The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-08-08

favor Of some ruler, but has
to be sanctioned beforehand
by one or more of his ministers
and constitutional advisers, who represent
the nation as delegates OF CHE parliament
tary majority. This is particularly the
case with the Order of the Legion OF Hon
or in France, and that of Leopold in Bel
GUM. Consequently, in Instances such as
these. the grant of decoration may be
regarded by the person thus distinguished
as 4 tribute of regard, not on the part of
the executive alone but from the peop.e
OF which he is the figurehead.
Each year shows an increasing number
of Americans thus complmented by for
eign nations, the last issue of the Gov
eminent Gazette at Paris containing the
names of couple of citizens of the Uni
| ted States among the newly created
knights Of the Legion of Honor while it
Is understood that congress has under
consideration a request on the part of
! those government representatives who at
| tended the ears coronation for permits
sion 10 wear the medals and orders which
! were conferred upon them by the Muscov-
! tie emperor in connection with the ce,ebra-
| ton. There are at the present moment at
| least couple of hundred Americans who
| are commanders, officers and knights of
| the French Legion of Honor; while a hur-
| ried perusal of the rosters of the national
orders of knighthood of Spain. Portugal.
| Italy, Austria, Germany, Scandinavia,
| Russia and Turkey will reveal the pres
| ence of many other names more or less
| familiar to the ears of people on this
! side of the Atlantic as being those of fell
lCW-COuntrym
Napoleon |, when he created the Legion
| of Honor. divided it up into five grades,
| classification which has been adopted
| in the case OF all continental orders except
| those very highest of all, such as the
| Golden Fleece in Austria and Spain, the
.g,.t 10
! in Prussia, the Seraphim in Sweden, the
! Papacys Order of Christ the St Andrew
! o. Russia and the Elephant of Denmark,
! all OF which have only one single class,
namely, that of the Grand Cross.
The five grades of the Legion of Honor
are as follows: The Knight Grand Cross,
| who wears a silver star on his left breast,
| and a broad sash of red ribbon over his
! right shoulder and united in a rosette, to
| which the cross of the order is attached.
| When dOnned with evening dress the red
sash is worn beneath the coat and over
| the waistcoat, though some people, such
| as for instance, President Faure, wear it
under the waistcoat The next grade Is
| that of Grand Officer, and in this case
| the star IS worn attached to the right
| breast, there being, however, no scarlet
sash or Gordon. The third grade is that
| of Commander, and in this case the gold
| and white enamelled cross of the order
|
sort of collar of red ribbon Next comes
| the grade of Officer Here the cross is
smaller in size, and is pinned to the left
! breast by piece of red ribbon, which is
| embelished with a rosette of the same
color. The lowest and fifth grade is that
of Chevalier. or ordinary knight. The
cross of the latter is of white enamel
and silver, and the ribbon to which it is
suspended is devoid of rosette.
Besides the Legion of Honor there are
| two other French orders, one recently in
stituted, known as the Merite Agricole,
which is divided into two classes of off,
| GERS and ordinary knights, and which is
devoid of much prestige or value. The
| decoration of the other, more highly priz-
| ed, consists of a couple of small palm
| leaves attached TO a violet ribbon, which
| in the lower grade, known as that OF
| "Oficier de fAcademie," are Of silver
| while in the higher grade, that of off
cier de rInstruction Publique." they are
of gold. Both the gold and silver palms
are conferred in the main for literary and
scientific services, the gold palms being as
a rule reserved for that particular class
of people who would be distinguished in
! this country or in England with honor
airy university degrees, while among the
wearers of the silver palm are a large
| number of eminent authors, artists, uni
| Versity professors, as well as some ac-
! tors and even actresses, at least three
! American prime dome being among the
! number.
| Much apprehension prevails in the
| United States with regard to the privi-
leges and prerogatives that these decora-
! lions are supposed to confer. In several
! cases American citizens have received the
! lowest class of the most inferior of all the
| Italian orders and have believed them
selves to be authorized thereby to assume
! the armorial bearings the coronet and
] ha Of fn1l flo
| This is altogether wrong For no CONT
| mental order of decoration endows its pos
| SCISSOR with either personal or hereditary
nobility, though there are some orders the
! grant of which is customarily followed in
the case of natives-but not In that of for
| eigners-by the concession of a special and
Independent grant of utuar nobility. Thus
| in Austria the award Of the third class
| of the Order of the Iron Crown and of
| the Order OF Leopold is usually followed
| by the presentation Of a patent confer
| ring upon the person thus honored the
| hereditary right to prefix the nobliary
| particle of won" to the family name,
and TO surmount the monogram and coat
! of arms with a hve-pronged coronet. 1t is
| the same with the knights Of the Prus-
| sian Order of the Black Eagle, the high
| est Of the decorations in the gift of En-
peror William. The superior grades Of the
| Austrian orders Of the Iron Crown and
| Of Leopold are usually followed by the
| concession of patents OF the hereditary title
! Of Baron" But, with the exception of
| these cases. there is no continental order
that may be said to carry even remotely
with It any title of nobility True Ital-
fans are accustomed 10 address people
who have the cross Of ordinary Knight
Of the order of St. Maurice and st. Laza.
! rus as "Cavaliere," and the Knight Com
manders OF that order as "Commenda-
tore" But that is merely matter Of
courtesy and not Of right, or even Of Of
Gcial usage.
with regard to the prorogatives OF these
continental orders, they are Of a restrict
ed character especially when possessed
by foreigners Thus, although a French
man is entitled TO an nfnitesimal annu-
ity proportiOnatc 10 the grade OF his rank
In the Legion of Honor, this Is withheld
IN the case OF alien wearers OF the red
ribbon. whose sole privilege II the right
10 the presence Of a certain number Of
soldiers at their funeral. The military
honors at the obsequies Of an ordinary
knight are rendered by hair a company