The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-06-20
Away from the Second AM They Had Hoped to Gain by Marriage
DERHAPS the most extraordinary par
 allel that has ever occurred in the

HERHAPS the most extraordinary par
 allel that has ever occurred in the ' social history of New York is found in the deaths of Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt and Colonel John Jacob Astor.
 Each man belonged to a small group of the worlds richest men. Each perished in a surprising, shocking ana colossal ocean tragedy Each left divorced wife with an only son. Each left a recently welded widow who had secured her position as head Of a great multi-millonaire's house. hold after some rather surprising social adventures.
 And here comes the most surprising parallel of all. In each case the divorced wife, who had been thrown into more or less obscurity by the divorce, regained her original position through the tragic death of her former husband and became once more practically the head of one of the worlds colossal fortunes.
 There are evidently some striking moral lessons to be drawn from these events, which it would not be polite to define too closely.
 The divorced wife who gains so much by Alfred Vanderbilt's death is known as Mrs French-Vanderbilt. She was formerly Miss Elsie French, a member of family long socially prominent in New York and New port The widow who passes into obscur- ity is Mrs. Margaret Emerson Vanderbilt, daughter of Captain Isaac Emerson, Of Baltimore, and for a time the wife of Dr. Smith Rollins McKim.
 The divorced wife who became great social figure by Colonel John Jacob Astors death is Mrs. John Astor, formerly Ava Willing of Philadelphia, and celebrated on two continents as queenly representative of American beauty. The widow who by the same tragedy passes into relative oD- scurity is Mrs. Madeleine Force Astor, a very handsome young woman, who before her marriage to the late millionaire was not prominent social figure in New York
 Young Mrs Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt had been planning an extensive soclal campaign in London and New York, when A German submarine sank the Lusitanla on May ', plunged her into mourning and ended all her plans and hopes. Young Mrs. Madeleine Force Astor similarly was thinking, three years ago, how, after brief period of travel and rest, she would embark on a great campaign for the con- ouest of New York society with her hus- bands millions. But an iceberg, not less ruthless than the German submarine, came in the night and sank the mighty Titanic on April IA, 1912, during her maiden voy- age, drowned Colonel Astor and with 1t his wife's hopes.
 By her former husbands death Mrs. French Vanderbilt was restored to the full enjoyment of the highest position she could have had while married to him. AS a divorced wife she was under no oDliga' tion to waste time in mourning and to re- , main in social retirement during that period. She becomes the dominant per sonage in the house of Vanderplit or the younger generation.
 In the same way Mrs. Ava Willing Astor was made by death once more the dominant figure in the Astor family Her son, Will ian Vincent Astor, was left fully nine tenths of the Astor fortune, with the family country seat His mother, to whom he was devoted, became his princi- pal guide and mentor. It was even re. marked by an acute social observer that death gave Mrs. Astor back her own son, for before the tragedy he had been com pelled to spend a great deal Of h1s time with his father
 When Alfred vanderbilt's will was made known, New York society was surprised to find to what extent his son by his nrst wife had been made the head of the family. Indeed the details are not yet fully known to the public. He acted just as John Jacob Astor did when he left the bulk of his property to his son by his neglected first wife, in spite of the romance that filled the few months of his life before his death.
 Alfred Vanderbilt had known and loved his little son. William H. Vanderbilt, who was a boy of twelve at the time of his nstrangement from his first wife. Doubt hess the imperative promptings of his con science and fatherly love told him that he had not a right to discriminate agains his own son because he had quarrellet u,;tb one woman or fallen in love witt another. .,. :,
 ..o;iv homestead, Oakland Farm, neal