Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-07-09
u. s. HONOR AWARDS
Bronze Replicas of Medals in
the Library.
ONLY l39 IN A IL
ECONOMY SEEMED TO RULE IN
THE ORDERING.
National Thanks for Patriotism or
Valor Takes Form of Monu-
ment Now.

Written for The Evening Star.
There is now on exhibition in the print d.
vision of the Library of Congress coiiec-
ton of bronze replcas Of medals pesto"eo
by the United States since It's INFANCY upon
those persons who, for special valor or otner
merit. 1t has desired to honor Ihere are
100 in all. and they have been loaned by the
director of the United States mint. where
thew were cast Placed in an upright case
so that both sides are visible, they make an
interesting display, but one which, Tor lack
of conspicuous qualities, might be passed
almost without observation
These medals, however, represent lnolVlo-
ually the highest honor which republic
can bestow, and therefore collectively me-
morialize the heroes of our country. FROM
1776 to 1874 only eighty-six were gwen ana
these, in almost every instance, were ac-
companied by the thanks of the American
people voiced by Congress. seventeen were
given to heroes of the revolutionary VIII,
twenty-seven went to officers OF the army
and navy who specially distinguished them-
selves in the war of 1872, thrty-hVe 'esl.
fies to valor in the Mexican war, ana twU WV,
were struck for great leaders In the civil
war while three were bestowed upon 1or-
eigners-I.ieut. Col. Fleury, a frencn gen
tleman in the American army Ior gaiaheiy
at Stony Point; DR.. Frederick rose, an as
kindness and humanity to sick seamen on
one of our men-of-war, and to captain
Creighton Of the ship Three bells, VINO III
1853 went to the aid Of the steamer e san
Francisco and assisted In resculng 9oV
Americans Since that time a series OF In
dian peace medals have been struck, TO De
used with and commemoratlng treaties WIN
the Indians, the life-saving meoals nave
been established, and certain other medals
memoralizng scientific men Of special at,
tainment, such as Professor Agaziz ana
Cyrus w. Field have been gwen. AFTER
the civil war medal and the thanks Oh
Congress were voted to Cornelius Wander
bilt for the gift of steamship, and at the
close of the late Spanish war medal was
similarly given to Lieut.. Victor Blue or
South Carolina for distinguished services at
Santiago, Cuba
All these and many more are to be found
in the case at the library, the majority
bearing on their face the portrait OF the
man honored and on its reverse side an IN
scription or design explanatory OF ms as
tinction, all, with the exception OF the por-
traits of the directors and superintendents
of the mint, telling of acts or lives or Pc
culiar value and import.
Aside from the deeds and men Wmch
these medals commemorate. they are com
paratively of little value, the majority pc
ing poor in design and inart1stlcally exc
cuted. The earliest ones are by all means
the best, and they were made under the d.
rection of two of Americas most olstin-
guished citizens by French artists OF note.
A Washington Order.
There Is. in connection with the making
of these first medals, an Interesting his
tory, which is well worth repeating. The
first one ordered was for Gen. Washing
ton by the Continental Congress in 1776,
hut for some reason the first executed
was that which was bestowed at the
close of the revolution upon M de FIeury
At that time BENJAMIN Franklin was our
representative in France, and IN letter
dated "Passy. March 4th. 1850. he ac-
knowledges having received from Mr..
Huntington, president OF congress, an
order for the medal, and says that ne mas
employed one of the best artlsts IN cut
price of such work." he added, is be-
yond my expectation, being tnousano
livre for each die. I shall try II IL is not
possible to have the others done cheaper.
And there spoke Franklin the economist
The cost of this and similar work seems,
indeed to have been a great distress to
the one-time printer, for In 1883 ne wrote
to John Jay, secretary of foreign affairs,
and inclosed with his letter a slip con-
tanning the following Thought concern
ing the medals which are TO De strucK py
order of Congress-"
THE forming of dies In steel TO strike
medals or money is generally with the IN
tention of making a great NUMBER or the
same form.
Engraving owing to the hardness of
material. is difficult and expensive, but
once engraved great numbers can be
easily produced from 1t, which reduces
the expense of each tremendously.
Where only one medal OF the KIND is
form dies for it, the whole expense OF the
die resting on that medal.
1t was by this means that the medal
voted by Congress for M. de Fleury cost