Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-07-31
TITLES FOR INFANTS.
The Last Wrinkle OF the DecAyed No
bIIity of France.

Paris Letter TO London Truth
! related, some time ago how a noble
man turned now and then an honest penny
\ by recognizing" as his children the
babes of opulent deD,t-mondGines. or
course, there are among your readers
many who venerate titles. All such,
dare say, hoped that l exaggerated. Last
week | received the following letter. 1t
throws a curious light on the present-day
French nobility. The paper on which it
/ is written is of the thick vellum kind,
/ with a rough edge, which Is now mOdish,
I and there is on the front side of the en-
velope and on the front page an image
| which / at first took to be that Of an angel,
/ but which found, on examination, to be
/ PhilippUS d. gru fra: rec. What Philip
/ can he be the COmte de Paris is dressed
/ by an ordinary tailor and has not wings
/ sproutng out of his shoulders. Nor can
/ I remember any Philip in his ancestral
+ line who had. The winged image also
/ wears a Gothic crown, loose long robes,
/ and leans with one hand on shield deco
rated with HeUrs-de-lBS, while the other
clutches a lance whereby the image holds
down the neck Of salamander, on the
back Of which creature he places a foot.
Nothing, you see, can be more aristocratic
I 3
mOnarchical aspirations and religious
| principles. The handwriting is that of
! person OF breeding, and legible without
1 being clerky, except the signature, which
| defy any fellow to make out.
| However, the p0Ste restdnte address
| that is given is very plain. The postal
/ stamp on the cover shows that the missive
! comes from the FaubOurg st. GERMAN.
| Here 10 is:
"Sir-A person belonging to the highest
nobility of France. and bearing the title
of Count, would be pleased to adopt and
to give his name TO a child or to recog-
nize it in consideration OF a money in-
demnity of $40, 900 or $50, 200, according to
the child. ! am instructed by this person,
whom adverse fortune has recently re-
duced to this condition, to address you
and ask you to publish his desire in your
journal. In case the proposed meets with
success through the medium Of your jour
nal, am also instructed to ask you to ac-
cept as a TeoOmpense for your trouble and
in payment for the advertisement $4,000,
| to be deducted in advance from the above
sum. Please send reply at your convent
ence to the following address, -, and
accept my highest regards"
As there may be geese in the world dis
posed to throw away from $4,000 to
10000 in procuring grand name for a
nameless child, do not give the address.
/ What is meant by "SetOn Penfdnt' l do
not understand. Is it that more would be
charged for a boy TO whom the COmte's
/ title would be transmissible than for a
/ girl who would merely obtain family
/ nameY Or does 1t mean that a higher
/ charge would be made for an infant whose
origin was ignObly base tnan for one hav-
/ ing parents with whom a Hobleman could
| keep up agreeable social relations?
/ should fancy that Paris Is a better place
/ than London for efiecting the sale Of old
/ patronymics 10 nameless innOcents. There
is nothing so delights pretty danseuse
1 here as TO Tx up her sOa--when she has
| One-wlth a title which he can legally
bear. She looks upon an admirer who
purchases for her babe this right as per,
son Of truly delicate sentiment. l know
Lower Danube prince who has spent
several millions IN buying noble fathers
for the offspring OF half-world en-
! chantresses.