New-York tribune., 1912-03-10
Reverse

knighthoods of no particular order OF
chiyalry, but which enable the recipient
to prefix the word Sir to his Christian
name and his wife to prefix Lady" or
Dame" to his family name. Among
those who have been thus honored are
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Sir Gilbert
Parker, Sir Rider Haggard and Sir Sid
ney Lee. Knighthood such as this. how
ever. carries with 1t no other privileges
beyond those named above. unless 1t be
.. place on the official table OF prece-
dence, superior to that Of an esquire.
1t does not even endow the recipient
with a right, per Sc, TO presentation at
court, for II the knight happens to be
an actor, still exercising his profession
he is excluded therefrom by rules and
regulations which date back TO the reign
of Queen Eliza beth and TO the days OF
Shakespeare.
THE METHODS OF FRANCE.
France has two means of distinguish
ing her authors In an official manner by
the President and the government.
There is, first and foremost the Na-
tionaI order of the Legion of Honor, Of
which there are five different classes,
and most OF the leading writers in
France have their buttonhoes adorned
with the red ribbon of the order. Some
Of them are commanders thereof, some
are officers and some mere knights Be-
low that again, are the palm leaves Cf
the Order of the Academy, worn on the
left breast, attached to purple ribbon.
The knights Of the higher grade bear the
title of Officer de rInstructiOn Pub
Iiuue. and wear the insignia in gold.
The knights of the lower grade are
known as OFFICERS de rAcademc and
IN their case the palm leaves are of Sill
yer.
The officers dc rAcademic have. how
ever. no direct connection with the
Academic E'rancaise.. which numbers
several of the most eminent novelists
and authors of France among its mem
bership Of forty Admission to the
Academy Is secured, not by means OF
appointment on the part of the govern
I ment, but by election. the successful
candidate, however. being expected TO
obtain afterward the approval of !he
head of the state to his election, which
in all the nearly three hundred years Of
existence Of the Academy has been with
held in only two or three instances.
The Muse of Literature had always
been a welcome guest at court when
France was ruled by monarchy. Pros
ner Merjmee was treated i'm so filal a
manner by Empress Eugene at the
Tuileries as to give rise TO the belief that
sbe was i'm reality his daughter among
those who were aware of the frivolity
and rho innumerable intrigues Of her
mother, the evil old Countess de Mon
,iio King Louis Philippe intrusted the
premiership during his reign Of eighteen
,.ors alternately To Guizot, the ais
|, ,or,an of France. and to Theirs. he
o,,,or of that monumental work de-
sor,,,,ng the great French Revolution.
the consulate nd the empire.
At Berlin, too, literature has always
receivcd truly royal appreciation. The
late Empress Augusta grandmo,her OF
,ha nrescnt Kaiser. had Goethe as her
tutor anJ her brother-in-law King
rrodericx william ~, made ms most
ia,inate friend and his most trusted
! o,,,nseu,r of Alexander Won Huhpoid''
hes,ovlng every conceivable honor upon
him and according him state funeral
=, his death. sans souci, at fotsdam'