The daily morning journal and courier., 1900-01-20
THE VICTORIA CROSS.

Badge of Honor for Which the British Soldier Struggles.
 It is probable that of the seventy thousand men who have sailed during the last month from. England for South Africa there is hardly a single officer or soldier who does not look forward to re- turning home with that little bronze badge known as the Victoria cross pinned upon his breast. It is distinc- ton that is within the reach of every member of the entire force, from the divisional generals down to the smallest bugler or drummer boy, and there is not one of them who would not infinite ly prefer it to any form of promotion. For its possession indicates that it's
 owner is in every sense of the word a
 hero, the cross being conferred only
 for some signal act of altogether excep-
 tional bravery, partaking of the charac-
 ter of heroism. It was founded at the
 time of the Crimean war, and among
 those whose breasts it adorns are gene-
 commands in chief in South Africa,
 Field Marshal Lord Roberts and plain.
 ordinary privates in the army. In fact,
 at least fifty per cent of the two hun
 dred Victoria cross men won the dis
 tinction as prlvates or non-commis-
 stoned officers of the army and as com mon sailors in the navy.
 Sir Redvers Butler, for instance, re-
 ceived his Victoria cross for riding back
 three times in one day in the face of a
 hotly pursuing force to rescue wounded
 comrades and soldiers. Lord William Beresford, who is married to an Ameri- can lady,s the widowed Mrs. Hammers ley, of New York, received 1t for feats of a similar character. General Sir Evelyn Wood got it in India for advan cling under heavy fire along a. narrow causeway to place bag of gunpowder against the gate of city which the English were to storm during the, muti- ny, while at least two midshipmen re- ceived the cross for picking up bombs from the decks of their vessels during the Crimean war and throwing them overheard before the sizzing fuse had time to explode the shell and carry death and destruction to all around 1t.
 In the case of military men the ribbon is of red, while in the navy the ribbon is blue. The metal of which the cross Is made is of that same kind of bronze that fifty years ago was used for field guns. The cross is of the style known as Maltese; has the royal crown sur mounted by the lion in the center, and scroll bearing the inscrip- ton, For Valor." It Is hung suspend ed by ''V" ring to bar, on the re- verse side of which the rank and name of the recipient is engraved, while on the cross itself are inscribed the name and date of the action in which the honor was won.
 Any additional act of bravery which would have won the Victoria cross for it's holder, had he not already possessed 1t is slgnalized by bar or clasp being added to the ribbon just above the bar from which the cross is suspended. The cross carries with it a pension of fifty dollars year, and an additional twen- tyfive dollars is given for each bar. To the best of my knowledge there Is no Victoria cross man who can boast of an additional bar to his cross.
 It must be thoroughly understood that the feats of bravery for which the cross Is conferred must have been performed in war time, and to all intents and pur- poses under the fire of the enemy Acts of bravery in times of peace do not receive any such recognition and aI-