New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-04-25


'he occupant Of the throne OF Russia, for exam
PIE with non-knowledge to whether the esti-
Habie middle-cass gentleman who has by
means OF gigantic bribery in dollars and promises
or frantic tweakings at the lions tell, been
elected tawdry kind Of glorfed boss. to be
shaken hands with at Will in the White Hose
Tor four years, happens TO be called Elihu b.
Moggs or Washington Lafayette Smoker"
AN ILL-NATURED CONFESSION
This, 1t will be admitted. cannot be considered
In any way as a proof Of the groundessness of
the arguments advanced. but. on the contrary.
as an ill-naturea and rather vulgar confession
that they are true. and that the American gem
tlewoman goes out into tho world equipped with
a far more extensive stock Of useful general
knowledge than that possessed by the average
English woman. That In Itself. naturally. has
been sufficient to render her conversation and
her society infinitely more interesting and agree
able than those Of her British sisters to OF
the world such as the Prince Of Wales and 9TH
ers equally blase. who look upon ennu as the
one enemy who has It in his power to impair the
enjoymen: OF their existence and to embitter
their pleasures OF life. 1t is difficult to find any
subject Of conversation in which tho American
woman is not more or less az home. and concern
ing which sh. 10 not able to talk brightly freshly
and inte:iigently. But the English women who
do few and far between, and even
these looke6 upon either blue-stockings
as, for instance. the Duchess Of Sutherland. the
Duchess of Bedford and Lady Henry Somerset,
or else a. dangerously fast and perilousy Eighty
such as the Countess Of Warwick. The latter.
save for ne. beauty, is the British counterpart
Of Princess Pauline Metternich, bue her brill
fancy has led 10 her being assailed With such
animosity IT. society. and even at court, as 20
render her position in the London great world
exceedingly difficu!:-that, too, despite her rank
and wealth.
This absence of snobbishness in the American
woman is likewise conspicuous in the Ameri-
can man, no matter what position he occupies
IN the social organization OF the United States
He starts out with the conviction, not that ne
is better than every body else but that he is
JUS. as good-that he Is every other mans equal
That imparts TO his bearing a certain rHcon-
scious dignity which preclude5 the notion OF
obseQuiousness and enables him to meet princes
kings and emperors as man 10 man IN such
manner as to compel regard and respect. An
Englishman OF the upper or lower middle class.
ushered for the first time into the presence o.
royalty. will begin by erring on the SIDE or ex.
ccssive subservlency, which Will be Transformed
into offensive familiarity If he is treated by thc
illustrious parsonage with sufficient amount OF
geniality and condescension. But in the case OF
an American the prince, as general rule, does
not have to fear this. Nor does ne reel disposed
to display any degree Of condescension when
would mark the difference in rank ana mere
fore Nigh. be resented On the contrary, ne
talks TO the American on his own level and
the consequence is that the conversation IS 10
the prince vastly more entertaining and in
teresting than that OF nine"tenths or MS own
countrymen.
THE GENTLEMANS INNATE QUALITIES.
When. IN addition 20 this abseTce Of snobbish-
ness this self-respect and sentiment OF indc-
Dendence the American man happens to possess
refinement and breeding qualities with which
he manages 10 endow himself in an astonishing
" short time If they are not innate.ne De
comes most delightful and much-spusht-aIteI
friend and associate Of the great people III tne
ola world Nobody dreams of inqulring about
his parentage. The fact that he acts SPEAKS
and behaves like a gentleman is amp! suiI,
ciert and doors opened vide TO MN "hich
are kent vigorously barred to Europeans or IN
f1nitely higher social standing than tHat ~
which he belonged before leaving me C ,.',a
states An American gentleman is welcome
everywhere even in the most exclusive soclety,
and no questions are ever asked concerning i..'
BIRTH his origin, or even ms own 49, 80
All that is necessary Is that he should bear MN
self az a gentleman. Providing he does TINS, ne
enjoys an altogether exceptional posi'ion III I-u
rope and IT is peculiar fact tna' aoar ,ore
monarch of the Old World has one OF inoTe
American intimate friends with whom ne Is "oIe
occasionally TO talk as one man TO another, IN
stead of having the feeling that ne ~ speah,n ,
from tho top of a lofty altitude to the people
down below Only those who have lveo 1or an
Length OF time at the courts OF roy any ana "ho
have noted the manner In which tns ahsnnca
NJ the Lord" are addressed. the servile absence
Of All contradiction to which they are accus-
toned. and the atmosphere OF opSequio oh,, %
with which they are en'ironed VIII DC aore
understand how warmly these august Pei'o'i.
ages APPRECIATE being occasionally treated not
aa prince of tho blood. but as q mere sei'e
man-as man Of the worlo.
AMERICAN FRIENDS OF ROYALTY
Americans thus distinguished by the friend
shi1 and regard OF Old World royalty as RUE
show tina. they are worthy thereof by abstainlhg
from boasting abou. II. Thanks to TINS uscfe-
ton. it is not generally known that 1t was en-
American who acted as best man TO the I r
duke Michael OF Russia when ne narrieu Jun
tess Sophie Mehrenberg in defiance OF .he I1se
cars orders. There are severa' Aneric an,
members OF the very smart Mallpoi S aug IA nui
in London who have been proposed anu pu.
througn by the Prince OF Wales. ana sui! otneis
for whom he himself obtained the prlEreses ..
the CLUB during their stay IN l-oIoonc ,ae ~ 10
intin,ato friend and most trusted conhdant or the
aecruiCe Emperor Napoleon III was Bostohian'
Young Emperor William. as ever! one h h
daI;gbts IN the companiOnship or MS former
| American fellcw-student AZ the OhIVe!sits ~.
Pom who can boast Of being the one mar Oh
oa-tb with whom the Kaiser is uHalieC.eu..
natural and free from pose. lndeeo .he.e 80 49,
a crowned head in Europe or prince VI .r,o
Mood Of aav importance who does not nave oie
mr. morn Amelic0r cronies with "no, nc Ioi.
unbcnd without any danger OF .no o,,o ~ tai,e
unduiy familiar Of their endeaVorlns " az
odvantagc of the royal friendship 10 serve seiIS
nersonal interests and. above ALL WIZ w nv
offend him by sDooblshness +, ,,.,;ro,,p nm
,,hn soil of the United states Is uls,ihC'is ~
s-a,.aH1o 70 the cultivation Of snobbishness ana
,.r;nr The course oc a residence of several yeais
on ana of. in this country haVt mau E ,
o If observing that even those hnensh-
po 20" q, whom the complaint has been most acu.e
me-, - have been cured Of It before they nave
been here ong-the remedy IL t the birtbrieht
beinr that self-respect when is the
o sit attve citizen OF this great commonweaith
Oh "a. ,bcb seems 20 initiate the lungs OF even the
owes mmsrsnt f from Foot au[ on the r soil OF the
ment una ~ EX-ATTACHE.
| United States.
QE III QRLDA.