New-York tribune., 1905-06-18

mistress IN the art
"But. because the world she moves In is divorced
from politics and philanthropy, art and literature
she loses touch with the realities of life the result
being that her crownng defect is super1ciality.
Society having recognized distinctions and birth
no privileges. she has not only to struggle for a
footing. but to maintain it. which tends rather to
restlessness than to repose. Finally, the one es-
sential factor to success is wealth. which is twin
sister to luxury. Hence the American in London
is irresistity drawn toward the smart set whose
one aim is to amuse and be amused; and 50 it is
that while at least two Colonials Lady Holland
and the Empress Josephine. stir the ina gination
OF mankind even to this day, American has
ever become an historical parsonage except in her
own country 1t is curious commentary on the
'triumphs' of the transatlantic woman.
Every time English peer chooses a bride in
the United States the society journalist. with a
plentiful lack of accurate knowledge warns us
that the peerage is being Americanized On the
other side of the water the belief is general that
this has already been done, but a serious consid-
GRAFTON or facts and hgures soon makes both the
British prophecy and the transatlantic nretension
appear rather ridiculous Like most American in
vasons.' the invasion of heresses is i'm
pressive from the capital it represents than from
other cause. Looked from other points OF
view. il shrinks TO very small proportions indeed.
According to 'Burke's Peerage' for 1904, there
ninety-flve titled Americans of all grades in Eng
lsh society. AS titled persons number sixty thou
sand it is a simple matter to estimate the repub-
lican invasion at its proper value.
But admitting that figures are as sensational as
the gushing society Journalist would have US be-
lieve, OF the inferences deduced from them
are correct, because they are based on the as
sumption that American women are as prolific as
English women. which is very far from being the
case. For what the facts? Since 1870 thirty
peers. eldest sons of peers, have married in the
United States OF these. thirteen have no children
a all. five and five have an only son.
The total number Of peers children with American
mothers is thrty-nine, of whom eighteen sons.
Among them are. OF course. included the children
of the two peeresses of transatlantic birth who
have died since 1910. 1t therefore. be readily
seen that the peerage is not going TO be swamped
by Anglo-Anerltans yet awhile
During the period twenty-three peers or
eldest Of peers have married in the colonies.
-Four have children. seven nave one son, eight
have two sons and have three In all,
there are Gi4ty-three peers children with colonial
mothers, twenty mine OF them are sons-that Is
to say though number of colonial peesSsses is
seven less than the number OF American peeregses,
they have nearly twice many children, and while
six OF them have neglected 10 present their nus
bands with heirs. nine teen Americans are guilty OF
the neglect
''The popular idea Is that the marriage of Eng
ljsh neblenen and American hei;esses Is Il modern
development To a certain extent this is true, for
the peerage has been more hardly hit by agTicult-
ural depression than other class in any So
eiety, But for at least hundred years there have
always been several American peeresses. At Queen
Ytctoria's coronation duchess, one marchloness
and three baronesses were OF transatlantic birth.
But apparsntly, the same cause which is operating