Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1919-06-29


and ships, pilots aeroDlanes aud has
the vote-is. in fact, on full equality with
man on every plane of material endeayor
Miss Alice Dre1el, daughter of the very
rich and fashionable John r. Drexels. OF
New York, Newport Philadelphia. London
and Paris, has just proved that the new
woman has also reached full equality in
the matter OF running an elopement
For 10 and behold. instead OF waiting
demurely in the traditional fashion for her
Romeo to come in the night with his
scaling ladder, carry her palpitating down
it and away to the minister, Miss DreXel,
splendidly equipped, has her own big tour
ing car brought to her own door, pitches
in it all the things she needs. drives It off
herself. picks UP her tmorous lover from
behind the tree where he has been wait
ing for her. carries him off TO the minis.
ter and Is wed!
And what makes this triumph OF new
womanhood even greater Is the fact that
the man she married is soldier and an
officer. Captain William Barrett OF the
United States Air Forces, wounded twice
In France and by reason Of his training
supposedly versed in campaigns and
stratagems against the enemy, whether the
latter be armies or sweethearts recall
citrant parents.
romance, What a demonstration OF
the advance OF women since the time
when tho knights rode around In armor,
fighting and enjoying themselves At that
time the burden OF the elopement was all
on the man and was attended largely by
what today we would call police court
incidents. While Lady Claire. the fair
young demoisele. sat in her bower she
would hear a clash of arms, and what the
Elhshethan dramatists call loud alarums
Eventually her headstrong lover would ap-
pear In the bower. clasp her against his
shirt OF mail, stride away over the pros.
trste bodies Of Ter relatives and retainers,
set her on his warhorse, leap in front of
Ter, and with her arms clasped about his
middle Jog away to domesticity.
If he did not appear In the bower Il
n cant that the Lady Claire was minus one
sutton and was probably in for discplin.
ing
Later on. as armor was discarded,
swords, rapiers and daggers had their day.
Then rope ladders we're popular. With
mechanical progress the ease with which
an elopement could be carried out became
greater, and. parents had more cause for
anxiety. ,Ru!.aIwsys and ever it was the
man who devised the Ways. carried them
out. was the party OF the first part as
they say IN the legal contracts. Running
true to custom. it vas the duty of the de-
sired lady 10 take little part in the pro.
ceedngs except 10 be acquiescent She
was supposed 70 Sit demurely, maybe pro-
test little now and then. at the mos. do
no more than slide down the ladder into
her suitor's waiting arms After that, 8
before that. it was all up 70 him.
Let US consider now Miss Dre1els srst
equal suffrage elopement. Miss Dre1el is
a granddaughter o. the late Anthony ].
Drexel, OF Philadelphia, who left fortune
OF $50 100000. Of which her father got the
most. Mrs Drexel, her mother. is one OF
the most famous OF American beauties and
oiie VI IHs plouuesl fer cousin Is the
Viscountess Maidstone-M argarita Drexel
and the Maidstones are noted even
among the English nobility, for their ex.
clusiveness. She has known and been ad.
mired by kings princes, dukes and such
Ike all over the world
But most important. during the last
seven years. the daughter Of the Drexels
had specifically, and with Intention
matrimonial, been courted by at least four
sterling young American men OF social
position and wealth and by one French
gentleman without much OF either. And
always. just as the interesting moment
drew near when she would have the IN.
portunity to say yes" or "no"-as IN.
case might have been-she was suddenly
and Unexpectedly whsked away bevond
the range o. her wooer. II might baro
been coincidence each time, bu, Miss
Drexel suspected It wasn't. Indeed I, Is
entirely permissible to say that she more
than suspected It was mamma.
Therefore. after taking tea no, more
than two months ago with the Princess
Murat, the Princess Rospigliosi and a few
other OF her titled friends now in Neu
York, she did not tell mamma that oh.
had met man there who had in,eree,e,
her greatly. Yes. this man was Captair
Barrett ''"''
The captain came from washirg to,