The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1890-10-23
COURTSHIP IN ENGLAND.
Love Marriages Not Rare in the
Mother Country.
The Queen Herself an Example-Princess
Louise of Wales-Broken Engage
ments-Doing Away of Glass
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
ly, with the possession of advanced
views on political and social matters, I
feel that l ought to confess at the outset
that | am 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 go further back than last sea-
sons 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
dueal coronet and $3.50, 900 year he was
none the less detrimental in the eyes
OF several memb mbers 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 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
lstrar'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
meager one. They can have their re-
Dellious son or daughter condemned to
short term of Imprisonment for false
swearing, but in no case can the mar
rage be annulled. On the other hand,
class of titled aristocracy, backed up
oy the rights of primogeniture, is un-
aonbtedly a direct incentive towards
worldly marriages by creating limited
number of exceptionally good parts, )"
ior 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-
ipre appealing to her father for his con-
sent When once the engagement is an
aceompllshed fact the lovers are allowed
ample opportunities for making each
otner's further acquaintance The whole
,amliy cooperate in giving them wide
seftn' and they may spend hours every
oay alone in each others company.
eitner In the house or walking or riding
sogeehef, as the case may be. Such
nOerty, which would make French
aosner's hair stand on end, is perfectly
somme il faut" in England. The
yoang couple even travel and pay visits
= each others company, the fancee ac-
'1np panied by her maid, if she should
aappen to be possessed of that append
sSssdal.. sss, out 0fteneF still quite without