The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-03-10
THE GENEALOGICAL CRAZE.
Now Running lite Course Among thu
American People.
CONDENSED from the New York Evening
Post by Public Opinion.)

CONDENSED from the New York Evening
Post by Public Opinion.)
There undoubtedly is something in our
American temperament that prevents our
doing anything in moderation. Does
this come from our climate, or Gas am
inclined to think) from the curiousiy
unelassiied state of society In our coun-
try, where no one is sure of his own OF
his neighbours standing? In other lands
a reasonable pride of birth has always
been one of the bonds holding communi-
ties together Il is estimated at its just
value, and left at one side. We, after
having ignored the subject for half CEN
fury, suddenly rush to the other extreme,
and develop an enire forest of genealogi-
cal trees at sitting. Chagrined proba-
bly, at the small amount of consideration
that their superior birth commanded, a
number of aristooratically minded ma
irons united few years ago as "Daugh-
tiers of the Revolution" combining menu
bership to women descended from officers
of Washington's army. The originators
probably imagined they were founding an
exclusive circle, but the numbers who
lamored for admittance quickly dispeiled
this foolish illusion. So a small group CT
the elect withdrew in disgust and banded
together under the cognomen of Colonial
Danes" The only result of these two
movements was to awaken envy, hatred
and malice in the hearts of those exclud-
ed from the mysterious rites, which to
outsiders apparently consisted of black
balling as many aspirants as possible.
Some victims of this bad treatment,
thirsting for revenge, struck on the happy
thought of inauguratipg an Aztec"
society. AS that title conveyed absolutely
no idea to any one, it's members were
forced to explain that only descendants
of soldiers. having fought in Mexico would
be received into their circle. What mem
bers did when they got into the circle
was not specified. The ''Social Order OF
Foreign Vars was the next creation, Its
authors evidently considering the Mexl-
can campaign as a domestic article,
sort of family squabble. The Children
of 1922 in turn attracted attention, both
groups having immediate success.
Jealous probably of seeing women hay.
ing all the fun, their husbands and broth
ers banded together as Sons OF the Revo-
lution.'' The women retallated by instl-
tuting the Granddaughter of the
Revolution following with The
Mayflower order" the "price of admis-
sion" to the latter being descent from
some one who crossed In that celebrated
ehip--whethar as crew or passenger is
not clear. 1t was not, however. In the
American temperament to rest content
with such modest beginnings, the nation
= 1 hoe 0v,ix Nod
enough for me.'' So the wind was quick
ly taken out of the Mayfiower's sails by
1.-THE Royal sOrder of the Crown" to
which none need apply who were not pre-
pared to prove descent from one or more
royal ancestors. 1t was not Fstated In the
prospectus whether Irish sovereigns and
Fiji island kings counted, but it appears
that bar sinisters form class apart.
being deprived of the right TO vote or
hold office. Descent from any old king
was, however, not sufficient tor the high
toned people of our republic. One really
must draw the line somewhere Gas the
Boston paryenu replied when asked why
he had not invited his brother to ball.
So the founders of the "Circle of Holland
Danes of the New Netherlands" drew the
line at members descended from a sover-
eign Of the low countries. 1t does not
seem as if this could be large society,
although those old Dutch pashas had IAN
unconscionable number of children.
But / am wrong to Joke on such q seri-
GUS subject For this state of affairs is
becoming really serious. When sane
human beings form a "Baronial Order
of Runnymede, announcing in their
prospectus that only descendants through
the male line from one or more of the 40
noblemen who forced King John to sign
the Magma Charta are what our Washing
ton Mrs. Malaprop would call "legible,"
the matter attests diseased condition of
the community. "Burke's Peerage" is
acknowledged to be the most faxed"
volume In the English language, but the
descents it gives are like mathematical
demonstrations compared to the "trees"
that members of this new order climb.
This malariaI condition of the social at
mosphere accounts for the quantity of
genealogical quacks that have taken to