Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-08-20
WEARS It WITH PRIDE
That Little Ribbon in a
Frenchman's Buttonhole
MEANS A GREAT DEAL
CONFERRED ON AMBASSADOR
PORTER AND SECRETARY HAY.
Grand Crosses Of the Legion Of Honor
Two Extraordinary
Nominations.
MEANS A GREAT DEAL
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.
PARIS. August 10, 1904.

Special Correspondence OF me evening oe~A'
PARIS, August TO- 1904.
Secretary Hay has been named Grano
Cross of the Legion Of Honor.
Ambassador Porter has been named
Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor.
Here are two extraordinary nominations.
Within the past week at least dozen hon
est Frenchmen have rushed up to me and
grasped my hand, all bubbling over with
enthusiasm and exclaimfng:
Now are you contented. helm? Are you
Americans content with France now"
In the French mind, unique honor-show-
ing a deep-rooted friendship-has been
done to the United States by these two
decorations.
The Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor
is the highest decoration in the gift OF the
French government. 1t has never BEFORE
been offered to an American cabinet-mem-
Der. Very few foreign ambassadors have
ever possessed it-neither of the present
ambassadors of Austria. Germany ana
England being Grand Crosses Of the Le-
gion Of Honor.
l have said that ordinary Frenchmen see
great friendship in these nominations. In
international circles, where talk OF high
diplomacy is current, one hears tell OF
deeper motives.
This unique honor to America" Ger
man said to me last night, means that
France says to Russia, her any: Sull
scolding the United States
"Oh. ho!' said several Americans there
present
YES" replied the diplomat. For some
time past Russia has been trying to con-
vince the European powers that the United
States is nothing less than a dangerous
firebrand. On the other hand. France is
determined to solldify her friendship with
you, no matter at what price. There you
are. It's for Russia to take notice, No
clearer hint could possibly be given to the
Russians"
Proud of the Honor.
Whatever be the diplomatic significance
Of the affair, there is doubling the
honor. Americans in Paris are proud Of 1t.
Ambassador Porter has received a thou
sand kilograms Of congratulation, and the
great book at the embassy is full of recent
autographs.
We who live in France think we'll of
decorations. Little by little they come to
seem natural to us; for, though a repub-
lie. France has more kinds of decorations
and makes more use Of them than any
other European country.
Not counting the commemorative mill
tary medals of ST. Helena OS2D, the Cr-
mea QS50, the Baltic QS5) Italy 1850,
Mexico QS62), China 1885, Menenta C1S8S),
Algiers and Tunis 0S74 ,Tonkin 1883, Da-
horny 1892 and Madagascar Qss5 to 1880
without which the get-up of decrepit mu-
scum guards. aged bank runners and white
whiskered customs inspectors would be in
complete-the government at present recog-
nizes thirteen sorts Of civic and military
excellence, apart from the great orders OF
the Legion of Honor, the Merite Agricoie,
the Academic Palms and the hfe-saving
medal
Among the most curious are those medals
of honor founded in 1856 on the proposition
Of the then minister of commerce. NJ. Ed
Guard Lockroy, to be adjudged by their
employers to all such French clerks and
workmen who have served thirty years con-
secutively In the same establishment
These medals are in gold, silver or bronze.
according to the llberality of the employer
who pays for them.
On one side they bear the effigy of the
republic the other the words ministry
Of commerce and industry, with the de-
vice, Honor and Labor"
Tells the Tale.
The titulars Of these queer business house.
and-governmental medals are authorized to
suspend them by a tricolor ribbon disposed
horizontally not to confound them with
the military medal and the postes-and-tele-
graphs: while - always after thirty years
a diploma tells the tale of their distinguish
ed services.
1t is a diploma that would be invaluable
to d young man at the beginning of his ca
reer. The names published in the Jour
nal Official In a word, they are deco
rated And, after thirty years of con-
tinuous service anywhere. 1t is just suiii-
Client to get the old chaps a job as 1anitor.
Such are the lowest of French decora
lions. Yet ought to respect the inten-
ton, which is. Of course to honor the
heroes of thirty years faithful working
for a salary, even though 1t be in private
business houses. The government itself
gives such a medal to old clerks, who thus
become decorated as anciens serviteurs-
old servitors. And 1t speaks volumes for
the attachment of the French to the decora-
ton idea that-among the people as in the
burgeoisie itself-their bearers are looked up
to as having done something out or the
ordinary.
of the ordinary. They have remained faith
full for thirty. years
Appropriate Decorations.
One man in every ten in France Is a
government employee, and all the branches
of the government service are honored with
appropriate decorations. The ambulance
service both municipal and military, holds
out the white ribbon and red cross to Its
faithful.
The prison service rejoices in a green
ribbon with obllque yellow bands.
The forestry department mas a green wv
bon with yellow border. .
The customs service rewards acts OF
courage and devotion with a RIBBON OF
striped red and green.
primary school teachers accept (unwill-
inRly) their own violet ribbon with vel
low border, instead of the more elevated
academic palms (plain violet.
And If any government clerk should prove
too stupid or lazy to fall into any of these
special categories there is always ready
for him (not to pass him over the vague
government medal appropriated to good
services.
There is even now question of a great
new governmental order. to rank with the
Academic Palms. and to be called the Order
of Administrative Zeal!
From the practical-politics point OF
view. It is easy to discern the true object
of the continual tendency to increase minor
decorations ie., the continual necessity Of
putting up new buffers to protect the Le-
gion Of Honor from clamoring millions.
For example, the true reasn for existence
of the now highly honored Order of Agri-
cultural Merit. founded as late as 1888, was
to content influential farmers and sock
breeders while refusing them the coveted
red ribbon.
Too Many Applicants.
Every January and July, when the rev
nominations for the Legion Of Honor are
discussed, the government Is IN despair.
For each red ribbon at its disposal there
are a dozen applicants. all backed up with
influence, and these are quite apart from
the necessary number Of brilliant candida
lures necessary for the prestige of the
,0tatt in n