New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-11-04
TITLES OF NOBILITY.
HOW TO ADDRESS PEERS OF THE BRIT
ISL REALM
4 TENDENCY TO DISPENSE WITH THE USE
OF TITLES ENCOURAGED BY THE
ROYAL FAMILY
ROYAL FAMILY.

There Is q play at present drawing large audi
ences IN London which is credited with being the
work not Of the playwright whose name it bears
dn the programmes, but OF a brilliant writer now
living in exile and disgrace on the Continent,
where he in fair way Of being forgotten
until this drama at the Royalty Theatre recalled
him TO popular memory. That people insist upon
associating his name with the play is not so
much because of the brilliancy of the epigrams
with which the piece abounds as by reason Of
the fact that its lines indicate an acquaintance
with the usages Of fashionable society-the So
ciety composed OF the titled and untitled arts
tocraCy Of Great Britain-and entirely free
from those ridiculous solecisms which coupled
with the lanentable efforts Of actors-without
breeding refinement sometimes even without
education-to portray gentlemen and great
bles, create an altogether false impression to
what constitutes good form. Playwrights, and
with rare exceptions novelists. in England be
long to what are known as the middle classes.
Inasmuch as the caste distinctions strictly
drawn and strongly defined in the Old World. ii
naturally follows that when writer's start out to
portray the life usages and social ethics Of arS
tocracy, they either draw upon their magma
tons, or depend upon mere hearsay. having no
personal direct knowledge Of the class
which they undertake to picture. Playwrights
and novelists in England are not the rule II the
fashionable drawing rooms and among The house
parties gathered at the great country seats Of
the nobility and there are so few points Of con-
tact between the world Of letters and what Is
known as the Great World hat The light in
which the latter i represented ny the former is
many times untrue to life. Ouida, Marie Co
relH and Hall Game arr among the worst sin
ners IL this respect. The works II the ostracz-d
playwright 10 whom the piece at the Roy
atty Theatre Is credited by society We're con
spicuousIy free from mistakes II this kind. and
that IS why the authorship Of Mr.. and Mrs.
Daveutry" is laid at his door rather than at that
Of Nj Harris. whose name figures The play
bills
This coupled with the fact that I con
tinually receiving written requests for informa-
ton as 10 how this or that titled parsonage on
yonder side Of the Atlantic should be address 4,
leads me TO believe that d few notes the sub
ject may be of interest. What is known good
form in this respect i very much Ike English
grammar in that there are more exceptions than
rules
THE PROPER Use OF MY LORD"
Thus generally speaking, il is a soecism T.
address a peer Of the realm as My Lord" in
social intercourse. and the same may he said Il
the Use Il the phrase Ny Lady" il Speaking u
any Lt,ed woman But where The lady i a
"g-an6e dame" q the old school. and : adj
Tarcrd IN years II sounds well 10 address her
as MY Lady" when joining thereto courtlin-ss
OF speech and manner. since it implies d yenera-
ton and Difference which fell 70 the share q
women y hen The world was younger It Is Ike
wise no solecisra for young attache OF secre-
tary + an embassy 20 Use HI phrase Ny Lord
f--. VII q =