Wichita eagle., 1888-11-25
THE AMERICAN GIRL ABROAD.

There have been so many American
girls who have married foreigners that
we cease to wonder at any new engage
ment. When the nation was young and
full of prejudices against dweliers be-
yond the sea, in other words, before we
had become a cosmopolitan people, to
marry an Englishman would have been
thought an almost forbidden thing in
manners and morals. 1t is about forty
years since the first American beauty
graced the household of a French noble
man, and nearly as long since the first
American bride went to Rome to preside
as the mistress of a famous old estate.
Marriage with Englishmen has been
more frequent with our society girls,
and has never been accounted so strange
or venturesome as other foreign al
hances.
And we have passed another stage, too,
in this business. 1t is no longer believed
that poor foreigners seek solely to better
their fortunes by marrying the fashion
able young ladies of our foremost society,
nor that the ladies themselves are simply
seeking the title of an adventurous ca
reer in new fields There is higher and
more reasonable basis for these alliances
and they have deserved to be more char
itably considered. Indeed, it may now
be set down that any American girl may
marry whomsoever she will abroad and
no great flutter of excitement comes of
it anyway.
AS we said, the main thing shown by
all this is the growing cosmopolitan
character of the American people. The
English papers are just now saying the
sweetest things of Mr.. Joseph Cham
berlain's bride whom he has taken from
the New to bear away to the Old Eng
land. Not even Lady Vaudeville made
better match, nor had a more sweep
ing social victory in London than a
daughter of the EndicottS is now sure to
have. For a quarter of a century these
Anglo-American alliances have been 60
ing en- with increasing pace, and no
drawbacks. \ correspondent of an east
ern paper recalls how the beautiful Miss
King. of Alabama, who married the
titled Britain only to be soon divorced,
was not doomed to suffer one real pang
from the scandal, but was permitted 10
retain her title and was given rich ali
mony from the estate of the Marquis.
No stain has come to the name Of Ameri-
can wives abroad, but on the contrary
they have taken proud place III the
world of society and affairs.
Not brighter woman in England to-
day in politics than Lady Randolph
Churchill, the Miss Jerome, of New
York. Mrs. Hammersly has made the
greatest hit in the way OF a title and very
old family estate, since a duchess is a
great figure in the metropolis of England.
The list is now growing so large that
people Will hardly try 10 trace the line
of these marriages or comment upon
them in the old way. Boston
has given wives to ten English
men and claims only to have Just
begun. We must not forget to mention
that California has not been neglected
by the foreign admirers of American
beauty, since Lady Waterlow, Lady
Hesketh and Lady Waterpark. who have
borne brilliant part in London society,
were all daughters of the golden coast.
\ distinguished correspondent of Lon
don journal several years ago declared
that American women had added much
TO the charm and solidlty of English So
ciety, and had not brought discredit