Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-10-09
which Fathers of Families may be prepared to
trent with ralafive amanifu and oolaI IN =

treat with relative amenity and good will.
Eating and drinking constitute % import
ant portion Of human occupation, that q lib
eral inventory of articles of fare may be ex
pected in the surnames Of the land Meats O
the Flesh description are plentiful Gammor
OF Bacon, Ham, Veal, Mutton, and Giblett
With liberty to Frizzle, Fry, or Stew them
Every variety of Fish and Fowl is also present
IRON Turtle down to Trout, and from Chicken
up to Goose. Eggs are at hand, with Mustard
Pepper, and Pickles as condiments. Cabbage
ana Butter are not lacking, with Pease and
many Spice besides. Rice as pudding is on
the board. As dessert, every kind of fruit i.
Nut Orange, Peach, Plum, Raisin, Grapes, &c
For tea, there are Cake, Cakebread, Muffin,
Bunn, Honey, and Sugars, of every name. Oi
drinks there is no stint. The temperance man
has his Wells and Streams. with the addition
OF Congo and other sorts of Tea, also Coffee and
MIX and the lover of intoxicating liquor is
placed in hazardous proximity to his Gin or
Pnnch, his Wines, yclept Port, Sherry, and
Clatet, and his Malt compounds of Beer and
Porter. Tart, Sweet, and Mellow are borrowed
from mans sense or taste, as Round and Square
to his sense Of touch
wearing apparel and domestic articles, from
a bodkln 10 Broom, are represented by a
long array of names. His sight is RECALLED with
diversity OF colors-exclusive of the ordinary
browns, Blacks, and Grecns-such as the
various Blues of sky and water-Gray, Purple.
Red, Yellow, and White the nondescript. But
man is also nun,ber,ng animat-a capacity
which In its highest developments separates
him from the brute hence we proceed from
the Unit to Tw o,Tuin, Double, Treble. Trip
lett, up to Twelves, Eighteen, Forty, and Mil
lion. Scarce, Few, Much, and Muchmore are
Indefinite terms in common use. Man, too, is
a dealer an nioney-a propensity which is here
ind ofnA hxrt far
Mite, the Farthing, Halfpenny, Penny, Two
penny, and Pound.
He distinguishes times and Seasons-as Day
and Night, and can even imagine Dou bleday.
Halfnight is familiar to him. Dark gives place
to Dawn, and SO on to Noon and Vesper, till
the daily course is run. The succession of time
is marked by Early, Late, Later, Last Mon
day and Friday are recorded, and Middleweek
instead of Wednesday. Weeks appear, as also
January and May, among the months. Mid.
winter and Winter, Northeast and West, are
remembered, besides every other point of the
compass. Man can measure things to an Ace
and other surnames remind us of the Inch Half
yard, Yard, Ell, Furlong, and Halfacre The
retail trader has his Peck and Bushel; the
apothecary, his Grain the liquor merchant,
his Gallon, Firkin, and Butt.
Of minerals there is Treasure-the native
Copper and artificial Brass, followed by Silver.
Gold, Pearl, Ruby, and Diamond.
Our form Of Government is a limited mon
arch, and the English have a high respect for
Rank. The Court is in public favor, for though
we have no Rex, We have a Monarch who nobly
wears the Crown, and is allied to Prince who
does honor to his Royal station.
In contrast with the preceding are batch of
names that call up anything but cheerful i'm
ages. The Deadman is the notion of Death,
(also Mort,) and the funeral Knell tolls his
Coffin to the Grave. Murther call us to medi.
tate on the Graves that single crime has dug
long list of surnames descriptive Of tame
and wild beasts, Birds and insects fishes and
fowls, trees and flowers, must be omitted, or
for another occasion. In bringing ND
the rear Of these remarks, Catchaside, Godbe-
lieve, GOtobed, Maybee, Sneezum, will serve
as few examples Of the oddities sprinkled over
this list of 1000 words.
Nothing can now be said of the ridiculous
combination Of Christian and surnames fire.
4uently to be met with. To call a child, for
instance, whom we knew, Napoleon Chick
was just pinning to the poor boy a lifelong
Oke. Family names cannot be easily changed;
but parents may avoid, by little exercise of
Judgment, increasing the laugh BILE and absurd
associations which are already too freely
mixed up with the nomenclature of our native
'ealm.