The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1883-06-16
abf dbibboaux 9tntiuel.
SATURDAY, JUNE 1G. 1883
THE ORIGIN OF TITLES.

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more completely at variance with his
tSric times than in the use Of titles.
The Gresksh had mono. AGreek had q
esrtatn name. and that was his name
10 The mouth Of every n who called
him. There was no intervening title
"a indicate respect or Differences. If
Dsnosthenes had a clerk, the clerk
would have called the orator Demos
themes. aud could have called him moth
ing else. The Romano were q little
more subtle. What We should call the
surname was still the mans name ; his
intimate f'iends were nt liberty to
adopt the praenossen, but in neither
case was . title used. The simple
name designated its owner. and in the
case of Rome, the choice between the
W names showed tho extent of init.
macy of the parties. But when
We leave classic soil We come at once
upon the question Of title and its uni
versal use.
The growth was no doubt gradual,
and proceeded in the first instance by
inversion. The population was o
extensive than the nomenclature. We
were not good at calling names !; at
least. NO ware not good at inventing
them. And thus there were many du
p~lieates. Soon \ bright idea struck
the carly English mind. When a man
had q trade they added his trade to his
name and thus indicated him clear Of
all possible blunder. 1t was John the
Smith and Peter the Hermit, Robert the
Bishop and Thomas tho Earl. Then.
in . little time. the more reconcile Of
these indications became important
and were attached to ideas of dignity |
and position. But bishop and earl.
and such like. were not strictly titles,
THAT is to say, they were not titles as
Mr., Mrs. or Miss are titles. tor thew IN |
Dictated an Office. The bishop was a
bishop. and the earl was an earl. 1t
was not q mere affx ; it indicated a
position which has u definite meaning
recognized duties, acknowledged rank.
aud ascertained emolument. Thus. in
fact, titles, strictly speaking. are only
enjoyed by tho untitled. A general is a
general. aud has military duties a. we'll
as military rank a doctor of divinity
is what his name suggests, and is call
ed by that aame for that very reason
Bot a gentleman is called '.Mister" for
no reason whatever except that it is
thought rude to leave the meme out
and a lady is called 'Miss" merely
because her father is called "Mister."
The objection to simple nomencla-
ture is rooted. The title. such as it is,
has no indicating quality. In the ca
ses, ofthe peerage it may. indeed, be in
different. Earl Granville can mean
but one nobleman, aud there is bat one
Bishop Of Peterborough. Besides this,
as we have shown. these names are not
mere titles. They indicate an Office
and q duty as we'll as a rank and a
position. This exists still in the case
of Bishop and once existed in the case
of Earl. Eut Mr.. John Jones conveys
more definite idea than John Jones
without the Mr.. The explanation of d.
tho afix is simply this : That we cot ,
slider it rude to cali a man by his name /
and so we put it in the prefix from a
kind Of insane p~oliteness. There is, Of
course, the we'll known exception. =
Very great men are saved the question =
able honor Of a title. We do not. say i
Mr.. Shakespeare or Mr.. Chaucer. and n
oven the author of Childo Harold mer- 4.
yes hereditary rank in literary fame,
and is known among his admirers SIM q
ply AZ Byron. Here, too, it occurs to o
cpe to notice the democratic influence g
of literature and art. It seems that r.
poets and painters are either too good I,
Dr. too bad for q title. 1t is amusing to c,
zee on a modern play bill how the au h
appears liz print without any add h
lion. while the merest ''super." who a
been promoted to a part, figures in r;
print a Mr.. The anomaly is carried IL
further, for when the author take>| d
part in his own play he appears in Al
me division Of the bill az Henry 8.