The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-06-14
ORDER OF GOLDEN KITE
Badge Of valor For Japan's
Fighting Men.
ORIGIN OF MEDAL IN CHINESE WAR

The order 4 BESTOWED Only Upon
Members Of Army and Navy VINO
Distinguished Themselves In Ae-
tion-Three omcers IN FIRST suc-
ceasfuI Torpedo Boat Attnek Upon
Port Arthur won the badge.
OF al decorations IN the gift Of The
mikado none Is 50 highly priced by his
valorous samurai as that Of the dis
tinguished service order Of the Golden
Kite. says the Boston Herald. Some. in
fact most Of the Others. are more at
fractive to the casual eye II one may
Judge by the beautiful displays upon
the breasts Of those that have held the
helm Of state or helped in a ministerial
sense TO guide the nation to her present
eminenee. but to the lighting men Of
Japan none other is so dear ais that
modest looking medal, the badge Of
yalor in the face Of the foe. the order
Of the Golden kite.
The decoration is a small, iDdented.
edged oval Of d beautiful green enamel.
upon which is placed a golden kite
surmoanting crossed swords Of purple
enamel The medal is suspended from
the breast hy a green ribbon: and it's
gift IL Us rare as that IL the much GOV
eted Victoria cross Of Great Britain.
There are seven Glasses Of the order.
and each grade dignliies some more
valorous act Of the recipient lis BE
stowal generally raises tile decorated To
the peerage. il he be NOT already there.
and sometimes carries With 1t sub.
stantial bounty III tie shape of 3 pen
sion This pension, however seems To-
have gone, with one exception. only to
the princes Of the imperial family that
have been decorated suggesting there
by the delicate tact SO common among
the higher classes Of the japanese.
Three of the officers who participated
in the first successful torpedo boat at
tack upon the Russian beet in Fort
Arthur won the distinguished service
order Of the Golden Kite. and well
they deserved It, FOR the undertaking
demanded all eff the desperate courage
az 4 f0rl0rn hope 10 one Of those
mon. che engineer officer whose fright
ful wounds proved fatal a few hours
affegwarl. the news 81 the emperor's
gift was speeded by wireless te-
Biography iuat as he hreathed his last
aboard the Jap4nese hospital ship
honeWara bound
The origin ~ the order is decidedly
picturesque. iii the memorable nagnl
engagement. now commonly known as
the battle III the HAln. between China
ana Iapan Ii 1874 when from noon to
set ii sun Oh that fateful lTth of Sep
TENDER The Dragon waged a losing
fight with the Rising sun. was born the
inspiration 81 the order ~ tie Golden
Kite All thg close 81 day as the Taxa
ehIho. battle stained and hegrimed
rested after that awful struggle some
thing flashed seaWard from the sky,
and after moments lowering
large bird of tie hawk family was
seen II perch upau the Iakaehlho's sig
nal STAR Tie bird proved to be a kite.
The commanding officer Captain No
nuia-Tei, ordered one og the crew ID
ctch tie bird which. contrary to ex
pectation proved an easy task. for ths
Iiaws. unmaYed By tile Han approach
seemed only too willing 70 be made
captive Ihe crew with trne sailoriy
superstition. welcomed the bird with
enthusiasm ana Tie belief that il was
d heaven sent messenger ard gave II
every care
When tie feet returned 81 Taid0ng
gang. Commander SaIto Minaru was
sent BIZ the emperor e congratulate
tie aeet upon iFs signal victory on
hearing from Captain NomuraTei Of
tile Takachih0 about the kite he took
the bird back with him to the imperial
military headquarters, where be had
Tile honor ST presenting the hawk 70
bis majesty Tic mlkado promptly
named the bird Takaehlho, after file
vessel upon which Il had alighted. and
had it placed With some little ceremony
in the Imperial gardens hi Tokyo
To the lover Of omens The coincidence
81 the bird allghting upon the partieu
lar ship it aid for Takachiho Is espe
cially significant h the legendary his
tory 81 Japan was deemed unusually
pr6pltious. Takaehiho Is the name Of
the place where the divine ancestor
first SET his foot on descending %
Japan, and the kite, seemingly coming
straight from the skies and alightlng
upon the namesake ship Of that an
GENTLY halowed spot, seemed franght
with the happiest augury aud appeared
as a messenger Of praise TO the battle
stained warriors of the mikado's fleet
On the strength Of the old legend and
the coming Of the bird the nikado es-
tablished by imperial decree in Novems
Der Of 1894 the distinguished service
order Of the Golden Kite and declared
that It should be given only to those Of
the army and the navy that should
make themselves conspicuous by signal
acts Of great gailantry and valor in
battle or before the enemy
II IS significant Of the great reserve
with which the order has been given
that OF the many gallant actions during
the war between China and Japan the
decoration was bestowed ID less than