Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-04-07
The Rage for Titles.



The survival of old ideas and desires
was never more significantly illustrated
than by the American mania for whatever
distinction can come from a title. Ricn
American girls are laughed at for going to
Europe and giving up home, old associa-
tiOns, their freedom, their fortunes and
themselves for the sake of marrying a
title borne by some man who has abso-
lutely nothing else to distinguish him
from other uninteresting beings; but only
minority of our title-hunters are of the
gentler sex. Our men, even those of them
whose reputation for common sense is
enviable, seem willing to lose time,
money and peace of mind to any ex-
tent, If, by so doing, they can he called
by any civil or military title. LAWYERS
whose practice is very remunerative, fire.
quently become judges, at low salaries
SO as to be occasionally addressed as
"YOur Honor Clubs are organized.
apparently that some particular man
may have his name appear in print as
President; and as for societies, ''cOun-
ellis" and ''lOdges," their names and the
titles of their officers are innumerable:
even the very secret and exclusive order
OF Free MasOns numbers more members
in the United States than in any other
country, and it is impossible not to believe
that many men are attached to it by the
possibility of attaining official position.
or, at least, of wearing the signs of their
order.
One illustration of the mania for titles
has recently come into prominence in an
unexpected manner. Nearly all of the
militia regiments of New York have semi
attached organizations known as vet
erans," the said veterans being men who
have served a full term of years in the
militia. That these old comrades, some
OF whom did honorable service during the
war, should desire to continue their fra
ternaI relations, is quite natural and
proper. But they do not stop at this:
they organize uniform corps, they wear
epaulettes or shOulder-straps, they elect
officers with military titles, and they
take the numerical designations of
the regiments with which they have
served. They are in no way recognized
by law, although in at least one case a
Governor of New York issued to one of
them an order that implied recognition:
they are not subject to call for military
duty, and yet, on occasions of honor or
pleasure, they are frequently found on
parade, always with the regiments to
which their members belonged. OF such
"cOrps" a man who has only been a pri-
waite may be elected Colonel, and whether
''obeyed" or not, he is respected accord
ingly" by civilians who do not understand
the difference between them and officers
properly commissioned.
Recently all but one of the Colonels of
! the militia regiments in this city signed a
protest against the form of the veteran
organizations. Then arose a great hubbub.
The veterans alleged ''snobbishness,"
jealousy" and other unpopular quail
ties, and some of them who had won COM
missions by hard service during the civil
war complained of the injustice of "parlor
soldiers" as they termed the militia
The press and society took sides in the
| quarrel; young ladies who had been par
/ TALLY or fully captured by the very taste
/ fuluniforms of the veterans were Mortified
at the thought Of marrying men who
might have to permanently lay aside
/ sword, iepaulettes and chapeau, and alto
/ gether the disagreement is apparently too
! serious to be settled without much per-
manent bad feeling.