The Washington herald., 1911-07-18
CORONATION HONORS.

The list of coronation honors this time
was unusually long and 1t contained not
only a number of promotions In the
British peerage but the creation of ten
new peers Of the realm. OF course, as
politics had nothing to do with these
honors, the Opposition was recognized
as we'll as ''the Kings benches" The
most extraordinary among the roya
favors bestowed were the field marsha
batons awarded to Lord Methuen and Sir
William Nicholson. Heretofore such dis
tinction has been only for princes of royal
blood or for generals, who were com.
manders-in-chief of armies victorious In
wars. Among the latter were Lord
Kitchener, Lord Wolseley, Lord Roberts
Lord Grenfell. and Sir Evelyn Wood, not
to omit Sir George White, whose sue
cessful defense of Ladysmith turned the
fortunes in the Boer war in favor of the
British.
Why Lord Methuen should be made a
field marshal. when his name is associated
not with victories, but disastrous defeats
Of that war, or why the same high honor
should be the portion of Sir William
Nicholson is the extraordinary part OF
manded any army. in the field or other
wise. According to the official army lists
he was secretary to Lord Roberts during
part Of the African campaign. Perhaps
his well-known animosity to Lord Kitch-
ener had something to do with the most
recent honors bestowed upon Sir William,
for like his chum, Lord Haldane. the
minister of war, he has ever done his best
to deny the victor OF many Egyptian and
Indian fights a voice in the-military af-
fairs Of England.
Lord Methuen. whose family home is
in Wiltshire. has leased the estate dur
ing his absence in other lands with his
troops. to a New Yorker, Mr.. Louis
Bruguiere. The new field marshal has
been decorated by Emperor William I for
a singularly brave act while military at
tache to the British Embassy at Berlin.
One cold winter day, while taking his
constitutional in the Thiergarten. he ran
across a man who had broken through
the thin ice of one of the artificial lakes
and was drowning. Lord Methuen jump
ed in and succeeded in saving the mans
life. The matter got nolsed about and
at a court reception the old monarch
on Lord Methuen's breast a medal which
he took from his own uniform. Me-
thuen prizes this decoration very highly
Speaking of coronation honors and
titles bestowed, 1t is open to argument
If II were not best after all for all par
ties concerned IL heriditary titles were to
he abolished altogether in Great Britain.
Each of the two great parties that COM
pete for office is in need of funds for
organization and electioneering, and
practically the only object with which
titles are granted is to supply those
funds. The amount spent in England
on elections is enormous. In fact. II
would surprise the general public to
know how many candidates have their
election expenses paid for them.
peerage costs considerable sum.
Still the demand always exceeds the sup
ply. There would be no difficulty at
any time to find no less than a dozen or
so purchasers at an average cost of
e5o0Oo. Indeed. of late years, even more
has been paid, while often commission
is paid besides TO the broker who ar
ranges the transaction.
But, besides the men Of wealth, a GER
tain number are raised to the peerage
because they have occupied some minor
post in a cabinet or some inferior posi-