The Washington herald., 1912-02-27

OF silver and of eight points, with the
cross Of st. George in the center, encir-
cled with the garter.
BY a statute passed in June. 1ss1 the
order Is 10 consist of the King and
twenty-five knights Companions, together
with such Iineal descendants OF kings as
may be elected The Prince of Wales Is
a constituent part of the original institu-
ton Since then special proclamations
have provided for the admission OF other
sovereigns and more knights, the latter
OF whom. however. always become part
Of the twenty-five companions on the oc-
cuTrence of vacancies. The present men,
i bersnip consists Of King George, the
Prince Of Wales. and four other members
| Of the reigning family; fourteen Euro
pean sovereigns. seven foreign royal
princes, and the full complement OF
twenty-five knights companions. compris-
| ing eleven dukes, five marduesses, and
nine earls.
The latest announcement concerning
King Georges and Queen Mary's plans
for the year Is q story that they are to
visit Vienna at the end Of April. This
is an absurd invention. as the royal
pair are overwhelmed with home engage
ments at that time. As to the state
ment about their being lodged in the
\ Vienna Hofburg during that visit, all
state guests are lodged there as q mat
| ter of fact. ] should think that the
King OF England is just as likely this
year to go to Vienna as he Is to 20 to
Pekin or Honolulu.
When the Duke-then earLof Fife
married the daughter Of King Edward
, VII. he showed great good sense by
stipulating that there should be no lady
| in-wsiting on his wife. He insisted upon
this condition, which very nearly caused
breaking on Of the match. Queen VIC
toria being strongly opposed to the ar
arrangement. for which there was no pre-
cedent.
| Omcially the wedding was announced
to be ''semi-state." II took place in
the small private chapel at Bucking-
ham Palace, which had not been used
for a marriage ceremony since 1sEs, when
the still surviving Princess Augusta OF
Cambridge was united to the late Grand
Duke of Neutrality-suspicious.. The fnvi-
| tations were very limited in number and
there wan much talk because the corps
diplomatique were not invited. with the
exception Of the Danish Minister, the
late NJ. de Fable. There was still more
| criticism of the invitations to the after
\ a
only the ambassadors were asked. all the
| other chefs de mission being ignored.
The Duke of Fife was a member or
the Scottish Episcopal Church. and there
is a private chapel at Mar Lodge. Queen
Victoria would have much preferred to
see the duke and duchess attending ser
| vice in the kirk at Braemar. as she
herself ignored the Scottish Episcopal
Church. her principle-also followed by
| King Edward and King George-being to
/ become a Presbyterian as soon as shs
1 crossed the border. while she reverted to
Anglicism on returning south
The Car of Russia has done hne
thing in commanding a grant OF an
ample annuity to the widow OF Count
Tolstoi. There is no denying that tho
towering genius of the great Russian
writer, philosopher. and reformer made
him. in his revolutionary zeal, an ex-
tremely formidable enemy Of the estab-
lished order in his country and TO the
religion which is cherished with an IN
tensity OF fervor by its orthodox people.
Though Countess Tolstoi did not help to
propagate her husbands opinions, 6
smaller minded monarch might have re-
4 Trained from paying special honor to tbs
widow of one who had labored so hard
to undermine the foundations of society
in the land over which the Car rules.
Emperor Nicholas action in this matter
| may be commended to the notice OF the
radical press in other countries, which
are never tired of representing him as
| a callous tyrant. whose only concern -
/ TO crush all progressive tendencies on
the part Of his people.
Paul Bartlett. the New York sculptor.
having been honored with foreign MEM
bership of the Academic des Beaux Arts
In Paris. has thus become enrolled IN
tn, honor-list of the Institute de
/ France, and is entitled to wear the his
toric green uniform which to-day Is re-
lRarded as conferring especial distlnc-
tion upon its wearer. The "Aeadenie'
was founded by Louis XIV. the Grand
4 Monasuue" the charter being granted
the Academic Royale des Beaux Arts."
TWO other Americans share the honor
| NJ a membership In the Institute" with
M Bartiett. John s. Sargent. the paint
i sr and J. Loubat, the writer The late
lProf Newcomb, OF washington. d. C.,
| was A member Of the Academic deS
sciences. a society which was founded
by the same King.
| The Institute de France" now tbs
central body of the various French "acad-
emies'' was not called into being until
the last decade Of the eighteenth century
during the great revolution. after the
different royal academies had been dis
solved, all Of which, however, were again
reopened by Napoleon /. The Institute
has been handsomely endowed ana not