daughter　hob…nobbing　with　royalty；　and　（intoxicating　thought！）
  snubbing　the　〃swells〃　at　home　who　had　shown　reluctance　to　recognize
  him　and　his　family。
  It　is　next　to　impossible　for　him　to　get　any　reliable　information
  about　his　future　son…in…law　in　a　country　where；　as　an　American；　he
  has　few　social　relations；　belongs　to　no　club；　and　whose　idiom　is　a
  sealed　book　to　him。　　Every　circumstance　conspires　to　keep　the　flaws
  on　the　article　for　sale　out　of　sight　and　place　the　suitor　in　an
  advantageous　light。　　Several　weeks'　〃courting〃　follows；
  paterfamilias　agrees　to　part　with　a　handsome　share　of　his　earnings；
  and　a　marriage　is　〃arranged。〃
  In　the　case　where　the　girl　has　retained　some　of　her　self…respect
  the　suitor　is　made　to　come　to　her　country　for　the　ceremony。　　And；
  that　the　contrast　between　European　ways　and　our　simple　habits　may
  not　be　too　striking；　an　establishment　is　hastily　got　together；　with
  hired　liveries　and　new…bought　carriages；　as　in　a　recent　case　in
  this　state。　　The　sensational　papers　write　up　this　〃international
  union；〃　and　publish　〃faked〃　portraits　of　the　bride　and　her　noble
  spouse。　　The　sovereign　of　the　groom's　country　（enchanted　that　some
  more　American　money　is　to　be　imported　into　his　land）　sends　an
  economical　present　and　an　autograph　letter。　　The　act　ends。
  Limelight　and　slow　music！
  In　a　few　years　rumors　of　dissent　and　trouble　float　vaguely　back　to
  the　girl's　family。　　Finally；　either　a　great　scandal　occurs；　and
  there　is　one　dishonored　home　the　more　in　the　world；　or　an
  expatriated　woman；　thousands　of　miles　from　the　friends　and
  relatives　who　might　be　of　some　comfort　to　her；　makes　up　her　mind　to
  accept　〃anything〃　for　the　sake　of　her　children；　and　attempts　to
  build　up　some　sort　of　an　existence　out　of　the　remains　of　her　lost
  illusions；　and　the　father　wakes　up　from　his　dream　to　realize　that
  his　wealth　has　only　served　to　ruin　what　he　loved　best　in　all　the
  world。
  Sometimes　the　conditions　are　delightfully　comic；　as　in　a　well…known
  case；　where　the　daughter；　who　married　into　an　indolent；　happy…go…
  lucky　Italian　family；　had　inherited　her　father's　business　push　and
  energy　along　with　his　fortune；　and　immediately　set　about　〃running〃
  her　husband's　estate　as　she　had　seen　her　father　do　his　bank。　　She
  tried　to　revive　a　half…forgotten　industry　in　the　district；　scraped
  and　whitewashed　their　picturesque　old　villa；　proposed　her　husband's
  entering　business；　and　in　short　dashed　head　down　against　all　his
  inherited　traditions　and　national　prejudices；　until　her　new　family
  loathed　the　sight　of　the　brisk　American　face；　and　the　poor　she　had
  tried　to　help；　sulked　in　their　newly　drained　houses　and　refused　to
  be　comforted。　　Her　ways　were　not　Italian　ways；　and　she　seemed　to
  the　nun…like　Italian　ladies；　almost　unsexed；　as　she　tramped　about
  the　fields；　talking　artificial　manure　and　subsoil　drainage　with　the
  men。　　Yet　neither　she　nor　her　husband　was　to　blame。　　The　young
  Italian　had　but　followed　the　teachings　of　his　family；　which　decreed
  that　the　only　honorable　way　for　an　aristocrat　to　acquire　wealth　was
  to　marry　it。　　The　American　wife　honestly　tried　to　do　her　duty　in
  this　new　position；　naively　thinking　she　could　engraft　transatlantic
  〃go〃　upon　the　indolent　Italian　character。　　Her　work　was　in　vain；
  she　made　herself　and　her　husband　so　unpopular　that　they　are　now
  living　in　this　country；　regretting　too　late　the　error　of　their
  ways。
  Another　case　but　little　less　laughable；　is　that　of　a　Boston　girl
  with　a　neat　little　fortune　of　her　own；　who；　when　married　to　the
  young　Viennese　of　her　choice；　found　that　he　expected　her　to　live
  with　his　family　on　the　third　floor　of　their　〃palace〃　（the　two　lower
  floors　being　rented　to　foreigners）；　and　as　there　was　hardly　enough
  money　for　a　box　at　the　opera；　she　was　not　expected　to　go；　whereas
  his　position　made　it　necessary　for　him　to　have　a　stall　and　appear
  there　nightly　among　the　men　of　his　rank；　the　astonished　and
  disillusioned　Bostonian　remaining　at　home　EN　TETE…A…TETE　with　the
  women　of　his　family；　who　seemed　to　think　this　the　most　natural
  arrangement　in　the　world。
  It　certainly　is　astonishing　that　we；　the　most　patriotic　of　nations；
  with　such　high　opinion　of　ourselves　and　our　institutions；　should　be
  so　ready　to　hand　over　our　daughters　and　our　ducats　to　the　first
  foreigner　who　asks　for　them；　often　requiring　less　information　about
  him　than　we　should　consider　necessary　before　buying　a　horse　or　a
  dog。
  Women　of　no　other　nation　have　this　mania　for　espousing　aliens。
  Nowhere　else　would　a　girl　with　a　large　fortune　dream　of　marrying
  out　of　her　country。　　Her　highest　ideal　of　a　husband　would　be　a　man
  of　her　own　kin。　　It　is　the　rarest　thing　in　the　world　to　find　a
  well…born　French；　Spanish；　or　Italian　woman　married　to　a　foreigner
  and　living　away　from　her　country。　　How　can　a　woman　expect　to　be
  happy　separated　from　all　the　ties　and　traditions　of　her　youth？　　If
  she　is　taken　abroad　young；　she　may　still　hope　to　replace　her
  friends　as　is　often　done。　　But　the　real　reason　of　unhappiness
  （greater　and　deeper　than　this）　lies　in　the　fundamental　difference
  of　the　whole　social　structure　between　our　country　and　that　of　her
  adoption；　and　the　radically　different　way　of　looking　at　every　side
  of　life。
  Surely　a　girl　must　feel　that　a　man　who　allows　a　marriage　to　be
  arranged　for　him　（and　only　signs　the　contact　because　its　pecuniary
  clauses　are　to　his　satisfaction；　and　who　would　withdraw　in　a　moment
  if　these　were　suppressed）；　must　have　an　entirely　different　point　of
  view　from　her　own　on　all　the　vital　issues　of　life。
  Foreigners　undoubtedly　make　excellent　husbands　for　their　own　women。
  But　they　are；　except　in　rare　cases；　unsatisfactory　helpmeets　for
  American　girls。　　It　is　impossible　to　touch　on　more　than　a　side　or
  two　of　this　subject。　　But　as　an　illustration　the　following
  contrasted　stories　may　be　cited：
  Two　sisters　of　an　aristocratic　American　family；　each　with　an　income
  of　over　forty　thousand　dollars　a　year；　recently　married　French
  noblemen。　　They　naturally　expected　to　continue　abroad　the　life　they
  had　led　at　home；　in　which　opera　boxes；　saddle　horses；　and　constant
  entertaining　were　matters　of　course。　　In　both　cases；　our
  compatriots　discovered　that　their　husbands　（neither　of　them
  penniless）　had　entirely　different　views。　　In　the　first　place；　they
  were　told　that　it　was　considered　〃bad　form〃　in　France　for　young
  married　women　to　entertain；　besides；　the　money　was　needed　for
  improvements；　and　in　many　other　ways；　and　as　every　well…to…do
  French　family　puts　aside　at　least　a　third　of　its　income　as　DOTS　for
  the　children　（boys　as　well　as　girls）；　these　brides　found　themselves
  cramped　for　money　for　the　first　time　in　their　lives；　and　obliged；
  during　their　one　month　a　year　in　Paris；　to　put　up　with　hired　traps；
  and　depend　on　their　friends　for　evenings　at　the　opera。
  This　story　is　a　telling　set…off　to　the　case　of　an　American　wife；
  who　one　day　received　a　windfall　in　the　form　of　a　check　for　a　tidy
  amount。　　She　immediately　proposed　a　trip　abroad　to　her　husband；　but
  found　that　he　preferred　to　remain　at　home　in　the　society　of　his
  horses　and　dogs。　　So　our　fair　compatriot　starts　off　（with　his　full
  consent）；　has　her　outing；　spends　her　little　〃pile；〃　and　returns
  after　three　or　four　months　to　the　home　of　her　delighted　spouse。
  Do　these　two　stories　need　any　comment？　　Let　our　sisters　and　their
  friends　think　twice　before　they　make　themselves　irrevocably　wheels
  in　a　machine　whose　working　is　unknown　to　them；　lest　they　be　torn　to
  pieces　as　it　moves。　　Having　the　good　luck　to　be　born　in　the
  〃paradise　of　women；〃　let　them　beware　how　they　leave　it；　charm　the
  serpent　never　so　wisely；　for　they　may　find　themselves；　like　the
  Peri；　outside　the　gate。
  CHAPTER　6　…　The　Complacency　of　Mediocrity
  FULL　as　small　intellects　are　of　queer　kinks；　unexplained　turnings
  and　groundless　likes　and　dislikes；　the　bland　contentment　that　buoys
  up　the　incompetent　is　the　most　difficult　of　all　vagaries　to　account
  for。　　Rarely　do　twenty…four　hours　pass　without　examples　of　this
  exasperating　weakness　appearing　on　the　surface　of　those　shallows
  that　commonplace　people　so　naively　call　〃their　minds。〃
  What　one　would　expect　is　extreme　modesty；　in　the　half…educated　or
  the　ignorant；　and　self…approbation　higher　up　in　the　scale；　where　it
  might　more　reasonably　dwell。　　Experience；　however；　teaches　that
  exactly　the　opposite　is　the　case　among　those　who　have　achieved
  success。
  The　accidents　of　a　life　turned　by　chance　out　of　the　beaten　tracks；
  have　thrown　me　at　times　into　acquaintanceship　with　some　of　the
  greater　lights　of　the　last　thirty　years。　　And　not　only　have　they
  been；　as　a　rule；　most　unassuming　men　and　women；　but　in　the　majority
  of　cases　positively　self…depreciatory；　doubting　of　themselves　and
  their　talents；　constantly　aiming　at　greater　perfect