Roundabout Papers - Penn State University

ON RIBBONSThackerayments, and so forth. It is known how the Great Duke(the breast of whose own coat was plastered with somehalf-hundred decorations) was averse to the wearing ofThe uncle of the present Sir Louis N. Bonaparte, K.G., ribbons, medals, clasps, and the like, by his army. We&c., inaugurated his reign as Emperor over the neighboringhave all of us read how uncommonly distinguished Lordnation by establishing an Order, to which all Castlereagh looked at Vienna, where he was the onlycitizens of his country, military, naval, and civil—all gentleman present without any decoration whatever.men most distinguished in science, letters, arts, and And the Great Duke’s theory was, that clasps and ribbons,commerce—were admitted. The emblem of the Orderstars and garters, were good and proper orna-was but a piece of ribbon, more or less long or broad, ments for himself, for the chief officers of his distinguishedwith a toy at the end of it. The Bourbons had toys andarmy, and for gentlemen of high birth, whoribbons of their own, blue, black, and all-colored; and might naturally claim to wear a band of garter blueon their return to dominion such good old Tories would across their waistcoats; but that for common people yournaturally have preferred to restore their good old ordersplain coat, without stars and ribbons, was the most sen-of Saint Louis, Saint Esprit, and Saint Michel; but sible wear.France had taken the ribbon of the Legion of Honor so And no doubt you and I are as happy, as free, as comfortable;to her heart that no Bourbon sovereign dared to pluckwe can walk and dine as well; we can keep theit thence.winter’s cold out as well, without a star on our coats, asIn England, until very late days, we have been accustomedwithout a feather in our hats. How often we have laughedrather to pooh-pooh national Orders, to vote rib-at the absurd mania of the Americans for dubbing theirbons and crosses tinsel gewgaws, foolish foreign orna-senators, members of Congress, and States’ representa-19