The Washington herald., 1912-11-28
FOREIGN COURT GOSSIP THAT IS
INTERESTING TO TWO CONTINENTS

The revival at Westminster ADDey OF
the ceremonies In connection with the
Most Honorable Order OF Bath, recalls
that until the reign OF Charles II the
creation OF Knight OF the Bath was
a somewhat trying ordeal He was con-
Quoted to chamber in the Tower of
London. where a bath. was prepared, in
to which he plunged. He then resumed
his clothes, with hermit's hood OF
russet cloth. and thus attired kept vigil
until daybreak, when he snatched a brief
rest. And in the morning, hablted in
costly robes. he rode to the court, where
he received the sword and spurs and
was dubbed a knight of the Bath by the
King. For he had taken BATH" a
courageous act in the fifteenth century.
The Most Honorable Order OF the Bath
has ceased to be the Cinderella among
the orders of knighthood. With the
Wis Chapel at Windsor ended the
ignomy Of the past. Although no
longer the wonder of the world" for
so-called architects of the last century
restored II out OF all recognition), the
roof still remains a thing Of beauty. 1t
has been suggested that the chapel
stands on the site Of a garden owned by
Chaucer. Henry VII, who built 1t, Law
ished money upon it-his SUCCESSORS evil
IDENTIFY thought too much. for they neg
lected IT. When George i reorganized the
order by introducing fresh blood more
honorable" canopies were needed. They
were provided by dishonorably slicing the
old ones In two.
When the Order OF Bath was recon
structed in the reign Of George II the first
knight created under the new statutes
was. the four-year-old Duke OF Cumber-
land, son of the future George IL. He
was excused from the bath by reason
of his tender age" but the other knights
were duly bathed In the princes cham
Der. A prominent figure at professions Of
the order was the royal cook, who stood
with his cIeaver at the abbey door threat
ening TO strike OF the spurs OF any un-
worthy knight In 1903 each knight bowed
to him, and touched his hat. Some Of
them asked II there were any fees to pay;
to which he answered, that he would do
himself the honor to call upon them.
He receives four guineas- for this ex-
speech.
- Carlyle once was offered the grand
cross of the bath by Disraell. But he
the distinction. though he was
greatly touched by the offer. the more
so as he had fiercely attacted Disraelfs
policy as premier 'T truly admire the
he wrote to his brother John. He is the
only man I almost ever spoke Of without
yet see here he comes
with a pan of hot Goals for my guilty
head" Most people will probably agree
with the omnibus conductor who said to
Froude: Very proper of the Queen to
offer it. and more proper Of him 10 say
that he would have nothing to do with It
'Tisn't they who can do honor to the
likes of he"
II NAV be we'll to correct a common
faIlacy that the Turkish army is trained
on the German model. Nothing could in
reality be further from the truth. Field
Marshal Won der Golz and the officers
OF successive German missions have
Iabored assIduously, in the face Of al
most invincible distractions. to put the
Turkish army in a position TO train itself.
They instructed the higher officers in the
principles Of tactics and strategy: they
helped them to organize a war ministry
and a general stan; they supplied them
with German training manuals: they Sc
lected their equipment and designed their
But they could not alter
the turkish temperament or substitute
habits Of precision and foresight for those
of negligence and prOcrastination.
They could, and did, supply the lurklsn
artillery with the best products OF the
German arsenals. but they could not com
pei the regimentaI commanders to carry
out the artillery practice laid down by
the regulation; and yet 1t is to the failure
OF their artillery, as much as 10 any
other tactical reasons, that the recent
reverses OF the Turks have been due.
To form an army trained on the Ger
man model out of the excellent raw
material furnished by the Turkish rank
and file would have required not merely