The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-06-14
MARRYING A TITLE.
AMERICAN WOMEN DO NOT SEEM
TO LEARN
They Live a Cat and Dog Life and the
Affair Usually Ends in Separation
1t Is Better for American Women
to Marry American Men

Hardly a day passes that there is not
some item of news from Europe or
London which confirms one in the
view that American girls make a great
mistake in marrying foreigners of any
kind. and especially titled ones. If
time and space were available one
could fill columns with the stories of
misery resulting from such marriages.
They almost always end in separation.
But the glamOr of a title is so great
not only to the girls concerned, but
apparently to their parents, that the
thing is still going on and Americans
do not seem to learn wisdom.
The woman who would sacrifice
everything in the world worth having
for the sake of being called my lady,"
is certainly very lightly endowed with
gray matter. 1t is thoroughly under
stood in Europe that American girls
of wealth are willing to trade their
money for an ancient title, no matter
how worthless and undesirable a man
may be attached as an encumbrance.
Then the same old story; a few years
of misery in Paris or London, the
wife handing out large sums of money
and the husband treating her with no
respect, until money and patience
both give out and the girl comes home
to her parents a wreck and her life
ruined. If the woman could only
realize before she takes the final STEP
that man who would not marry her
without certain sums paid down, will not
treat with great consideration a wife
who would be willing to bargain with
the man she intends to marry.
Nothing more disgraceful ever took
place in this country than the mar
riage of Miss Thaw to the Duke of
Yarmouth a few years ago if the
stories told are true 1t is said that
the reason the wedding party was late
in reaching the church was that at
the last moment the noble duke held
up the Thaw family lawyer for larger
sum than had been agreed upon and
refused to go into the church until
the papers were signed. Americans
are indignant because foreigners some.
times hold them in contempt, but it
would be strange if they respected
people who will sell their daughters
and their honor for a title
fortune hunting titled individual
came to St. Paul few years ago and
tried his best to get introductions
winch would forward his scheme Of
hndlng a rich American wife He re-
ce1ved very little encoura cement here.
This speaks we'll for us. But SO long
as the Vanderbilt and Astor millions
go to the other side, so long must we
expect foreigners to laugh at our
boosted democracy. In the New York
papers that publish the UBIQUITOUS mr-
SonaI columns one can always find the
advertisement of a noble duke" who
wishes to meet a rich American girl.
object matrimony." This shocks the
persons who would receive the solicitor
Oh the very duke in question if he
should send without publicity to ne
gotiate for the hand of some million
ares daughter. 1t would be Just as
respectable for the parents of q rich
glrI TO answer one of these personal
hotlces as to bargain with the repre-
sentative of foreigner in search of
a rich wife. One is no better than
the other; 1t is merely difference in
methods. ~
AS a rule it is better for American
girls to marry American men. than
10 marry foreigners even if thew are
not Tilted. 1t is safer to marry a man
VINO mas the same ideals and ideas
whose traditions are the same.
Happy marriage is much more likely
10 result But for an American pir1
20 marry a man she does not love and
- - poet LOT the sake of a handle
10 ner name, that is unSpeakable NOT
untll we come to realizing sense Of
the degradation of compact of that
KIND, and treat the woman who enfers
INTO such a bargain with the CON
Tempt she deserves, will these terri
DIe tragedies come to an end. Society
Is TINS country should close it doors
agaInst women who have SO little re-
try. eouh-