Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1893-06-16

man war Canrobert took up his resi-
dence in a small hotel in Rue de Mari
/ gnan. close to the Champs Elysees
| During the lifetime of his beloved
wife, the beautiful Flora Macdonald
he frequently visited his property AT
Jouy en- Jonas, but when the Mare
| chale died he never returned to a
spot SO associated with his happiest
moments, and leads an almost cloistral
existence Of seclusion in his Paris home.
enta have, like these last illustrious
since Napoleon HI. created the last
| marshal of France, General Leboeuf,
! and it seemed as if the title would die
out forever as formerly the fine one
Of Connetable; but the young men
Of today harbor the hope that this
supreme reward will once again be
vouchsafed to their valor and that
| they may look forward to that baton
which was popularity supposed to lie
hidden In the knapsack Of every CON
script. The revival would be hailed
with acclamation by the army. The dig
nifty dates from remote period of the
history Of France. Under Philippe
Auguste the name was given to the
chief Of an outpost, but about the
end of the thirteenth century it be-
came the expression Of the highest
military rank. From the reign of Louis
XIV. till the republic there were gen
orally fifteen or sixteen marshals Of
France. In 1871 a decree reduced the
number to six, and two years later the
Terror" abolished the institution as
Incompatible with equality. Napoleon
reconstructed it, was from the generals
Of the republic that he selected the
imperial marshals; they had all won
fame on battlefields, and were worthy
followers of the TURBINES and Catinats.
Under the old regime they were as
"MOnSeigneur," and since as excel
1ence." For brief space of time
seniority in office conferred a certain
supremacy over the other colleagues,
but this preference was soon abolished.
The baton, the insignia of the rank
SO often represented in old portraits,
is a small roll of wood, some 16 inches
long, covered in blue velvet, and dec
GRATED with embroidered golden EN-
blemS. These were formerly fieur de
lis, then bees under the empire, and Il
fiVe-pOinted star under Louis Philippe.
At each extremity Of the baton is q
golden ring, on which n motto is en-
graved. The king used to send the
baton to the new dignitary, or to hand
it himself to the recipient Louis MIL,
OH the breach of Hesdin threw his
cane to the intrepid La Meilleraye,
saying: II make you marshal of France
there is your baton" La Meilleraye
picked up the stick and used it as
Il hero. In memory of that royal act,
on more than one occasion the kings
Of France have placed their canes
in the hands Of the freshly-made mar
shals as if to invest them with some
Of their authority.
Before the revolution a marshall
carried his baton whenever he was
at the head of his troops. Since then
it became a purely decorative Insignia
figuring chiefly in paintings Marshal
de CasteIlane was the last who brought
rs baton into public ceremonies. When
he pau I'LL Official call :ln dlue-ue-Ctlmp
carried it, standing at his side. At
reviews he brandished it aloft, and
was even seen to throw it into the
air and catch it ere it fell, as the
Arabs do with their rifles.
Almost all the great French families
have had marshals among their an
cestors; to mention only one, the Ber-
nadOttes are today on the throne of
Sweden. 1t would sake volumes to
specify all the names that have receiv-
ed added luster from the honor.
Marshal Soult, duke Of Dalmatia,
was once asked what in his opinion
real French marshal He
without Il minutes hesitation:
1T is the man who has more duties
to fulfil than any one else and who
is blameless in all things" Tradition
tells us what the predecessors Of Can
robert, and MacNIahon, duke of Mag
enta have, like thee last illustrious
survivors, deserved this proud def
milton.