San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1926-01-10
The Famous Old Chateau de la
Rochefoucauld, One of the Ances-
trail Homes of the Famous
Family.
PARIS, Jan. 2.

II
entertained by the terrific struggle
of the Count Edouard de La Roche
foucauld, Duke of Bisaccia, to prevent his
young son, Count Stanislas de La Roche
foucauld, from marrying pretty musical
comedy actress, Mile. Alice Cocoa.
1t is difficult to explain how ancient
and dgnified the La Rochefoucauld fam
lily is. Perhaps it can best be realized by
witnessing the tremendous Indignation of
the Count Edouard de La Rochefoucauld
at what he calls the "unthinkable dis
grace of his son marrying a musical
comedy actress.
The La Rochefoucaulds have been
mobiles and persons of importance since
1919, when Foucauld, Seigneur de la
Roche, held feudal barony in the Char
ente Since then they have been dukes,
princes, generals, prime ministers, and
even philosophers. Francois, Duke de La
Rochefoucauld, of the seventeenth CEN
fury, was really one of the most remark
able wits and philosophers of all time.
Seldom, indeed, have brains been COM
bined with nobility as conspicuously as in
this family.
There are eight dukedoms, three
princely titles and many minor titles di-
vided among the various members of the
La Rochefoucaud family. The real Duke
de La Rochefoucauld, the super-chief of
the family, married an American, Miss
Matte Mitchell. The title of Count
t. II 4
by courtesy as a member of junior
branch of the family. He also holds the
title of Duke of Bisaccia, created by the
former kingdom of Naples.
His son, Count Stanislas de La Roche
foucaud, is a good-looking and ingenious
youth rather like an artist in appearance.
He has grown, up since the war and has
been member of the very reckless
bohemian society which has flourished in
this period. One day Stanislas came home
and said, jauntily:
Father | love Alice Cocoa and ! am
going to marry her. Congratulate me-"
Never" roared the father. "NeveT
shall you marry an actress. 1t is not done
in our family. Besides, what is the need
of it, you silly boy?"
In the code of French dukes it is all
right to marry a rich heiress of plebeian
birth, but to marry a clever and pretty
actress without large wealth is shocking
The Count, who is also a Duke, knew
that his son was spending lot of time
with actresses writers and others who are
neither blue-booded nor gilded. He stood
for this because he knew that even La
Rochefoucaulds have to be foolish in
youth, but he never dreamed that the boy
would think of marrying an actress. He
made it clear to Stanslas that every ducal
re source would be used to stop his mar
riage.
But Stanislas de La Rochefoucauld in
sisted that he was going to marry the
young actress and fixed the date. The
Young man has practically no money, and
his father told him that he would cut off
his allowance, but the youth cheerfully
disregarded the threat
Stanislas is only twenty-three, and in
France one cannot marry without ones
parents consent until twenty-five unless
one goes through certain fOrmalitles. A
person may give notice of his intention to
marry after certain time without his
parents consent, and then the parents can
go to court and show reason why the
marriage should not take place. Until
recently the parents had an absolute veto
over a chld's marriage up to very con-
siderable age, but this has been changed
the "ancien regime" parents could put
their children in the Bastille for marrying
without their consent, and frequently did
so. Parental authority over children has
always been extremely strong in France,
and remains so in spite of changed laws.
Count Stanislas's father duly went to
court and pointed out all the objections
he could to the marriage. He pointed out
the difference in education and life of the
young couple. France is a republic and
il is difficult to assert boldly in court that
a girl of plebeian birth is not fit to marry
a young man of noble family, as one could
have done in other generations. But it is
possible to assert that a girl who has lived
the life of the musical comedy stage is
not a suitable wife for young man who
had been reared in highly conservative
and refined family atmosphere.
The fathers lawyer made the most of
this argument. II was not a particularly
strong argument, especially as the young
man had long made a practice of getting
away from the family atmosphere as much
as possible.