The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1882-03-30
Comical German Names.

Comical German Names.
More comical aud repulsive names
arc current in Germany chan in any
other European country, out Germans
do not seem to suffer from the miseries
OF eccentric nomenclature as do En-
glishmen, Frenchmen or even Italians.
Perhaps their difference in this regard
springs partly from their natural short
comings as far as a sense of humor is
concerned. and partly from the deep
and solid self-satisfaction which is one
OF their National characteristics. A
glance over the pages of the Berlin Di-
rectory will enable any one acquainted
with the German language to pick out
hundreds of astonishingly incongruous
names owned BY persons holding dis
.inguished positions in the official, COM
nercial and artistic circles OF the capt.
tai. No social class is exempt from this
quaint affiiction. Illustrious MOBILES are
often as ridiculously named as the hum
blest proletary. For instance, one of
the most ancient baronial families in
Prussia rejoices in the designation,
"Gatekeeper of HE'LL" and the name of
Empire, literally rendered into our
yernacular, is ''Handle of Thunder
Marrow" To our apprehensions these
patronymics are no whit less nonsens-
ical and unfit for family use than the
utterly plebeian Bloodsausage,"
"Whitecamer' or "Twoyearoldwild-
boar" that abound in the Fatherland; !;
but Germans see nothing funny or un-
common in them, and are unfeignedly
surprised when the intelligent foreigner
-ojourning in their midst ventures to
mint that. in any other country, names
80 extrava gantly incongruous would in
evitably render life intolerable to their
iuckless possessors. by reason of the
'nexhaustibie banter. chaff and satirical
comment they could not fail to sug-
est to social wags and .omic journal
lists.
The majority of the more high
sounding and poetical names that meet
he eye upon German shop-fronts or in
~ advertising sheets of the Teutonic
ally press belongs to persons of Jewish
.xtraction. Not more than couple of
CENTURIES ago the German Israelite. as a
'ule, was fOriorn of family name. He
vas either known by front name"
supplemented by that of his father. as
Aaron-ben-David," or" Solomon BEN
,srael," or by some nickname owing
q origin to the nature of his occupa-
O1, OF, perhaps. to q conspicuous
| aysical peculiarity. This vagueness
his denomination and his erranr
commercial habits enabled him to dodge
he tay-gatherer, and gave the German
administration good deal of trouble
| n dealing with him from q fiscal point
n view. Ii was therefore resolved to
axe him distinctly identifiabIe by the
'mpie process of compelling him to
AXE a family name, stick to it dur
ny his own life and transmit it by legal
sct OF registration to his children. No
estricti0ns were imposed upon him in
he matter of choice, and his fowery
} iental instincts prompted him to Sc
sct patronymics significant of things
,eautiful or noble in nature, of great
,rovinces or stately cities, kingly birds
md beasts, moral virtues and picturesque
houghts. Hence the following names,
roper to German Israelite families OF
| III GLASSES: Valley-of-Lilies, Mountain
,f-Roses, Stone Of Honor. Silesian,
,nglishman, Warsaw, Viennese. Eagle,
4 L
| .ty. Trust God, Peace-of- Countries,
| Sich-in- Virtue, Lovely Home, Holiday
;vening, Mountain of thanks. Ladies'.
Praise and many others as romantic or
,lealistic as the foregoing. Alike astute
md artistic, the jews of the Fatherland,
lnder stern compulsion to establish
heir identity as rate payers. bestowed
/ ipon themselves all the. prettiest and
nOblest patronymics the German Ian
guage could afford, leaving to their
Christian eompatriots the ugliest and
most igpoble. 9fl 2! - :
But there be other by NO means un.
common German names. so intrinsical-
ly eccentric, anomalous and unreasona-
BILE that it is scarcely possiblet to account
to ones self for their origin or appro-
priation by sane human beings What,
for instance, Can have been the motive
prompting son Of Teut to call himself
"Efervescentweather, s>DoornaiI'' O,
"Blistervillage." From what oueel
fancies or odd incidents did such names
as "Frothmountain,' ..Cat' selbow,' .
s.Ranhandle," -'sHorsedeceiver,' "Ti.
gerstream," 'tDoubiedourish, "Scis
sorscorner'' and '.Dairybasin'' derive
their rdison Tetre? Every conjecture
have hitherto ventured respecting the
genesis of these astounding compound
irrelevancies has, J. am bound to say
been utterly lacking in verisimilitude
Perhaps some of your readers NAV bs
more successful than myself in divinine
the ''unde derivatur' of such perplex
ing ''front-name'' as, let us say
"Knucklexillage." I cordially rec
ommend it to their attention and re
search ,. "a. III -. ale
There is. indeed, an, inexhaustibl,
wealth OF puzzledom in German names
Who. in the name of all that is angus
and Mustrious, should the senior ROY a
Duke of the Fatherland, a near relativ,
Of our own Queen, and own; brother O
~ deceased magnate whose statu
adorns fair Geneva, hear such farcica
title as Brown. be silent?" OF wha
heinous ofense had the capital Of
aourishing German Duchy been guilt
that it should have been subjected t,
| the perpetual punishment Of so unplsas
ant a designation as Bowel TOWN.
High Tsxer" may seem appropriate
snougk, as descriptive family name
20 the supreme ruler of Germany, hu
It Is certainly, open to objection As q
incessant reminder to the German ,peo
pie Of the least agreeable characteristi
Of that great and ancient house, who's
venerable head now wears the iMperis
/ crown.-- Genera Continental Times. 4.
!, l 4..r ttl
l3.q.l The Gypsies in Europe.
The gypsy is thorough and irre
claimable vagabond, but he has man
,, good points about him. His notions G
honesty, especially when . fowl or :.
horse Is In question, do not exactly COZ
| respond with our own. and he can M