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Show A DUCHESS EXALTED. The tuft-hunting contingent in this land of the free and home of tho brave will no doubt swell with prido when .informed thn't the Duchess of Box-burghe, Box-burghe, an "American duchess," euo that was May Goolet of New York, will HH shortly ho offered the position of Mis-Hl Mis-Hl tress of the robes by Queen Mary, con-WM con-WM sort of King George, at whoso court tho u;uvcau rich of the United States de- H HB Worship of :lic aristocracy is born II and bred in the beof-eating Briton, but with tho American it is a taste or habit cosily acquired by the young IH ladies whoso sirca or graudsirua gatli- orod groat woalth whilo tho gathering was good and tho rank and filo worcMn blissful ignorance of tho modua operandi. op-erandi. Some sixty odd years ago Thackoray turned tho court, of St. James inside out in a series of articles in ranch which have sinco boon given to the world iu tho "Book on Snobs," and which nro hereby recommended as excellent reading read-ing to all thoso who are tempted to fawn upon and trucklo to thoso whom thoy considor a little higher up in tho social scalo, "My privato friends aro awaro,'' says tho initimablo satirist, "that I havo nn aunt who is a duchess, and, an such, Lady of tho Powder Closet; and that my cousin, Lord Peter, is Powtor-Stick Powtor-Stick iu Waiting and Groom of tho Dust Pan." Mr. Thackoray then goes on to say that owing to a chango in tho cabinet ho hears that "Lionel Jiam-pant Jiam-pant succeeds to my cousin Peter 's Pnw-tcr-Stick; Toffoy is next to certain of the Dust Pan; whilst tho Powder Closet has beon positively promised to Lady Guiles." lie then procccdu io express hismnzement as follows: What tho deuce can her ladyship want with such a place? is a.ciuoatlon which suggests itself to my Blmple mind. If 1 had 30,000 a year, if I had gouty foot (though this Is a profound pro-found secret), arid an amiable, epileptic epi-leptic husband lit homo Ilka Lord Guiles, and a choice of town and country houses, parks, castles, villas, books, cooks, carrlugcs, and other enjoyments en-joyments and amusements, would I become a sort of a kind of a what-d'ye-call-'em of an upper servant. In fact to a. personage ever so Illustrious Illus-trious and beloved? Would 1 forsake my natural rest, my homo and society, so-ciety, my husband, family, and independence, to take charge of any powder puff In any establishment; to speak under my breath, to stand up for hours before any young prince', however exalted? Would L consent to ride backwards in a carrlago when the delicacy of my constitution rendered ren-dered that mode of transit peculiarly odious to mc, because there was a 'scutcheon, surmounted by an Imperial Imperi-al crown, on the gules? No. - For, "say what you will, thoro is always al-ways something ludicrous and menu in the character of a flunky. The above was written before the American invasion of glorified flunky-ism. flunky-ism. One shudders to think what tho master satirist would say of tho women from this side of the Atlantic, who have traded the dollars of their dads for titles and are overcome with joy upon being presented at court and simply delirious over tho prospect of being appointed Lady in" "Waiting, or Lady of the Powder Closet, or to somo other menial position at court. Js it worth tho money? That expatriated ex-patriated snob, William Waldorf Astor, would doubtless answer in the affirmative; affirma-tive; but does tho average American citizen honestly believe that happiness can bo attaiuod by becoming a sort of upper servant - in a royal establishment? establish-ment? Wo trow not. Out of ninety or one hundred millions of us, only a feWj comparntive'3- speaking, aspire to the Powder Closet or Dust Pan, and these are welcomo to tho shame and mortification as well as tho glitter and gold lncc. "King Canute Is dead and gone; i Parasites exist alway." |
