St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-06-07
"OUR ARISTOCRACY."
Rage For Foreign Titles and the Apeing
Of English Nobility By the
Gilt Edged.
The First Families of New York and
Boston and Their Alleged Blne-
BIOoded Ancestors.
List of American Girls Who Have AL
lied Themselves with Counts
and Princes.

New YORK, June Am this country
we have no aristocracy, according to the
European acceptation of the word, and
what is more, we do not desire to create
one. The rewards which genius and labor
bring to the sons and daughters of this re-
public are sufficient for all who stand up
for true Americanism. 1t is amusing to
watch the efforts which are made by some
of our young swells to initiate the manners
and eccentricities of English people who
move in high society. AnglO-mania, as this
mild form of idiOcy is called, has OF late
years taken possession of large portion of
our dude population, and il this class OF
brainless, faultlessly-attired youths could
have their way an American aristocracy
would quickly become a social entity.
A few days ago your representative en-
cOuntered would-be American nobleman
walking in the street, with his trousers
tucked up and an open umbrella over his
head, although the tagged sideway was
scRUPULoUsLY CLEAN,
and there was not cloud visible in the sky.
''Hello" said the scribe, addressing the
Anglo-American dude, whats up now,
Charley? The SIM is not so hot that you
need carry an open parasol."
''Aw, my dear boy" languidly replied
the swell, ''yOu really cannot understand
it, but It's beas thy weather."
ssWhy, on the contrary, tits delightful.
A finer day have not experienced this
year."
Jaw, my dear boy, you think SO, but l
assure you tits raining in beastly manner"
Raining! Where, might l ask you?
Look up at the sky and undeceive your
self"
'.Aw, know all that sort of thing, but
the fact is, we've had cablegram at the
club few moments ago saying it was rain
ing in London, you know, and, fact is, we
fellows who are about to leave for Europe
in few days have already completely iden-
tilted ourselves with the mother country.
Ia. ta."
No one who has ever been careful OBJ
server of social life in Washington but must
have been struck with the foolish efforts III
dulged in by the gilded youth at the capital,
apeing the English nobility. Crests and
coats Of arms, English cut clothes and every
conceivable imitation of this British aristo-
cracy are all the rage. If one of the young
Anglo-maniacs can only succeed in getting
hold of
REAL ENGLISH LORD
or marquis, the genuine article can, if will
ing, be feted, dined and Wined at the ex-
pense of the spurious imitation. A son OF the
late president was regularly dubbed prince
Arthur by the would-be aristocratic
set at Washington, but it would scandal
ize a good American to hear this sobriquet
used in and about the White house in all
seriousness and good faith
In the opinion of some people the late
administration certainly gave some encOur-
agement to this sort of tomfoolery, as the
president, more than any of his predecessors
in the chair, had decided leaning toward
what are called the habits of high society;
and his term Of Office will always be re-
membered in connection with that mon
archical strip of bunting called the ''preSi-
dents flag"
General Order No. 300, of the navy de-
partment, issued August 9. 1882, says that
:'The flag of the president of the United
States shall consist OF a blue ground, with
the arms of the United States in the center,
and shall be hoisted at the main of vessels
of-war while the president is on board, and
shall be carried in the bow of his boat"
1t is more than likely that we have heard
the last of the presidents flag. It has not
been heard of since the change of admins
tration at Washington.
1t is said that in Boston no one can claim
to be an aristocrat whose grandfather piled
the humble avocation of a green grocer; in
New York one must be able to trace ones
descent from the Knickerbockers, and in
Virginia from PocahOntaS before admittance
can be gained to the receptions of the first
families. If we carefully examine the gene
alOgieS of most of
OUR ''FIRST FAMILIES"
we shall see that they spring from simple,
handwriting stock, who did not consider
the humblest labor undignifed so long as it
brought them an honest recompense.
If one wishes to give expression to the
antiquity of any English family line tits
usual to say of the ancestor that he came
over with the conqueror; in America the
strongest patent of nobility seems to be that
ones ancestors came over in the MAY
flower" Many a proud. American million
aire, whose family tree can prove beyond
dispute that the founder OF the house was
one of the Pilgrim Fathers, owes his name
and the foundation of his present great
wealth to the hard toll and indOmitable per-
severance of some poor German or Irish
outcast, who crossed over to this country in
one of the slow old leaky sailing craft which
braved the terrors of the Atlantic in the be-
ginning of the last century. Family trees
are not difficult to construct as may be de-
sired.
AS men grow rich it is only reasonable to
suppose that their uninterrupted leisure and
the facility afforded them of gratifying ev-
cry desire will lead them into search after
empty titles. There are not fewer than
one hundred full fedged American noble
men at present in Europe, and the number
being gradually increased by the purchase
of foreign patents of nobility. The Duke
de Campo Selice, at present residing in
n I, f1,o,, ,ovf Noxx