Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1888-06-07
INSIGNIA OF MERIT.


Than Ordinary interest.
Inquiry has been made as to the sig.
nificance of the Iron Cross the late
! Emperor William was SO DESTROYS to
! have buried with him. The Iron Cross
is the chief badge of military service.
and was conferred upon William when
he was n Prince by his brother, then
King, for great bravery and sol
dierly conduct This was in 1849, when
| he was given supreme command of the
royal forces when Baden and the Pala-
innate rushed into arms against consti-
! tuted authority. The cross WAS more
priced by him because he had been re-
! called from banishment-he was eXiled
| by imperial order in 1S4S - and the
order pour lie 11lertte. better than his re-
/ call, attested his restoration to favor.
The order of the Iron Cross was
| The insignia is a cast-iron cross with
silver mountings and bearing no in
scription on the reverse the upper
part of the diverse contains the initials
IF. W." surmounted on a crown; the
center is adorned with three oak leaves.
below which is the number 1918. When
the cross is conferred for military
merit, the ribbon supporting it is of
| black watered silk with white stripes;
for civil merit, the ribbon is white
watered silk with black stripes.
Other European orders may be re-
terred to with interest. The Royal
Prussian order of the Black Eagle,
founded in 1701 by Frederick, is blue
Il oponoala6 ot.nSS aanh urn, IF which ic
| forked with center gold monogram
''F. r." (Fredricus Rex and Il crowned
black eagle with spread wings. The
motto is '.Suum Clique" (every one his
due). The order is never conferred
upon persons below thirty years of
age. Germany has also the order of the
Red Eagle. the second order of the
kingdom. founded 17O5; the royal or
der of the House of Hohenzollern, n
gold cross with white and black en-
amel, founded 1871; the order of
Louise, small black enameled gold
cross, founded in 1914, exclusively re-
served for ladies; the Bavarian order
of St Hubert. founded 1444, to be adj
mitted to which requires that one
should have been six years a member
of the civil order of merit of the Ba-
| varian crown.
Austria shares with Spain, since the
time of Charles ". the right of the or
der of the Golden Fleece, founded in
1929 by Philip Ill. the Good, Duke of
Burgundy and Count of Flanders. The
French Legion of Honor was founded
in 1902 as q reward of civil merit or
military valor. The highest order of
Russia is that of ST. Andrew, founded
1898. and is conferred exclusively on
persons of the most exalted rank. 1t
is represented by blue enamelcd
figure of St Andrew on the cross.
Russia has military order of St
George, founded in 1869, which is
never conferred but for a gallantry at
sea or in the field. The insignia is
white enameled cross with gold rim. on
the diverse side of which is an image
of St George and the dragon.
Spain has numerous orders. the old
est being that of Calatrava, founded in
1853, and is now a court distinction
rarely conferred. The order of Alcan-
tara was founded in 1177, and is linn
tied to those who can prove noble
tons. The orders of Great Britain are
more or less famous. The first in dig
nifty is that of the Garter, founded in
1349. The next that of the Thistle.
founded in 1910, the motto of which is
Memo me impunc lacessit;" that of
st. Patrick. 1888. louis Separabit7"
that of the Bath. 1889. ''Tria juncta in
uno;" the Star of India. 1861. motto.
Heavens Light Oar Guide;" St
Michael and St. George. 1918. The
chief order of Brazil is that of Pedro,
founded in 1922.
Denmark has one of the most illus
trious orders of chivalry, the order of
the Elephant. which ranks even with
that of the Garter. founded at an I'M
certain date. but probably in the
twelfth century. 1t is limited to thirty
knights. Italv's chief order is that of
the Annunciada, recognized in 1913.
Sweden has the nobler order of the
Seraph, founded 1880. and limited to
twenty-three natives and eight foreign
Chicago Inter Ocean