The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1890-08-30
-COURTSHIP IN ENGLAND.

Z
COURTSHIP In ENGLAND.
Love Marriages Not Rare in the
Mother Country.
TIL. Queen Herself an ExaDplo-Princes.
Louise of Walcs Broken Engage~ 4.
naents-DoIns Away Of Class
Distinctions.
/ Virginia M. Crawford, the sister of Sir
+ Charles Dixie and Mrs. Ashton Dixie,
writes as fellows to the Philadelphia
Press:
AS am generally credited, and right
", with the possession Of advanced
views on political and social matters, l
feel that ought to confess at the outset
that Fam almost conservative In mat
rimonial questions ! believe in mar
riage as a fundamental basis of society;
I believe in the desirability Of love
marriages, and even venture to believe
in the happiness of the great majority OF
unions entered into under the present
much abused marriage system.
We have no lack in England-by way
of examrle-of love marriages in the
highest rank of life where the tempta-
tions to the marriage de CONVEYANCE
are even greater than elsewhere. That
Queen Victoria herself married for love
is an established historical fact. and
most of her daughters are supposed to
have followed her example. But we
need not 60 further back than last sea
son, when the marriage of Princess
Louise of Wales to the Duke OF Fife
was celebrated. 1t is an open secret
that the young Princess had BEEN in
love with the Earl for years, and for his
sake had declined to entertain the pro-
posals of any foreign royal suitor, and
although in this case the pretensions OF
the detrimental were backed up by a
ducal coronet and $3.50, 600 a year he was
none the less detrimental In. the eyes
Of several mem bers OF the royal family,
who steadily opposed the match. But
the whole sympathies of the Nation were
on the side of the future Princess Royal.
who has willingly sacrificed a great part
of her royal honors for the sake OF the
man she loves, and who may now be
seen shopping in Bond street unattended
or driving with her husband in happy
tete-a-tete, much like any other young
lady of her age.
The English law, unlike that of
France, is not framed in such way as
to encourage mercenary unions. Pa
rental consent with us is not sine qua
non, and although an irate. father may
disinherit his son or daughter he can
not legally prevent them from marrying
whom they please. Even in cases
where one or other of the contracting
parties being under age they have re-
course to runaway marriage at reg.
istrar,s Office, and make false declara-
ton of age in order to obviate the ne
cessity Of producing the fathers consent,
even then the parents redress is but q
1neager one. They can have their re-
bellious son or daughter condemned to
short term Of Imprisonment Tor false
swearing, but in no case. can the mar
rage be annulled. On the other hand,
class of titled aristocracy, backed up
by the rights of primogeniture, is un-
doubtedly direct incentive towards
worldly marriages by creating limited
number of exceptionally good parts, :
for whom ambitious mothers angle dex.
terously on behalf of their daughters, or,
worse still, for whom scheming damsels
angle for themselves.
In England man almost invariably
asks the girl herself to marry him be.
fore appealing to her father for his con
sent When once the engagement is an
accomplished fact the lovers are allowed
ample opportunities for making each
others further acquaint lance. The whole
family cooperate in giving them wide
berth, and they may spend hours every
day alone in each others company,
either in the house or walking or riding
together, as the case may be. Such
liberty. which would make a French
mothers hair stand on end, is perfectly
CONNIE il fault in England. The
young couple even travel and pay visits
In each Others company the fancee &C
corlpanied by her maid, II she should
happen to be possessed of that append
ago. but oftener still quite without q
chaperon.
This freedom of social intercourse
ought to be a good safeguard agains1
| girls ignorantly linking their fortunes
with one whom it is imp possible for then
to love, were it not that to throw over
the man she is engaged to is regarded
by society as SO unpard onable crime
It seems to be only just dawning on
peoples minds that a small % scand al i be
fore marriage is preferable to big
scandal after marriage. a charming
/ novelist, Sir Henry Cunning ham, whose
delfgh tful sketches OF life il India art
widely read, has Just published = cleve1
novel about Lond on society The Hest
oils. \, Y iin which he max the heroine
del liberia te1y jjilt the rich young
man, tosS whom uEl slhe is