The Arkansaw traveler., 1885-10-17
PET NAMES.

Maria Elmore, in Boston Commonwealth. l
 Think of woman trying to win iude- pendence, name and fame; to be wise exemplar f)r children and youth; to achieve anything whatever, creditable, honorable or great, yet too timid to write her womanhood name
 Perhaps little girls and quite young women may be pardoned, if, at the pres. ent day, under past teaching and exam pie. they are net always found to possess sufficient stamina to write their own names. But for persons of adult and ma ture age to parade under pet names, is to advertise themselves as weddings. They are branded towards by their own hands they are slain by the point of their own pen.
 Gould the author of "Uncle Toms Cabin" have attained such mighty in- auence, had she been determined to be known enly as Hattie" Stowe? Does not Haruet Martineau carry an influence and power which " Hattie could never have approached? ? Should we have more respect for the creator of ane Eyre" If she had figured as "Lotue" Bronte : Would IT add to the fame of one of Amer icas foremost lecturers to be heraided as "Mame L,vermore Would not Lid die Marta Celld, Maggie" Fuller, Lizzie Fry, Carrie " Hersche, LIZ. ,ie" Cady Stanton, Susie" Anthony, have made us weep-yea, also, and the angels with Us for want of sense and self respect therein displayed: Can we, for moment, conceive of women of their moral tone and callbrc, writing their names other than they did. No, those zeal, genuine names carried an immense influence and power, and will, to the end. Among lesser lights will not actual, bona hde names carry their corresponding and proportionate weight and force?
 But great many na nes are pet names. Harriet, tor Instance, IS derIved from Harry Helen IS corruption of Eleanor, and so of many other names. If you are golng to discard pet names, why not dis card them all |?
 All derivdtlve names are not necessar- fly pet names, and such name; as are here referred to- have lost thelr distinctive character as pet names even if they were ever so considered. They are not now known or assumed to be sucn.
 But little, f any, above this practice in
 
 quite too prev llent of compromising be- tween the real and the pet name, and sub- stitutipg there or a nickname, such as |" Ka;e, ,'" May,'' Flank" What should we think If Rev. "Bhl" White, Hon. Joe" Black, Prot Pete Gray, Colenel " Dick " Gree n, and so iortht Supposing we had bean taught to look upon the au- thor of :" rhanatopsis as Bill Bryant; upon the immortal bard as Bill " Shakespeare upon the auth or of :" Evan geline" as " rien LongfelIow. and upon tho great Poet-laureate as :" Af'' Penny son. nrc not these as inspiring as !" Kate tnis, May that, ands" Frank " somethiog else:
 Ii these men had been such weak sap lings as to have written themselves thus for posferity. would not their honored names have been shorn ot every trace aud vestige ot dignity and character which they now possess for us, and which they will continue to possess for coming gen. eratioDsI Let us hope that the wrung ot pet names and nicknames may soon become obsolete among women, for no woman can expect to receive the treat mert que 10 woman, so long as sine per ssts in wrtlng herself baby.