Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-05-06
HONOR FOR |IEROISM
France to Present Cold Medal to
Sar Francisco.
STRICKEN CITY THAT REVIVED.

French Ambassador to Deliver Latest
Medal In Series Marking His Coun-
try's Friendship Fer United States.
Will Commemorate Sister Republics
Grief and Appreciation of Courage.
NJ. Jusserand, the French ambassa-
dor to the United States, has written
to Secretary of State Knox a letter
telling of gold medal which France
wishes to present to the authorities
in San Francisco to commemorate
Frances grief o~sr the earthquake and
fire and her appreciation of the hero
ism of the resurrection of the city fol-
lowing the disaster
The ambassador tells of receiving
from the United States government O
medal commemorating the old Franco
American al lance just at the time the
fire was destroying San Francisco. At
that time the ambassador expressed
the hope that one of the next medals
to be struck and added To the series
exchanged between the two countries
would be on account OF the San Frar
cisco earthquake. The ambassador
says:
THE words which spoke thus spOn~
taneously and under the influence Of
the emotion caused by that event turn
ed out to agree so exactly with the
sentiment Of my country that the gov
ernment Of the republic at once appro-
priated them as its own. Ii cOnse-
qpently decided TO justify them while
at the same time the inhabitants Of the
devastated region wero on their part
setting about to restore their city to
its original beauty with the very en-
ergy and success which it had been so
easy to predict.
"In conformity, therefore, with the
wish which took the liberty TO ex-
press a medal is to be added to the
series Of those which have marked
! from time to time ever Since the earIi-
est days of American independence tha
persistence of the sympathies which
arose at the very beginning between
our two countres-from the medals
which commemorated the epoch of the
! alliance and of freedom down to the
! one which a popular French subscrip-
/ ton enabled to be struck on the tragic
death of Lincoln and to the one finally
which the American republic offered
to my country.
This medal was ordered by the
! French government of Louis BOttee,
winner Of the ancient prize of Rome
and one of our host known medal de-
signers. On one side Is allegorically
I represented the cltr Of San Francisco
| laying aside its SIN I'd and issuing
forth from the ruins. while on the 9TH
or is France presenting q branch OF
laurel to America. The inscription calls
to mind that the medal is offered tn
the American people and the city Of
| San Francisco as q token Of sympathy
and admiration by the French repuh-
lie.
A single specimen In gold has been.
struck. and / have received orders
from my government to go and deliver.
It in person to the authorities Of San
Francisco I therefore appeal to your
eXcellCnCys Kind Offices in informing
the said authorities of the instructions
which | have received. 1t is my inten-
ton, if suitable to them, 10 start about
the middle of next month and TO de-
liver the souvenir to them between the
Goth and 25th OF May"
Old Wheel of Fortune.
In the village church of Comfort
near Pont-Croix, In western Brittany.
Is a very good specimen of the now
rare wheel Of fortune" 1t is made OF
wood with a row of bells on its outer
rim and pivoted between couple OF
rough beams. altogether very primitive
workmanship. BY means of Il cord at.
tached to crank the wheels can Is
made to revolye and set all the bells
a-jangling. | have often heard that
the peasants believe that ii has mi
raculous power of healing when rung
placed sou in the box to which the
rope is padlocked | received remark,
able confirmation of this belief, for
while making a photograph a well to
do sailors wife and her husband came
into the church and looked round. The
woman asked me IL | thought there
could be any truth in this belief, as
her child was very backward in learn
ing to talk. Her nurse, who came from
those parts. had advised her to bring
the baby and ring the bells of Comfort
over his head, when he would be sure
to talk. AS she was passing she had
looked in to see IL it was worth tryingi
London Chronicle.
Bird Sanctuary In Town Cor,mcn.
The growth of the garden city Letch-