The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-11
BLAMES THE MOTHER
CHIEFLY RESPONSIBLE FOR INTER-
 NATIONAL MARRIAGES.
Few of Them Are Happy Ones-Booth Tarkington Declares Most Are Failures, and Gives Some
 ReaeOns Wsy.


 
 Marriages between American girls and titled foreigners usually prove ut ter failures in the opinion of Booth Tarkington, the novelist who has just returned from Europe. To a repre- sentative of The New York Times MT. Tarkington expressed himself as fol- lows on thes ubject:
 The International marriage between an American girl of wealth and for eigner of title is usually a most de- plorable failure. do not deny that there are exceptions. when the love mo- tive Is pre-eminently strong; we have some examples of 1t among American titled women abroad today. The ex- ception. however, does not prove the rule. which I am convinced Is one of utter failure in the great majority of .cases"
 Whose fault is it?"
 think the fault lies with the so- cially ambitious American mother who insists upon her daughters marriage to foreign nobleman because she as- pires to social prominence, one might lamost describe 1t as social notoriety. The climbers in American society are women. the money are men. If the American aristocracy were more Jealous of its birthright there would be fewer sacrifices of the sort we are all familiar with. The popular im- presston of the greed and artiieiality that comprise the chief elements of these international marriages is cor rect"
 Not Girls Fault.
 Tt Is not the fault of the American glrl herself when she marries a for eign nobleman?o
 The, bride in these international !hs ages scarcely. realize the under lying significance of the event. I am afraid. The glamour of the occasion, or which she Is the central figure. dag zles and delights her, and the seem Ing moral support of her mother Is a strong Incentive to her happiness. or course. the manner and charm of these Ioreign gentlemen of leisure, who spend so much time on their adorn- ment and their attractions Is indis- putabiy In their favor in the prelin- inary. interest they. arouse in the affec- lions or a susceptible girl. There's no nouot' mat. some of them are irresist. loly handsome. cultured, delightful men; but If they had to work. an &C., compilsnment which they disdain, their perception of the ridiculous would be more vivid than 1t is.s
 The European standard of marriage is to- blame?s'
 We are not compelled to accept the European standard. whatever it Is, ana because we do so Is not usually due 10 any sinister intention of the Ameri- can girl herself, but because her Am erican mother. entirely aware of the False conditions under which she launches her daughters happiness.' is cruelty responsible for the result. Doubtless the training to which the American girl is subjected in her so- cial sacrifices by these ambitious mothers is the reason that they sub init as gracefully as they do. I have seen so many unhappy marriages among these international affairs so brilliantly started that they have made me desperately sorry for the girls | themselves. In France the marriage dot Is an institution. quite as sacred In their own .uelations as when they make an American alliance. It Is significant. however. that they mar ry women of their own country for far less money than they sell to the American girl"
 Foreign Attitude. What is the attitude abroad of the | society women toward an information | al, marriage7"
 T fancy it is one of regret for the impoverished state of a noble family compelled to ally itself at an excellent rate to an inferior. remember some very dear friends of mine in PhiIadel- phla who always felt that I deplored
 
 and delicately ignored mentioning the fact that I had been unfortunate enough not to have been born in Phila- delphia. In a way that is how foreign women in society feel toward the | alien American girl who recoups the fallen fortunes Of some duke or count in their own set The millionaire fa- ther who has according to American l custom, left the destinies of hts | daughters career in the hands of the mother, obeditently does whatever the | mother requests, regarding her de- cision as final. In Europe the so- | cial climbers are men; they are the head and front plans for the social advancement of their sons and daugh- | ters. The American is too busy, some times. to look into the matter as close ly as he should"
 ''The wealthy American girl can not eventually control the happiness | of her householdT
 'She Is powerless because of a conn plete difference of outlook, of habit, 1 of tradition between the Old and the New World. The foreign laws entangIe her rights. and the family of the for eign husband insists upon the GUS tomary privileges of his European training. The divorce laws in Flu rope give him a tight hold on the children in case of legal troubles! they insist upon keeping the children on European soil. if possible"
 English Husband Best.
 "Since she international marriage is inevitable, what is the best example of it?'
 T think the best alliance for an American girl who consente to pur- chase a bargain title should be made with an Englishman. There are charming continental husbands to be had fairly cheap; but the most hopeful asset is an English title. because the understanding between the two nat lions is nearer to an approximate ap- preciation of standards.'
 Have the American colonies abroad no sympathy with the interna tional marriages
 "The American colonies seemed to me to have fallen under the spell of European aristocracy. American who live abroad seem to aspire to mix with