The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-12-05

earIs all are. ent.tled by courtesy to the
prefix of Lady" to their Christian
names, while the daughters of Wis
counts and barens have to content
themselves with the prefix of sHonor-
able" These pre6xes are retained
even after marriage. Thus, Lord
Pauncefote's daughte4, who was known
before her marriage as the 'Honora-
BILE" Lillian Pauncefote has now be-
come the Honorable Mrs. Brom-
ley, her husband having, of course,
no share in her title. The
prefix Honorable is naturally
a visiting card. but only on the en-
velope of a letter. Letters, for in
stance, to Mrs. Bromley, should be ad-
dressed "The Honorable Mrs. Brom-
ley" But they shoald begin Dear
Mrs. Bromley" and her visiting cards
merely bear the name Mrs. BROMLEY
ON VISITING CARDS.
Only a short time ago London So
ciety was considerably wrought up as
to whether the prefix "Honora BILE"
should be used on visiting cards. But
the projected innovation was promptly
condemned as bad form. on the ground
that visiting cards are meant for use
among friends and acquaintances who
are supposed to be cognizant of all the
claims to distinction Of the owner of
the pasteboard. To mention them on
the cards Is an act of self-assertion,
bordering on discourtesy. since it i'm
plies that the proprietor of the card
considers that the recipient thereof
needs to be reminded of his social en-
inence.
No objection, of course, can be found
to mentioning on visiting cards titles
which may be regarded as constituting
a part Of the name. Thus. although
the wife of the present Minister of War
in England is merely Lady Lansdowne
to her friends and to society she fig
ures as the Marchioness of Lansdowne
on her cards; and the future Duchess
of Rutland, although spoken to as Lady
CRANKY, is STYLED on her cards the
lMarchioness of CRANKY. A dowager
peerless generally prefixes her Chris
| tan name to her. titles so as to be dis
| tinguished from the consort of the
actual holder of the peerage. For in
stance, the mother of Lord Dudley, a
married man, styles herself on her Wis
iting cards "Georgiana, Countess of
Dudley"
Baronets and knights enjoy the prefix
of "Sir" to their Christian names. while
their wives, unless they happen to be
daughters of an earl, marquis or duke.
have the title Lady prefixed to the
ipatronymics of their husbands. The
wife of Sir Edgar Vincent, who is a
knight, has her cards inscribed Lady
Helene Vincent" in consequence of the
fact that she is the daughter of the
Earl of Faversham. Had her father
not possessed a peerage she would have
had to remain content with the title of
LADY Vincent"
The lowest rank of the peerage is the
order OF Baron" They are, however.
never addressed as Baron" but al
ways as Lord" and Lord is the title
which is used on their cards. A peer
of the order of Barons who is addressed
as Baron" would feel deeply offended
since it would be putting him from a
titular point of view upon the level OF
those Barons of the petty German
states. where dignities of this kind are
scattered about broadcast in an indis.
. criminate fashion.
; IN FORMAL CORRESPONDENCE
! Strictly speaking, British peers are
, entitled to be formally addressed by
letter as THE Right Honorable" mar
; quises are addressed in the same way
as THE Most Honorable" while 4
dukes letters are addressed to Hi.
Grace" All these forms of "Righ
Honorable" Most Honorable" ant
His Grace" are used in NOR,
formal and ceremonious CORE
spondence and in cases where the per
sonage addressed occupies a high Off
cial position. In ordinary social inter
} course one would address the envelop
, merely THE Earl of Westmeath," o
only Lord Westmeath." Thus it i
perfectly right and proper to make us
lof the phrase THE Right Honorable
in addressing even non-offlcial lette
to Lord Pauncefote, who is not only
Privy Councillor to the Queen, bu
= likewise her Ambassador at Washing
ton. But it would have been bad forr
to have used the same ceremoniou
2 mode of address In sending, say, let
ter of invitation to the young Lor
WeStmeath when he was attached t
= the British Embassy at Washington
> The general tendency in England
, to dispense as much as possible wit
, the use of titles in social intercourse
the ladies of the reigning family, fror
. the Queen herself down to her little 3
} lyear-old great-grandchild, daughter O
, the Duke and Duchess of York, bein
addressed merely as ''ma'am," Will
every royal prince is styled sir" tn
titles Your Majesty and Your Roya
: Hfghness" being rarely used save O.
!. Extremely ceremonious occasions.
, The same reluctance to make use O
, titles in social intercourse is to b
found among the old aristocracy a.
. over Continental Europe. At Madrid
} for instance, and in patrician society a
Rome, Florence and other Italian cite
where the mobiles have sometimes
string OF twenty titles apiece, rangin
from duke down to baron, they conten
themselves with the prefix Don" t
. their Christian names, their wives an
p daughters in the same way using tn
2 word "Dona" in lieu of any title. In
deed, titles are little used on visitin
= cards by the old patrician families ey