Evening star., 1900-11-16
TOABOLISHTHE"DOT"
A Recent Important Reform in the
French Army.
AN OFFICER Can MARRY FOR LOVE
The Bride Will Not Be Required
to Have a Marriage Portion.
FOR NJ Err BAR RI E r
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.

Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
PARIS, October 2S 1900.
A reform has been introduced re-
Gently in the French army, which,
while being matter of deep inter-
est to the French people themselves, will
enlist the sympathy Of all who have at
heart the welfare and amelioraton of the
social lot of the weaker sex. Gen. Andre,
the French minister of war has issued a
decree abolishng the hitherto Indispensable
dot" for officers wives. The dot" or
marriage portion, which every Frenchman
who marries-he Is a steadily diminishing
quantity-expects to receive with his wife
is one of the most deeply rooted Institutions
in France. 1t is. in fact. hardly an exagge-
ration to say that the average Frenchman
he rag picker or aristocrat, looks around
not for wife, but dot" At the same
time 1t is only fair to add that there are
praiseworthy exceptions to this general
rule, which, nevertheless. exists. and con-
Stitutes very often a fatal barrier to the
marriage Of many a worthy but, unfortu-
nately, poor French girl. In this respect
she is infinitely worse off than her Amer
can sister in a similar station of life. whose
lot, moreoN er. is far more enviable as re-
CARDS social liberty and the enjoyment Of
practically untrammeled freedom in the
choice Of husband. The existence of the
dot system as an unwritten law of
French society bears hardly enough upon
the fortuneless girl, but It was a real hard
ship to many when it held it's place as a
military regulation, written down in black
and white and vigorously enforced, as was
the case up to but few days ago.
OF Many Years Standing.
The French army regulation concerning
the officers dot dates from December, 1S43,
when Marshal Soult, Napoleon's great gen.
eral and the tough rival of the Iron Duke
in the peninsuar war, was at the head OF
the military organization of France. He
issued circular directing that from that
time forth nc officer should be accorded
permission to marry unless his intended
wife brought him as dot sum producing
not less than .2GO francs $2i0) year; eX
ception only to be made in the case of
the fancee being the daughter of an officer
who was member of the Legion of Honor.
The circular dictated a number of meas
ures to be taken-the securing of informa
ton as to the honCrab.eness and financial
position Of the fiancee and her family, &c
in order to prevent any contrapention OF
the regulation This decree, with unim-
portant notifications remained in effect
up to the present time: it being confirmed
and enforced by Lieut.. Gems. TreZel, Saint
Arnaud. Marshal Random, Gems. du Barail,
de Cissey and Ferren and NJ. Freycinet
the successors of the famous rrarshal at
the ministry of war. 1t is written, how
ever, that love laughs at bots and bars,
and the same is equally true of military
regulations when two true lovers are de-
termined to tie the matrimonial knot
Many have been the marriages in which
the regulation was broken and the young
bride brought her officer husband nothing
but an honest name and a devoted com
panionship. The kind-hearted completely
of a friend. who lent the necessary title
deeds for few days, was all that was
needed to hoodwink the officers charged TO
see that the provisions of the military de-
cree were respected.