The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1859-08-15

FREDERICK De VnHE of tosmorf5f, and ToMpKiNs,
who keeps corner grocery, and is better versed
in drains than iii the drama, may peddle whiskey
by the gill under the immortal name of SHAKs-
PEARE. In deciding that there is no earthly rea-
son why SHOCKS, which by Interpretation means
Pike, should not call himself PIKE, or any other
ancient or fsh-like name if he SO wills, Judge
DAILY has, by wave of his judicial wand con-
verted the State of New York into perfect Paradise
of rogues, charlatans and notabties. Wives
married under one name may wake some fine
morning to hear their husbands addressed by
another. Children born SHOCKS shall find. TO their
astonish ment, that PIKE is their father. Mothers
OF grown-up sons shall part with them as PETER
and THOMAS TIBBs, and shall receive letters from
them signed ALFRED D'ORsAY and LEoS1DAs F1Tz
CLARENCE; whilst the love-lorn damsel who mourns
the absence of EZEKIEL GREEN, shall be called upon
to welcome the return of JOHN MmToN or TOBIAS
| SMoLLET. Henceforth LET no man trouble himself
| about his name, which forms no part of him. He
may shuttle it off with his cast clothes whenever it
so pleases him, and emerge upon the world in
new habiiments and under a new cognomen.-
There is no necessity whatever, to follow the ex-
ample OF that illustrious parsonage, who, on be-
ing solicited recently to do Hamlet for his own
benefit, was addressed as the Count JOHANNES ne
GEORGE JONES. He may sink his patronymic al
together-bury it five fathoms deep emay shin
! gle 1t with other names more completely than the
soil OF Kentucky is shingled with land grants, and
as variety IS the spice of life, and as the best of
names are soon furnished by those who use them
| rOuOhlV 10 tha hofor
behind him, from which to choose a fresh one Is
tnot surprising thatsoimportanta discovery should
| nave been reserved for our own day-that this
charter of liberties should have remained concealed
so long? The world has heretofore supposed that
there were pains and penalties attached to change
ofappellation and that before SHOCKS could be con-
verified into PIKE, or JONES into JoANNEs, the in
novation must be sanctioned by the Legislature
or by an order of Court of Law The world
he wever-so far at least as the State of New York
| is concerned-has been vastly mistaken. If a
| man can prove that it would be to his pecunary
benefit to change his name the Courts of New
York are authorized to allow him to do so but if
he is simply dissatisfied with his patronymic, or
does not care to assign reason for wishing to be
known as somebody else Judge DAILY kindly as
sures him that no action of Court or Legislature ia
necessary. He may with impunity rob any
other man of his good name, although it may
not enrich himself, and may possibly render his
double unhappy in the extreme Ifthis opinion is
correct what isto hinder any common versifer from
bringing out volume of poems in the name of AL
FRED TENNYsoN, or new work by BULwER or DICK
EMS! lfan enerprising individual who was formerly
known as THOMPSON, justly proud Of bis skill in
calligraphy, should lay the groundwork for neat
little operation in the future by assuming the name
OF AsToR or VANDERBILT, and if he were to issue
with prnceiy liberality, promises to pay" in a
handwriting which bore a close resemblance TO
that of the original AsToR or VANDERBILT ard if
some person, installing VANDERBILT, the son of
THOMPSON, for VANDERBILT, the son of VANDERBILT,
should cash those promises" on the faith of the
signature appended. could he, on subsequently
discovering the paper to be worthless, prosecute
the drawer for forgery? Judge DAILY must answer
that question. 1t is perfectly clear however that if
the views expressed by him in the case of SHOCKS
should be acted upon by other individuals, TO any
| considerable extent, even supposing that rogucs
and charlatans do not take advantage ofthe liberty
accorded tothem to extend by change of name their
held OF operations, the record of births marriages
and deaths, will present. in future, some singular
contradictions, and for those who find it necessary
for any special purpose to trace back the genealo-
gy of certain families the labour entailed upon
them under the new order of things, will be "a
the labour of SIsYPHUs