The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1856-08-05
THE DAILY DISPATCH
Ti,les In America.

Ti,tes Ia America, A,ff.fg -
u.gsa curiou. fact, and one which attracts the
attention Of oil travellers In the United ssa's.'
whether Of the observing or unobserv'us k,hu-
,hu We have % many titles In republican Amer'e.
I.a.er sections Of shis ceantry are wholly "sa.
m q .gauires. "-iu fact. that title has oee'a's "
common that The omIssion Of the Esq '1e
and Of = mans name on the back Of is''e' =
ere..er Distinction than its use. In most po''o".
Of Al. country "Colsneisr sbonnd to An eAsr".
that /. quite awful II every Colonel IN 'oe on''ca
ststes had regiment the Unsea e'.so' "o Jun
have an army larger than that OF AerAe'. Ua =
Colonies. however happily Tor inc Pe.es =. 'ne
world. are among the most civh anu p~e'ns " oa
population, and rs innocent OF an Ano"iease o.
sha art of war a. their grandmoiners vi isse
YEAR, professors" have vastly increased. 1nn
t,,ls which once meant something 10 now IN 'ne
hishes, degree vague aud indennte. we nave
professors of balloons and OF gas generally ];
and. no. long ago, they had Ia Petersburg y FRO
fess,r" OF corns. We say nothing Of Majors
C.p,ains, Sc, who are "a plenty as blackoerries.
We have every thing in this country but Privates
II .hs post of honor Is private station" 1t Is
post which few covet, and which seems to be gen.
orally vacant. asae st-- 81
Even the Church, where one might expect to
find some refuge from silly exhibitions Of pride
vanIry aud hunbuS. has not escaped the general
mania for tides The inconsiderate and indis
crimina.e manner in which Doctors of Divinity"
are made, affords an illustration of this fact In
Great Britain or Europe, University or College
would stutfy itself and lose all reputation which
should throw about its degrees in as reckless g
manner as some of American learned iustitu-
lions. We have hundreds of those institutions,
dignitied with the name of Colleges" which are
in fac. only kind Of High School, and these pre-
tenders take It upon them to propagate humbug
by making degrees, especially of Doctor OF d.
yiui:y, as cheap as dirt. doctors of Divinity
under these liberal auspices have become As
plenty as "Colonels." The title of Colonel"
however, is an innocent humbug, which imposes
upon nobody 1t is not supposed to signify any
thing. But doctors of Divinity" according to
the common idea of the world, are men Of acknow'
lodged eminence in theological learning, towering
high above their fellows in the same profession
And 50 they used to be In this country and still are
in Europe. But of late years, nine out OF every
ten Doctors of Divinity manufactured by our
humbug Colleges" are in no way superior, and,
in many instances, not equal to thousands of their
clerical brethren who have no friends at Court,
aad who if they had, would not fish in shallow
streams for such distinction.
We do not object 20 titles. We like them where
they are fairly earned and mean something. But
the habit prevalent in this country of multiply.
ing high sounding names which do not represent
things; of making "Squires" of every thick
skuIed boor Colonels Of civilians, Professors of
Inountebanks, Doctors of Divinity of ordinary
theo,osans, ia childish, so nonsensical, and so
thoroughly pervaded with humbug, that but for
the PRACTICAL downright common sense of our peo-
pie Ia their business matters, should become
the laughing stock of the civilized world.