The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1896-07-02
COLLEGES OF MOBILES.


duence In Continental Countries.
The congress held at Berlin of tho
mobiles of Germany for the discussion
of questions which have arisen with re-
L gard to the practice of dueling serves to
call attention to the fact that conven-
tions and colleges of mobiles exist in
every continental country of Europe ex-
cepting France, Italy and Switzerland,
the latter, in spite of its being repub-
lie, possessing large number of ex>
tremely patrician families.
In Austria and Russia the colleges are
regularly constituted bodies and repre-
scented as such in the legislatures,
provincial as we'll as imperial, by dele
gates, while each province has its So
called marshal of the nobility, who is
the president of the local college Of
mobiles. Inasmuch as most of these are
Landowners il is easy to appreciate
their Importance and till 80 years ago
they constituted pretty much the only
bodies in the empire that could in any
way be described as parliamentary.
In Russia there ia likewise, for each
Of the European provinces, an assembly
Of mobiles presided over by a marshal,
which constitutes practically the only
legislative diet in the district. At any
rate, it is the only representative body
that possesses the right as such to adj
dress the czar, and whatever sentiments
Of independence exist in Russia are to
be found in these colleges of mobiles.
Thus one of the first petitions that the
present car received after his ascen-
sion to the throne was an appeal from
the colleges of mobiles that he would un-
der no circumstances surrender even
the slightest vestige of his autocratic
power. These colleges constituted for
IN long time an insuperable obstacle to
the liberation of the serfs by ismperor
Alexander II. They have repeatedly
petitioned the crown against the aboli-
ton of the knout, and q few months ago
one of these colleges created q sensa~
ton by entreating the, car to make
a distinction between the mobiles of his
Own making ard those who are indebt-
cd for their rank to their Inheritance
--of course in favor of the latter.
In Spain the so-called college of no
bility represents the interests not OF
the thousand and one parvenu dukes.
marquises and counts, but merely those
Of the "Grandezza," a dignity which is
possessed by not more than 800 aris-
tocrats OF the bluest blood, many Of
them untitled. It was but the other
day that this college came to the fore
to protest against the concession of
the proud and ancient titles of duke of
Monteleone and duke of Terranova to a
couple of individuals of questionable
anteoedents and of plebeian birth, who
were publicly shown during the course
of an acrimonious debate in the cortcs
to have secured their titles in return
for the distribution of some of their
vast wealth among the members Of =
dishonest ring composed of certain
high officials in the department of for
eign affairs and In the royal household.
In Germany and in Scandinavia, as
also in Holland; Belgium and Portugal,
the colleges Of MOBILES are little better
than mere clubs, which receive no par
ticular recognition from the govern
ment and which are merely banded to-
gether for the preservation and care Of
the interests OF their order-N. Y. Trib-
ma