Evening star., 1902-04-11
Dinner Given in Honor Of
French Ambassador.
BRILLIANT FUNCTION
ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUND
ING OF LEGION OF HONOR.
Mr.. Ferdinand Peck's Introductory
Address-M. Cambon Compliments
President Roosevelt.

! given in Washington was the dinner last
evening at the New Willard by the mem
| bers of the French Legion of Honor in the
| United States in honor of his excellenCy
| NJ. Jules Cambon. the French ambassador
| 1t was the largest single gathering on
| record of Americans wearing the. .cross of
| the legion-the first time in the annals of
this country that Americans wearing dec
orations conferred by a foreign country
assembled to manifest appreciation of the
| distinguished honor
| The occasion was in a measure the cee-
| braton of. the founding of the great order,
for it 100 years ago that the French
| assembly adopted the proposition of the
| great Napoleon for the creation of the Le-
| gion of Honor.
| Statesmen, lawyers soldiers, priests, dip
| lomats, scientists, artists, business men,
| editors, scholars, all men of standing in
| their own country and all men of marked
| ability in their callings, composed last
| nights symposium at the New Willard.
Only one woman wearing the badge of the
order-Mrs. Daniel Manning-was present
and she participated only in the reception
| which preceded the dinner.
Picturesque Scene.
The scene in the hall where the dinner
was served was most picturesque and artis-
| tic. The table was set in the form of
| circle. In the center of the circle was
| placed masses of potted plants, palms,
| Towering azaias, lilies and roses Nor was
| the table sighted in the decorations. Cut
| flowers were strewn along the white nap
| cry, and here and there large baskets of
| flowers were placed to relieve the straight
| outline of the table. On the east side of the
| hall, where the toaStmaSter and the dis
tinguished guests were seated, the flag of
| France was hung, festooned with the stars
| and stripes.
| Large baskets of flowers, decorated with
/ opl rihh Shn inp he
| both France and America, were placed at
| intervals along the table. and the handsome
! menu cards. in the form of a book were
! also decorated with the red, white and blue.
| Overhead in the balcony over the entrance
| to the ball room musicians were concealed
| behind bank of palms, and during the
| dinner an excellent program of the popular
| airs of the two countries represented was
| rendered. The souvenirs of the occasion
were the boxes in which the ices were
| served. models of the emblem of the Order
! of the Legion of Honor.
Reception Precedes Dinner.
reception in the ball room adjoining
| the banquet hall preceded the dinner. Mr..
Ferdinand Peck of Chicago. a commander
of the order, presided at the tables and
| made excellent postmaster. In calling
| the assemblage to order, he said
| Mr.. Ambassador, our distinguished
| guests, gentlemen of the Legion of Honor
| of France-We are gathered here tonight
upon this anniversary to do honor to the
| distinguished representative of France and
| to express our recognition of the tributes
| which the French nation has bestowed
| upon American citizens.
This is the first time in history
| when our people who have been thus hon
| ored have come together to indicate their
| appreciation of the relation which France
| has thereby established, which is felt in
| the hearts of all Of our countrymen
throughout the length and breadth of our
| land.
My friends there are over three hundred
| legionaries of the United States of Amer
| lea who have had the satisfaction of rem
dering some service for our sister nation,
| and who have contributed in some degree
| in establishing closer relations between the
| two great republics We cannot think of
! France without the revered name of La
fayette comes to our minds. Oh, France,
| the American nation can never forget your
| Lafayette-our Lafayette That love for
freedom, that friendship, that sacrifice, that
| herosm which moved him to cross bolster
| Gus seas through weeks Of peril to stand
! by the side of our Washington when ma
| ton was in the thrOes of its birth, when
| our forefathers saw no light through
| hopeless gloom, will forever give an indy
! ing incentive to patriotism and live in
| grateful memory SO long as our institutions
| shall endure. He came that we might live.
Expressive of Gratitude.
| in eulogizing your son, oh, France, We
| do not forget your generous gift in our hour
of need. We do not forget your timely sup
port to our impoverished young country
when our struggle was done. We do not
| forget your many evidences of friendship
| But above all We thank you for Lafayette
| When in our infant colonies the altar fires
| of liberty burning low, hero
| famed with his enthusiasm the slumber-
| ing embers into an undying flame, and af-
ter this noble work was done he caught up
| a spark that when carried back to his coun-
| try burned into the stones of Paris that
trinity of words SO dear to the French
| heart: Lberte, egalite, fraternite.'
! Neither do We forget the splendid serv-
ice rendered to our nation by our distin-
guished guest during. recent struggle
| with foreign foe. His friendly diplomacy
| has cemented that fraternity between the
| republics which was inaugurated by the
| immortal Lafayette more than a century
| ago. Lafayette and Cambon-our knight Of
| liberty of the eighteenth century, the wise
diplomat of the nineteenth century. Their
! names are impershabe; they and their
! country will forever be dear to the Ameri-
| can heart"
President of the United States.
! In proposing the toast of the president
of the United States" Ambassador Cambon
said that he considered it the highest honor
that could be bestowed upon him to be in
| vited to address American assemblage
| which included many knights of the
| Legion of Honor 1t was appropriate, he
said, to dwell upon the ties that bind the
| m Ri with ha