The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1888-01-07
AMERICAN BLUE BLOOD.
The General Pursuit of Noble Descent by
Autocratic Americans.

Most American families are per-
suaded of their close kinship to some
noble foreign house. The Smiths of
Smithville move with port erect with
consciousness of noble descent or atfili-
alton. Hundreds of other American
houses point with pride to an historic
figure to which nobody else can point
at all. This delusion may be said to
separate itself into two phases. One,
the gre eater, is the deusion of noble
descent; the other is that the person
from whom descent is claimed was
really the author of great deeds, of
which careless history has awarded the
credit to Burleigh or Raleigh or Crom-
well or Walpole or Pitt. After much
pains and research the American pedi-
gree-hunter is able to trace back his
'line" to shadowy knight of Henry
Wis time. Very likely the knights
name is to be found only in some musty
rent roll. but this is no Encouragement
to the American supposed descendants
that he was great and powerful per-
sonage. strangely overlooked by both
contemporary and subsequent chroni-
clers. There are, of course. Americans
descended from families that stepped
out from the procession of the English
gentry two hundred and sixty or more
years ago, and took a direction very
different from that of the column to
which they had belonged. In Virginia
and New England settled some of the
younger sons of few families of
gentle blood. Such settling families
were few and far between; though the
Puritans of New England had very
large proportion of university
men among them. The Pilgrim Fathers
were good, plain. intelligent people.
above the yeomen class of their day.
yet neither of nor on level with the
gentry of their English home. From
just such stock came the American
of to-day.
1t is an ancestry to be proud of. But,
alas! for the sensibility of our pluto
cracy, it is not noble. The desire for
descent has inspired many publishers to
bring out very nice books conveniently
proving every American to have the
right to suspect himself of gentle blood
and patrician lineage, This desire has
its advantages, since it has stimulated
the study of genealogy, and Americans
who started out to find peers have
done what is more valuable in ascer-
tanning the maiden names of great
grandmothers. just now the taste for
genealogy has impelled the compila-
ton in New York of a book giving the
names of all the citizens of that State
who fought in the revolution" So,
at least, says New York paper, leav-
ing the reader in doubt as to what is
meant, for New York contributed thou
sands of men to the British army, and
the loyal regiments raised in the prov
ince were the backbone of the Tory
continent. However, when the book
comes out it will doubtless prove to be
record OF the patriotic sons of the
province who fought for the cause of
American liberty. The New York
paper from which we quote says:
This sort of peerage pedigree might do for
some of the States, but what we spec lily need
around here is revised list Of Hendricll Hud-
sons crew and official roster of the illustri-
Gus Dutchmen who ''flt" before Won Twiller's
residence with pipes at short range. There's
your blue blood.
This paragraph serves double pur-
pose. 1t vents the editors IRONY on
the general pursuit of noble descent
by Americans. and it illustrates the
varying standards of blue blood. In
Virginia cavalier descent is blue blood;
in New England the Mayhower's pas
sengers are supposed to be the founders
of the American patriciate; whereas in
New York the possession of a Dutch
ancestor who smoked long pipes, took
long draughts, had long name and a
dull understanding gives man the
claim to register his name in the
Gold Book of the American Nobility
whenever that publication shall make
is appearance. Boston Transcript.