New-York tribune., 1867-08-22
WHAT'S IN A NAMEf
body.

We are not sorry to learn that the attempt
that has lately been made to 'filch from the
ancient dorp Dobbs Ferry its good name, and
call it Paulding, has come to grief. Not that,
if we had had the christening OF the place,
we should have fixed on the name 1t
bears before all Others but because we do
not approve of changing the name Of any per
son, place, or thing, without the very best of
reasons. And, certainly the reasons that the
conspirators against Dobbs Ferry have to give
for their proposition, are far from being the
best. Especially do we disapprove OF their
attempts to make Dobbs ridiculous by, first,
denying his existence, and, then, casting
odium on his occupation. That he existed,
there is every reason to believe; there are
men still living who assert that they knew
him, and we are crcdiby informed that
he was follower of the gentle craft OF Old
Izaak Walton, and a man Of singular lnge-
unity. To him we owe the invention OF the
"dobber,r a little implement which every fish
erman, man and boy, knows to be an mdls-
ncnsoble part of his outfit 1t received its
name from its inventor, DObbs, just as mullins
did theirs from Earl Muffin, the noble discov-
erer of that deectable form of cellular, tissue,
or as the "tureen" has been called so since
Marshal Turenne, in default of camp equipage
ate his soup out Of his helmet We submit
that such man ought not to be lightly
treated, and we hope that the persons who
have attempted to deprive him Of his honors
will come TO better mind, and leave his
spirit in peace to hover unsnubbed over his ma
tive hillside. But, if they must change the
name there is only one course Tor them TO
pursue Let them hunt up the original Indian
name of this region and re-christen 1t by that
We do not know that it will be possible to re-
cover it, but, if it should be found, 1t is sure
to be something musical and to have mean
ing. and what more can be desired in a name!
Ii Is only a few years since the mania SET IN
for changing the names OF places on the Hud-
son River, but, aleady, considerable mlscnet
has been done. 1t was begun by the late Mr..
Willis, whose inevitable dandyism was shocked
by the name OF Murderers Creek given to a llt-
tie stream over which ran the road that led to
Idlcwild. His influence was sufficient to get 1t
changed to Moodna, thereby destroying n ilrst-
rate old Indian legend, since 1t never Will be
told any more, now that there Is no name 10
provoke curiosity about it, and substituting TOR
it n name entirely unmeaning, and not partlcu-
larly well-sounding. Then, having, as he
thought exalted the valley, he proceeded to
make the mountain low by taking away the
name of Butter Hill, or, as the Dutch called it,
Boter berg-the big mOuntain-and calling 1t
Storm King to the great delight of schoolgirls,
and the small misery of all sensible people
However Mr.. Willis was then the fashion,
and by dnt of getting pOst-Olice established
at Moodna, and a railroad station opposite
Storm King and paying for the signs himself,
he managed to give a certain color of perma-
nency to his pet reform but we trust that In time
we shall get the old names back again. Then
came Tubby Hook which few fine people
determined they couldn't endure, and
so they gave it, the Lord knows why, the
name of Inwood, which is utterly without salt
or SAVIOR and much worse than the one it has
displaced. There is Il malicious brakeman on
the road who every day or so pretends to
forget the new tangled name, and bellows,
"Tubby- Hook on HUDSON" into the cars in a
frightful way; then, as if his memory had
been refreshed by some indignant resident, he
bellows apologetically, InwOod on Hudson"
and sends n breeze of filters from door to
door.
1t is much to be desired that these changes
should cease, and that places already named
should be considered safe from meddling hands.
Who knows how long, if public opinion does
not rebuke the rashness, "Spuyten Duyvil
itself may be allowed TO titllate curiosity by
its odd title, and twenty times a day provoke
some well-infomed passenger to repeat the
touching legend that conSecrates its sitef We
trust that we only need to hint at such
catostrophe TO preyent further mischief.
A good example has been set us IN quarter
..., ,,D+ ,,ucb I'm thn habit of