LEGION 



3372 



LEGISLATURE 



The most interesting of its public buildings 

 include the Cathedral, a Jewish synagogue, the 

 Academy of Sciences, with its library of 40,000 

 volumes, and the naval academy. The "Tower 

 of the Sculptured Lion," one of the leading 

 landmarks, is the only relic of the days when 

 it was a free port. In season, the sulphur 

 springs and sea-bathing attract many visitors. 

 It was a mere fishing village when it came into 

 the possession of the Florentines in 1421. Since 

 those days it has grown in importance and 

 prosperity, due not so much to its favorable 

 location by the sea, as to its wise legislation 

 and favorable labor conditions. Population of 

 the city and suburbs, 1911, 105,315. 



LEGION, le'jun, from the Latin legio, mean- 

 ing a levy, refers to a multitude, but more 

 commonly means a military force. In modern 

 times it has been applied to organizations of 

 an unusual or uncommon character, such as 

 a distinguished 

 corps of soldiers. 

 The word had no 

 military signifi- 

 cance in Bible 

 times, as is shown 

 by the quotation : 

 "And he asked 

 him, What is thy 

 name? And he 

 answered, saying, 

 My name is Le- 

 gion: for we are 

 many" (Mark 

 V, 9). 



The ancient 

 legion of Rome, 

 the organization 

 which made the 

 word popular, was 

 a military body, 

 varying in num- 

 bers at different 

 periods. In the 

 time of the re- 

 public it con- 

 sisted of 4,500 

 men. In the time 



of Marius it con- part"pf & the* i arch"oT Constan" 

 sisted of ten co- tine> in Rome ' 

 horts of infantry; each cohort was divided into 

 three maniples, and each maniple into two 

 centuries. Each legion included sixty centu- 

 rions, and the same number of optiones, or 

 lieutenants, and standard bearers. The eagle 

 was the standard of the legion. 



SOLDIERS OF THE 



ROMAN LEGION 

 This group of statuary is a 



BADGE OF THE LEGION 

 OF HONOR 



LEGION OF HONOR, an order of merit, in- 

 stituted in the year 1802, under the French Re- 

 public by Napoleon, for recognition of con- 

 spicuous military and civil services. Its aim 

 was to pave the way for the establishment of 

 the Empire by 

 popularizing the 

 idea of personal 

 distinction. The 

 order originally 

 comprised three 

 . classes, Grand Of- 

 ficers, Command- 

 ers and Legion- 

 aries. On the 

 restoration of the 

 Bourbon mon- 

 archy the Legion 

 was remodeled 

 and lost most of 

 its original char- 

 acter. There are 

 now five classes 

 chevaliers, or 

 knights ; officers, 

 commanders, grand officers, grand crosses. 



The vast numbers of persons advanced to 

 this order and the lack of merit of many of 

 those on whom it has been bestowed have de- 

 tracted much from its value. In 1872 its mem- 

 bers numbered 69,179. A law was passed in 

 that year that only one new member should 

 be added for every two vacancies, which re- 

 duced the membership in the next five years 

 to 59,208. The number of chevaliers is now 

 limited to 25,000, the officers to 4,000, the com- 

 manders to 1,000, the grand officers to 200 and 

 the grand crosses to 70. Pensions are paid to 

 members of the order who have served in the 

 army or navy, but not to civilian members. 

 No degrading punishment can be inflicted on 

 a member of the order so long as he belongs 

 to it. The emblem of the Legion of Honor is 

 a white enameled star of five points, bearing 

 an emblematic figure of the Republic, with the 

 inscription Republique Frangaise. On the re- 

 verse side are two flags, with the inscription, 

 Honneur et Patrie (Honor and Country). 



LEGISLATURE, lej'islature, the lawmak- 

 ing department of a state or province and, as 

 well, of a nation. Not always is legislature 

 the legal term employed, for a constitution 

 may declare its legislative department shall be 

 called congress or parliament, both of which 

 are national legislatures, or shall be known as 

 general assembly, legislative assembly or other 



