The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-03
The HanIsering for Titles.

About everybody who reads the newspa-
pers must have noticed that the dukes,
lords and counts of the old world are cap
turing our richest heiresses. We do not
know whether these marriages between
our lovely American girls, who have
money, and impecunious noblemen OF Eu-
rope, are love matches or not, but we can
not help thinking they are not. There is
no good reason why our bright and pretty
girls should prefer broken down, titled
aristocrats to the manly youths of their
own country, except for their titles. The
foreigners are certainly not superior to
American men in any particular, and it is
admitted that they are not as agreeable
to women as American men are.
The conclusion therefore is, apparently,
a fair one, that these marriages between
American heiresses and European noble
men are matters of bargain and sale
an exchange of titles for money. When
woman has MORE money than she knows
what to do with she is anxious for distinc-
ton of some sort. She can't be a captain,
or a major or a colonel, and If she marries
a major or a colonel or judge she is still
plain Mrs. so and so.
She can't have the distinction she wants
in her own country and therefore goes to
a foreign country where. with the help
of her millions. she hopes to become
duchess, a marquise or countess. In her
quest for social distinction she is willing
to put happiness behind her Like an am
bilious man she is ready to sacrifice al
most anything to accomplish the purpose
she has in view.
The girls are not always to blame in this
matter. There are ambitious mothers who
sacrifice the happiness Of their daughters
in order to form alliances with titled fam
lilies The girls have no voice in the selec.
ton of husbands. Their scheming mothers
make all the arrangements and require i'm
plicit obedience from them.
What is the remedy for this state of af-
fairs? Something less than 100000 has
been carried to Europe within a compare
lively few years by penniless lords who
| perhaps regarded the girls they had to ac-
cept with the millions as membranes.
HOW are we u Keep Jul SlIlS anu luelT
money at home? Something must be done
or else we shall not be able to export
enough corn. wheat and cotton to prevent
all our gold from going to Europe.
| No doubt congress would have been pc
titioned long ago 10 grant titles of nobility
! if it could do so. Would it not be better
to amend the constitution by striking out
the section prohibiting titles of nobility
\ than to allow our great heiresses to be
! dragged away to Europe? Isn't it worse to
! lose our rich girls and their cash than to
risk the dangers to be apprehended from
| titles of nobility? We are sure the trainers
of the constitution never thought of the
probability of an American girl having
| SlO0OC.000 with which to purchase a duke
| or S15,000OOO with which to purchase a
count. If they had they might have hest
| tated about adopting that clause of the
constitution which compels Money Bags
and his wife to remain plain Mr.. and Mrs
Cannot the Colonial Danes and the Sons
| and Daughters of the Revolution point out
some way to save our rich girls from sacri-
fcing themselves for titles? Here is an op-
portunity for them to distinguish them
selves and render their country a real SER
vice.