The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-09-05
MIR, MRS. AND MISS.
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 with all modern peoples, the habit has arisen and become permanent and every day custom of Appropriating what were formerly definite titles of high distinction, and making them absolutely meaningless by tacking them to the name of every ob- scure individual. Does not, for instance, every German butcher and baker expect to be dubbed herr" or lord ?" 1t is the same, too, both with the monsieur " of the Frenchman, and the signor and the "senor" of the Italian and the Span- iard. In actual conversation we are less assuming than our neighbors, and do not require to be spoken of as Esquire Smith or Lord Jones, being quite contented with plain " Mister" before our names but we are apt to feel siighted and offend- cd if the Esq" should be omitted after our names on the envelopes which con- tain our correspondence. The history of those everyday titles of MT. and Mrs, which are nov the common property of every one, or, at any rate, seem to be SUD- posed to be so, is rot without interest though in some of its steps it is little obscure, and few remarks upon it may not be out of place here.
 In the earlier times of our history the ordinary man was simply William or John; that IS to say, he had merely a Christian name, without any kind of handle before 1t, or surname after 1t. Into the question of surnames we do not propose to enter here. Suffice 1t to say that as some further means of distinguish ing one John or one William trom another John or another William were found, in process of time, to be necessary, names, generally nicknames, derived from mans trade, or from his dwelling. place, or from some personal peculiarity, were tackled on to their Christian names, and plain John became plain John Smith. As yet there were no "Misters" in the land. Some John Smith accumulated more wealth than the bulk of his fellows = became, perhaps landed proprietor, or an employer of hired labor. Then he began to be called in the Norman French of the day, the Maistre of this place or of that, of these workmen or of those. In time the "Maistre," or Maister," as it soon became, got tackled on before his name, and he became Maister Smith, and his wife Maistress Smith. But it was ! only persons who had a notable position in place, and who actually were "mas- ters of something or other beyond the ordinary domestic chattels, who were thus dignihed with the title Gradually the sense of possession was lost sight of, and the ntle was conferred upon any man sho had attained social distinction of any kind, whether by mere possession of wealth, or by holding some position of more or less cor alteration and impor- tAnce. For long series of years, how ever, no one was called Mais;er," or Master" into which "Maister" got transformed unless he was distinctly in position superior to that of the great bulk of his fellow-countrymen, and was really in one sense or another, "mas- ter,' and it is only within comparatively modem times that the term came to be considered an almost indispensable ad- junct to every ones name when men, tioned iu ordinary conversation or writ ing. Maistress Smith soon became Mis- tress Smith. Exactly how and when the term got corrupted cannot be said. Master Smith, however, remained Master Smith long after his wife became Mistress Smith.
 The first use Of" Mister" is difficult to trace. It is certain, however, that it is 8 use of by no means long standing. The contraction "Mr." appears on the title p ge of the folio edition of Shakespeare, but it would probably have been read as " M aster at the time of its publication It IS likely, indeed. that it was not till long after Shakespeare's day that the in- fiuence of the corresponding for of Mis- tress was able to turn the q of the old fashioned Master" into of the "Mis- ter" of our own times, though we still retain the old word for the service of our children, and to-day Master Smith is no longer the head of the household, but his little son. We find an example of the old use of the word still surviving in Eng land in the masters of the supreme court, officials ranking immediately below her maJesty's judges, and it is occasionally amusing to stranger to hear a grave | and gray-haired old gentleman referred to as Master Jones. A somewhat similar instance is still to be found in France. | where the title usually given advocates and notaries is "Maitre."
 Not only, however, was John Smiths | wife known as Mistress Smith, but his | grown-up, unmarried daughters were equally called mistress, with the addition of their christian names, for distinctions sake, if such were necessary Nor did this use of mistress give place to our modern form miss till after the lapse of considerable portion of the last cen tury. The word "miss" was certainly used before that time, but not, indeed, very long before. At the beginning of the last century it was appropriated to the daughters of gentlemen under the | age of ten. or given slig ghnngly to giddy young ladies, or to those to whom we should apply the modern term of fast" t" It is only within moderately recent times | that it has become the property of un- married ladies, whatever be their age, | As to the derivation of the word "miss /" it seems clear that it is not obtained by i curtailing mistress of its last syllable, | but rather to have arisen from the GUS tom of abbreviating that word into Miss Probably, too, our modern M,ssis or Mrs. te tr kA ed k-- A..