Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-09
Thousands of Frenchmen Wear Rib
bons on Their Lapels.
GIVEN FOR ALL SORTS OF REASONS
The Main Object is to Protect the
Legion Of Honor.
HOW THEY ARE DISPENSED


1t is not unusual to hear Parisians speak
lightly of the ribbon of the Legion of
Honor. Everybody has it, they say;
"Panamists and cosmopolites, stock ex-
change manipulators and practical politi-
clans! Artists get it because of their wives
and poets because of other peoples wives!
1t is true that EsterhaZy remains decorated
while Zola's decoration is revoked, and 1t
would not be difficult to make up list of
queer chevaliers were one so disposed. To
correct this bad impression, however. 1t is
necessary only to hear the same Partisan
speak of the legion after he has seen his
own name in the Journal Officiel. "Ah, the
admiral BILE institution Look at its roll call
You will find there the bravest, the most
talented and the worthiest sons of France!'
Though a republic, France has more sorts
of honor decorations and makes greater use
of them than any other European country.
Not counting the commemorative military
medals of st. Helena QS2D, the Crimea
US56), the Baltic 1S5O Italy QS59 Mexi-
co Qs62) China OSi6), Menenta QS6S),
Algiers and Tunis GS9D, Tonkn 0SS5),
Dahomey 1S92) and Madagascar QSS5- so.
without which the costumes of decrepit
museum guards, aged bank runners and
White-whskered customs inspectors would
be incomplete, the government recognizes
thirteen sorts Of civic and military excel
lence, apart from the great orders of the
Legion of Honor the Merite Agricole. the
Academic Palms and Medaille de Sauve
tage.
For Long Service.
Among the most curious are those
neaaiIes d'honneur founded in 1856 on the
proposition Of the then minister Of COM
merce NJ. Edouard Lockroy, to be adj
judged by their employers to all such
French clerks employees and workmen who
have served thirty years consecutively in
the same establishment, industrial or COM
mercial. These medals are in gold. silver
or bronze according to the lberalty of the
employer, who pays for them. on one side
they bear the effiey of the republic. on the
other the words Ministry of Commerce
and Industry" with the devise. Honor
and Labor" The titulars are authorized to
wear them suspended by tricolor ribbon
disposed horizontally - not to confound
them with the Medalle Militaire or the
their good fortune-after thirty years-a
diploma tells the tale of their distinguished
services. 1t is diploma that would be in
valuable to young man at the beginning
of his career. The names are published in
the journal Officie of the French Republic
after the manner of the proud Legionaires
In d word, they are decorated
Regarded as Primitive
While these medailles d'honneur ought
not to be described as the lowest form of
French decora tion-because the intention
was to give an honorable place to the
heroes of thirty years faithfulness-they
are looked on by the people as something
primitive The state department of public
works bestows a similar medal on it's old
clerks, While the civilian employees of the
army and navy also become entitled to it
by the mere force of years. Only-and this
Is important-these governmental titulars
OF the thirty-year-s decoration are
called by special name. They are Anciens
SerViteurs, while their commercial and in
dustrlal confreres are not. Who would be
called the serviteur of a business firm?
Mounting the ladder of fame, the gov
eminent clerks of France have every adj
vantage over their civilian brethren. The
ambulance service. municipal and military.
holds out the white ribbon and red cross
to its faithful. The prisons service rejoices
in green ribbon with obliaue yellow
bands. The Forestry department has a
green ribbon with a yellow border The
customs service rewards acts of courage
or devotion with a ribbon of striped red
and green. Primary school teachers ac-
cept unwillingly their own violet ribbon
with yellow border instead of the more
elevating academic palms. and if any gov
ornamental clerk should prove too stupid or
TOO lazy to fall into any special category
there is always ready for him, not to pass
him over, that vague governmental med
allie dhonneur appropriated to good SER
vices" There Is even question of a new
great order to rank with the academic
palms. the Sauvetage and the Merite Agri-
cole. to be called the order Of administra-
tive zeal.
Reason for 1t All.
The public smiles at the idea of decorat-
ing zeal. Why not decorate good fnten-
tons also? Still, 1t is easy to discern the
true object of such propositions, always the
same object, the necessity of putting up
new buffers to protect the Legion or Honor
q mill
raison d'etre of the order of Agricultural
Merit, founded as late as 1888, was to con-
tent influential farmers and stock breeders
while refusing to them the coveted red rib
bon. Every January and July, when the
new nominations to the legion are dis
cussed, the government is in despair For
each red ribbon at its disposal there are
twenty applicants backed up with influ-
ence, and these are apart from the more
brilliant candidatures necessary to the
prestige of the order, the important con-
tingent of the army and navy, and-not
least--the Just pretensions'' of practical
politicians. Each minister is placed in a
dilemma. To give an example of this pres
sure and at the same time an idea of the
way in which nominations and promotions
are made it is sufficient to quote this years
apology Of the minister of public instruc-
ton and beaux arts:
A Necessary Apology.
"He has only small number of decora-
partment an elite-the College of France
the faculties, the great schools, the insti-
tute the Normal School, the dramatic au-
thors. the poets. the musicians and the ar
lists. 1t would be a happy and Intelligent
thought to increase the number of crosses
at the disposition Of this minister. partic-
ularly so If he is to follow the tradition es-
tablshed by Minister Leagues, who gave
the plaque of grand officer to Alexandra
Dumas fills, the cross OF commander to
Saint-Saens and Lecomte de Lisle, the
grand Gordon to Verdi and the cross of Of
ficer TO Mstral'
This year the same minister promoted
Reyer, the composer, to the rank of grand
officer, and Professor Darboux of the Sor-
bcnne to the rank of commander. Among
his new chevaliers figure Edmond Har-
court, the poet; Raphael Collin the artist;
Edouard Foa, the explorer; Antony Mars,
the playwright; Theodore Riviere. the
sculptor; Alfred Capus the newspaper man,
and Etienne Dejean, his own chef de cabi-
net!
Grades of the Legion of Honor.
The National Order Of the Legion Of
Honor, created by Napoleon in 1909, "for
the purpose Of recompensing military and
civil services" has five grades: % Cheva-
lier-The five-pointed cross in white en-