Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1881-09-29

should be i'm ordinary use. The die
tionaries contain lists of about two hum
dred and fifty male and one hundred
and fifty female names, but out of these
not more than twenty or thirty for each
sex can be called at all common.
Yet our language has many beautiful
names both male aud female worthy Of
popularity they have net yet attained
Among the male, for Instance --Alban,
Ambrose. Bernard, Clement. Christie.
pher, Gilbert, Godfrey, Harold, Michael,
Marmaduke, Oliver, Paul, Ralph, Ru-
pert, Roger, Regip FL Roland. Syl-
vester. 1heobald Urban, Valentine.
Vincent, Gabriel. Tristram, Norman,
Peroival, Nigel, Lionel, Nicholas,
Eustace, Colin. Sebastian. Basil, Mar.
tin, Antony. Claude, Justus, Cyril, etc.
euphony, good etymology, and interest
ing associations.
And among female names why have
we not more girls called by the noble
or graceful appellations of Agatha,
Alethia, Arabella, Beatrice, Bertha,
Cecilia, Evelyn, Ethel, Gertrude, Isa-
bel, Leonora, Florence, Mildred, Milli-
cent, Philippa, Pauline, Hilda, Clarice,
Amabel, Irene, Zoe, Muriel, Estelle,
Eugenia, Euphemia, Christabel, The
resa, Marcia, Antonia, Claudia, Sibylla,
Rosabel, Rosamond. etc.
There arc some curious superstitions
| regarding the naming Of children,
which, as a matter Of gossip, are worth
| passing notice. The psasantry Of
Sussex believe that il q child receive
the name of dead brother or sister, it
: IL also win die at an early age. In some
1 parts of Ireland il is thought that giving
I the child the name of one of its parents
! abridees tho life of that parent. 1t is
( generally thought lucky 10 have the
/ initials of Christian name and surname
I the same, and also TO have the initials
/ spell some word. In the northwestern
! parts of Scotland a newly named infant
Is vibrated gently two or three times
over a flame, with the words: "Iet the
4 flames consume thee now or never; !;
and this lustration by fire is common
to-day In the Hebrides and Western
Isles. There is a widespread supersti-
tion that child who does not cry at its
baptism viii not live; also one which
considers it specially unlucky if any
thing interferes TO prevent the baptism
at the exact umo hTHt appointed In
many parts OF Scotland, II children of
different sexes are ut the font, the min
ister who attempted TO baptize the girl
before the boy would be interrupted.
II is said TO be peculiarly unfortunate
to the child il priest that is left-band-
ed christens il. In Cumberland and
Westmoreland a child going to be chris
tened carries with il a slice of bread
and cheese, and this is given TO the first
person met. In return the recipient
must give the babe three different
things, and wish ii health and fortune.
We have witnessed the aforementioned
custom very frequently, and once in a
farmhouse at the foot of Saddleback
Mountain we saw very singular meth
od of deciding what the name of the
child should be. Six candles OF equal
length were named. and all lit at the
same moment. The babe was called after
the candle which burned the longest.
We have mentioned these supersti-
tions as curious proofs that our ignorant
ancestors considered the naming OF chill
dren an important event; and we would
feel sorry If they tended TO weaken in
any measure previous thoughts. For.
careless as we may be OF the fact, it
still remains fact beyond doubt, that
the name of person Is the sound that
suggests the idea of him or her--it is
their portrait painted in letters. There
fore we cannot be too careful not TO
give one that will be a shame or an en-
barTassment, or which will even con-
denim the bearer 10 the commonplace.
-Harper's Bazar.