The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 1850-1873, 1871-06-16
MISS ANGELA Courw.


81 g. Hni In England. aH
ts ,gr-=e tssgC --s - 7eisi1f 81 tl
The reported elevation. of Miss
Angela D Georgiana Coutts to the
English ,peersgc again attracts attcn.
ton TO . certain degree Of change
which appears to bo gradually in.
fuencing society, q change, :, also,
which, singalarly enough, is more
remarkable for positive practical re-
suits than any tho wonderful high
priestesses of so.calied women's
rights have yet achieved in America.
1t is another evidelce of. the rccog-
milton of the sex as q social and pow
erful clement independent of any
political status. Miss .Coutts un-
doubtedly, owes her coming title to
the initiative,of another woman, the
Queen of Great Britain, who, es-
pecially since the death of the late
Prince Consort, has devoted much
time aud thought to the condition
and prospects of her less fortunate
sisters, and In SO doing has been
prompt to aid and distinguish those
who accorded her efforts, like the
late George Peabody, by munificent
liberality, or like Miss Mary Carpen.
ter, by diligsnt study. Tie lady who
is now to receive a patent of nobility
in her own right is not, like the
Countess Of Beaconiells, the cousort
of . man like Benjamin DisreaIi,
who, upon his resignation Of the
Premiership, !asked as his sole reward
for past services, ,shonors for his wife
Far from Louise Querouaille, whose
beauty and frailty wcn the title ol
Duchess of Portsmouth from Charles
III. Miss Coutts is already more
than fifty-seyen years Of age, and
remarked in society for business-like
manners, sometimes almost approach
ing austere brusquerie. She can
boast no long roll of distinguished
ancestors, or the doubtful claim Of u
long-forgottcn family attained as a
step for the creation Of title, or the
reparation of previous wrong. In
1901 her father, Sir Francis Budett,
was committed to the Tower, for
contempt, and to prevent his rescue
by an excited Radical mob, the strets
from bis residence to the gateway OF
his prison were lined with troops.
Her mother was the daughter of the
rich banker, Thomas Coutts, but even
for Her fortune she is indebted TO a
childless actress. The banker married
again, and for his second wife chose
that Miss Mellon, whose fame upon
the stage is told i'm. n.-eyery history of
the drama, and who after the death
of her first and wealthy choice, be-
came Duchess of st. Albans. The
Duke died, and wher the Duchess
made her will. in 1887, seeing that
she had not been blessed with chill
dren, she left her whole fortune,
amounting to- nearly fifteen mil
hon dollars, to Angela Georgiana,
who, by her gandfather's settlement
Of his all upon his actress wife, had
been left almost unprovided for, the
only and easy condition imposed up
on the legatee being the addition Of
Coutts to her family name Burdett.
And ever since 80 Miss Coutts has
devoted almost her entire income to
" orks of charity and the furtbcrance
Of religious and moral progress. At
the expense of E45,000 sterling she
has endowed two B;shOprics-One in
Anstalia and one i'm British Columbia !;
she has founded schools, hospitals
and nurseries for the poor, built pub
lie fountains and repleBishcd libraries
for the people, while the sums she
has dlsbursed through private al
have exhausted her annual
But with all this, although from
her vast wealth, her liberali.y and
her character-an important element
in social dynamics-Miss COutts has
newer asked for or joined in the
ranks of the agitators for female
suffrage. Women in England have
already many rights, and with these
The wisest and majority are fully
In 1856, when the proposal
was made to create Sir John Parke a
life peer under the title of Lord
Wenleydale, a violent opposition was
manifested by the Upper House. The
appointed to search for
prece2ents reported that from the
lays of Charles II. to George III. but
eighteen life peers had been created,
ind that all of these were women.
There was the De QuerOuaille we
lave already referred to; there were
Catherine Sedley created Baroness
by James H., Madame de Schulem-
Dourg, Duchess of Kendall by George
L, and her niece, or reputed daughter,
Countess of Walmoden by George
H., besides others, whose names we
pavc fors often. These all have, and
Miss Coutts will have, all the piivi-
leges of her brother peers, with
The sole exception of sitting in Par
and of these the most note
is the right of trial by a Jury
Of peers, that is, in the House OF
Lords. Long ago, Eleaner the beau
tiful Duchess of Gloucester, and wife
of the Lord protector. was accused
Of treason and witchcraft, and by the
intrigues of Cardinal Beaufort tried
by an ecclesiastical commission. The
statute, however, Of 20 Henry H.,
changed all that, and enacted a trial
tor peeresses in all respects similar
to that for peers. If the new peeress
sins, she will be, as the Earl of Car
digan, was, not many years ago, tried
by the Lords.
There is another. right which re-
cent legislation has restored. to all
female ratc-Dayers iD Great Britain.
The act of 1885 deprived them of
even municipal franchise. By the
act of 1S69it was given back, and
by the School Act women vote and
may serve npon the school boards
upon an cqualitv ith men and that
this is no M empty distinction is
proved be &c enormous majority by
which Elizabeth Garret Anderson
YVES returned for the London School
Board, heading the poll by thousands
of votes. although the learned and
popular Professor Huxley was upon
the list of candidates.
From all this, however, il does not
seem that any argument can be log
ical'y drawn by the advocates of
woman's right TO vote upon qaes-
tions cflecting national pnlitics.
Property owners are, of course, most
nearly interested i'm their own prop
erty and the justice of municipal tax
a tio,, fo, he levied nnon II .nnd aS n