New-York tribune., 1907-12-20
NURSES AND THE QUEEN
Their Interests Cared For by King
Edrard's Consort.

,-irlf 1907 By The Brentwood com2any All rights
reseEvedD
= uss al the instance of Queen Alexandra that
,riss Florence Nightingale decorated with the
1-,elsh order OF Merit, the statutes Of which had
- he modified by Kins Edward in order TO admit
r her appointment 10 this highly priced distinction
,s the part Ehch the Queen played in the affair
x-ss emphasized by the fact that her birthday
ss selected the most suitable date for the
,sstowal Of the honor. Next to Florence Night
,,vale there is one in the United Kingdom
,.bo has done more 10 promote the profession of
,,rsinc the sick and wounded than Queen Alex
.nsra and her is mainly due the establishment
NJ the calling thoroughly organized basis. It
ix n her. too, that the nurses the vast i'm
movement of their status and their increased
rrestige. while the pension funds and analogous
schernes which she founded -or their welfare
e-e innumerable.
II is not generally known that Miss Nightingale
was known in her giTlhood by different name.
originally her patronyInic was Shore, which she
ho-e until after she had attained womanhood- Her
father was William Shore, and il was only on in
nertng the estate OF Lea Hurst. that beautiful
Mace in Derbyshire. from his uncle. Peter Night
ingale. that he, in accordance with his relatives
will assumed the and the armorial bearings
of the testator. He came of an old family which
for generations had owned the leading banking
house Sheffield. which has been possessed of land
in the counties OF Derby and York the fifteenth
century and which exists to-day in the person Of
Harrington Shore, of Norton Hall and fLindridge
House,
wealthy and very cultured man, who mingled much
in the literary and fashionable society of the day.
snd great traveller.
It in Italy that his two children were born.
One of his daughters-that is to say, the one Just
decorated with the Order Of MeTit-received the
name of Florence. from the city of he- birth The
ctfer daughter. born st Naples, received the
trsoIdinary OF PaTthenope and married the
late Sir Harry Verney. Of CIaydoE, which is
In the possession Of his son. Sir Edmund NeFney-
The order Of Merit owes its foundation 10 King
FdHsrd and its membership IS restricted TO twenty
four Unlike all ether English and foreign orders
of chivary il has royal parsonage on its roster
save sovereign and II confers title or Preoe-
denoe. YET highly priced IS the distinction by
those who fortunate enough II possess il that
they prefer the letters 20. n" TO all the other ini-
iisl letters which follow their TO indicate
The orders of kntghthood which they own The in
sigma Of the order consist of cross of red and
blue enamel. bcrdered with gold and having within
q laurel wreath. upon centre medallion OF olue
enamel the motto Of the order. that IS 10 say For
Merit in letters Of gold On the reverse. within
= laurel wreath. upon a centre of blue enamel Is
the cipher in gold. of the sovereign The cross Is
surrounded by the imperial crown IN eoio anu COL
ored enamel and is suspended around the neck by
8 rgrti-colored ribbon of garter blue and crimson
Of She width Of two inches In cases where me
order has been bestowed in recognition OF 1neFl-
torious services in the navy or army TIE cross Is
Y,,rrber adorned ty the addition OF O"o sHNef
swords with gold hits piactu S6I'e'4 '-'0
the angles OF the cross
Miss nightingale is the only woman Of the o1oer'
emo ,be remainder Of the members constitute 1he
yerv cream Of the OF mark Of the BTltlsn I'm
pire including they do Lord Lister 1'iu -. -
-,ar Admiral Sir John Fisher. Field Marshal Lolu
Eyo1sslev Field Marshal Lord Roberts, Adlnl1aI
ce ,ba t-lee, Sir Edward Seymour Lord hitcheneF'
William Holman Hunt. the painter; George N1eie-
dith The novelist, and three foreign members
namely. Admiral Togo and Field Marshais N CSalHH
.ns yamagata Had Carlyle lived he would uh-
{,,,bta63,, have been included in the order, for
-ha reason why he declined the Grand Cross OF
the Order Of the Bath when il was pressed upon
hin, hz- Queen Victoria and several Of her MINIS
,srs rrae because il would have entailed his pe-
coming Sir Thomas Carlyle. which ne cohsloSteo
would be ridiculous and calculated TO oinlhlsh
rather than TO enhance his prestige lie, now
ever accepted with pleasure the Prusslan oroef
If Merit from the late Emperor Mliilann' IN rec
oenition more especially of his "flstory OF f4eu
e-ct the Great" since this Prussian order permit
ted him to remain plain Thomas SarIyie as 'ieI
.ofere. King Edward had this IN NINA Whe' i7
created this Order of Merit and thus louiio iie,i
"a honor John Morley, who had ALSO decilneo li1S
c.-,na Gross of the Order of the Bath, and James
Sc who refused peersge, but who gladly ac-
cepted the Order Of Merit
Frussia-s Order of Merit founded by Fred
erick the Great in 1740. and. ike its Englsh coun-
,errart possesses only class The insignia are
vorn around the neck by a black MORE RIBBON
with narrow edges Of silver II has an eleht-
pointed blue enamel cross, mounted in gold. be-
tween the btanches of which there are four Frus-
sian eagles spreadwise. The cross is surrnounteo
~ sn f-' and a crown. It's membership is I'M
lied TO sixty-namely. thirty military men anu
thirty civilians There is but one American Oh
whom ii has ever been conferred. namely, the his
iorian Bancroft.