Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-20


rapidly as the true history of their occu-
pancy and associations.
L. q. WASHINGTON.
WHAT IS AN EsQUIREs
A Title Which Everybody Thinks He
OWns-WhO Are EsHOnOrable 2"
From the New York Tribune
What Is an esquire? Not one in ten
thousand of the people who daily make use
of its abbreviated form in addressing let
tiers has even the faintest idea of the real
meaning and Importance Of the term; the
majority Of them, indeed. have probably
never given the matter a thought-no more
than they have to the title mr." or MRS"
Still less is 1t understood by foreigners, to
whom 1t, Is never-faling source OF per-
plexity, and who. in their courteous an
xiety to do the right thing, often add the
word Esquire" in full to a name already
adorned with the prefix of Mr."
Strictly speaking. the word esquire" .s
ncbiliary title, fact which will doubt
less astonish many of those worthy Ameri-
cans who, while processing truly republic
can contempt for such 'gewgaws" as hon
critic distinctions. make constant and
daily use of the term. 1t is the English
the particle won" Of the French "gentil-
homme" with the particle de" of the
Spanish "Hidalgo'' and of the Portuguese
'Fidalgo." Being a nobiliary title, only
right thereto. They may be divided into
two classes. namely, those who are es-
quires by virtue of inheritance and those
who are esquires ex-officio. The latter
Church of England. judges, deputy lieu
tenants of counties and commissioned Off
GERS Of the army and navy. and lawyers.
The nobility of these. being ex-officio. is of
a r,N1 4nI h.
transmitted to their children. who have
therefore no legal right to their fathers
title of esquire. The other esqures are
either persons who have received from the
are the llneal male descendants. legally
begotten, of the original grantee of the coat
of arms" such. for instance. as Mr.. Scrope
Of Dandy. whose ancestor in 1889 was able
was far superior to that of the Grosvenors,
although he himself remains &c. Scrope,
esq., while the present chief of the Gros-
venors bears the title of Duke Of West
minister. Sir Bernard Burke, perhaps the
greatest heraldic authority of the present
century, declares that peers, baronets
and esquires entitled by inheritance to ar
mortal bearings constitute the nobility
of the country"
Physicians, professors. actors, bankers,
journalists, manufacturers merchants etc.,
are none of them entitled ex-offtcio to the
addition of the word Esquire to their
or pretension thereto. If it Is accorded
to them 1t is merely by courtesy, a wish
to please them by addressing them with a
title which does not belong to them, but
for which they long Just on this particu-
lar ground 1t Is used more frequently In
addressing people of this class than these
who are esduires by right. Thus you Llay
address the Duke of Norfolks cousin, Hen
ry Howard who, besides being a member
Of the Order Of the Bath. is minister plen-
ipotentiary and first secretary of the Brit
ish embassy at Paris. as Mr." Howard
without danger of mourning his wrath;
but woe betde you If you dare use the
prefix Mr. in directing even the most
informal Communication to Harry Jones or
Thomas Smith. -N~
Another title OF this kind which is a
source of no end Of pcrplexity and misuse
is the prefix of honorable" which belongs
by custom and unwritten law to the young
er sons OF earls and to all the children of
viscounts and barons. 1t Is a distinction
purely personal and, unlike other titles
Of the same kind. cannot be shared by the
wife If she happens to be the daughter of
aounsar Sretier TRns LORD
William Darlington. but his American wife
is plain Mrs. Darlington. without the title
OF honorable. And whereas Lord Gran
brooks youngest daughter Margaret is the
Hon. Mrs. Goschen, her husband is plain
Mr.. George Goschen. and in no way hon.
orableI mean. of course, in the titular
sense. The prefix In question Is used only
never
any circumstances upon visiting card.
Indeed. the youth who was held by the
immigration authorities at Ellis Island
the other day. and who claimed to be the
son OF an English peer, backing I'D his
statements by the display of visiting cards
inscribed with the predicate of honorable.
stamped himself ipso facto as a vulgar
impostor. If you address a letter to the
son OF peer. you drop the Mr." and
merely prefix 1.-THE Hon." to his Christian
name, as, for instance. THE Hon. Rupert
Craven" In the case of an unmarried
daughter Of peer. the same rule applies
with prefixing 1.-THE Hon." Lord Aiington's
youngest daughter being addressed in cor
respondence as THE Hon. Mabel Sturt."
But II the peers daughter happens to be
prefxed to the predicate of Mrs." thus:
THE Hon. Mrs. Hardinge."
Besides these there are two other classes
OF people who have right to the title of
by virtue Of thef, office They are The
maids of honor and bedchamber women of
the queen. and colonial legislators. Every
married lady who joins the queens house
hold In the capacity of a bedchamber wo-
man, or young girl who is appointed maid
of honor, becomes from that moment an
honorable" Just as II she was peers
daughter. and retains the distinction
she holds her office at court. The colonial
legislator is entitled to be addressed as an
honorable" only while he retains his seat
In the colonial parliament and is distin-
guished from the peers son by the fact
that in his case the Hon" is prefixed to
the word "Mr."
In conclusion it may be well to draw at
tention to the distinction that exists be-
tween the nobility and the peerage. two
terms that, contrary to general opinion.
are by no means synonymous, since there
are many aristocrats who not only are not
peers, but are even devoid of any title
whatsoever. This is a matter about which
great deal of misconception prevails,
particularly in this country The aristoc-
racy may be said to consist exclusively of
persons who have inherited in direct line
from more or less remote ancestors the
right to armorial bearings. originally con-
ceded by some sovereign or other and duly
registered by the various official colleges
of heralds in Europe.
Pushed Off a Moving Train.
Mrs. Mary Prudan had a narrow escane