The Republican., 1890-08-22
COURTSHlP IN ENGLAND.
Lovo Marriages Not Rare in the
Mother Country.
IT," (2"Ccu Herself an Example-Princess
Louise of E|aIes-BrOken Engage
lll"ntS-- Doing Away of Glass
Distinctions.

Distinctions.
Virginia NJ. 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, l
feel that | ought to confess at the outset
that l am almost u conservative in mat
rimonial questions believe in mar
ragc AZ IL fundamental basis Of society;
| believe in tho desirability of love
marriages, and even venture to believe
in the happiness of the great ma jority of
unions entered into under tho present
much abused marriage system.
We have no lack in England-by way
of cXamrle--of love marriages in the
highest rank of life, whore the tempta-
tionS to the marriage de convenance
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-
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
1,tnnl nj CrpSO hn
mono the less a Detrimental in the eyes
Of several members Of the royal family,
who steadily opposed the match. But
tho whole 5ympathics OF the Nation were
on the side of the future Princess Royal,
who has willingly sacrificed Il great part
OF h@r royal hOnors for tho sake of the
man she loves, and who may now be
seen shopping in Bond street unattended
or driving with her huiband in happy
tctc-a-tctc, 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
disinhcrit his son or daughter he can
not legally prevent them from marrying
whom they please. Even in cases
whore one or other of the contracting
parties being under ago they have re-
course to Il runaway marriage at reg
istrar office, and make false dcclara-
tioH of age in order to obviate the ne
ccsSity of producing the fathers consent,
even then the parents redress is but
meager one. They can have their re-
bolliouS son or daughter condemned to
short term of Imprisonment for false
swearing, but in no case can the mar
riage be annullcd. 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 a limited
number of exceptionally good ''partis,"
for whom ambitious mothers angle deX-
tcrously On behalf of their daughters, or.
worse still, for whom scheming damsels
anglo 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 acquaintance The whole
family cooperate in giving them q 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
''commo il faut' in England. The
young couple even travel and pay visits
in each others company, the fiancee ac-
companicd by her maid, if she should
happen to be possessed of that append
age. but oftcncr still quite without a
chapcron.
This freedom of social intercourse
OF hit to be a good safeguard against
girls ignorantly linking their fortunes
w,Jh ono whom it is mpossible for them
to love, wore it not that to throw over
the man she is engaged to Is regarded
by .cLY as so objectionable q crime.
1t seems to be only just dawning on
peoples minds that small scandal be-
fore marriage is preferable to a big
scandal after marriage. A charming
novelist. Sir Horny Cunningham, whose
delightful sketches of life in India are
widely read, has just published clever
nn"cl about London society, Tho Hest
ods." in which he makes the heroine
Olivia, deliberately jilt the rich young