The Lamar register., 1899-04-05
oN rA9 oueEN.s oouMTv.
IN. Aae,snf order ofs''ihs military
RnI.at. Of wInd.ar.


While chronielitg the movements
OF the queen reference is now and
again made in the daily press 10 the
military knights OF Windsor. Never
theiess. but few who read about Their
dofngg know OF what HAT order con
sists. says the CULVER They are Of
I ticers who have distinguished them
selves In some of our innumerRele lit
/ tle wars. and yet In their old age md
themselves solely dependent on 4 very
dlmlnutive pension. From the queen
/ they served so faithfully and we'll they
receive an annuity and a lodging In
that vast palace Windsor castle. The
order Is. indeed, pendant to that bet
ter-known home Of the veterans OF
the rank and nIe. Chelsea hospital Us
history is peculiarly interesting When
that gallant warrior King Edward III
founded the order Of the Garter, he
ordaiued that each Of the twenty-si1
companions should be aIlowed 20
present an .'aims-kalEht' to the pro
vision made Tor them hy the king Ae-
curding 10 the Orisipa3 grant these
veterans were TO be such as through
adverse fortune wese brought 70 that
extremity that they had not OF their
own Eherewlth 10 sustain them nor
10 live SO Eentesily as became mill
ftary condition That they miEht
live aEsnteeliy7 they were given a
lump sum OF - shHlings year. and
Ia pence each day they attended the
royal chapel small pension II
seems 70 Us. but Il, Must be Temcm-
bered that money has vastly decreased
in purchasing power siuee those early
days
But evil fortune awaited the alas
knights They had been placed uEder
the supervision Of the caRons % 81
Georges chapel. and these priests
seem 20 have bullied them nnusesci.
fully. Under Edvar1 ~. the quarrel
had grown to sReh a pitca that the
king lntcrfercd
Monks carried long tales 70 the mon
arch of the characterization shown by
the stout old warriors TO the rules
that had Leon made for their xovern-
msnt The alusknightz replied. but n
cunning thsg we're no match fot their
adyersarlss: deeds not WORDS might
have been their motto. In the end
they we're shut on from the royal
bounty. and. as an old chroaieisr q
the times remarks ~HoW they next
subsisted doth not fully appear. Biun
King Hal. however. took pity on the
poor old men that Jet remained in the
land OF the uvtnE and set apart GER
tain lands for their maintenance,
Queen Bess added 10 their lo1ginSs-
but issued a series OF strict rssnla-
tlozz as to their behavior which sell
became the maiden queen, however
dIstzsteful they Werr To the aims
knights themselves Their old enc
mics. the canons Of ST. Georges chap
ei. were informed thar they Ssre 10
consider themselves responsible for
their behavior and severe penalties
awaited a 'haunter Of tayerus- or =
keeper Of late hours When the
queen visited windsor they we're TO
be ready TO salute her Lastly. il SAs
ordained that no married mau could
be admitted to the order. bachelors
and widoVers being alone eligible
Until the reign of William w their
uniform was more ornamental than
comfortable. Indeed. during hot
weather Il must have been well hiSh
lntolerabis. consisting as il did OF a
flowing manteI. decked with scutch-
con Of St George upon the shoulder
Since the reform Instituted by that
king. however. Il has consisted ot a
red swallow tail coat dark blue ,rous-
ers. cooked hat with red and white
plume, crimson silk sash aud a leather
belt for a sword OF course, it is oaly
on full dress occasions that the yeter-
ans thus gsyly bsdeek themselves Re
markably we'll they then look. with
their kind Old faces beAmiug above
the rows OF medals that proclaim their
past achievements. They sin mourn
the diseontinuanee of their famous
banquet on St, Georges day, but pres
sents of game from he royal pre-
serves doubtless reconcile them to the
loss OF their annual feast.