The Lee County journal. (Leesburg, Ga.) 1904-19??, 1920-04-02

IA-AJ occupying the palace for years as
president of the chamber Of deputies
From there the two proceeded in state to the
Hotel de Vile, POincare occupying the seat OF
honor by virtue Of right
At the Hotel de Vile, which is the seat not OF
the national government but of the municipal adj
minstraton Of the metropolis, President Poincare
tremendously presented his successor to the City
Fathers, whereupon the president of the municipal
council, that Is to say the mayor in chief OF the
entire capital and the Project de la Seine, gov
ernor of the metropolitan county or department.
welcomed the new ruler of France in the name
of the city of Paris.
The two still living former chief magistrates OF
the republic Emile Loubet and Fallieres, occupied
places of honor at the ceremony. After Paul
Deschanel had fully acknowledged the two
speeches and had given brief expression of his
intentions to emulate the services Of his prede-
cessor and to fulfill the obligations of his office
in accordance with the provisions of the constitu-
ton Poincare and Deschane resumed their places
In the presidential equpage. The outgoing presi-
dent again occupied the seat on the right, no
longer as matter of prerogatve, but as an act of
courtesy of his successor, who drove him, still
escorted by cavalry, to the residence which he had
rented for Nine Poincare and himself in the Rue
Marbeau. From there President Deschanel pro-
ceeded alone to the Elysee palace, of which, after
having been welcomed there with full military
ence of the members of the cabinet.
Quite Il different sort of an inauguration from
ours! The French president is not called upon to
take oath of Office and the people of Paris go
about their business much as usual while the
business of the president taking office is going on
What Is perhaps the nearest approach to any
thing resembling an investture of office will be
when The distinguished general who is grand
chancellor of the French National Order of The
I of cn1I in tnf aatth n pnl-
the designated afternoon to place around
the neck of the new president the great gold chain
OF grand master of the order,
1t is Il gold chain composed of seventeen gold
ana blue enamel medaons connected with
another by large gold links, and naturally is SUI
peror to the grand cross, or first class of the or
der 1t is fastened to each shoulder with bows of
white ribbon while suspended in front of the
collar is large cross Of the order
The first niue medallions are engraved with the
names of the chief magistrates who have worn
the collar since the foundation of the present
public namely THEIRS Marshal MacNahon, Jules
Grevy, Sadi Carnot Casimr-Perier, Felix Faure,
Emile Loubet Armand Fallieres and Raymond
Poincare The name of Paul DeSchanel is en-
graved on the tenth medallion.
This chain or collar of the order, dating from
1872, is the fourth that has been made since the
foundation Of the Legion of Honor just 11S years
ago by the first Napoleon. He caused three col
lars to be made. The first was for himself,
and was worn by his nephew Napoleon III.
throughout his reign
The second is in the possession Of Prince Jo-
achim Mura who inherited it from his great
great grandfather, Field Marshal Joachim Murat,
broher-in-law of the first Napoleon and some time
king of Naples The Prince Murat of today, of
course cannot wear it, not being knight of the
order even of the lowest grade. He merely owns
II n family relic,
No one knew what had become of the third col
lar until 1t turned up in 1867 among the crown
Jewels of the reigning house of Austria-Hungary,
and Emperor Francis Joseph wore ii when he
visited Paris that year in connection with the in
transitional exposition. 1t is now among the
French crown Jewels
OF course the gold collar of the order recov-
cred from Vienna and that worn by the first
Napoleon rs founder and first grand master of the
order are so adorned with crowns and imperial
emblems as to be unsuitable for the president of a
republic Therefore the official insignia of Paul
Deschanel the new grand master is the collar
made in 1872 for Adolphe Thiers, first president
OF the third republic.
Although President Poincare. like his predeces-
sorS at the Elysee palace, was compelled to re-
linQuish the collar of grand master at the close
of his seven years term of office he WILL eX-oficio
as a past grand master, remain knight grand
cross for the remainder of his days. This in IT,
self gives him high official rank. Indeed, the
knights grand cross of the order-relatively few
in number-are officially considered as among the
highest digntaries of the republic, coming i'm
medately after the president the speakers of the
senate and of the chamber of deputies and the
three marshals-Foch, Joffre and Petain.
They are entitled to all sorts Of military and