TITLED DRUDGES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 7667, 28 March 1903, Page 4

TITLED DRUDGES.

THE OMINOUS DECAY OF THE - GERMAN MtfJILITY. / According to the annual edition of Perthes' Almanac of the German nobility, just published, thousands of waiters, coachmen, barmen, miners and other work-men in. the United States are recnuited from the ranks of the German nobility. Herr von 'Nordegg, an eminent authority on the aristocratic world* of the Fatherland, says, in commenting on the book, that a glance over its columns reveals the ominous iact that practically every blue-b-loodt-d 'family of ti:-e -enipiL« is now repr-eseutcd in the United States, where th-eir scions for the most part are engaged in the luiui-blest employment. iu order £0 .-rave the German nobility from eventual complete degradation, Herr Xor\degg admonishes the aristocracy to provide for their sons such training as wiil lit t-tam for commercial and professional callings. To this it -may ! bc- added thfot- not u'.iiy in America and other foreign countries are scions of noble German iumilies found in the lowest .strata of roci-ety, but even in the Fatherdand' the names oi the very uldest no'bks which appear in t'he highest 2 auks of the army, court and offieia.kio i m are encountered among coachmen, copyists and common labourers. Herr von NorJegg pictures a typical course of decay as follows:--. THE DEGLIX-E AND -FALL. • " The grandfather or g*reat-grandfath«r is still an army officer*, and perhaps even in possession of the hereditary -estates. Times grow worse and tk>a osti/fc must ba sold. The sons, of course, have also entered the army. The -duy comes when they unust resign on account of dire financial r.-eed, and when they would be glad if the State would supply them with places as subordinate officials. " They then 'Eiarii;^AVo i m<!n far below their own< social rank ancf become the fathers of many children. Amon^ the latter the old family traditions soon b-eco-aie extinct. The word ' von/ which is the sign of nobility iii German nomenclature, is now a troublesome bu-rd-en, and they tats up any calling which) will win them bread." It is indeed astonishing how quickly noble families reach the 'bottom of the social scale. There seems to be no transition stage, "out an abrupt -descent to the very lowest strata, which is -generally due to the fact that they only -realise their position when absolute pov-ei.ty invades. their ; hcm-2s, making it -impossible for them to 'educate their children for professional or mercantile callings. ' • A MELANCHOLY LIST. Another writer on the same subject points out that inall Berlin one lawyer only is of noble birth, while the city directory gives lists of hundreds of, agents, constables, and -drilled and unskilled labourers with fine dd noble names. Ma-rr.iage- with commoners in these aristocratic circles is always regarded as, and generally really is, marriage for money. The German nobility, unlike Jhe English, cannot separate from such mama-res the odium of mesalliance. • The principal domain of th« German nobility is agriculture, 'but their estates do not .grow in value in the same proportion as'£he population, much less in proportion to the multiplication of offspring. In German no'bl-3 families, again, unlike the English nobility, th-e father's title is inherited by each of "his children, resulting .in an endless posterity of counts, countesses, •barons and baronesses. "What, then/' asks the writer, " in view of the sad conditions described, will become of our young noblemen and noblewomen ?"