The united opinion. [volume] (Bradford, Vt.) 1881-1970, 1891-06-19
THETRUTH ABOUT TITLES
OF THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN NO
=, eLES AND ARisTocRATs.

There he Many Titled Piebeians and
Many Untitled Aristocrats-Points {.
No Observed by Americans In Confer
ring TrIsndship ON Titled Foreigners
Especial Correspondence.
New YORK, June 4.-One great errol
into which the majority of Americans
visiting Europe almost invariably fall
is their belief that every person bearing
nobiliary title necessarily belongs tt
the aristocracy, and possesses strain OF
blue blood in his veins. This is very fal
from being the case. For. paradoxical
though 1t may appear, there are many
dukes, princes and earls who are pie.
beians, while there are numerous un.
titled personages who are aristocrats. In
Spain, for instance, there are about 200
dukes, 900 marquesses and several thou
sand counts-none Of their titles. how
ever, carry with them any rights, rank
at court or precedence, and enjoy 80 lit
tie consideration that there is success
full halter at Madrid who has been Gre
ated duke, a retail butcher who has
received the title of marquis, and pedi-
cure, or chiropodist, who has been made
a count. The real aristocracy Of Spain
is limited to 243 grandees, many of them
untitled, but who enjoy innumerable
privileges, including those of remaining
seated and covered in the presence of
royalty, and of access to the sovereign
at all times.
Nothing is more amusing than to OBJ
serve the punctilious care of these gran
dees to address parvenu dukes, mar
quesses and counts by their titles. In
fact, the courtesy is so pointed as to al.
most become insulting. For among
themselves the grandees never by any
chance make use of any titles which
they may possess. They merely prefix
the word don" to their Christian names,
and address one another as don" Emilio.
"Don" Fernando or "Dona" Angela.
This omission of the use of titles among
the old aristocracy likewise prevails in
France. and especially in Italy. Mrs.
Mackay's Roman son-in-law, for in
stance, would never he spoken to by
equals as Prince" Ferdinand Colonna,
while at Paris the Duke de la Rochefou-
cauld or the Princess de Chimay are in
variably addressed by the denizens of
the noble faubourg as Monsieur" de la
Rochefoucauld and as madame" de
Chimay.
This species of disdain with which
titles are regarded in Spain, Portugal,
Italy and France is mainly attributable
to the facility with which anybody who
wishes can obtain them. In Spain, for
instance, all that is necessary is to mar
ry some lady with title to her name.
In that country the inheritance of titles
is not limited to the males, but is ex-
tended to the females as we'll, who have
the curious privilege of being able to
Hpsfer to their husbands the titles
hich they have inherited and which
by possess in their own right. Thus
Duke of San Lucar, whose features
3 familiar to every American who has
sited Biarritz during the last forty
Years, and who died a few days ago, was
IN Irishman of the name of O'Shea, who
lad married girl that had inherited
he dukedom of San Lucar from bach
,lor uncle, and who had transferred it
20 her husband. The latter was the son
# q bankrupt Irish banker and cousin
II the Captain U"Shea OF Parnell fame
Granville Murray, the famous jour-
lalist and novelist, likewise acquired his
title of count from his wife, who had in
lerited it. In Portugal, where all he
'editary titles have been abolished and
where they are held only for life, it is
possible to become duke, marquis, count
" baron by the payment of relatively
mall sums of money into the national
treasury There are any number of
English and other foreign merchants en-
ragged in Portuguese trade who have
acquired high sounding titles in this
manner, one of the best known cases
icing that Of the husband of Tennie
Jlaflin. who, although merchant of St.
oaul's Churchyard, London, has caused
himself to he invested by the Portuguese
with the grand old crusader
title of Viscount of Montserrat. In
tally, too, any title can be obtained by
he payment of money.
There is regular fixed tariff, the cash
'dlu OcllS uOoCIAUcu DIS It3 lSUTdUlOu |
lues.' Thus everybody who does not
lappen to be notorious criminal can
'uy an hereditary title of count either
rom the pope or from King Humbert
or the sum Of $5,O00.> know two dis
equitable Syrian usurers of Alexandria,
n Egypt, who each acquired a count
hip in this mannt +, the one getting it at
he Vatican, and the other at the Quirinal
he sole difference between the two was
hat, whereas the latter insisted on the
5000 being paid in gold, the papal au-
lorities were content to accept the I
mount in paper lire. A dukedom is
omewhat more costly. Its price reaches
s high as $4,000, and among those who
ecured it by these sort of methods was
he widow of Isaac Singer, of Singer
ewing machine fame When she con- I
erred her hand and her fortune upon
he amiable but penniless little Amster-
lam Hebrew who became her second
she purchased for him from
he Vatican, as wedding gift, the title I
# Duke of Camposelice. All these 1tal-
an titles descend to the children, who