Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1900-1911, 1909-01-17
INTERNATIONAL MARRIAGES
BY ADINA MITCHELL


l wonder if those charming fairy
stories of kings and queens, of princes
and princesseS that form the greater
part of the early literature of the young
American girl, can have aught. to do
with the almost abnormal ambition of
many grown up American Girls to
marry a title at whatever cost? These
titled marriages are joked about and
discussed internationally with much
advertisement and contempt; for those
who indulge their fancy for a titled
husband buy them, and they must be
bought. The Cinderella fairy story will
not fit this twentieth century. That
kind Of a prince has gone with the
round table knights and the gay trou-
badours. 1t is good to believe that
there are true-hearted American girls
who prefer to marry noblemen of their
own country. These noblemen, hoWev-
er, are generally not the sons of the
rich, but of the unrich. Usually these
poor rich specimens of the United
States cannot be given away to impe-
cun1ouS princeSSeS of the most impOV
erished country, and seemingly the ma
tive daughters also seek elsewhere.
Considering the environment for the
making of an ideal man, national pride
is touched when is contemplated the
spendthrift, wanton waste of glorious
opportunities and the idle, profigate
lit 11NC0 ny LllS cdNSIdSG T1Ch yOUUS
American. Possibly this fact, too, has
much to do with the ambitious Ameri-
can girl in selecting a foreign husband.
It would be untrue and unkind to
give the impression that all foreigners
make bad husbands. [ once visited
Turkish harem and there saw a Turk
ish husband caring for a baby. There
seemed no real necessity for this hu-
name act on the part of the father, for
the baby was blessed with two dozen
mothers, but it Whimpered and fretted
as if it were motherless. 1t is true
that this Turkish husband was lying
on a gorgeous rug, surrounded by cush-
ions and soft Oriental lamps, but he
held his little one close to him and
caressed it just as a good United States
father would have done
There is the much berated English
husband. Some wights have been I'M
charitable enough to say he beats his
wife. 1 dare say that there are hus-
bands of every nationality who if they
do not perform that overt act of chas-
tisement toward her whom they have
solemnly sworn to love and cherish
etc, they have many times wished
that they could.
Husbands, titled and otherwise, are
just now the theme of many magazine
and newspaper articles There is one
in particular, written by one wife. in
can husband and his reckless acts are
laid bare. And again, it is good to be-
Heve that there are thousands of splen-
did, loyal American husbands and IA
theirs who in no way resemble the type
set forth in the story of this unfortun-
ate wife.
When it is considered that marriage
is called a sacrament by many, and
that it was instituted of God in the
time of mans innocency," one hest
tates to speak of it only with the great
est reverence. In view of the fact that
scores of international marriages take
place every year, and that nine out of
ten of these marriages end disastrous
1y, it seems as if something should be
done to place restrictions on acts that
in a great measure reflect on the coun-
try. 1t can scarcely be treated like an
earthquake calamity, or a bill on emf
grafton. Education along right lines
would do much to check this mono
mania of international matrimony.
Teach girls what the responsibility of
marriage means, and above all the mis-
cradle life of loveless marriage. Men
and women marry nowadays for any,
thing and everything except love, in
five cases out of ten. Consequently, the
result is inevitable whether the mar
riages are international or not, with at
least five of the alliances.