The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1902-05-23
TO HE|RESSES.
French Correspondent Gives an
Effective Hint.

The ordinary young Frenchman OF
aristocratic family breaks loose from the
priests who have educated him as soon as
he attains his majority. and then, hav-
ing no ccupation-unless he be in the
army. in which case he has that of jew
batting In addition TO HIS ordinary duties
and no ideals. goes in for spending his
money on lovely ladies. who give him
his congo as soon as he has nothing left
to spend. says the London correspondent
OF the London Globe. Then comes the
business OF looking after a rich wife.
and this is done with an effrontery which
has at least the merit of being in no way
hypocritical.
read in the papers OF few days ago
the announcement of the marriage OF
well-known young French nobleman with
a certain foreign heiress, and the an
nouncement-which was a particularly
fiorid one-made me smile, for / knew
what trouble the young man had expert
enced in finding an heiress and how
many wits had been set to work In
search of one. He is a-well, let us say
a Marquis: his title is very old one and
his name one OF the historic names of
France.
He is under twenty-five, very good
looking, exceedingly stupid, and Is one OF
those "noceurs" who have not the slight
est intention of mending their ways after
marriage HE will marry" said his most
Co.. lNe
"a humpback. an idiot, or girl who
squints, so long as she has money" And
/ know OF two OF his attempts TO marry
heiresses that.were quite comic
One of his prospective brides was an
American girl OF IL. whose parents are
fabuously rich and spend a considera-
BILE portion of their time In Paris.
They are simple people. who have not
been long enough in Europe to realize the
difference between one title and another
title. one set and another set, and they
had vet to learn some few months ago
that a young French nobleman in pecu-
mary difficulties does not pay his ad-
dresses to a rich young American girl
pour ses beaux yeux.
They, therefore. welcomed our young
friend In much the same hearty and un-
embarrassed manner as they would have
welcomed the son OF an ennobled dentist
for a Marquis was a MARQUIS In their
eyes, and beau" was beau Nor
when the young man presented TO them
all the CAV set of the noble Faubourg-
a band of young married women who are
always ready TO help their male adorers
on 10 an advantageous marriage, and they
were made of by ladies who are not prod
iQal of the smiles they give TO foreigners,
did they suspect anything.
Then came the denouement. The formal
demand i'm marriage was made. ana re-
fused. and the young Duchesses and
Countesses showed what an excellent
bringing up they had received by failing
"a appear at a dinner given the next
night. and for which they had all accept
ed Moreover, the young man went and
told everybody that he had not proposed,
bocause he and his friends had finally de-
cided that the little girl In question had
not the prestige which would be required
ma Marquise.
The other matrimonial adventure was
OF an even more entertaining sort. The
Young man was informed one day that
there was an enormously wealthy heir
ess i'm Vienna who was not yet engaged,
and before nightfall he had engaged his
berth on the Orient express for the fol-
lowing evening. But when he arrived at
the station he found another friend
awaiting him with the information that
the young lady was all that she had been
represented 10 be, but that there was a
difficulty i'm the way Of his nuptials with
her. She was but ~ years OF age. But af-
ter all. the man who looks upon marriage
as a career does not exist I'm France
alone. / met lately I'm the south an Eng
lishman OF good birth, good looks, and
who is received by everybody, and partlc-
ularly petted by the fair sex. He married
woman old enough 10 be his mother,
had his debts paid, and an allowance
made 10 him. and now goes about say
ing that although his wife IS a dear. he
cannot possibly live with her, as he
hates old women Now, curiously enough,
although a man may hunt heiresses with
impunity I'm France. in this country a
man who I'm such circumstances express
ed himself I'm such n manner would not
be very long in becoming social pariah.
Indeed I doubt very much whether the
very fact Of a man having made such n
| marriage at all would not 49, him outside
OF the pale Of society. "Autres pays, au-