The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1886-02-11
Pct Nan,c.l

Think OF q woman trying to win in
dependence, name and fame; to be a
wise exemplar for children and youth:
to achieve anything whatever, credit
able, honorable or great, yet too timid
to write her womanhood name!
Perhaps little girls and quite young
women may be pardorcd, if, at tho
present day, under past teaching and
example. they are not always found to
possess sufficient stamina 10 write their
own names. But for persons of adult
and mature age to parade under pet
names, is to advertise themselves rs
weaklings. They are branded towards
by their own hands; they are slain by
the point of their own pen.
Could the author OF Uncle Toms
Cabin" have attained such mighty i'll
fuence, had she been determined TO be
known only as Hattie" Stowe? Docs
not Harriet Martineau carry an influ-
ence and power which Hattie" could
never have approached Should VIC
have more respect for the creator of
Jane Eyre" if sho had figured as
'Lottie" Bronte? Would it add to
the fame of one of Americas foremost
lecturers to be heraldcd as Mamie
Livermore? Would not "Liddie'
Maria Child, Maggie" Fuller. liz
ze'' Fry, Carrie" Herschel, Lizzie"
Cady Stanton, Susie" Anthony, have
made us weep-yea, also, and the
angels with us--for want of sense and
sef-respect therein displayedp Can
wa f,r pty
of their moral tone and calibr1, writing
their names other than they did. No.
those real, genuine names carried an
immense influence and power, and
will to the end. Among lesser lights
will not actual, bona tide names carry
their corresponding and proporlionate
weight and force9
But q great many names are pct
names. Harriet, for instance, is de-:
rived from Harry. Helen is a corrup-
ton Of Eleanor, and SO of many other
names. Ii you are going TO discard
| pet names, why not discard them alp
All derivative names are not ncces-
sarily pet names, and such names as
are here referred TO, have lost their dis
tinctive character as pet names, even
if they were ever so considered. They
are not now known or assumed to be
such.
But little, if any, above this practice
in weakness and cfl'eminacy, is the
habit, quite too prevalent, of COM
! promising between the real and the
pet name, and substituting therefor i
nickname, such as KITE" MAY, "
Crank" What should we think OF
Rev. "Bill'' White, Hon. Joe" Black.
Prof. Pete Gray. Colonel Dick
Green, and SO forth? Surprising we
had been taught to look upon the au.
thor of "Thanatopsis" rs "Bilr' Bry-
ant; upon the immortal bard rs "BiIl'
"Evangeline" as Hen" Longfcliow,
and upon the great poet-laureate As
"Alf' Tennyson. Are not these rs in
spring rs Kate" this, May" that
and 'Frank" something else?
IL these men had been such weak
saplings as to have written themselves
, thus Tor posterity, would not thcil
honored names have been shorn @
every trace aud restige of dignity ant
character which they now poss SIS fol
: us, and which they will continue Il
: possess for coming generations? Le
/, us hope that the writing of pet name
and nicknames may soon become obso
: lete among women, for no woman cal
, expect to receive the treatment due t,
woman. SO long as she persists il
writing herself baby.-Marta E.more
ia Boston Commonwealth.