RUSSIA: White Flowers

Fifteen years ago the pale Little Father of All the Russias stood with his family in a cellar at Ekaterinburg while Lettish soldiers shot him down. Those of his followers and courtiers who could, fled the country, moving in two general directions, one through Constantinople toward Paris and the U. S., the other all the way across Siberia to Harbin and Shanghai. By education and temperament no emigr#233;s in history were worse equipped for facing life than the White Russians. In the East, Russian girls became dancing partners and gentlemen’s companions. In the West, Russian men became taxi drivers, engineers, bankers. They also became gigolos and husbands.

For 15 years the world has sympathized with the struggles of the White Russians. In Shanghai last month hundreds of them were out on the street corners, selling little white flowers “for charity.” The sight caused an outburst from the China Digest. Excerpts :

“Very few other nationalities ask for alms (outside of the Chinese, and the Russians resent being classed with the Chinese). . . . They contribute to no other charities. Other people should not be asked to contribute to theirs. . . . The Russian community has done nothing except to sit back and let others support it.”

One White Russian family which never sat back in its efforts to get others to support it was much in the news last week: the “Marrying Mdivanis” of Georgia. In 1923 a General Zakhari Mdivani appeared in Paris. As a Mohammedan chieftain of the Caucasus, he was recognized as a Bey or Prince by the Russian Imperial Court. which acknowledged all Georgian “Princes” possessed of a pair of shoes, a stone house, a flock of sheep and a rifle. Prince Mdivani (pronounced Mmmdivani) had little money, but. as a Circassian Cornelia, he had his jewels; five children, all very good looking.

First to go to work was the Princess Roussadana who had a small talent in sculpture. She went to Hollywood to make busts of cinemactors, quickly discovered that titles were more salable than statuary. With her first commissions she began importing her brothers.

First to arrive was Brother David, the oldest and shaggiest. At that time Gloria Swanson had just married a French Marquis. Pouting blonde Mae Murray, then at the height of her career, decided that she too could afford a title. She took as her fourth husband Prince David Mdivani. With David married. Brother Serge, the handsomest, promptly arrived, to be snapped up by Pola Negri.

As husbands, the two Hollywood Mdivanis proved an expensive luxury. With the first pinch of Depression, Pola Negri decided to get rid of her handsome Prince Serge. While Mae Murray was pondering whether to divorce her David, he and Brother Serge struck oil back of her bath house at Venice, Calif. They organized the Pacific Shore Oil Co. with Actress Murray putting up most of the cash. Stock was sold to every available member of the cinema colony. Divorced by Pola Negri, Serge’s second venture was to marry Chicago Opera Singer Mary McCormic.

In Paris early this spring handsome old General Zakhari Mdivani died. To bury him Princes David and Serge left their California wives and wells, drew most of the cash out of their California banks and rushed abroad. Last week Wives Mae Murray and Mary McCormic, convinced that their absent husbands are highly solvent, were in court suing them respectively for divorce and separate maintenance. Brother David, according to Princess Mae whose divorce suit charges “unreasonable jealousy,” has been drawing $500 monthly from the oil company for which she “put up the money.” Naming $1,000 as Brother Serge’s oil income. Princess Mary charged “cruelty” in her suit for separate maintenance, got an order attaching Serge’s Los Angeles bank account last week, found it empty. Joining forces, the two Hollywood Princesses inspired a stockholders meeting which ousted the Princes from their oil company directorships, elected Princess Mary’s lawyer president of Pacific Shore Oil and Princess Mae’s lawyer vice president.

“I have the most terrible dreams, do you too, Mae?” cried Princess Mary. “No,” snapped Princess Mae shortly, “I haven’t had enough sleep to dream.”

But the indisputably most successful of the marrying Mdivanis was Alexis, the youngest and last to arrive in the U. S. Shrewd, he never went to Hollywood, confined himself to the hard money fortunes of the East, got himself married to Louise Astor van Alen, great-granddaughter of the late, great Mrs. William Astor, drum major of the famed 400. When she divorced him Alexis, undaunted, drifted over to Paris, then had the inspiration of plunging around the world to Bangkok, where Miss Barbara Hutton, heiress to the Woolworth 5#162; amp; 10#162; store millions, was due to arrive on a world cruise.

The cruise ended without formal engagement, but rumors of Alexis’ Hutton coup flooded the heart of every Paris gigolo with copious bile. A Prince Nicho las Dadiant, self appointed “Marshal of the Georgian Nobility” in Paris, hissed that Mdivani means “secretary” in Georgian. The Mdivanis kept their peace, knowing that Hutton means money in any language, and Miss Hutton serenely announced her engagement. “Alexis has a right,” said she, “to be proud of the title which has been in his family for generations.” A Hutton aunt tried to raise the issue of Mdivani Mohammedanism but Alexis’ friends explained variously that he has either been baptized a Christian, renounced Islam or never seriously practiced any religion. Last week, after buying the last of the most expensive trousseau Paris has seen in years, including $180 worth of silk stockings and a $6,000 ermine coat Miss Hutton announced:

“I like the leisurely life Alexis leads. Once an American marries a girl he wraps himself up in business again. . . . It’s going to be fun being a princess.”

Said Papa Hutton :

“Prince Alexis has worked real hard to marry my daughter. It’s unfortunate his first marriage was unhappy. I am sure Barbara will be happy with her Prince.”

Asked if the Hutton millions had not helped on the romance, Mr. Hutton declared: “Maybe at the beginning that counted but now it’s a real love affair. I don’t see why Barbara, who’s the sweetest girl in the world, can’t be loved for herself.”

Huton lawyers meanwhile saw to it that Barbara’s Prince should not become too great an expense. A marriage contract was drawn up granting Prince Alexis a fat dowry but keeping “complete control of the disposition of her entire property” for Heiress Hutton. Included in the contract, but not made public, was the amount Prince Alexis would inherit in case of his wife’s death. These details settled, all was ready for a double celebration of the wedding #151; first, in a French registry office, then two days later with burning candles and flowered crowns in the Russian Orthodox Church.