Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-04-25
NAMES OF TIE STATES.


The great group of common wealths
which com pose the United States is of a
whole very fortunate in its roll Of names,
says the Boston Advertiser. They have
at once a flavor of the soil aud a fitness to
their place and use, which constitutes
high excellence. In general they have a
dign ity, melody aud character adapting
them for a familiar use, and they have
beyond doubt helped to cultivate the
patriotic aud loving sentiments with
which they are associated in the minds Of
good citizens.
The best by far, as we'll as the most
numerous, are those which are indigeu-
Gus. Whatever the fate Of the Indian
race may be, il has contributed
TO American civilization a fund
of names, sure to be perpetuated
and priced more and more, and those
which have been appropriated by the
States are among the best. They are
melodious aud fine, and IL there is here
and there a harsh combination, as in Con-
necticut and Massachusetts,, time and use
have smoothe1 the roughness and made
them favorites. Nothing could be better
than Alabama, Dakota, Idaho, kentucky,
Nebraska, Ohio and Oregon; and il any
reader wishes TO extend this list by add
ing his own favorite name, or that of his
native State, he can do so freely and safe
~. There is not a name OF the thirty of
native origin which we could willingly
spare or change. There are three names
of native growth, though not of Indian
origin, which . felicitous and worthy of
their place-Indiana, Montana and Yer
mont.
II is scarcely to be regretted that a
small contingent of these names has been
transformed aud transported from Eu-
rope. They furnish an agreeable variety
and most of them are worthy of the au-
gust use TO which we have put them.
Naturally these are among the older
names adopted before the fathers were
emancipated from a long-lingering half
homesickness in the Western wilderness,
and while in frequent contests and con-
slant dread of the Indians they were
scarcely prepared to appreciate the bsau-
ty and nobility of the names with which
the red men had enriched their rivers,
lakes and mountains. Hence ten of the
original thirteen names belong to this
European group. Louisiana has a pleas
ant suggestion IN her name of her history,
and Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Carolina
and Virginia as names have a historic
flavor which enhance their value. The
poorest of our State names are the three
which transport names of English coun-
ties, good in their place, and distinguish
them by the prefix "New." New Hamp-
shire would have been far better as Cho-
corua, Laconia or Merrimac, and it is not
less than a National misfortune that our
Empire State was not ennobled by the
splendid name of Ontario. 1t was left for
wiser neighbors on the north to appropri-
ate this fine word, to which our title was
of the best. The duplication of the same
name New York for the State and her
great city is especially infelicitous, pro-
ducing confusion when it is not avoided
by inconvenient circumlocution. All
which is the more to be regretted when so
fine a name as Manhattan awaited APP
preparation TO the island city. II only
we had the State of Ontario aud the city
! of Manhattanl
Another capital error was committed
when North and South were introduced
TO distinguish the Carolinas and load down
their names. Roanoke would have been
a worthy name of a grand State, and both
sentiment and convenience would have
been greatly favored by its use. When
| Virginia was. divided we did escape
the infliction of East; but West was sad
died upon us, and the opportunity to place
] the good name of Kanawha upon our list
| passed unimproved.
Our roll of States is yet far from COM
| Dlcbcy anu ONu6I HdIlcS wait lOT a pace
in our splendid galaxy. 1t is to be hoped
that we may be as fortunate in the
future as in the rast, and that we
shall be wise enough to avoid repeating
/ any of the errors we have made. If
! Dakota is to be divided let us have
no North or South or West Dakota. 1t
is bad enough that these Objectionable adj
! jectives have once been given place; the
confusion and Inconvenience would be
much more than double if the error were
/ repeated, and we owe it to our children's
| children to save them from the infiction.
| 1t would be all the more inexcusable when
a name so coed as Pembina belongs to the
region and waits for such a use. 1t has
the making of one of our best names.
Gentlemen of Dakota and of Congress,
will you look to this?
New Mexico Is also un fortunate in the
use of the adjective. This may have be-
come too we'll established for change
but, if possible, it is greatly to be desired
! that before il comes to the dignity of
Statehood, relief should be found in some
! good name for the State, in which the
future can find more satisfaction. How
would Aztec do? And Washington should
be changed to Tacoma. So far, unless
Pennsylvania be a partial exception,
no personal name in our own his
| tOT nus DceH dCCOTu6O the IranScen06nL
distinction of appropriation to q State.
The wisdom of this reserve can scarcely
be doubted, and we should hesitate to re-
peal an unwritten law which has served
us so well. II Washington, then Lincoln
and Grant, and then whom? The quality
of our capital roll of names will suffer IL It
is brought down to such questions as
these, and we shall do well to abide by
the traditions of the past in so important
matter. Tacoma, too, is name so ex-
cellent as strongly to invite such adop-
| tion.
And why not say Columbia" and omit
the district or in our familiar usage. II
would be far simpler and more convenient;
and it is not clear that any good purpose
is served by the use of the awkward COM
bination, instead OF the simple and good
word whic fifty, il not adequately, hon.
ors the memory of the great discoverer.