St. Landry democrat., 1888-01-14
OUR WOMEN ABROAD.
The Experience of Some American Girls
Who Married Italian Nobiemen.

/
1t is now ten years since former
Consul of the United States in Italy
said to me: American parents and
! guardians ought never to allow their
! daughters or wards to come over and
pass one. two or three years, as the
case may be, in the study of music for
the opera, OF other professional sing
ing, without some elderly female rela-
tive to accompany and protect them,
and also that they may appear respect
able in the eyes of respectable people
here This same Consul told me of
| instances where great trials, and, in
one case, how positive harm had come
to those either neglecting or being
ignorant of European manners and
customers. A young lady might travel
from one end of the United States to
the other, or might stop any length of
time for study or any other purpose
wherever she pleased, with perfect
impunity, and without any improprie-
ty; but it is different here, and the
Consul's word of caution and warning
had reason in it.
But | wish word of caution and
warning might be raised for the benefit
Of manageable young American ladies
and widows, who do not come here to
study. Many such come accompanied
by weak maternal relative, who is
dazzlcd by the title and the show of
some Baron, Count or Duke, who, ten
to one, is an impecunious younger son
of some old family run to seed. If he
had money besides titles he would
marry one of his own country
women and ask no favor of the
foreigner Recently most eminent
professor of one of our universities was
over here for the purpose of seeing a
young lady relative of his, who was on
the Continent with her mother, and had
been carried away by one of these noble
men (?), whose affections had scented
money from afar. But no change was
made despite the good professors
counsels, and as he left Italy he dropped
me line from Como, saying that
"neither advice, common-sense counsel
nor any thing else could prevail with
an American girl when the noble bee
got under her bonnet
All this is too true. Some of your
readers may have seen an account of
the way one of our Consuls in Tuscany
found, in a madhouse, IN American
lady who had truly given her heart and
money to one of those impecunious adj |
venturers, and who then had had her
shut up in an asylum, when she was no
more insane tran the soundest person
in Florence.
All Italian husbands are not bad men. |
| have seen some as happy domestic
relations between husband and wife as
| have ever seen anywhere, and should |
Judge that there is greater domestic
felicity here than in any other Latin
nation; but as Il whole. the standard OF
family life and happiness, from the very
mannerof contracting marriage, is far
below that OF Anglo-Saxon countries.
The impecunious dandies with roman.
tic noble title, have found out the weak
ness of the American and the English
girl, and eley take advantage of it. In
1882 | noticed in the bank OF
Messrs. Turner 4, Co. an English lady,
should say of twenty-five, who,
accompanied by a poor, sickly-
looking father. was engaged
in depositing some money. could see
that she was the stronger character of
The two. and person of determined
will. was informed that she was
g dead in love" with an Italian, but
chat he would not come to terms until
he had made it a condition of marriage
hat all her money should be assigned
% him. as he knew how to invest it in
Italy to the best advantage! And she
5urned over every centime to him.
Not six months after her marriage this
Door lady, from opulence, was turned
.drift with only sufficient money to
lire few furnished rooms at Sorrento,
ind l was applied to to recommend
'oISo w ~ tiOlC III pCAoioHs III
order that she might earn her living.
Only this year respectable widow
ady, residing here in Naples, allowed
lerself to be carried away by the atten-
ions and the polite bearing toward her
# an Italian gentleman. She consult
ID more than one person, and among
'thers Mr.. Camphausen, our present
American Consul, and they all, in
nswer to her question" Shall mar
v him?" responded in the language
# Mr.. Punch's celebrated letter.
Don't 1t was, however, of no use;
he event and did it, and in less than
month the scoundrel tried to strangle
er, and has since heaped all manner
f indignities upon her. In one sense
he was little wiser than her English
lister and many of her own. She did
ot assign him her money, and hence
he great ire of Mr.. Impecunious.-
Italian Cor. american Register.
Banks and Depositors.
II ic papara lip sunnoSad that HANKS | !.