Rensselaer Journal, Volume 10, Number 49, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1901 — England'Commercial Marriages. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

England'Commercial Marriages.

The commercialism of the marriage contract in England was seldom more forcibly brought out than in the case of Georgiana, the Dowager Countess

of Dudley, in England, who a short time ago was sued for the non-pay-ment of her debts. For six years she owed a London contractor. Recently she placed an order for the redecoration at an expense of $55,800 of a house she leased in London. It was then that the contractor sued on the old debt, and it developed that a check given by the countess as a part payment was twice dishonored by the bank. The countess was a beauty in her day, and still retains much of her youthful attractiveness. But her husband, the late Earl of Dudley, would be a drawing card in a side show as the ugliest man in the world. To make matters worse, he was insane, and only his wealth an social position kept him out of a madhouse. One would think that one of the

most beautiful and accomplished women in England would shrink from a union with such a creature. And besides being ugly

and insane, he was old and a But he had an Income of >3,000,000, and Georgiana was poor, while Georgiana’s mamma was ambitious. And so Georgiana accepted ths sacrifice and became the earl’s wife. It is an ironical commentary upon this commercial union that the Dowager Countess is either unable or unwilling to pay her debts. Her income is >60,000, but people can be poor with ten times this income.

DOWAGER COUNTESS OF DUDLEY AND DAUGHTER.