The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1905-09-21


writer's. professors and musical rom
posers wear IL. Purple also II h rib
Dor OF the public instruction. The two
can scarcely be told apart. And there
In no limit put To their production.
This Ii why the government. year
after year.. grants purple ribbons !
such numbers AZ TO make you think u
had been raining purple ribbons. The
lucky cafe proprictors. BARRIERS. retail
grocers and others who wear them to-
day are regularly ignorant OF their high
origin and one-time lucrative emolu
ments.
Yes. there was money I'm the purple
ribbon once, an there In money In h
Legion OF Honor now. When the uni
versity. In isos. received Its present or
sanitation from Napoleon. he cres,ed
the Paimes for 1.-THE two titles. of
ncer of he university" and ''ofscer OF
academy" Both had serious money
pensions attached 10 them. Toward
1850 they received the names. respec-
lively. Of 'oficer OF academy INC of
ncer Of public instruction. n h
pensions had already disappeared In the
changes OF government. In 1888 they
became veritabie honoriic decorations.
being extended TO writer's. savants.
members OF csntonai delegations. OF
iycee n college councils. and. In n
W,t1s ~ ~ tn01N Ha ~
possible connection with education.
Purple Badges Easy 10 Get.
Now they GO to almost anybody. One
cannot. however. too much admire the
subtle art with which he government
protects the lower grade OF palmes at
the very moment Il II showering them
down In such ~profusion. The upper
grade OF purple ribbon. bearing the
rnsattA A. nayer urantAA In ana u,ho has
o worn the lower grade OF purple rib
BON at least ave years. There. you see!
There are thousands OF prctentious peo-
pie who would not wear II for It's W
sake. Yet they continue wearing u In
order TO have h rosette grade at the
end OF the i've years And the fact
that these same pretentious people wear
u lifts the lower purple ribbon In the
eyes of humber folk. who wear IL
gladly!
This In why the ribbon merchants do
such business. They are honest trades
men whose whole trade consists In sell
Ing bits OF ribbon and the emblems
thereto attaching-even To the 'decora-
lions" designated for little school chill
dren.
In reality. the thing begins with chill
dren. They actually educate their chill
dren TO the ribbon habit. Or In it-bc-
ing In the biood-that these French
children are . 20 naturally amenabie TO
honortnc distinctions hat ~ ls SUI
ficient to to lead them by the hope OF
them week by week and month
by month?
In private schools for little girls all
France they put laurel crowns n
crowns OF palms-of green. OF silver and
brilliant. the most studious. the most
obedient. and so on. In little boys
schools. too. the rowns still have a GER
vogue.
But az the little boys grow bigger,
they want Observation-Disclosures decore-
their fathers. Private schools
abound In them with splendid emblems
In both gilt and silver dangling from
them; and he In n dull or disobedient
boy who annot wear home n such.
week In three. And In he pub
lie schools themselves there In a real
series OF both red and purple
palms m legion OF
honor for infants. a
Would you think Il a scant sort Of
business hat OF the Paris ribbon mcr-
I tell you IL In n world. Each
decoration has It's appropriate
That OF the prisons department
In green with yellow bars: How do
you distinguish them3 The yellow bars
OF Tonquin are vertical. The ribbon OF
IN pale blue with pale
green horizontal bars. That OF the ag-
merit In green with red tips.
And so on. Then there are the en-
bisms themselves-L e.. tiny replica OF
them struck In gold. silver and silver
gilt: and even Ia translucent enamel.
with jewels.
Then think OF the more easily OBJ
foreign decorations How many
OF Frenchmen do you think
possess the brilliant star OF Zanzi-
bar! IL has a red ribbon bordered with
the very slightest white that becomes
red when Il In dirty. The same
may be said OF the Roumanian Order of
the Star.
These are queer condolences. There
are even foreign decorations that have
solid red ribbons. like that OF Haiti.
viz: The Order OF ~. Alexander New
ski (Russia), the Order OF Christ (Por-
tugaD, the Order OF Merit CPersia). the
Order of Constantin 1tnly). the Order
OF the Lion (Hesse), the Order OF Leo-
pold CBelgium). and the Order of 81.
Alexander (Bulgaria).
Each OF ~these-unless o wish TO risk
arrest II F~rance-must be worn. accom-
panied by It's emblem or cross. There
fore, I'm n word. the smartest ribbon
merchant IN he who can Civ customers
tho smallest cross or emblem.
They even tell of one such ribbon
merchant who got rich by selling pur-
pie ribbons. warranted TO fde.' Fdel
Fade how? And why? Why. red. OF
course. 4