The Portland daily press., 1900-08-29

sleeve and cap band No other country
has shoulder straps such as our army
wears; In armies sWhere shoulder straps
are worn they run not across the shoulder
as with us, but from the point Of the
shoulder to the collar, along the seam.
The German and the Russian armies
denote rank by the devices on shoulder
straps of thisskind. S
In the German army the second lieu
tenant, or leutnant, as he is called now,
wears shoulder straps OF flat gilt or
silver braid, showi ing the number of his
regiment, without device; his rank as
shown by the fact that he wears the
straps at all. The ober-leutnant has a
acknowledged device below his regi-
mental number; a captain has two Ola
lnOnds, A majors rank is shown by the
fact that his shoulder straps are OF round
gilt brald-What we call here - Rus sian
knots, with the number Of the reg1-
lleuGenant-coIOnel has a single diamond
below the number, and colonel two d1a-
monds. These braided knots are called
IN the German army raupen, or caterpll-
lars.
The Russian method of indicating rank
is the most complicated of all the plans
In use. A second lieutenant wears shOul-
der straps, the color that of his regiment S
faclngs On them are two rows Of Hat
gold braid and button at the upper end; ;
between these rows are two diamond shap-
ed ornaments at equal distances from the
top and bottom. The lieutenant has only
one diamond, near the upper end; the
staff captain has two diamonds, one at
each end, leaving a space between them
large enough to put a third button IN,
while the captain of the line has no d1a-
mond at all. This is a direct opposite
to the ordinary rule, which gives the
Junior lieutenant no device to Indicate
! b 40 -@.~Y hoe
three rows OF flat gold braid on his straps
and displays three diamonds arranged in
a pyram1dal form, the base nearest to the
point OF his shoulder. A colonel has no
device at all on his straps, which have
Ghre5 Hat brald6 on them; maJOr-gen-
eral has straps covered sOlidly with braid,
on which are two diamonds, one above
the other. A Lieutenant general has three
diamonds, a general four diamonds.
Japan has followed the French army
chiefly in indicating the rank of It's OIL
| GERS. A second lieutenant has one rOWEof
braid on his sleeves and cap; a Heuten-
ant, two rows; captain, three rows;
major, four; lieutenant colonel, i've.
A colonel has six rows, major general,
SIX In double knots; l1eutenant-gen-
eral, seven in double knots. General DILL
GERS have gold oak leaves on their caps,
just as the French do
The shoulder strap is the mark of an
DIS q Iu15s III kudk1B uOW0f64s
all ranks wear 1t; it is a seam strap, land
is used to sprevent crOssbelts from Slip
ping from the shoulders. Officers shout
der straps have conventiOnalized coats OF
arms, as In our army, or crowns or stars
as in other armies. 1t is likely that slight
changes have been made in material Of
the straps, for the Russian braid straps
can hardly go with khaki; probably in the
armies where the material of the straps
indicates the difference of rank between a
second lieutenant and a major (the Ger
man and Russian armies, for example, J
some special device will be used,
Naval officers wear about the same rank
devices as the army; that is, an ensign
would wear the shoulder strap without
rank device, justaas the second lieutenant
does; and a captain the same rank de-
vice as a colonel. AS a rule, the sailor is
told from a soldier by the cut OF his lib,
which cannot be described here. In our
navy, officers wear the same device as
army officers; and in front of it always
appears a foul anchOr.''
For n0n-cOmm1ssiOned officers the rank
devices are too numerous 60 mention 80
we have two dozen or more grades in our
own army, and presumably each other
army has as many more. What Field
Marshal Won WaldeIsee will wear does
not appear in the books of uniforms; il
Field Marshal Lord Roberts in Africa is
any criterion, he will be about the plain
est-cIad man in the seven Armies