The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1875-07-22
Official Titles In Germany.


have already glanced. The exactlons In
this directioh are almost sufficient to
irighten a supplemented person out OF
society. Have you given the right man
the right title? Is he a Geieimerath, or a
,cirklicher Gsheimsrath Was that prince
who affably condescended to address you
Royal, or Transparent, or Serene High
ness? You have just addressed a lady
(who has no right to the title) as EreeLte'z
md made her your implacable enemy for
life. You have occasion TO write TO Ro-
man Ctholic Clergyman, and you forever
offend him by addressing him as Ei0.
Hochshrl0arde,l, which is Protestant title.
instead of Eao. Hock10urde7t. the correct
Catholic style. How are on to know that
privy councillors and presidents exact the
predicate Hochioohige6orer, which belongs
of right to the nobility Second class and
how can you guess that count
must be addressed as "High-born"
(Hoehgeboren), or even, under
some circumstances, as ErLGucht,
a baron as " High-well-born Hochaooht
oe6oren), and that the common herd exact
WohLqsboren as well as their own patro-
nvmic. on the letters you address to them
Ii once occurred to the writer of these
pages to have occasion TO send to little
jew shopkeeper for a reel OF silk or skein
of wool. The nearest townlet was ten
m les distant, and, being unwilling to trust
her commission to the rustic messenger.
she wrote a note, dictated by kind reia-
tive, to the shopkeeper in question Lett
to herself, she addressed it 70 Herr Meyer,
linen-draper, adj ing the name of the town,
and deposited the letter on the hall-table.
What will you then insult the people!"
cried critical and chOleric cousin, snatch
ing up the poor little missive; you blame
yourself" (Du bLamirst Dtch). "my best
one, BY such ignorance of the forms "
and. stripping off the offensive cover, he
reinclo.ed it. writing in fine, flourishing
hand, ITO the Well-bOrn MIR. Jacob Meyer,
Merchant" (Kaufmann). felt quite
ashamed to inclose the twopence-half-
penny that was 10 cover my debt in the
face of such a grandilOquent address as
| this; the very poetry of commerce could
do no more than build up such a structure
on the foundation of the little Hebrew
huckster's obscure shop.
Altogether the address upon German
lie ter is serious affair, and cannot be at
tempted in any light spirit of enterprise.
You have to consider your dtciensiOnS.
and to call to mind all the social and off
cial prerog 4tives of the person you are ad
dressing. No such slip-hOd, easy famili-
arity as General Smith or Colonel Jones
can be tolerated. You must begin in one
corner of the envelop, and, if you wish to
be decent, end in the other, as:
Seiner Hechgeboren
dem Grafen
Adalbert Won Kanonen- Bonner,
General Major Inspekteur
der X. h Artillerie, ETC., ETC.,
Hieselbst,
Il ha ha
friend hold a civil appointment, a far more
elaborate address will probably adorn the
superscription.
in society married lady is always adj
dressed with the prefix of gnadige, or gna-
digste Fran Gracious, or most gracious
| lady). If she have title, it il lot custom
airy 10 use the family name in speak
ing to her; Frau Grofn or Frau
Baronin being deemed sufficient. Many
persons use meme GnGdtgSte my
most gracous"), without further designa-
ton. Among female friends the formula
is somewhat less ceremoniouS, liebe Grain.
or GeneraLiYs, or Geheimerathiu, being suf-
! ticient. Young ladies are not addressed
as Miss So-and-so, but by gentlemen in
variably as nsein gnadiges FrauLeiu. In
! Vienna the title G nstesse, in cOntradishnc-
| ton TO Grain. is only employed toward
unmarried ladies. 1t is not customary TO
say Colonel Rag" or major Famish;'
Herr Oberst and Her Major are the correct
forms; Herr Hauptnsdnn and Herr Lieu
tenant. In speaking Of these gentlemen
you may, of courS", mention the family
names of both the Rags and Furnishes. l
may give an illustration of my meaning in
the following experiences: / was equally
well acquainted with Baron Wolf and a
| n Il, Ao% he, Of I'm
Courland families, but | never could re-
member which was which. 1t was of no
great nsequence. as safety was afforded
! in the convenient Herr BnrOa; but n more
than one occasion it so hap 'ened that /
had to speak of these gentlemen when
others of the same rank were present.
was Obliged to particularize, and
made a shot at the Wolf. The next time
| took desperate aim, and it was at the
Behr. fancied Fate had favored me, I'M
| til cloud on Ihe cOuntenahce of the latter
gentleman informed me had blundered.
Meeting him a few days later in shady
avenue, he accoSted me with stiffness
that was barely tempered by its cold civil
ity. Il have perceived. my most gra
cious," he said, "that you are in the d ark
as to my insignificant personality (nleiat
unbedeltende PsrsonLichkelt). You have
on several occasions spoken of me in my
presence as Baron Wolff; now, allow me
TO tell you that the Wolves are not to be
compared with the Bears!" Crushed as
| was by his norgue and magnificence,
could not but smile las muttered out my
confused apologies) at the serious tone OF
his reproof.
Fatiguing alike. however, to alien ears
and sense is the vicious abuse OF the ad
verbal and adiectival form in the language
ofevery-day life. An adjec i've and not
of admiration will serve, for instance, to
express the feelings of family all round.
The emotions of group surveying the
beauties of Saxon Switzerland or the
Rhine will be rendered as follows:
Mamma" Rsizend :"
Sophie HinnLtsch!"
Adelheid-" Wunderschon :"
Helga-"Bsza,tbernd ~
Charlotte Entzuckend!r ~
And so on da cGpo, I'D inffnitum. AT
first, especially if the group be one OF
pretty girls, each shrieking out her little
note of spasmodic admiration in a higher
key than the last, you will think this pref
ty animation very naive and charming, but
by degrees it will pail upon you; you
will wish that they could be persuaded to
utter few consecutive sentences; or on
will regret that they should have begun
with the climax. Ii is a common mistake
to suppose that German travellers are mo-
rose; they are the most laxative of co M
paniOns: they talk pro bono, and like Ten.
nyson's brook, though men may come.
and men may go, they seem able to go Oh
forever
cit Was Sam.o
The other day a tall, thin woman from
over the river hunted around Vicksburg