Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-12
7HE LOVE-. OF FKEMRHM Fox A NoBLE NM1E


never finished, and the d'Hoziers are no
more.
Masses of d'Hozier MSS, however, seem
to have fallen into the hands of a hustling
heraldic institute presided over by the
the right to put "Armorial d'Hozier" In
big letters at the heading of it's literature.
It is Child's Play.
According to this literature sent broad
cast over all France in provision of the
new law-there remain over 10000
French families whose proofs of no
bility exist unknown to them-they have
never yet been published! The armorial
was unfortunately stopped at Its 9th vol
ume: but it will be finished; and noble
subscribers can find their genealogies in it
at the following tariff:
Volume with genealogy Sc; genealogy per
page, 50; notifications of nobility uess hotel
bills and other expenses, so proofs go
ing back less than 100 years.; $50 0ess than
200 years.; S65 beyond the year 1900.
How. with skilled help, 1t is child's play
to send the publishers your connection with
an ancient family, was recently shown me
by another professional genealogist.
You have two parents, four grand
parents. eight great-grandparents, and 30
on. Except for intermarriages, it Is a
geometrical progression; SO that, at the
end Of few centuries, you are directly
descended from hundreds of thousands of
persons. would II not be strange, II
among them all. you could not find lots Of
authentic titles? Noble families have
kept tab on themselves and commoners
have not-that's ALL"
beyond my grandfather" suggested.
"All the easer!', he answered. Il just
carry your family back to a certain pro-
picious date and slip you into one of those
extinct arstocratic families! 1 can draw
up a heraldic tree. for any one!''
1 think he can, because the Hozier
Armoral people have themselves sent me-
a foreigner, the following piece OF family
news. which pass on to all the Heiigs:
I'm making researches among the MSS
left by the Hoziers We have found long
documents noble family of your
name If you will mail us few degrees of
your ascendants. etc, etc. and follow Of
fers of services.
These people count on doing immense
business under the new law of 1907. Here
tofore the rather expensive genealosy has
not been absolutely necessary, though de-
sirable. Thousands, ike the young Baron
C., have just inherited their title from
a father or grandfather. The family
papers were lost during the revolution.
Topsey-Turvey Papers.
How simple the "baptismal dodge" has
been you may Judge. Thoughtful parents
are doing it all over France as a cheap
speculation for their children. For greater
ease and security-when they have no pull
with their home authorities-they arrange
to be caught touring In some small place
when the child is BORN
Everything Is topsy -turvey; they have
not brought their papers" but monsieur
has a cafe acquaintance with the sub
project or mayor and madame stands well
with the country cure. The good cure
will not let the baby risk dying without
immediate baptism. What name? Why
the noble name the parents bear on tour.
And the mayor and doctor naturally fol-
low with the birth certificate.
Thus the infant comes into the world
with de to connect its family name
with some chateau or town, the title fol-
lowing, in the name of its father; and all
this is certified in the two primary pieces
that must follow him through life. When
he enters the army they will be repeated
automa tically in his 'livret miltaire"
Long ago his father and mother took the
de- and title up for their own use.
Into this mass of homemade French
nobility. article Is Of the finance law of
1907, falls like a bomb. Hereafter il ones
papers" are to contain mention of nobil-
ity. big sums of cash must be paid for q
ministerial 'investiture," $1,000 for duke.
500 for q marquis $500 for a cOmte, $500
for vicomte and $500 for baron!
What will happen if the noble-real or
bogus-does not step up to the cashiers
! office of the French republic? The second
paragraph of the article specifies:
1.-The decree must be issued within Ave
years from the PRONUNCIATION of the pres
| ent law or date from the opening Of the
succession"
1t means that II the noble-real or bogus
| does not pay up within five years, he will
| automatically fall back into the state of
| plain citizen. Only his heir will have op-
portunity to pay and so win back the
| title!
Doubtless the first object of. the law is
| purely financial. The very advanced re-
| publicans OF the budget commission think
| 1t a good Joke to realize millions from the
| insolence folly of folk who pretend to
| rank above their neighbors. Let them
| all come-the more the merrier!
! In this secondary thew doubtless
| feel that they are completing the go-as-
you-please work of 1880 and striking a
| new blow at the old aristocrats
Doubtless the tax annoys the old noblesse.
| "a 1t is not agreeable to pay heavy sums
| to a malevolent republic for the right to
bear ones proper name and title. (2) Many
| old families will not be able to pay up in
! the next five years And 60 while thou
sands of usurpations of titles will be cut
| off by the same process, the bogus nobility
| that pays will be put on level with them
| selves by the ministerial investiture!
A Genial Thought
| The thought is genial; we discredit the
! old nobility by solemnly Certifying the
| bogus: but will not the very excess of the
| measure tend to raise up an amalgamated
| aristocracy such as France has not known
since the revolution? viii not these bogus
counts and barons, rich and energetic,
| with their genealogies in the "ArmoniaP'
| and their legal investitures for an aureole.
| as, for instance mobiles by adoption?
Every day Fraench papers contain ad-
| vertisements of this or that noble, the last