The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1891-12-07
The Coarseness In English Society.

AIRY Innovations.
The Coarseness In English Society.
The testimony in the suit Of the Countess
RussELt against her husband. Earl Rus
SELL. makes manifest the coarse streak
which runs through English character and
English society even Of the highest cla ss.
Both the Countess And the Earl, testify
ing on their own behalf. revealed this strain
in themselves with frankness which would
have been astonishing in lady or gentle
man Of corresponding social elevation in
this country. though 1t seems to have ex-
clted no surprise In England and to have
provoked no special comment there. She
did not attempt to hide the fact that. in
spite Of her charges and insinuations
against the Earl. she would not have
brought the suit II he had provided o sat-
isfactory separate maintenance for her.
She accused the Earl OF the most out
ra8eous conduct toward herself and of
practices apart from her Of unspeakable in.
fanny and degradation. She was not re-
strained by motives Of delicacy from de-
scribing experiences of their conjugal life
which it Is hard to believe that any lady
would expose. unless under the COM
pulsion Of the EXTREMIST severity and
in legal proceedings from which she
could not escape. Yet hers was o
suit for support only. for she was
not obliged to live with her husband, and II
he Is the kind Of man she represented him
to be. she ought not to have lived with him.
In self-respect. in ordinary decency. she
would have been forced to leave his loath-
some society. Hence she invited the ordeal
through which she has passed in court and
before the eyes Of the whole world. She
made the most indicate exposures and the
vilest insinuations of her own motion pure
ly. and for q mercenary purpose merely.
since she was under no necessity OF vlndi-
eating her course In DESERVING her husband.
The result Of the trial shows that her sac
riflce Of womanly delicacy was to no pur-
pose. She made out no case whatever
against the Earl. Under the freest divorce
laws Of our States she could not have won
her suit 30 contested. She had no evidence
to offer In support Of her insinuations
against him. though the very making Of
them ought to have been almost impossible
for lady.
Yet this feature Of the suit. as we have
said. does not seem to evoke discussion in
England. It Is rather taken as matter Of
course. and not out Of line with the current
conceptions Of the refinement Of lady. To
us 1t is complete distortion of the ideal
we form Of such character.
On the side Of the Earl the exposure Of
moral turpitude was frank to tho extreme
Of brutality. He confessed that he had Sc
duced . woman servant in his family and
had kept up his relations with her until o
short time before his engagement to
the Countess. This acknowledgment OF
his baseness was not wrung from
him with difficulty. but was freely
made Us II 1t were an ordinary
incident OF high life In England. He seems
to have exhibited no shame about the
affair. and he spoke OF it as known to
ladies Of the family OF the Countess at the
time Of his marriage. When he left the
court room at the conclusion OF the trial he
was cheered Justify by the crowd outside.
and in the evening dined at his club amid
the congratulations OF his friends. In at
least aristocratic English opinion he seems
to have come out unscathed. his reputation
as gentleman not suffering.
Yet. with US. such mans character
would be irretrievably damaged. The Sc
duction OF servant girls is not regarded as
q gentlemanlike diversion here. 1t is not
consistent with our notions of what becomes
q gentleman or which entities him 20 be 80
regarded in any circle Of society. In Eng
land 1t Is very different. as this case has
proved and US many other revelations Of the
life of the English aristocracy bear witness.
The coarseness OF speech as to such matters
among English gentlemen OF tho highest
class and the gentlest associations Ia some
times fairly revolving to On American OF
corresponding social standing. Such Eng
lishmen acknowledge with brutal candor q
moral obtuseness or degradation astound-
ing To MS.
I'll" truth j. tina: in The matter Of dclicacy
Of fre.ln. and honor in the relations with
women We exceed any other people.
A magazine writer OF this month under
takes to answer tho question whether
Americans love money. or course they love
1t. but their love for 1t does not express
itself so frankly and constantly as the Eng
lishman's. Money Is far more the
subject OF conversation In English
society than In our own. The incomes
of people are really more prominent in the
thoughts and discussions Of men aud women
in England than they are In this country.
Wealth IL an object OF worship and admira-
ton In English society to degree unknown
In American circles Of similar elevation. &C
cordipg to the conventional standards. The