The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1882-09-26
Streets and Their Names.
The System in Vogue in London and
America Contrasted.
[Pall Mall Gazette.l


The accounts of the fierce debates in the
Paris Municipal Council which reach us from
time to time show what an interest the naming
of streets has for our neighbors. Periodically
Intransigeants in that assembly attempt to
abolish the name of Rue Bonaparte, and as
often the Government puts its veto on the at
tempt; but in other cases they have been more
Successful, and the Boulevard Prince Eugene
has become Boulevard Voltaire, while the
Rues de Morny and Abbatucci and Cambaceres
have been radicalized. When one looks in
London for the names of famous men, the re-
suit is disheartening. In vain does one seek
for voltaire, Newton, or Galileo, Burke, Fox,
or Sheridan-to take half dozen names at
random. Although in great many instances
their places of abode are known, and the Socie-
ty of Arts endeavors to perpetuate them with
plaques, yet the streets themselves bear other
names. Shakespeare, it is true, has terrace
at Holloway; Lord Beaconsfeld street in Puts
ney, and Mr.. Allsop a news near Regent
Park; but the Williams and Charleses and Ed
wards have it all their own way.
To know that there are thirty-six Charles
streets, twenty William Streets eighteen
Queen streets, seventeen Duke streets, twenty
eight King streets and seventeen Edward
streets is enough to call the most apathetic
Londoner to a sense of his position; but to find
that each of these names has its satellites in
"buildings." acourts.n anlaces. D s @rouss ),
and even ''vilas," is terrifying. Too add to
his dismay, there are at least three Bond
streets besides the only possible Bond street.
and half dozen Park lanes Added to these
hQ sfr III:
streets and New streets bring up most for
midable array; while the prefxes of north
SOUTH east and west, old and new, seem TO
have been specially invented to puzzle the pub
lie. Whether the most experienced cabman
has ever visited the whole Of the King streets
or Charles streets is doubtful 1t would prob
ably take man twenty-four hours hard walk
ing to visit the thirty-six Charles Streets if
indeed, anybody were likely to undertake such
journey. Ii the object of street nomencla-
ture was not convenience to the public, but
the imparting of the knowledge of how house
property is divided in London or certain
amount of antiquarian knowledge, this would
be admirably met. The domains of the Bed
ford, the Westminster, the Camden and Sails
bury families are all marked out with consid-
cradle distinctness. The Strand, Ludgate.
Hatton- garden, Ely-place and hosts of other
names recall traditions which would otherwise
have persisted long ago. Another great griev-
ance is that every street OF considerable length
with half dozen numberings; sometimes the
two sides of the street are named differently
The numbering of the Strand is, perhaps, the
most distracted lesson that human being can
learn. While the people who insist on indicat-
ing their houses by Roman numerals are the
despair of every cabman, then come, to make
confusion worse COMPOUNDED, the individuals
who have an unfortunate mania for living in
villas, and repugnance to be classed as No. "a
or No. %, like their fellows. The magnificence
OF the name, too, it will be found, is generally
in proportion to the misery of the structure:
and these isolated Alma lodges, Balaclava vii
las or Alipore bungalows, which cause the post
man and the visitor to wiring their hands in
desperation, consists generally of the smallest
number of rooms that can distinguish house
from hovel. As long as the Post Office de-
liver letters this sort of thing will always 90
on.
In contrast with the apathy displayed here
the way in which the question has been solved
abroad merits attention. The American has
long ago adopted the numerical method, which
reckons as the pc lection of human wisdom
As that system depends for its success on
rectangular streets, its adaptability to London
may well be doubted and also whether q sys-
tenn that involves the mental operation of car
rying SO many figures in ones head is good
one is questionable; to recollect that one friend
lives at No 127 of Ninety-sevanth street, and
another at No. 81 of One Hundred and Twenty
seventh street will always be confusing, while
another objection is that it is almost too mat
ter-of-fact for the English mind. which has still
some sparks Of sentiment about it. The
French, on the other hand, look upon the
names of their streets as rewards for merit,
and have ingeniously invented the system of
honoring the great men of the past by keeping
their memory alive in the present. Perhaps
still better method would be to name streets
after those who have become famous in them,