The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-06-19
CHECK-BOOK HUSBANDS.

The international marriage says Re-
becca Harding Davis, in the New York
World, which both husband and wife
are now struggling to break was an
exceptionally fair specimen of these al
liances The wife is the daughter OF
an eminent American statesman, and
had beauty, breeding, money, every
thing but noble descent to qualify her
for the position she took on her mar
riage. Her husband is the cadet of
a famous ducal house which traces its
roots back eight centuries, actually
to an age before the birth of feudal
monarchy in france. He brought rank,
breeding, everything, but money to the
marriage which now is intolerable to
them both.
Why should it be intolerable? Why
should most of the marriages of rich
American girls and titled foreigners
have proved CHASTITY failures?
The number of these marriages will
probably surprise our readers. In Eng
land over thirty American women now
bear titles, from Lady Curzon, who is
Vicereine of India. down to the wives
of baronets. In Germany there are
as many; in France and Russia there
are a large number, while in Italy,
during the last century hundred and
forty American women have carried
their beauty and charm and money in
to the oldest "Casas" of Rome and
Florence.
And be it understood it is not the
new semi bourgeois families of rank
in Europe who have wooed our girls
to come into them and become the
mothers of their heirs. The MARI
borough, the de Segurs, the Colonnas
and even older houses than these will
soon be represented by the grand
son of Yankee tradesmen and labor
ers.
1t is estimated than over $3.50, OOC
have been carried out of this country
during the last ten years by the
American women who have bought
titles.
The Prince of Wales, it is said, moi
having the tact of his father, lately
remarked to a girl from New Orleans
when she was presented
Il believe you have no aristicratiC
or titled class in the states?"
NO" she replied quickly. "It takes
all of our money to keep up yours
But why should these marriages enc
as a rule in misery and disgrace
Probably a fair estimate would be thai
one-half of the titled American womer
are now living separate or divorced
from their husbands
The great mass of Americans, who
have no millions to buy titled husband.
for their daughters are usually rabit
in their wrath at this thing.
They tell you that the titled mar
is roue and a gambler; that ranl
is a worn-out sham of a past age, o.
no importance or value now; that tn,
nobleman who marries an American
girl despises her at heart, and only
wants her money to pay his debts.
There is some truth and much can
in this. Rank-for the American wht
chose his coat-of-arms the other day
who has his family tree hung I'm tn,
hall to be seen of all men, with
mythical Duke at the root, while hi
peighbors still remember his old tailo
or blacksmith grandfather-is a sham
mean and cheap enough. But ranl
in Europe is a realty, begirt with law
and customs, which the American
woman, pushing her way, check-bool
in hand, often finds hard and crue
beyond bearing. In England she usual
ly escapes open insult, though ever
there the girl whose only title to he
diamond coronet is that her none,
took it out of pawn is made to fee
every day, as she never would do a
home, that her blood is base. Evel
the lackey behind her chair knows tina
she is the gutter dog in the elephant
pen. But some of our woman who hav
married into noble French families o
the Maisons Mediatisees of German,
have suffered intolerable humiliations
The rules of caste on the continen
are inexorable. Though their none,
maintained the house, though they ha,
the beauty, the breeding and the charm
of royalty, they never we're allowed t
forget that their real rank was tn
same as that of the scullery maids il
their kitchens. Most of these womei
have never told the story of their mar
/ ried life. But they are divorced fror
their husbands.
1t is not fair to say either that
man of rank is necessarily a cad or
| scoundrel An ancestry of generation
of gentle folk, of educated, masterfu
men, leaders, not led, in the world
would argue noble qualities in the de
| scendant.
The fact is that the nobleman VIII
marries the rich American girl
usually not a fair specimen of hi
| class. He is decadent. Being a pau
per he chooses the meanest way I
| fill his purse-by marriage. There ar
many impoverished men of rank 4
| Europe who are earning an homes
! living and-they do not WOO rio
| American girls.
/ $40