The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1892-11-17


oHTnoopl q MOVING cne9p.
Eitles Bs.teweal So .sahiy IS, -
bat They = s. N Diare nj
kniehthood eon1sls no politse.lr ~
|isges. and It = not hereditary. aAd,
consequently. it seems TO have become
an admitted principle that anybddy
ana everybody has prima facie claim
70 It In the last twenty years many
more than loo knights have been
dubbed, and. rs we noted last week,
tide last batch OF persons to receive
the royal accolade and the right Of pre-
fixing Sir to their names consisted
mainly OF professional music ans Of by
mo meansas high class, among them the
music-master formerly at Eton college,
now OF the Guildhall the leader Of the
uueen's private band, and an organist
AZ Wlndsor!' Against these zen lemen
personally we have nothing whatever
20 say. In every moral and social quality
we have no doubt they are all that can
oe desired. and that, % far their "a.
mission into theorder to which lev now
belong was perfectly justified. Hut that
|soandmast ers, orRanists and teachers of
music are proper persons to beknighted
can hard]y be main tanned ons the as
sumption that knighthood 10 to con-
tinue to be regarded as the appropriate
reward OF public services in whatever
capacity they may bs rendered. More
specialists this obvious in relation to
the art with which they themselves are
connected; for assuredly, If knighthooa
ls sufficient recognition of the emf
nence of Sir Arthur Sullivan and Sir
Charles Halle. it is infinitely more than
sufficient recognition of the eminence
Ct Mr.: Parratt Dr.. Barnbys and Mr..
Cusins. $50 8 49,
1t is true that simple nighthooL as
distinguished from knight commanders
snip OF the Bath, St Michael and st.
GEORGE and the Star of India, to say
nothing Of the Garter, the Thistle and
81 Patrick, is not, and can scarcely be
expected to be, held in any great vener-
alton. Custom has made it imperative
on the sovereign to confer it on mum.
Ger OF persons whose social status is al
together different from that Of those
who are admitted to the royal orders
but, however prom ;scuously enjoyed,
the honor. such cs it is, is invariably
shared by the judges of the land and
the law officers of the crown; and even
city sheriffs and provincial mayors have
Tome reason to omplain when it's value
Is still. further deprecated. No doubt
the dlsrepute OF knighthood is no new
thing. Heralds are accustomed to date
Its commencement from the reign of
James l., who created 800 knights in
SIX weeks. and that of his son, Charles l..
VINO kn'ghted among others Sir Jeffrey
HUDSON. the queens dwarf. But it
reached climax under George w., who
discovered in the mere threat of admin
1sterlng the royal accolade an effectual
protection against the presentation of
unwelcome addresses; aud under Will
liam w., who knighted everybody who
would allow him to do so, matters in
this respect were not much mended. In
the earlier years OF the queens reign,
however, when the counsels of the
lamented prince consort were in the
ascendant, knighthood was very SPAR
mgay conferred. and it's position as a
social distinction was proportionatelv
raised. Hut 1T is not too much to saw
that OF late it has been distributed with
so little ci"cumspection that it has be-
come almost valueless for the purpose
Tor which it is supposed and ought to
exist.
So far, indeed, a. knighthood is to be
regarded as mark of eminence in lit
erature, science or art, the result an
pears pretty much the same as that
which Thackeray describes in one of his
Roundabout Papers, as likely to have
ensued If George Ill. had instituted the
order of merit, which he once mad in
serious contemplation. That order was
to have been dedicated to Minerva. and
DIR. johnson himself was to have been
the first p' esident or grand cross or
grand owl of the society. The members
were to be adorned with star of six
teen points and yellow ribbon, and all
the recognized luminaries of the lit
erary, scientific and artistic worlds
were to be enrolled among them But
how, Thackeray asks, when they had
all of them been admitted, could the
door be shut against inferior claim
ants? How could you have ex-
cluded Sir Alexis Sover, Sir Ales-
sandro Tamburini, Sir Agostino Vel
luti, Sir Anton 10 Paginnini (violinist),
Sir Sandy McGoffog (pip # to the most
honorable the marquis of Farintosh},
Sir Alcide Flicf1ac (premier danseur of
Her Majesty's theater), Sir Harley Quin.
and Sir Joseph Grimaldi from Covent
garden). They" he adds, '.have all.
yellow ribbon. They are all honorable,
clever and distinguished artists. Let us
elbow through the rooms, make a bow
to the lady of the house, give nod to
Sir George Thrum, who is leading the
orchestra. and go in and get some cham
payne and settler water from Sir Rich
ard, who is presiding at the buffet"
This was intended to be q caricature
when Thackeray wrote it But it GER
tainly reads a great deal more like a
prophecy now.-London World.
TWO SETS OF MANNERS.
That Put Oh for COmpa " Should DO Used
Ali the Time.
If we only had on our company man
ners all the time, how delightful we
would be, for, deny it though we may,
we certainly have one set of ways for
everyday use and another when stranp-
ers are present The frown fades into
a smile when our next door neighbor
suddenly enters during heated argu-
ment The features that we set in
obstinate and unbending resolution re-