Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1884-1886, 1885-11-08
MR.. MRS. AND MISS.
A FEW HISTORICAL REMARKS UPON
THESE EVERYDAY TITLES.
Hos. In Early Times, Fiain John Smith
became '.Maistre'' and His Wife
''Maistress" - Corruption Of
the Once HOnored Term.
Home Journal


Not only in our country. but apparently
with all modern peoples, the habit has arisen
and become permanent and every day
custom OF appropriating what were form
..rly definite titles Of high distinction, and
making them absolutely meaningless by
lacking them to the name Of every obscure
individual. Does not, for instance, every
German butcher and baker expect to be
dubbed 1herr' or 'iordi' 1t is the same,
too, both with the monsieur" Of the French
man, AMI the 'signor' and the "ssnor' Of
the Italian and Spaniard. In actual CONVEX
satinn We are less assuming than our
neighbors, and do not require to be spoken
II a, Z quire Smith or Lori Jones. being
quite contented with a plain Mister be-
lore our names; but We are quito apt to
feel slighted and offended if ths "Esq.'
should be omitted after our names on the
envelopes which contain our correspond
ence. The history of those everyday
titles of Mr.. and Mrs, which ere now the
common property of every one. or. at any
rate, seem to be supposed to be so. Is not
without interest, though in some OF its
step, it is a little obscure, and a few re-
marks upon it may not be out OF place
here.
In the earlier times OF our history the
ordinary man WIS simply William or John;
that is to say, he had merely a Christian
name, without any kind Of handle before
1t or surname after it. Into the question
of surnames we do not propose to enter
here Suffice it to say that as some further
mean; OF distinguishing one John or one
William from another John or another
William were found, in process OF time, to
he necessary, names, generally nicknames.
derived from a mans trade, or from his
dwelling place, or from some personal De-
culiarity, were tackled on to their Christian
names, and plain John became John Smith.
As yet there wers no "Mistsrs" in the land
Some John Smith accumulated more
wealth than the bulk of his fell
lows-became, perhaps landed pro-
prietor. or an employer OF hired
labor Then he began u be called in
the Norman French of the day, tie @Mais-
tre' OF this place or of that. Of these work
men or OF those. In tine the "Maistre,n or
MASTER, as it soon became, got tackled on
before his name. AMI he became Master
Smith, and his wife was MaistresS Smith.
But it was only persons who had a notable
position in n place, and who actually were
"masters' or something or other beyond the
ordinary domestic chattles, who were thus
di,nifei with the title. Gradually the
sens, of possession was lost sight Of, and the
title was conferred upon any man who had
attained social distinction of any kind,
whether by wealth. or by holding some po-
sition OF more or less consideration and i'm
portancs.
For long series Of years, however. 10
ons was called "Maiste-," or Master Unto
which Master got transformed), unless he
a L., - hat
Of the great bulk OF his fellow-countrym men.
and wa, really, in one sense or another,
master and it is only within comparatively
modern times that the term ca ne to be con-
sidereI an almost indispen sable djunct TO
ones name when mentioned in ordinary
conversa alton or writing Maistress Smith
soon tecame Mistre. Smith. Exactly now
and when the term got corrupted can not
be said Master Smith. however. remained
Master Smith long after his wife became
Mistress Smith.
Tho fret use OF -Mi,.or- is difficult to
trace. /. is certain. however, that il is a
use o, by no means long staining. The con-
traction Mr. appears on the title-page Of
the first folio edition o; Shakespeare, but it
would probably have have been Rad as
Master at the time Of its publication. 1t Is
likely, indeed. that IL was not III long after
Shakespeare's day tina. the initnsnce Of the
corr espouiinS fer Of mistress was able TO
turn the a Of toe old-fa-hiOnei Master
into OF the Mister OF cur OWE times.
though we still retain the old WORT for the
service Il our children, ami to-day Master
Smith /, NJ longer tie bead OF the house
hold. but his littls zoe.
We fni an example OF the cd u~s OK the
wo-i still surviving IN Englsni IN the mas
tiers OF the supreme court, officials ranking
inm.iia.aIy below her mlj-,;ss JUICES
an & il occasionally amusing - stranger
TO aesr a grave aud gray-ssirsiod gentle
nan referred u as Ma.tsr Jone. A soma
wat similar Instance j. It'll To be fOIat in
France, where the title usually given advo-
ca;es AMI no-sriss il -Maitre-'
No, o-ly, however was John Smiths wife
known a. Mistress Smith. but his grown Up
unmarrisi daughter vers equally called
Mistress. with tie addition OF tsslr Chrls-
tiaa namss, fo- distinc;Icns sake. x suca
were necessary Nor did this Use OF Ais-
tres give place 20 our modera form Q.
Miss til after the lapse q q eorsatsrsb..
portion o, tn, last century Tee Sori
Miss was certainly uset b.fose taat ;iuss,
bu. not indeed, very long bes0re ~ the
beginning Of tbs last csniars i vas aPFrn-
pr.atsi 10 the daughters OF geaile11ea ua1sr
the age o, 10. or given siisEny to zldty
young laiies or - tho-e % WHOM ~s sao1ii
,poiy the modern term q fast
IL Is oaiy within moderately receos ti----s
sha; il has bseom. the property q zaEnsr-
-i-i laiies whatever be their Ase- A. .
the dsrivssior o. .hs word Kiss, Z seems
,.ea- tha: /, Is not absatasi BY ez-sai.ia-
sAi..ress 0. It's l.s. syllable, bet raiHe- %
lave ARISEN from tie custom Ok ahbr=Ssaj-
.ay that -ori izto Mis- frohaaly. TO.
sur modern Nissis o. Mr. = . y &c
>oun:ei for by An .rsenps to give d-ilaite
sorud 70 this ab5rev5,ts. torna Al any
ate TIE prsssn; writer Is unable. after CO
ssier.bi- investigation o. tie matter, 10
1fer any otssr Suggestion or 70 asssovsf
hat any oths- 0ns has b,sa oc-rs1 ~ aaJ
S&bsr wr7ts-