Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1896-08-30
OUR SOCIAL WORLD


(All items of social interest will be gladly
noted in these columns If sent to Mrs.
George c. Ball, Nineteenth street, between
Tenth and Eleventh avenues. South High
lands. Telephone 9S8)
am quite sure that the average news
paper reader will forgive me for again
referring to the Vanderbilt wedding, be-
cause I do SO only with a desire to call
attention to the gentility and respectable
ity of all the details and arrangements
connected with it. In striking contrast
to several notable weddings of the past
year. the Whitney-Vanderbilt nuptials
stand out conspicuous for good form,
and they Indicate gentle breeding not
affected by desire for vulgar display.
1t was not necessary to hire Gordon of
police to keep back a curious mob from
the doors of the princely home, nor was
it deemed essential to issue bulletins to
an eager public giving information as to
the brides trousseau and the amount of
money expended on the prepare ton of it.
Miss Vanderbilt and Mr.. Harry Payne
Whitney were married like the two we'll
bred, Well-reared young Americans that
they are. A few more such weddings
would do much towards putting stop
to the Snobby tendencies of the new
rich, who so frequently offend the good
taste af the public by lavish and often
sive expenditure of money. "All the
world loves lover" and every one with
a spark of sentiment feels a generous in
terest in the marrying and giving in
marriage of happy young friends. And
in this artistic time, when 1t is possible
to render even the smallest affairs of life
attractive, it is seemly and proper that
weddings, whether at church or at home,
should be made as beautiful as possible.
10 t6kafa oslo Of frl'c 70 hon
everything practicable and in good taste
should be done to contribute to her hap
piness and qualification. But marriage
is too solemn an affair-the most serious
time of a whole life-and well-bred peo-
pie have set the seal of their disapprova1
upon the grotesque and fantastic matri-
monial displays, descrip tons of which
have during the past year filled the col
umns of the metropolitan papers.
The example set by Miss Gertrude Van
derbilt on being married like sweet and
womanly American girl, who had no 9TH
er object in marrying except that she
loved the man of her choice, will be
very beneficial and wholesome one in
many parts of our country. This exam
pie is not needed in our good town, where
these matters are so well arranged and
so we'll conducted. There are no prettier
functions anywhere than Birmingham
weddings, and none which give palmer
evidence of the good breeding and genteel
instincts OF our people. bul III Certain
portions of the country, even in one or
two cities of the south, there have been
laughabla efforts on the part of certain
members of the smart set to initiate in a.
feeble way the absurd exhibitions Incl
dental to the marriage of the other Van
derbilt girl, who Is now the Duchess of
Marlborough.
The expected reconciliation of Mr.. Cor
nelius Vanderbilt ST., with his son, Cor
nelius, Jr., did not occur, and there seems
to be no immediate hope that the families
will meet again for many months, at
least, as Mr.. and Mrs. Cornelius Van
derbilt, Jr., sailed for Europe few days
ago. Mr.. Vanderbilt Sr., seems to be
unyielding in his opposition to his sons
marriage, not from financial or social
standpoint, as his daughter-in-law is a
woman of wealth and position, but his
objection is based solely upon the un-
fortunate difference that exists in the
ages of the bride and groom, the latter
being from eight to ten years younger
than his wife and too young himself to
appreciate the dangerous experiment he
made in marrying woman so much
older than himself. There are few men
who have married women so much their
seniors who have not lived to deeply de-
plore the fatal blunder and Mr.. Wander
bilt ST., seemed to have only sincere
desire to save his son from almost GER
tain future misery, by the positive posi-
ton which he assumed. The lncompre-
hensible feature of this widely discussed
case was the anxiety exhibited by the
bride--Miss Grace Wilson--and her fami-
jy to enter family who so seriously OBJ
jected to the connection, and upon purely
personal grounds. The Wilson's are
soutberners, to be sure, but l doubt if
any Of us know southern girl who, with
greed for gold, would marry man ten
years younger than herself when his
family were unrelentingly bitter in their
opposition to the marriage. Our girls,
who have grown up under the turquoise
skies of this blessed region. hold to their
sweet womanliness and are full of that
truest. purest sentiment that makes life
worth the living and gives us glimpses
of the life beyond.
Every one who reads the daily tele-
graphic reports, even in the most care
less fashion is aware of the many and
strenuous efforts that have been made by
the lawyers of the young Atlanta MUIR
derer, Arthur Hanye, to induce the gov
ernor of Georgia to commute the sem
tence of death to that of Imprisonment
for life, After respite, granted to al
low the unfortunate criminal opportu-
nifty to prepare for death Hanye was
sentenced to be hanged on Friday, the
21st instant, but on the Thursday pre-
vious new evidence was presented, and