DECORATIONS FOR WOMEN.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7126, 15 June 1901, Page 3

DECORATIONS FOR WOMEN.

The Queen a Marnier of the Order

of &c Garter.

The Order of the Garter i which ihas been bestowed by Edward VIL upon th» Queen Consort, is the. highest English order, and the Queen will be the only one of iher sex wearing the insignia. The insignia includes sfche garter, the' collar, the pendant, the greater and ■tihe lesser George and the star; but the entire outfit is seldom worn, and in these days is of little value save for the honour that 4 clings to it. ... The garter itself was originally of pale blue fiilk and bore the motto of ttbe. order in rubies, pearls, and diamonds: but it. is now only a plains, inch-wide 'band of dark blue velvet, lettered in gold, yriih the words " Honi soit gui mal y pense." Whien its owner is a woman it is worn on the left arm, above the elbow. The ooEar is of red and. white enamel and Ibolds an enamelled pendant, representing St. George's fight with the dragon. - > There are other English orders to which women may; aspire, and though they represent no tradition dating furtsber back than Victoria's reign their distribution, has given rise to bitter envy and hearfc-buming among English women. The Victoria and Albert order was instituted in 1862 aaid was at first rsuthier an^ exclusive distinction! ; but later it was thought advisable *tx>. make a aecond, a thard and a fourth class of the order, and the distribution of the lower grades became a trifle promiscuous.

The original decoration was a handsome diamond medallion containing portraits of tire Queen and the Prince Consort ; but the diamonds shrunk for tihe second dlass order; pearls were substituted for diamonds in. the third grade, and> in the fourth class the decoration consists merely of tihe initials and crown witihout ' the portraits. All the princesses of the royal house wear the o r d*r, and any** married or unmarried' TVKMnan considered' worthy of the distinction is eligible. • An order more rare in England, though plentiful enough in India, is the Imperial Order of the Crown , of India, which, was - instituted by Queen Victoria; in recognition; of her title of Empress of India. It has tihe initials V. R. L in diamonds, pearls and turquoises, 6nrmoun.ted ; by the Indian imperial crown/, and is worn upon a light blue ribbon. Every English princess receives it on iher eigjhteeH!oh birthday, and it is given to women who have done great service in India, to the wives of Indian . Princes and. to the wives . of (high British officials in India.

> . The Royal Order of the Red Gross, given, to English women wtho have distinguished themselves as muses in ■wartime, is across of gold-bordered! enamel, with .a medallion, portrait of Queen Victoria^ in its. centre and on its reverse Bide the royal initials and

crowm-.

Other countries oi Europe diecorate their illustricras women with . tihe . insignia of various orders, many of wMoh are of fax greater antiquity than those of Bngiand, and wbidh were, as a rule, founded in connection with religious fervor.

The AusCrian Order of the Star and Cruoifix' is the greatest, ibonour that cam be bestowed iipon. an Austrian wioman. It was founded in 1668 by the Empress Eleonore in- <jommcmoraction of the miraculous

preservation, of a piece of the tnie cross in. a fire at the palace. The relic "wtus one of tike most sacred . ihedrlootaiß of the Imperial family, and was found 'tsahanned among >tike debris, ■ _ . The senior Archdtucibjesa of Aastna is iiereditary .Grand Mistress of *te order, but other -wiomen'to be admatted nw^fc register a vow to helptihe sick and poor, to shelter tine hioimelfiss, to attend inaßs regulaxly, to live pure iUvra iaVword and dead, 'atad *to say a prescribed mamberyof prayers each "day. Btcfc enreni tius 'dtegree ef virtue -will not miake a -woman eligiijte to the order unless' (her past reputation is uoblomialied and Aegean prove sixteen generations of noble ancestors, eight on eadh eide of tine house. TJi© mark of tbe order is an oval of blue enamel beanmg. the two-headed eagte «od a Greek cross in gold, and ib worn; upon a black ribbon. Another Austrian order for women was instatobed by -the Emperor Francis iajnemiory of his wife, and is called the Order of St Elte'a'beiih. The devoted' ladyvin-waat-ing of the Empress Elizabeth was tin© first woman to Teceive the honour, ansd itihe ordtear is to b© made rigidly esclusive. In Prussia, the Laisen Ordfer, foxuitted in memory of thx> famous Queen Louise of Prussia, is the on© most coveted by women, althoagh the decoration) itself is of no particular value, being only a small gold! cross in a medalEcsn of blue enamel, wMdb also bears the letter L, wzeathiedl with gold stars. No guarantee of sixteen gjloriotas ancestors is reepmred of a camdidate for this

order, and women of all ranks are eligible, but only 100 women can have the decoration :at* one time, so a new presentation can only come through dearth in the ranks. Emperor William I. added to the order a second class, which may be given to women who have served the country an peace. The same Emperor was also responsible for the Verdienst ' Kreuz Order, which' is much like the famous Iron Cross, and is intended to commemorate the self-sacrifice of German women during tihe Franco-Prus-sian War. The cross is of iron and silver, and bears, the royal crown and initials, and 1 the dates 1780—1871. No one has ncaived the dates 1870-1871. No one has waived it since 1871.