, 1879-03-25
TIE EEASQSH


Cnrah,H Atdyasfne.
It is only nftcr the Normal, CWqucst that the
names which wc now regard rs ,lfstiucttvc1y Eu-
Gtsh iirst mad. their appearance. And, When
VIC como to examine their forms, we find ap-
uarcnt.y curious contradiction. klhc English,
as WI have been told 60 often Of late years, arc
u Low Dutch nation; but these so-calicil En-
glisll names, John, Tliomns, Jan,cs, Henry,
Richard, Robert, and Wil!tatn, nre all OF them
either Seriptural relso High German In origin.
How can VIC account for this pecullnrltyi Not
only wcre the English themselves Low Dutch
gacc, but the Eorn,nns who introduced tilcso
names among them wcro Of Scandinavian de-
scent, md therefore even lower Tcutons, so to
sneals, than The English themselves. Tl.o an-
swcs to tile p,lzzle II to be found IN universal
tctilcucv Of mankind everywhere to chuosc for
themselves ur t!,uir children what seem to them
1ne ur fashionable 1latlcs. Accordingly, Ytlcg-
ever Royal iatnt!y belongs to i tlilEercht rnca
from that when tliry govern, tho Royal mines
rapidly slrcal downward, through tic nobility,
to the peopic Ut large.
ontburst OF Gcrman nomenclature which tol-
loved tic alyent to Engi!lull of tito llonse of
Hanover. Tllc. loyalty Vi our great grnr.I-
fathers Ro,lcd the country at ouco With
Gcurges, Frcdcricks. Cl.arIottcs, aud Sonhias.
Every young uni! of quality was IN Ernest, MI
Augustus, un Ado'phus, Or Il 1.cwis; every girl
was III, Attgustl. a Lo,;(sa, u Caroline, or Ma
tilda. The doubtful pcrsunngns whom the young
squire .palmcd OIL III !llo family Of the Vicar of
Wakefield us q la.ly 81 dIstiuc:foh from Landun
had aseutaed The fashionable designation Of
Miss Carolina WtllcsninA Amelia SKegge. So
c0u.tlon lid tlIrse lianuvcriun importutions
hccome TINT a test. old gentleman In olIu Of
faugled tlucry, wislles al tie Girls wero pialu
Supics.-timt being evidently Ills notion Ut
goou oll-fashtoncu English hume, SO, too In
our own time, q perfect crop of Aloerts, Vfc-
tor!as, Acxnn,ltas' Aiireds. Mandss Ailertas.
Grcat Britain uni the Colunics, from tl,r eecl
aowu ly n,tr prcsollt rclgnsag ianIly.
Now, NIL our familiar English Christian names
originally High Gerlna' designations. Tic
Frankisli conqucrors Ut t;aul took tlle:l lit their
train to Laof, so!ssons: mud Paris. Betoro lolg
tllu Kotnantxctl Cets lntpoRcd their langl,ngr
not Icnto.r tongue. but tho neople. Ia r..
turn, took tnr.r names trunl tic Frankish no
bcs, md to tnis dAy the t0tnnco-CeItc !nltab.
tuIlts uf Franco call themselves Charles Or
rons attss s m wsn Kat's e l, Sdrtag %gs 81 tGt r.
turn among the downs anl dn!cs Of N.ussEia,
they, too, n.lopte.i tho high German deslguu-
tons Of their leuual superlors ut Paris; md the
lIrolfs, Grims, Buvns Thora. ami ltasus, wl,nsu
Vile, Tourylllc, un1 l1aconvltle, gave WY
to t the Kobcrts, Walters, Williams, llenrys,
and Johns, With whom wo aro s0 fa.niliar
III Tic story of thu Conquest. "a soon as
tie Norman dynnsty was firmly sett!cd on tic
English throne, our own ancestors again bor-
rowetl these names from the new nobility, aud
tic Godrles usul Goleitus Of our early history
Weld i,layu at once in The chronicles IL tho tn.
srusiys prnnnuens Of Noru.al,dy, Anlol,, a,,d
Aquttane. rhua thu High Germans gave .llesa
wortls to tho CeItc Romance prop'c of 1aul,
tl,e Cclta gayc t!ctn to thc Scandinavian Nor
,1Intls, and tl.s Sormans handed them or to tllc
Luw Gernlan EnElIsl