Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-10-20
Modern Titles.

Ii titles are To Dt tolerated nv a
people whose chief pride is that all
men are free and equal, they should
be for use solely, and not for mere
ornament, but 50 degenerate are the
lines. that the reverse of this rule
seems to prevail. Ii is proper
while military officer wears
the shoulder straps, to designate
hlm by his rank and title, as IT is
the Judge on the beech, the Doc
tor who has attained his degree and
is i'll active pra tice OF his profess
sion, or the reverend, while he de-
votes himself solely to his sacred
calling; but to give either Of these
IL iIfc lease Of II title as an honorary
distinction, is as aOsured as it Is
contrary to the spirit OF our repub-
lican institutions.
! This fee ing seems to have ami
mated the Trainers of the CoustIu-
ton, when they prohibited the Sc
yelal States from granting any title
of nobility, right which, if con-
ceded, might have led to the estab-
] lishment of caste and social dlstinc-
ton iuimical to the genius of fee
government. The necessity for this
restraint was apparent to. our pat
riotic ancestors, Just freed from the
CALLING yoke of despotic rule.
The ludicious extent to which
this custom is carried by some na-
lions of the Old World, does not
check the tendency among the
shoddy aristrocrats on this side the
water to place handles to their
names. Thus the King of Alva,
who styles himself " the king of
kings, whom all others should obey,
the cause of the preservation of all
animals, the regulator of the sea
sons, the absolute master of the ebb
and flow of the sea, and king of the
four and twenty umbrellas finds
imitators here although popular
sentiment is not yet able to tolerable
quite so much pretension or verbos-
ity. The titles of d" Honorable and
Esquire" are preferred, notwith-
standing the doubtful antecedents of
the former, and the absolutely iS-
noble origin of the latter, meaning
literally shield bearer In the age
of chivalry, the esquire bore the he'll
met of his master, had charge of
his amor and shield, and held the
stirrup when he mounted, mental
services which our budding aristo.
Gratis would scorn to preform while
they delight in wearing the title
that, for back in the primitive ages,
indicated the lackey.
Neither is the covert sarcasm man
ifested in prefxing Governor"
Judge" General" Colonel"
/" Captain" or Doctor" to the
name of some goodnatured person
who has never aspired to civil or
military office, or who cannot dis
ting ish the duodenum from the
larynx, sufficient to check the grow
ing evil. The Generals grow up
like mullen stalks and the Colonies
spread like mushrooms, while the
Judges and Doctors are as plentiful
as thistles and are found in every
fence corner along the rugged path
way of life.
Titles belittle the memory of tru-
ly great men. They are but glittering
tinsel which obscure the view of
those characters which are so clear.
ly defined on the historic page as
to need no other light than their
own imperishable glory. Who would
commit the sacrilage of placing Hon.
before the name of the great George
Washington? Who would defame
the memory of the illustrious Benja-
man Franklin by appendins Esquire
to his hOnored name? Who would
rob the revered William Shakespeare
Of his imperishable laurels by pre-
fixing General, Colonel, Judge,
Doctor, or Honorable to his name?
Or, to go back to the era sacred to
mankind, who would dare place the
word Reverend before the name of
Him who more than any other man
died for humanity?
Titles are but a poor device, at
best, to lift their wearers from OBJ
security. They are un-American in
spirit, find their most eager support
ers among shoddy aristocrats, and
should be ignored by all sensible
men. AS Burns says:
"a king may made belted knight,
marquis, duke, and all that,
But an honest mans above his might
Good faith he must not try that!
For all that, and all that,
Their dignities, and all that,
The pith of sense the pride of worth,
Are higher ranks, for all of that"