The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-08-06
Forqettinq Names.

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How comm omit is to forget ones
name. We don't mean your own
name. although that is sometimes
done, forget another mans, and
this notwithstanding the fact that
you are well acquainted with him.
A person often ihesitates in intro
dueing people with whom he is
familiar because he@can't@ think Of
their nam es. som etimes to his own
modification and to theirs, for tits
hardly agreeable to have one with
whom you are brought into social
contact daily, obliged to4say when
the forms of introduction require
i'll beg your pardon, sir, but
your name has escaped me-. You
feel that you have been in man
ner trifled with, and that the man
has been pretending to know you
when be don't more than half.
One great cause for this forget
fitness of names lies in our sense
less system of introductions. The
true idea upon which introductions
should be based is the mutual de-
sire of the parties introduced to
become acquainted. Brown may
want to know Smith, but ii Smith
prefers not to know Brown, it is q
species of i'm IMPOSITION for their n u
tual acquaintance Jones to bring
them together; yet this is con-
tinuaily being done in our every
day life, and it is no wonder Smith
don't remember Browns name af.
forwards for he takes no pains to
remember it.
How often does an incident like
the following occur: Jones and
Smith ale walking together on the
street They meet i party in which
is Brown, with whom Jones stops
to exchange a few words on bust
ness merely. ThereupOn Brown
feels called upon to introduce
Zones TO his half dozen compan
ions, five of whom he has just
been introduced to himself, and,
consequently, has to ask them their
names, and then Jones is irresisu-
bly, i4npe8led to introduce Smith to
the whole PARTY, getting half their
names wrong and muttering unin
tellioibly over the rest. A day or
two after, Jones, who possesses
! some prominence or notoriety that
renders him a inark to be rememb-
| cred, is approached by stranger.
who smiles biandly as he extends
his hand and says: My dear Jones
how do you do Jones stares q
! little, looks confused and then
makes a lame attempt to appear to
know him, although he hasn't the
slightest recollection of ever hav
! ing seen him before. The man
sees he is not recognized and feels
hurt.
You don't recollect me, see ;
Says Jones, knowing that he is
telling a w,etcLed lie, oh, yes,
do I know you, but l cant quite
call your name. Fact IS am tie
worss hand ia the world to recol-
lect names
Then Jones learns the cordial
fellows name, and is reminded
that their mutual friend, Brown,
introduced them on the occasion
above alluded to. when they go
their wavs-cordial fellow think
ing Jones is putting on airs, and
Jones believes he is bore.
People 60 through the farce Of
introduction so often they come to
attach very little Importance TO it,
and YOU see men pass each other
on the sidewalk without any recog-
milton, who, ten minutes before
were shaking hands with eachother
in the most cordial manner, in
compliance with the popular de
mand that men accidently grouped
/ together for q minute or Two must
all be introduced No wonder,
then, that men forget names
They forget them because they
don't care to rem ember them, and
this careless indifference assumes
the form of a habit at length.
1t is said of Henry Clay, we be
lieve Ihat-hc never forgot the face
of man he had once been intro
duced to, or failed to call his name
Bot Henry was in politics and had
learned to remember the impor-
lance Of one vote
Hotel keepers and hotel clerks
pride themselves on mberiug
| names, for It is their interest to do
so. A hotelkeeper don't under
stand his business if he allows
himself to forget a guests name
for guests do get the notion in
their head, somehow, that they are
not only paying for board and
| lodging, but they are also paying
to be known.
An old school gentleman noted
FOR his politeness and who rarely
failed to speak the name of one
whose acquaintance he had made
in however slight degree, told US
the secret of it once 1t was his
| practice from his earliest youth
when introduced to person to en-
| quire the name il he did not hear
it distinctly, and then pronounce it
in Sinking hands, as Mr.. Smith
sir, how do you do 2 Then be
| was particular to pronounce Lis
name often. if he INDUCED in con
versation with him, in order to fes
ten it on his memory. Under this
rule he rarely forgot the mans
name afterward. But we don't
think this rule will be found en-
tircly available until the present
system OF indiscriminate introduc-
tons is amended. which we have
no idea it will be very soon.