The Savannah morning news., 1901-08-04

turn a retired saloon keeper into a
duke, a marquis, a baronr or a count.
The only disadvantage attacking to
this kind of "nntility' rs that your
sounding title is necessarily new; 1t
has no ancient traditions behind it,;
you do not get any ancestors with 1T
as you do, in sense, when you buy
title going back to crusading days.
But, on the other hand, your right to
your dignities and social precedence
over "commoners'' is, according to
European ideas, unassailable. A San
Marine title is indisputable. You pays
your money and you takes your coro-
net" and nobody can question your
right to it, any more than to pound
of coffee you have bought at the store.
There is no nonsense about the San
Marine way of doing business. You
don't have to pretend that you are a
great man and have done signal SER
vice to the state as is the case in
some other title-selling courts. You
Just make up your mind what title you
deserve, ask the price, plank down the
gold and go on your way vejoieing, an
unuuestionable noble for all time to
come. / have to confess that after ex-
tensive inquiry I have not been able
to find out what the schedule rates
are. The only accessible people VINO
know are San Barino MOBILES, ana
naturally enough, they won't tell. 1t
has, however, been stated with reas-
enable show of authority that a duke
dom, rarely solds costs about $bo,OUO.
The title of prince may stand you In
about 40,000--for, by the way, ut is an
error to suppose that dukedom is in
ferior to the title of Prince. Except
in the case of royalty. the Duke ranks
higher, and prince" will become a
Duke when his father. the Duke, dies.
A Maruuisate is the title most often
dealt in: 1t sounds good without being,
on the continent of Europe, so ambi-
tious as to excite very much question,
socially, as to it's origin. 1t sells. or is
supposed to sell, at about $3O,0OO-and
remarkably cheap at that price. You
can become Count for $4,000; VS.
count COR rather Vicomte, for the Eng
lish title of "Viscount" is very diff
ferent thing) for $4,000. There is also
the title of Baron that amounts to very
little, except, again, in the English
peerage: it is almost never bought at
the San Marine store. The dickering
is done through the secretary for for
eign affairs" In fact, the selling OF
nobility to foreigners is the only "af-
fairs" this dignitary is troubled with.
There can be no question that San
Marine has for centuries been blot
on the map of Europe. 1t has good
Christian origin, having been found
ed in the fourth century by Saint
Marinus, who with many other Chris
tians. was exiled from Rome during the
Diocletian persecution. But it has de-
generated since. Until quite recently
il shared with Spain the honor OF be-
ing sure refuge for criminals OF every
kind: extradition did not exist. and
thieves and assassins were received and
protected with cordial kindness. That
has been reformed, but its title shop
still gives sharpers of all kind the sham
prestige which helps them to their har-
vest San Marine fiourishes on 1ts
trade. 1t had a beautiful little build
ing at the Paris Exposition, where 1t
showed specimens of it's innocent pro-
auctions, oil and wine and exquisitely
carved woodwork. Thereby hangs
tale. which, true or false, greatly anus
ed Paris. President Loubet opened the
San Marine palace and duly admired
the graceful little show. But on COM
ing out he slyly remarked to the Mar
quis de B at his side:
1T is very charming, but they have
left out from their exposition the most
remarkable products!"
What are they. NJ. lie PRESIDENT"
Their charters of nobility and the
vain fools and sharpers that buy
them!"
The MARQUIS de b smiled a little
painfully at the presidential joke. He
is a perfectly honorable man, but his
own title came from San Marinol It's
an open question whether ''le bon pere
I.oubet" was in this matter as delight
fully innocent as he looked. He has
sometimes a dry humor that cuts, des-