New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-15
TOPICS IN PARIS.
THE COLLAR OF THE NEW GRAND MAS
TER OF THE LEGION OF HONOR.
popr-r.p Mo,-RNING FOR NJ CARNOT-KE-
sTRAINTs OF OFFICE-THE DEAD POLISH
LEADER-AN ODD HOUSE.

"Je Roi est mort; vive le Roll found its
| COUNTERPART last week I'm lie President est mort;
yive 10 PresIdentv' since rot more than rev
| hours were permitted to intervene between Inc
death Of the lamented NJ. Sadi-Carnot ana the
election OF his successor. Although relatively
a young man. the features OF NJ. Casimir-Terler
may be said to be almost as familiar to me
French people as those OF his predecessor for
,bere IL scarcely a town or village In France
that do.s not possess prints OF Lucien Sergeant $
popular picture representing a wounded colonel
OF mobiles being carried off the battlefield by
one OF his men amid a storm OF German btIe's'
That gallant young soldier Is no other than the
new President OF the Republic. who received for
that act OF courage the Cross OF the Legion OF
Honor. a distinction which cannot help think
ing Re will continue TO value more highly even
than the gorgeous collar Of Grand Master Of the
Legion OF Honor which has just been hsrded
to him by General Fevrier. the Chancellor Of the
Order This collar was manufactured some mr.
teen years ago and Is composed Of seventeen
gold mcdallions and an eighteenth Of blue fn-
amel bearing the letters r. F.; II Is 10 this big
medallion that IL attached the gold-and-" hite
enameiled cross Of the decoration. The collar
wos first made for President Grevy, and his
name is engraved at the back OF the first medal
lion together with that OF the late Grand Chan
cellor General Fadherbe. The second Ttdal-
lion bears the name Of NJ. Carnot and Of the
same General while the third is now engraved
with the patronymics Of the new President fnd
OF the present Chancellor. As soon as the seven
teen medallions have been thus inscribed the
collar will be deposited among the archives Of
the Order and a new one will be prepared. Up
to the present moment there have been four coll
lars made including the one now in :he iosses-
sion OF NJ Caslmir- Perier. The first 're was
made FOR the First Napoleon and was also worn
by Napoleon III throughout his reign. The Sec
ond is for reason or other In The posses
sion Of the Murat family. and no one knew
what had become Of the third until. to The aston
ishment of the people here. II was seen around
the neck Of the present Emperor OF Austria at
the Tuileries on the occasion of his visit to this
city during the exhibition Of 1861 II then
discovered that Napoleon had given this very
same collar to his father-in-law Emperor
Francis !. OF Austria. on the occasion ~ his mar
rage TO the Archduchc-s Marie Louise.
Never on any previous occasion nor in any
country OF the world can I remember having
Witnessed so general and universal display Of
grief and sorrow that manifested by the
French people for the death Of NJ Carnot Or
dlnarily at this time OF the year every button
hoe Is adorned with flower. the clubmen and
jcunesse dor"c setting the fashion and the re-
mainder OF the masculine element following suit
Since Monday morning last however, Ill these
houtonniares have disappeared as II by magic.
and the women In the kosks along the boule-
wards who usually Do large trade during the
months 81 MAY June and July. tell mo that
their business has been AZ stands'ill since the
death - NJ Carnot became known. the men
seeming g. have the Instructive II unutter'l feel
Ing that tho festive appearance given - a coat
by a flower IN the lapel would bee out ~ place
and IN bad taste during thes" days II National
mourning Even Henu Rpchefort. to whom
nothing IL sacred and who uses pen s'ecp'd In
gnn in writing about everybody and everything
nnds "A good word t. say for NJ Carnot. and de-
carcs that while he considers the office of Presi
dent - the Republic altogether superiluous.
yet that II there must Doe President. ;he only
one VIII IN he would eyer have voted for would
have been NJ Carnot. whom he held 10 he most
honest. conscientious and blamclcss II his COM
patriots. what II found SO particularly sad Is
that the late President should have been MUIR
d-rrd. - speak on the very eve Of hs with
drawal into private NE. only on the day be-
fore his Departure on that fatal journey 10 Lyons
he spent "A portion Of the afternoon In "A house
N the Avenue DE- rAlma. In which he had leased
a floor. giving instructions 10 the architect who
ACCOMPANIED
walls of the apartment The house IS Of a modest
character and serves - give color 10 the reports
that aIlege that NJ Carnot would have LEFT the
Elysec at the END ~ his term considerably
poorer man than when he entered It. His hos
piialiiies like those 81 Marshal Ma, MahOn. have
b, en- II lavish character. his charities even still
more So. and hence he too. found his larse
salary and allowances Inadequate. AMI was
forced 10 draw upon his private fortune. which
il far from being as great a. that Of his sueces-
sor n man whose wealth IL estimated AZ about
100000.
II IL stated that NJ CasimIr- Perier on Tuesday
night displayed n considerable amount Of reluc-
lance 10 have his name put forward AZ candidate
for election. and that he only yielded To the So
ictations ~ his friends and TO the advice ~ his
mother. who IS asserted 10 have pointed out TO
him that II "A matter Of duty 10 accept
post which under present circumstances cannot
be regarded otherwise than one of danger.
The same thing has been said Of nearly every
public man who has attained high office. Ip NJ
CaslmI -Pcrers case. however one may feel
tempted 10 believe that he was In a measure SIN
cere when he declared that he did not feel him
self ripe or ready for the office Of Chief Magis-
trate For while the advantages OF this lofty
station are so manifest that they need be
enumerated here. yet IT IL evident that by it's
acceptance he has ceased 10 be his own master
to possess any OF the freedom and Independence
OF IA private citizen lie has lost every vestige
OF his liberty. and. as he explained himself I'm his
reply TO the addresses OF congratulaton. he
henceforth belongs to the country" not only by
day, but also by night Every step that he
takes. every word that he utters that he
writes nay. even the very manner In which he
returns the greetings OF friends and acquaint-
arces all strictly regulated by etiquette, pre-
cedent and by that abomination known here
"le protocol" the bugbear OF every public
POSSESSED Of any sense OF humor and liberality.
lie lives from until the completion OF his