The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-12-24

bat too frequently presenting in the persozs eftis
that bear them, an unfortunate contrast Of qua !
ties with those Of the celebrities they are nan \
after.
vsrious are TIE tastes in the selection Of nams
for q child-vaiious re The motives thai influence
the decision. Sometimes rich friend or relation Is
10 be concia,d, nd therefore, some bar oar Jus de-
sgnation ~ affixed 10 child that Is thorn in his
Eide - long he lives ard after al, the untortu-
nate may miss tee expected legacy. Somsti0es the
name Of some de neuishedmaR u selected, 10 which
the ME OF the re WI ser aeds no new lustrs; thus
we see George Washington and John Wesley occar
sionally figuring IN TIC Police reports the names
of people arrested for ros petty larceny. clss
sics taste inspires others Who not always very
particular In the names, provided they smack Of the
ancients owing to which it nappeDs that there is
hoy now living in Philsdeiphis who has bsen chris.
tened--f we may thus usa tae word-atter Connie
dus, one Of the most infamous OF the Romku En-
perors.
The late Bishop Chase. Of Illinois, had a dislike u
having Creek and Ro man names imposed upon chill
drep, which he displayed very pontedly On oae &C.
casion, when child was brought to him TO be bap-
tized.
Name this childr said the bishop.
Marcus TuLu Cicero answered the father.
eWhaIi"
Marcus Tullus Cicero.
"Tut rut with yo1r heathsn nonsense Peter,
baptse thee" aud the child was Peter tbenceforth
and forever
Others, again, set much store by Scripture names,
many OF which to our cara are any thing bat melo-
6ous-for IL stance, Obsdiah Jeremiah, and all the
other ahs but this fashion il not prevalent
as IL was century or two ago. Some OF the Bible
names have much sweetlsss, such az Bsulah, Ru-
hannah, and Rhods but even these are rarely used.
The story is well known Of the man who, having
called four soDs after Matthew, Mark, Luke, ana
John wished to have the fifth chrissened Acts, be-
cause. 90 he said, he wanted to complainant the
apostles Bit" but the sequel, az given BY Ar.
Lower, in tho last edition OF his va liable work on
English surrames," is not 80 familiar to ~. II ap.
ears that the father hao two other sons, no were
cbrstened Richard and Thomas, ard that the story
Of the name that had been proposed for No. 8, get
ting wind among his schocln ates he Was constantly
annoyed with having this dsach repeated. Of better
metre than rhyme:-
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John,
Acts Of Postles, Dick and Tom.
Some persobs sppsar to have tried how Dear they
could come to the height Of absurdity, In giving
NAMES TO their chidren. Benjamin Stoleley, the
first white settler In Mercer county, Pennsy vaais,
(whose account thereof u In the fourth volume ee
the Memoirs OF the Historical Society Of Psnnsyl.
vauia), gave most extraordinary names % Al his
a. voh = .
proper TO designate one Of his daughters. 4 ar.
Stickney, distant relative OF DR.. Franklin, nnM-
bered his children calling them One Sticknsy, I've
Mr.. New who is said to have called his first child
Something, and the next Nothing; bus the story ID
probably the CREATION Of tae fertils imaginsssn Of
Mr. JCeepn M1uer, OF Some OF 06 6uCCe090k0s
We will venture 10 add few rules. which are The
resulte Of our refe ctiors upsA this subject.
1. The son should lot b cSiled after biz father
nor the daughter after her uothsf.
The object of giving first names 10 to Distinguish
N rson from ell Others bea ing the same last name,
particularly from those Of his immediate family ;
but this latter Is not attained when chld bears the
name Of ia psrent. Confusion must always follow,
not always to be avoided by the additions II senior
and junior or the designascrs LIST, I'd, TO-, which
are common in New England.
An eminent lawyer, whs adorned Ne Philsdel-
phia bar forty or fifty yeas ago had con With the
in his Office. Ore day 0 letter arrived wits any
addition of Junior but intended for the younger,
which the elder gentleman opened and read. II
WAS from source not very c-editable to any one.
II am ashamed Of you." said the father indig-
nsntly. bar ding IL to his SON.
al am ashamed Of you, cir" replied the son,
handing 1t back, with bic htger pointed ct tho
One Of the sons Of the Benjamin ssohely Of whs1
we have spoken above, was born during his fashG'e
abeence from home. On bis return, his wife told
him. "None Of thsA. cried he, al have NO notioo
Of hearing people talking OF oao Ben s.okeiy."
This confusion ID ooe objection to the practice
which we condemn; eostse. is thath pare r. cslls
child after himself he IL in danger OF becom1s g
partial to that child mt the Of the others.
This IL feeling which makes its way into che minds
OF even good MN aid good women; II ssems
10 stme that a child barring their name in
full, is more fully their representative than
others. As tbis 10 an wrong il IL best TO prevent
Il arising Of gu feelings, By giving no oecssion
for tbs il exis ence.
q The more commna last name IL, the no ire nm
common should the first aame be. We can pardon
almost AIRY pre- fix to Smith, Bscsn, aud Jones. AZ
Of The learned fathers cf the bar lately observed
~ 4 discourse, "Who shall detlare the generation
Of the Smiths, and especially II the John Smths2w
The very mention OF John Smith in . court house,
police ofce. or otter pable psaceand u 10 Of fire.
quent mention therein-brings . brood grin int
ax,a~w nvSn'G fne ALL al
8. No name should be given to . child That win
suggest ludicrcus IDEA wien written in full, %
when the initial only Is used We always ptseA Mr..
7. Cox, and Mr. l. Potss, octs worthy men, bat with
Middlesged persons, in Philadelphia, can rscsl-
lect druggist, named Asa. NOW deceAse6) whose
friends had selected Caleb for hie first name. He
was constantly annoyed with inquiries from school
boys and otnecs Of 'he rising generation, a. TO he
residence ct Mr.. Csisbssh.
Forty or fifty years ago very worthy Ittle
French tailor, hsmed Fgoge. resided in Charleston,
8. c.. and the birth Of one Of his sons some wsgs
persuaded him that il eould b very good thing
for the child TO call him after the chief magistrate
OF the State Governor Bui-which was Done 90
ctrdpgly, the uHlucky combination of The two nance
never striking the father until It was 100 late.
4. Females should hsv: but one given name, and
when they marry sholls retain ther maiden nams
IS q middle name. This Is the pfa:tice among tho
Society of Friends, ana we're 1t generally adopted
it would have many advantages. We shoa.d know
at once, on seeing lays name, whether Eho wng
married single, N d, fiSe former, what the mars
Of her family Ard 1t s further to be considered
tfat the adoption OF this rule Of but single nrst
pame for girls, woule pus en- end forever to The
whole brood Of Emma Eivindas and Euphemla
Helen Laurss, and stris OF nomenclature which u
thought, by most pc, SOUS, to be ridiculous In the
extreme.
The United States and Dominfca.
From the Albany Journal
Extract from letter dated San Domingo, Nov.
%, 1864
Il Is a positive fact that your government n