The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1888-03-01


pseadonym NO Poetry in "Longfei-
Iow"-"rhe Macaulay lowers 81 Liter
nturcf-"Iarp," GATH Howard"
Sometimes a writer's name l. 80 uncouth or
20 commonplace that it seems OF itself unfit
ted for fame, and IA pseudonyIn appears 10 be
bis only resource 1t is hard 10 imagine a
girl named jerks making herself famous as
a lyric poet, OF man named Meek becoming
O world renowned novelist The difficulty in
such case however. are apt to be overesti-
mated, and achievement OF fame with such
drawbacks, while it may be hard Is by no
ineans impossible We are apt 70 accept
things % we fDd them, and 70 think them
fitting because they were always 10 US as
they are. knowledge OF the work writer
has done has q magical effect upon his name,
and just as the old lady approved Adams
judgment and discrimination in calling the
inhGbitant Of the pen pig, since pig is
such an appropriate name for such dirty,
repulsiye, disagreeable animal. 50 We are
apt to approve the names that masters Of
tine other pen possess because we have al
WAYS confused the name with the work 1t
represents.
WHATS IN \ NAME'
Probably there is not a refued person in
America 10 whom the name 'LongtellOw,n
for instance, does not, without consideration,
suggest a poetic idea We think beyond the
name, and of the poetry Of the writer ard
vet, "Longfeiiow, when it IS considered by
itself, is not a poetic word, while its counter
part, "Shortfellow,n is rather ridiculous.
"Macaulay' seems, no doubt, 10 almost every
one, refined and stylish name, which would
give any writer a long start toward making
Tor himself "a good reputation. The contem-
porarios Of the historian, however, didnOt find
his name impressive. or Punch when be first
began TO write would never have suggested
that his essays were 1.-THE Mocaulay flowers OF
literature "Tennysonn is by no means so
;11stic q name as Whittier" but the fame Of
his work has made the English laureate seem
the equal if not the superior, of the New
England poet IN this respect Not to multi
My instances, such COmmOn names rs Smith,
Black, Green and Lamb, names 50 incongru-
Gus as Gable and Motley, and 50 uncouth as
Keats and Plat, have. with hosts OF others
equally Ineligible been given share of inn
mortality When man named Stubs can
make his name famous as an historian and
scholar, no writer need despair because his
tate did not make him DeQuncey, an Aid
rich. or Bryant, instead Of Il Jones or
Jen!.inson.
The man make, the name rather than the
name the man. Still a good name IS always
an advantage, and in choosing q signature
the young writer must decide whether he
will conquer fate with the name his sponsors
gave him, OF whether he will choose
pseudonym that VIII pat jenkins mt once on
a level with a Hawthorne or a Carlyle
STICK TO II ALWAYS.
When once he has chosen his name how
ever, be it his own by right OF baptism, or
fictitious choice he should stick to it always
and forever Some brains may be weighty
enough to make more than one name I'M
mortal, but The trouble "a generally Of an
other kind Writers who have habit1aliy
used more than one name have generally ac-
lnowledged their error after time, ana
have devoted themselves 10 one signature,
dropping all Others \ well known Wash
ington newspaper correspondent u year OF
more ago was writing % The Cleveland
Lender u series Of widely quoted letters,
which he was signing Carp" another series
Of letters he was signing IF G. C. !, and a
series q. articles for a newspaper syndicate
he was signing with his full name, Frank
g. Carpenter One day 1t dawned upon him
he was doing the work Of three men, making
a reputation for three writer's, and getting
the credit for only one-third Of the work he
did From that day on he has wisely signed
everything he has written with his real name
IN full
Sometimes there is an advantage . a news
paper writer in signing his articles simply
with his last name His signature then has
to the uninitiated the appearance Of good
pseudonym, while 70 those who are better
informed it recalls the personality Of the
writer. Howard" pursues this plan.
"Carletonn and "Perley," two other well
known newspaper writers, chose their middle
names Cath modified his initials into a
signature that his letters have made famous.
Ia cach case there is something about the
signature that suggests the writer himself,
and he gets the advantage Of pseudonym,
and of his own signature at the same time. -
William H. Hills III The Writer