The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1881-11-11
INITIALS.
The Annoyance They Sometimes Cuu,e.

SeAOSAJ uPoA tllc idCc OI ner urBJ-
born.
As Peter Ireland was the patronymic
OF the father of Mrs. Gowdy, a worthy
gentleman who had risen in life until
he occupied the proud and responsible
position of justice of the peace of Osh.
kosh, the happy father Of the boy offered
no objection, and accordingly the infant
struggled on through life with the name
in question as his sole and exclusive
! property.
When second son was subsequently
added to the household he was named
after his beloved parent, and was there.
after known and designated as Henry
Oliver Gowdy.
Now, these two brothers, when thav
entered tho confines of schoolroorn,
soon discovered that although, as
Shakespeare insinuates, there is nothing
in name, there is something in the
initials that compose q name, and when
Peter Ireland Gowdy and Henry Oliver
Gowdy appeared at the blackboard to
take their initiatory lesson in mathe-
matlcs and signed their initials to their
sums, the whole school was at once
transformed into bedlam.
When the teacher gazed at the black
board and saw the letters p. 1. G. and
IL. o. G. imprinted there, he was at
once enabled to understand the cause
OF the sudden uproar. The difference in
the ages and sizes of the Gewdy brothers
enabled the wag of the school to casti-
gate them with q couplet that ever after
followed them through life:
"a bigpig, lille pig,
Root, log, or die.'
In after years, in, college, one Robert
A. Treadwell, one of the students, who.
although he had mighty mind, was but
a mite in physique, was known as the
RAT, the initials of his name forming
that v-ord. His father, an excellent gem
tleman, was extremely mortified at the
discovery; but when ho became father
of another boy he astonished his neigh
bors by naming him Charles A. Tread
we'll, the initials of which formed the
word CAT.
When approached upon the subject
and charged with negligence in SO doing,
he replied good-naturedly:
"Well, gentlemen, / found I had
RAT in the family, and whore there is q
RAT there should be CAT"
The two brothers Murphy afforded
another instance Of ihe want of fore
thought on the pant of parents in
naming their children. The brothers
were named respectively James &. MUIR
ply and John 1. Murphy, and as the ini-
tials Of their names afforded their
brother collegiates the opportunity,
they were known as the Jim Jam brothers
-jim-iam being a vulgarism for deliri-
um tremens.
Robert A. Merrifeld-R. A. M.-also
gave the boys chance to resurrect the
old story of the boarding-house mis-
tress who always had four kinds of meat
for dinner every day. viz, ran, lamb :
slIvvp uIIu uIuttUn, anu Ems was,.II,nuu
into his ears from morning until night.
George A. Styles-G. A. San in
veterate punster, was another example
of the effect Of initials, for whenever he
perpetrated anything that could by any
course Of reasoning be distorted into a
pun, the whole class rushed at him with
the cry, "Turn out the gas" and drove
him from the room.
Dennis O'Galvin-D. o. Ga bright,
intellectual little Irish boy, was made
the subject of these lines
Whether tits play or pay,
Ev'ry dog has his day.
His most formidable rival for collegi-
ate honors was Andrew S. Stephenson,
A. s. s., who combined with giant
mind gigantic frame. The intellect
ual contest between the two students
was memorized as follows:
And it camo to pass that through the class
Tho little dog chased the long-eared ass.
A peculiar and anomalous incident
was afforded by the names of George I.
Northrup, G. !. N, and S. o. Taylor, s.
o. IT,, who, although in contradistinc-
tion of their initials, were stern advo-
Gates of teetotalism, were universally
known as Gin and Tansy.
Charles o. Wetherell, @. o. W., was
not teetotaler, but on the contrary
was passionately fond of imbibing, and
to such an extent did he crafty his APP
petite that it was not an unusual thing
for him to appear in the recitation room
slightly fuddled. He was made the
subject of some poetical lines that chung
to him through lie like tail of COW.
cc'o went to school, and what do you think
He couldn't spell milk without taking drink.
Michael A. Marshall, NJ. A. n, was
one of those solemn, serious little wise
old men that are occasionally found in
boyhood, but are as scarce as four
leaved clover. His peculiar disposition
earned Tor him the title Of Old Nanny
Daddy.
Leonard I. Perley, L. I. p, was an
other unfortunate who was compelled
to submit to the infliction caused by
the want of judgment on the part of
his parents in giving him name. He
was known as Lppy; but when an in
cipient mustache began to appear they
christened him hair-lp.
George A. Barker, G. A. b., was al
ways referred to as a gifted individual;
but as he subsequently attained a high
position as lawyer, tho action of his
parents in thus giving him his initials
might have been considered at least
prophetic.
Alfred p. English, A. p. e., Oliver
w. Lawrence, o. w. L., and Peter o.
Phelps, p. o. p, comprised a syndicate
at which the boys hurled their lam
poons, although the professors con-
tended it was sin to. ca ter to such
follies. One of their effusions was as
follows:
An EDglirh ape sat down to paint.
When he held his easel,
A wicked o,ol began to howl
Out "Pop goes the weasel"
But these petty annoyances are not
confined to the initials of entire names;
for it often happens that the baptismai
initial added to the surname produce a
ridiculous effect. Thus ii. e. Drake
was known by the Pathological designa-
tion of he drake, and s. Z. Lyon as the
sen ion.. O. Attic was referred to as
Cattle, while Tabitha Opsey, an osti.
mable lady, Was known as Topsy until
she merged her name in that of her |
husband.
The ladies possess the advantage |
over the masculine sex in the opportu-