The Press., 1885-04-16

No other name on the list numbers as many as ten while it is rather singular coincidence that those which rise above that number are equally distributed be- tween the boys and the girls. Many of the names are abbreviated as have al- ready remarked and in some instances old and familiar abbreviations have been changed. Bill, once current as represent ing William, German, is now supplanted by the less forcihle but more euphonious Willie. Frank takes invariably the places of Franklin and Francis, French and sev- eral good old German names give way for Fred; while Lewis, also German, takes the French form with the silent. Hen. Tom and Joe are are not elegant; we ban them in polite talk, and no teacher in the schools forgets the proprieties so far as to use them in addressing pupils. They do not appear in my list but there is one lit tie Joey and one little TomA46e. regret that there is not one little Hennie. But Hen, Tom and Joe, terse and racy, and al- ways suggestive of wide-awake boys, full of geod-natured and roguish vim, have a great grip on the common every day heart. and they will not let go. Charles, Ger man, was once a very familiar and much used pame, but is now becoming rare while Ernest, also German, is coming to the front. Richard and Albert, Theodore, Thaddeus and Alonzo, together with Abie- ail and Almira, Catherine and Clarissa and Elvira and Melissa were famous i'll the TO- mances of half @ century ago. and there still fingers about them the tender air of & time long since gone.
 The christen names of girls have been subjected to more abbreviations and changes than those of boys. Mary holds <1,o,> l,rI r. .kx,o e.. Name is used as pet substitute in tender years, the old-fashioned Polly and Mol ly have been utterly discarded, Mabel has been cut in twain, but is not lost, flor the halves keep their identity, and make in May and Belle two pretty names in the place of one, each of which in its own sep arate right contracts within itself and pre- serves all that survives of several other old and once fondly cherished names The same in part may be said of Jennie and Nellie, which represent all that is left of names borne by those who out-sang the birds in the Junes of long ago, and danced on winter eyes the Money Musk with feet that twinkled as they rose and fell to the music of the stirring viols and mellow hutes. 1 Alas, we must say farewell to many sacred name that charmed us in the haley on days of our youth. Helen goes with Helena and Ellen, and Jane with Jean and Jeanette and they are followed as they fade away down the long reaches of the past by many other names that seem to wave back to us as with shadowy hands, the last fond adieu. In the long train we see Adelne and Belinda, Caroline and Cynthia, and Elenor, Fanny and Faith ,apd Geraldine, and Harriet and Laura and Eu- cy, Margaret and Nancy and Olive, and Patience and Phebe and Rhoda. and the Sybil of the sad-eyed prophecies closing the vanishing line. Are they gone forever Will they never come back again with that better time when the little child shall play with the bear and the heavenly Una shall lead her milk-white lamb by All waters Well, it matters not much to us who are growing old and becoming like lone peli- cans on the house-tops, for the way cannot be long ere we shall hear in brighter world than this the dear old names falling like music from angel lips G.ev.M.