The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-09
THURSDAY, MARCH 3, 1905.
TIT WAS DIsGRAcEFUL.

It Is no uncommon thing to see an account of the marriage of an Ameri- can heiress to some foreign nobleman. well. but these are exceptions, and the girl is fortunate in getting a real man instead of a travesty. In too many cases. though, the groom is an impe- cunious. broken down and thoroughly disreputable roie, who has nothing on earth to recommend him except that he is "nobly born" His nobility con- sists solely in the title he bears and in all other respects he may be of the lowest type of manhood The girl sells herself, or is sold by her parents, the man gets the means to pay his debts, and she gets an apology for a man, who. but for his title, could hardly find wife among the servants of this country.
 Sometimes the would-be purchaser is too greedy and loses a bargain by a too plain exhibition of his designs and reasons for making the bargain. A recent example is that of Miss Howe of Pittsburg, Pa, and one Count de Cini. as he placards himself. She is one of the richest women of Pittsburg, and the Count found 1t out and made a bid for her. As contemporary puts 1t, Miss Howe was doing a little hy- menial shopping that day, and having found nothing to her liking among the other eligible nobility, she stepped up n Q ha iV1 Cini pedigree was displayed" Then he came in with his terms, and the &C., count says that this specimen of mo- bility made a proposition to his wealthy finance, saying that he must have $50,000 cash in hand, she must pay all of his debts and also insure him $10,000 year for life. For all this he would consent to bestow his title on her and would take her to Rome, but he would not agree to be good as he put it, for more than two years. This lost him several million American dol lars.''
 These were the terms on which this titled snob was willing to allow a beau tiful American girl to became a Count ess and to mingle with other decayed specimens of his kind. The gall of his demand is almost inconceivable, and he should have been horse-whipped for his low opinion of American womanhood. And yet, are not our own people large ly to blame for that opinion? If he keeps posted on current events, as a man of his kind is likely to do, he had read of numbers of Instances where mo- blemen of his character had bought rich American wives, and he thought 1t was not only an easy job, but that he could make his own terms and they would be jumped at.
 The proposition and the manner of making 1t was a grievous insult to American womanhood. It was to sug- gest a bargain and sale which was nothing less than infamous. and a deg rading attempt to barter his little title and Hitler manhood for money, with a wife as a necessary attachment. His further condition that he would not bind himself to be good" for more than two years was the most insulting of all In plain language. he would, 1T consideration of the price. promise tC be decent for the space of two years then he would return to his wallowins in the mire. That the girl turned hel back on him and married a decen American is a credit to her. That sh, even listened to his conditions is tC her discredit. The entire episode fl discreditable, barring the fact that tho girl refused to sell herself to a scoun. dxel.