Gold Hill daily news. [volume] (Gold Hill, N.T. [Nev.]) 1863-1882, 1878-09-24
American Triple Names.

The almost universal employment OF
n middle initial letter In American names
has for some time excited the satiricai
humor Of our English brethren. Both
Trollops and Edmund Yates have held
up To laughter this PECULIARLY OF Ameri-
can appellations, the former in the
character Of q doctress in his last novel
under the name Of Olivia q. fleabody.
aud the latter In an American named
Rufus p. Croffutt-ths humor in each
case being to repeat the name as Ire
qusntly as possible. in every Instance
with the middle initial in full force. This
method Of signature is by no means eI-
clusively confined to Americans, but In
England the more general custom, where
one has two Christian names, IL either
10 write them both in full OF both with
initials only. Mr.. Mill. for instance.
sometimss signed his name John Stuart
Mil. aud sometimes j. :. Mill, but
never, We believe, John 5. Mil, IA an
American would be tolerably sure to do
unless consciously initiating the Enalish
custom. We do not mean to say that
names With middle initials are not TO be
found In England; II Is simply the almost
invariableness OF the custom with US that
slcites the risibilitie- Of English humor-
ists aud satirists. Mr.. Richard Grant
White has something to say ON this topic
In tho last AudAiie, but he seems to have
somewhat mistaken the point OF the
English satire. An Englishman ask
ins him how IL l. that Americans have
slways triple names. he replied. Accord
ing TO his own account, banteringly. in
this wise EYES. I've remarked it my
self there are those well'known Eng
Qli.hnien, Washington Irving. and
George Bancroft. aud Nathaniel Haw-
thorns, and his son Julian Hawthorne,
and Jefferson Davis and then are those
Yankees, William Ewart Gladstone. and
Thomas Babington Macaulsy. aud vii.
liam Makspeacs Thackeray. and Samuel
Taylor Coisridge, and Walter Savage
Landor, and Percy Bysshs Shelley
Mr.. White might have gone on multi
plying instances indehnitely-- George
Washington. Thomas Jefferson. Alex.
ander Hamilton, James Madison, James
Monroe, Andrew Jackson, Daniel Web
s,sr. Henry Clay. James Buchanan.
Horace Greeley. being simple double
names on the American side that will
occur TO everybody; and, on the Eng
lish side, James Anthony froude.
Thomas Noon Talfourd, Thomas Henry
Buckle. Henry Crabb Robinson. Thomas
Haynes Bailey. occur oh.hand as addi-
tons to Mr.. Whites list. II Ia certainly
obvious that Americans have no eIelu-
sive fondness for triple names. But
this IL not the point. IL Is the fondness
for a middle initial in our names that Is
peculiar with us, and which. not with.
out reason. appears so grotesque 10
Enelishmen-this middle letter being
not only always written. but repeated
vhsnsyer the name Is used. even in
familiar conversation. Mr.. White Is OF
opinion that tho middle letter Is
intended solely "ior the sake OF
making a clear and sure distinction
b.tveeu persons Of the same sur
name. but TO our observation II seems
generally not to be based on so good
reason a. this, being usually nothing
mora than q fashion. The average
American seems 10 think that name IL
not complete without a middle letter
We say litter rather than name. for with
us the name IL so rarely written OF
spoken In full that people will often re-
main for years in ignorance OF anything
more ths the initial OF the middle name
Of their most intimate friends. Weean-
mot think our custom in this particular q
graceful or tasteful one. Daniel Web
s,sr and Henry Clay are names that
have a large and simple dignity how
fairly grotesque and belittled they would
b.como a. Daniel 4. Webster or Henry
q. Clay, We amOs, doubt whether
Napoleon O. BonaPar.e could have con. n.
qusred the world !; and Charles r.
dickens would have been uncomfortably
handicapped in the race for fame had his
name been dishgured in this fashion,
App,stOs's Journal for October.