The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1882-04-09
grown. They lack the dignity suitable for

grown. They lack the dignity suitable for
| womanhood.
Nor is it safe to name girls after moral
qualities and after flowers, which In after life
they may not conspicuously display or which
they may not at all suggest In physical and
other respects. Harsh names are, Of course
to be avoided. They are not consonant with
feminine lovellnoss. The homcly names Of
the past, frequently used though they be,
generally have n dignity and a suitability
which do not belong to applications borrowed
from poetry or romance or fashion. They
are the safest, tho most satisfactory In daily
use, tho most beautiful in the long run, If
they arc chosen with judgment; and, more
over, by means Of them the appellations OF
ancestors are transmitted. You will be much
moro apt to go wrong If you hunt for some
peculiar namc for n girl than il you take one
of those sweet names by which, with more
or less variation In form, according to Ian
guagc, the great mass of women in times past
have been known
But az to this particular SMITH baby, what
shall We say? 50 nico n girl must have
nice name. And no wonder that Mr.. SMITH
wishes to distinguish the little lady among
NV blOuS'iIllo ulNi injurious Va Aiib''hh'S "
SMITH girls now living in the world, and to
whose great number additions arc made
every day IN many lands. But for him even
we have no advice different from that we
have given in general He cannot give her d
peculiar name without cndanGcring unfOr-
tunatc oddly. Because she is n SMITH, for
that very reason he needs to tako the more
care not to drop from Il romantic or high
sounding Christian name to the common
place level Of his surname. He should be the
moro careful to give to the nice baby, over
whose advent in the SMITH household we all
rejoice, an appellation which shall be simple,
modest, transformations, and agreeable to the
ear no matter how homcly 1t may be. MARY
Is always beautiful name. MAUD is good,
too. IN its present usage 1t Is not a nick
name, though it was originally diminutive
of MAGDALEN. AS long ago as the eleventh
century MATILDA, Empress of Germany and
Queen Of England, was also known as
MAUDE, Notwithstanding that the name came
originally from MAGDALEN. Perhaps, how
ever, longer name than MARY or MAUD
would be better for Mr.. SsIrns nice baby
Among the many Saxon appeliations for
girls it will be easy to find one which will
be attractive. Indeed, instead Of SAITH
being hard surname TO fit Christian name
to, 1t is one with which nearly all the more
desirable harmonize.
Finally, renewing our congratulations to
Mr.. SMITH, we wish health and happiness to
the baby, to Mrs. SMITH, and to the whole
SMITH household. May the baby grow nicer
as she grows older, increase in beauty and in
loveliness Of disposition, make whatever
Christian name she bears suggestive of the
most delightful and engaging Of feminine
qualities and in due time change her surname
only to take that Of n man who will be worthy
OF her and welcome son-in-law for her
| proud parents. No surname in the whole Gu
rious list of family applications can take the
niceness out of n nice girl, or prevent 1t from
charming her acquaintance. The niccness,
too, remains in pretty feminine name,
though it does stand before SMITH, common
est Of surnames.