and although America is nominally a free country, yet
if a foreign government should confer a decoration on an American
citizen for services rendered, he cannot accept it without the consent
of Congress, just as under a monarchy a subject must obtain his
sovereign's permission to wear a foreign decoration. It is true that
there are some such titled persons in America, but they are not treated
with any greater respect or distinction than other citizens; yet you
frequently find people in America who not only would not disdain, but
are actually anxious, to receive decorations from foreign governments.
Once, at least, an American high official, just before leaving the
country to which he had been accredited, accepted, without permission,
a decoration, knowing, that if he had asked for the consent of
Congress, he would not have been allowed to receive it.

It is human nature to love change and variety, and for every person to
be designated "Mister" is too tame and flat for the go-ahead Americans.
Hence many of the people whom you meet daily have some prefix to their
names, such as General, Colonel, Major, President, Judge, etc. You
will not be far wrong to call a man "Judge" when he is a lawyer; or
"General" or "Colonel" if he has served in the army; or "Admiral" or
"Captain" if he has been in the navy. Though neither the Federal nor
the State Government has power to confer titles, the magnates do so.
They see that dukes and other peers are created in Europe, and that the
partners in the big, wealthy firms over there, are called "merchant
princes", and so to outdo them, they arrogate to themselves a still
higher title. Hence there are railroad kings, copper kings, tobacco
kings, etc. It is, however, manifestly improper and incongruous that
the people should possess a higher title than their President, who is
the head of the nation. To make it even, I would suggest that the
title "President" be changed to "Emperor", for the following reasons:
First, it would not only do away with the impropriety of the chief
magistrate of the nation assuming a name below that of some of his
people, but it would place him on a level with the highest ruler of any
nation on the face of the earth. I have often heard the remark that
the President of the United States is no more than a common citizen,
elected for four years, and that on the expiration of his term he
reverts to his former humble status of a private citizen; that he has
nothi