into new lands TO con-
quer new fame--the same spirit which
actuated the Argonauts of legend, who
went In search of the Golden Fleece.
But there was also the religious idea.
The Savior has been represented under
the form of lamb. 10 win HIS re-
demption by ''knightly" deeds, in the
best specification of that noble wor :,
was obviously an object Of the new So
ciety of ehivalry. High privileges
were early conferred on the Knights
of the Fleece, whose number was orig
inally limited to thirty-one. When the
Counts of Egmont and Horn were
illegally executed under the reign of
Philip III. on account of the stand they
made for the liberties of their country,
they both appealed against the sent
ence, alleging, among other reasons,
that as Knights Of the Fleece. they had
the right to be tried by their brother
knights. After the war of the Spanish
succession, which left Bourbon on
the throne of Spain, there arose dis
pute between the Emperor and the
King of Spain as TO which of them had
the right 10 the sovereignty of the or
der. The question was an extremely
complicated one. The Emperor
Charles VI, as heir male of the Haps-
burgs, might fairly claim the knightly
heritage as his right. On the other
hand Philip Of Bourbon might urge
descent through an heiress md plead
that inaSpain and the Low Countries
the Salic law had never been reco9niz-
ed. The matter was finally arranged
through treaty, the Emperor and htng
OF Spain being recognized as joint
grandmasters or the order, with equal
power 10 name knights. The Austrian
and Spanish badges of the order sie
almost though not quite Identical In
form. Each has the well-known col
lar of gold and fiint-stOnes, with the
typical device, "Ante ferit guam fam
ma micat," though the nobler legend
runs-''Pretium nor vile laborem."
The Archdukes of Austria and the
infants OF Spain are all, as rule,
Knights of the Fleece. In later years
the order has been conferred with
what must to heralds have appeared
undue freedom. For instance, on Nj.
Thiers, who was not even ''noble,"
and indeed had the sole merit of being
President of the French Republic and
one of the greatest men living. Then
it was that political cddity called the
Spanish republic, which beto wed the
distinction Of the little red collar rib
and on NJ. Theirs. The Duke of Aosto,
by the way while figuring as Amadeus
1. of Spain sent the Fleece TO distin-
guished Castilian nobleman, who re-
turned the decoration without q word.
ltlsa waste of words to characterize
the conduct of this grandee as Il de-
serves. Why the foreign house of
Savoy should be less entitled to respect
than the foreign house of France 1t
would be difficult to explain. The
Prince of Wales is a Knight of the
Golden Fleece-the only Englishman
who enjoys that dii tinction. The
Spanish order was conferred on him
when he was ten years old, the Aus
trian some time later. Not long ago 1t
was whispered that his Catholic Ma
jesty was rather anxious for an ex-
change of rlbands between the Courts
of s. Ildefonso and st. James. He
wanted the Garter Tor himself and
would have conferred the Fleece on
the Duke of Edinbmrg or on Prince
Albert Victor of Wales-perhaps on
bolh--to secure for himself the most
coveted of all decorations, without
which no sovereign feels that he belongs
10 the inner circle of royalty.