New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-06-16
&" ESQ"
A TITLE WHICH EVERYBODY THINKS HE
OWNS-WHO ARE HONORABLE
AND WHO ARE NOT.

AND WIN -%NE MI.
What is an esquire? Not one in ten thousand
q, the people who daily make use Of its abore-
Waited form in addressing letters has even the
faintest idea Of the real meaning and Importance
of the term; the majority of them indeed. nave
nrobably rever given the matter a thougnt-no
more than they have to the title Mr.. or Mrs
still less is 1t understood by foreigners. to whom
II is never-failing source Of perplexity. and who
in their courteous anxiety to do the right thing.
often add the word esquire in full to name al
ready adorned with the prefix Of Mr..
Strictly speaking the word Esquire" is nobili-
ary title. a fact which will doubtless astonish
many OF those worthy Americans who. while pro-
Tossing truly republican contempt for such
"gewgaws" as honoriic distinctions. make con-
stont and daily use of the term. 1t is the English
equivalent Of the German Elder with the par
ticle won Of the French "gentilhomme" with the
particle de" Of the Spanish 'Hidalgo' and OF the
Portuguese "Fidalgo." Being nobiliary title
only a limited number of people have legal right
thereto. They may be divided into two classes.
namely those who esqures by virtue or in
hertance and those who esquires ex-oicio
The latter comprise duly ordained divines of the
Church Of England. judges. deputy lieutenants or
counties and commissioned officers Of the army
and navy. and lawyers The nobility OF these. De-
ing ex-offico, is Of purely personal nature and
cannot be transmitted to their children. who have
therefore no legal right TO their fathers title OF
esquire The other esquires are either persons who
have received from the Crown a grant of arnoral
bearings or who are the lineal 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 to prove
In a public court that his nobility was far su-
perior to that Of the Grosvenors. although he HIM
self remains &c. Scrope. Esq" while the present
chief of the Grosvenors bears the title of Duke OF
Westminster. Sir Bernard Burke. perhaps the
greatest heraldic authority of the present cen
fury declares that peers. baronets and esqulres
entitled by inheritance TO armoral bearings con-
stitute the nobility Of the country
Physicians professors. actors. bankers. journal
lists manufacturers merchants etc. are none OF
them entitled ex-offcio 10 the addition OF the
word ESQUIRE 10 their name and cannot put
forward any claim or pretenson thereto IL IL
Is accorded to them it is merely by courtesy
wish to please them by addressing them with
title which does not belong to them. but for
which they long. Just this particular ground
II is used more frequently In addressing people
OF this class than those who are esquires Dy
right. The latter. of their duly defined
rank are not so tenacious about the matter
whereas the former are exceedingly sensitive
on the subject and are apt to resent any neglect
m afix the magic ESD to their patronymc
as an ungracious reminder Of the inferiority
Of their social status. The result Is that "hile
from motives OF delicacy and courtesy. well-pred
people make point of clubbing esquire those
~ their acouaintances and correspondents who
have no claim to the title-frequently even IN
their communications with tradesmen-they sell
dom make use Of the word among themselves.
save in the most formal and ceremonious COM
munications. Thus you may address the Duke
If Norfolk's cousin. Henry Howard. who, besides
being a member Of the Order of the Bath, Is
Minister Plenipotentiary and first Secretary OF
the British Embassy a, Paris as MI Howard
without danger of mourning his wrath; but woe
betide YOU IL you dare use the prefix MI IN
directing even the most informal communication
N Harry Jones or Thomas Smith.
Another title of this kind which Is source
n no end OF perplexity and misuse is the prenx
of honorable" which belongs by custom and
unwritten law to the younger sons OF ears ana
10 all the children Of viscounts and barons IL
n distinction purely personal, and unlike
other titles OF the same kind. cannot be shared
nv the wife II she happens to be the daughter
Of a commoner. Thus. Lord Carrington's
younger brother Bill is Colonel the Hon Will
liam Darlington. but his American wife is PLAIN
Mrs. Carrington without the title Of honorable.
And whereas Lord Cranbrooks youngest daugh-
,er Margaret is the Hon. Mrs. Goschen. her
husband IL plain Mr. George Goschen. and In no
vav bonorable-I mean, Of course in the ntular
sense The prefix in question Is used only IN
addressing a letter. and never under any CIR
cumstances upon a visiting card lhueeu thc
youth who was held by the Immigration au-
thorities at Ellis Island the other day. ana VINO
claimed 70 be the son Of an English peer back
Ing I'D his statements BY the display OF Visi'-
Ing cards inscribed with the predicate OF honor-
,h,e s,amned himself ipso facto vulgar
impostor II you address letter to the son Oh
neer. YOU drop the "Mr." and merely prefix
"rhe Hon" to his Christian name as, Tor IN
stance. THE Hon. Rupert Craven In the case
., on unmarried daughter Of peer. the same
,,,a ann,ies-you drop the Miss" and content
voursef with prehxing THE Hon." Lord Aing-
ton's Youngest daughter being addressed IN cor
respondence as 1.-The Hon Mabel Stnr' But II
the peers daughter happens TO be married. theh
Tho Authorization Hon" is prefxed TO the predi-
o.,. ~ "Mrs" thus THE Hon. Mrs Har-
dinge"
Resides these there are two other classes Oh
neople who have right to the tue OF ho"o'
able: not by birth, however. but by virtue Vi
,he,r office. They are the maids Of honor and bed
chamber women of the Queen. and colonial ieg's-
,ators. Every married lady who joins the Queens
S,.aho,d In the capacity of a bedchamDcr
,,oroar or Young girl who Is appointed maid OF
hnroy becomes from that moment an honorap'e
,u.t az II she was peers daughter, and retains
tha d,st,nction throughout her life no matter now
,ong che holds her office at court the colonial
LEGISLATOR is entitled to be addressed as an hohor
able only while he retains his seat IN the cool'a'
parliament. and Is distinguished from tne peer
son by the fact that in his case the Hon IS pre-
Aged 10 the word "Mr." Until rev years ago
"bonorables" Of this kind were deDarrea i,o''
using this title outside their own colo"'. w
1st before Mr. Gladstone went out OF ol''ce III "e
last time he induced the Queen 10 sign d" o'I