The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-07-10
MUST PROVE RIGHT
. TO FRENCH TITLES
Already Forty-four Have Disap-
peared From Diplomatic
Year Book.
MANY FALSE CLAIMS
Foreign Heiresses Have Been
Captured by Means OF
Noble Names.
M ANY FALSE CLAIMS
ny MARQUIS DE cAsrELIANE.
Especial Cable to The Tim Dispatch.l

Especial Cable to The Tim es -Dispatch.]
Paris. July 9.-Monsleur Pichen our
very successful Minister OF Foreign
Affairs. insists that the members of
the French diplomatic service who
use titles of nobility must prove their
right to them 1t seems that Monsieur
Pichen was quite right in his decision,
for already forty-four titles have dis
appeared from the diplomatic year
book
The usurpers simply could not make
good their claims. They We're sign
ing treaties of commerce and other
documents with fictitious names which
made the signatures mere forgeries.
and many OF them were marrying for
eign heiresses on the strength of these
noble names, Being members of the
diplomatic corps and claiming titles
of nobility made them seemingly very
eligible suitors.
OF late years. however, the republic
of France has not intrusted the higher
diplomatic offices to men of title, for
the reason that men of title, whether
real or bogus. generally are royaists.
One man and .wo hundred women
sat down to most sumptuous tea in
the rose garden of the Hotel Ritz the
other day. The hostess was Madame
la Marqpise de la Grande. She rented
the beautiful garden for the occasion.
The two hundred women were all
French and the sontary man was an
American.
This lucky individual was Huger
Pratt. formerly American Minister to
Persia. He lives in Paris and makes
his home at the Ritz. Never have 1
seen a man so envied
Gentle Art Of Hostesssliip.
Mrs. Robert Bacon wife Of tho
American ambassador, and Mrs. Frank
II. Mason. Wife of the American con-
sulgeneral. are said to be the best
handshakers in Paris.
1t is said that these two charming
hostesses have not had their equal In
this respect since the day when Lord
and Lady Dufferin made all their
guests think they were the most ia
vored OF those present
Mrs, Mason has just brought to a
close a series of receptions which
have given life and color TO the whole
American colony. These entertain
ments have been conspicuous for good
j music and pretty women. Mrs. Mason
is usually assisted III receiving by
Mrs Arthur E. Valols Mrs. William
Sprague Mrs. Alexander Thackara.
Mrs Clinch Smith and other WELL
known society favorities of the Amer
lean set. There is no other foreign
acpital which can bring together so
much beauty. wit and celebrities, nor
/ to speak of wealth.
| Here one meets brilliant women like
| Mrs. Eddie Gwynn: dashing divorces
| like Mrs Baxter-Tevis: such charming
| hostesses as Mrs. Frederick Bell, Mrs.
| Griswold Gray. Mrs. Epottiswood, and
| a host Of others.
Mrs. Frank 1Iason herself Is re-
markable woman. One sees her every
where, and she seems to have time for
everything and every one She keeps
open house, and all the Americans find
| a glowing welcome there
New Plan to Save France.
French women are so admiral one
might think compulsory marriage
would be out of place in France. Since
Napoleon the Great killed off our
greatest and best men it must be ad :
mitted the women are our superiors
| physically and mentally. Yet the
alarming decline of the birthrate les
pecally last year, when 1t reached
| the lowest figure in our history forces
our lawmakers to take decisive meas
| ures
Colonel Roosevelt amused us by hts
naive remarks that the way to in
! crease the population was to have
larger families. We are going to dc
much better than that. We are going
to force all our men to marry. If they
| don't get married before they are
| twenty mine they will have to dc
double military service.
All men holding government ofices
| no matter how small, must one and
| all be married at twenty-five. Officials
with large families will be pushed
| ahead