The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1876-01-06

"CaIl Me Pet Names, Dearest"
Tom Hood said that nickname was a con-
centrated calumny but Hood wrote in an
aristocratic atmosphere where people stand
ON their dignity to an extent scarcely COM
prehensible on this side the water. In Lon
don merchant goes on Change in a stove
pipe hat, and if he should venture to depart
from that formality and appear some after
noon in the dfbGt6hSe freedom OF wide
awake" his paper would be refused before
the day was over while if he should, in
moment Of hilarity. greet his business part
ner with Good day. old Beeswax,' there
would be notice Of dissolution in the Ga
sete within forty-eight hours How differ
ent all this is with us scarcely needs to DO
told but q most Characteristic point of tho
difference of life under democratic inhu-
ences is seen in the very different apprecia-
ton in which nicknames are held with US.
Scarcely any man goes far without one, and
no one resents the infection because II
there is just the shadow of spite in the name
the folly and bad temper of exhibiting irrl-
tation would expose any man to general
laughter but because, ALSO the thing is
commonly done without animus-in a spirit
of rollicking. easy jollity and pretended
familiarity. Very often indeed, the nickname
becomes more than joke-more than even
a good -natured joke. 1t becomes the start
ing point of new and more intimate relations
between the subject of the name and a wide
circle Of friends or, in the case of public
man, between him and the public. How
much did "Old Hickory" do in this way foI
General Jackson. or "Tippecanoe and Tyler
too" for famous Presidential ticket. How
much of sturdy pride and simple minded
admiration did the nation concentrate in
cold Rough and Ready" and what tender
place in the memory is yet touched by 'Old
Abe" In public life even the English
indulge in nicknames, too, as dizzy and
Pam" can prove; because in an atmosphere
so high that familiarity is known to be i'm
possible, and pretended familiarity is, there
fore, an evident joke, there alone famil-
iarity in Language is permissible. In France
the nickname "Petit Caporal" points to the
best side of the life of the great soldier.
only in our own free and easy land of uni
versal good nature, wit and equality II
comes to be regarded more and more as an
evidence of public favor for a happy nick
name to happen to any one, because pro-
nounced dignity or character out of sym
pathy with the popular mind is treated
with the cold formality Of a proper
name Our public men who have
never received any nicknames present
a very instructive catalogue in this respect.
Charles Francis Adams is name that sounds
to the whole nation like the beginning of a
chapter on constitutional history, and it
frightens people correspondingly. 1t might
exhaust the attraction Of the magnetic noun
tain and still be unacceptable Several can
didates have lately been named by US for the
Office of Mayor of this city but we believe
a nickname is essential to success in this
matter, and so we propose that the man to
to win shall be ''Our Charley" This is a
name that puts man on precisely that happy,
easy footing with the public which might
lead them to believe that they are voting for
one of themselves. ''Our Charley" is the
man for the place by virtue of his vigilance,
honesty and capacity. He must not be con-
founded with Prince Charley who was only
a pretender nor with that other Prince
Charley, the roarer who won the Derby, and,
therefore, ran we'll nor even with Charley
Ross, who is lost. But this last distinction
will be very easy, for 'Our Charley" will be
found in the Mayors Office after the spring
election.