The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-12-17
ITEMS OF INTEREST.

In SOME COUNTRIES curious customs prevail IN
regard to selecting name for the baby, says
the Cincinnati Commercial Gozstte. A Hindoo
baby is named when 1t is 1e days old and usually
by the mother. Sometimes the father yishes
for another name than that selected hy the
mother. In that case two lamps are placed over
the two names, and the name over which the
lamp burns the brightest is the one given to the
child In an Egyptian family the parents choose
a name for the baby by lighting three wax
candles; to each Of these they give q name, one
OF the three always belonging to SONS aeified
parsonage. The candle that burns the longest
hometans sometimes write desirable names on
nVe slpS OF paper, and these
they place In the Koran. The
the child. The children of the Amos, q people
living In Northern Japan, do not receive their
names until they are years old II Is the
father who then chooses the name by which the
child Is afterward called. The Chinese give
their boy babies name In addition to their
surnames, and they must call themselves BY
these names until they are 20 years old At
that age the father gives his son new name
The Chinese care so little for their girl babies
that they do not give them a baby name but
Just call them Number One. Number Two,
Number Three, according to their birth Bows
are thought SO much more of in China thai
girls are that IL you ask a Chinese father who
has both boy and girl how many children he
has has he VIII always reply: only one child"
German parents sometimes change the names
OF their baby if 1t is i'll; and the japanese are
| said to change che name of child four times
l HAVE RARELY KNOWN, writes George Au-
gustus Sala in the GGli0nonf Messenoer, a more
genially uneasy man than Walter Besant say
'genially'' because his uneasiness generally
springs from q fervent desire to assert Some
right or to redress some wrong. But he IL
always flashing" himself-I think, unneces
sarily. In this months &uthor he bemoans
himself because literary are, as a rule in
different or positively ba bic speakers. and
suggests that oratory flourish among
authors If they would tax The trouble to Study
the art of elocution. Ny good Mr.. Besant why
on earth should authors make public speeches
az any Their desk is better place for them 30
"orate" from than either the pulpit or the plat
FORM Nor do believe IN the art of olocution
as at present taught. Modern elocution IS a
kind OF acting, and have known very few
actors who were even toleraby good speech
makers The majority of barristers act more
or less in court; and they rarely speak eloquent
ly either after dinner or in parliament. The
ancient orators must have had some advan-
tages of which we are all deprived. Perhaps
Cicero sang his speeches and Demosthenas
danced You know that he recommended dAc-
ton. action, and yet more action" But action
is not acting. To speak really well You must
believe In that which you ara saying Who Ia
more eloquent than an angry womanY On the
other hand, do most firmly believe Ia what is
coarsely but impressively termed 1.-THE gift Of
the CAB, that is to say that eloquence is a boon
of nature. Charles Dickens had It, Next to the
late Lord Derby aud John Bright the author of
David Copperfield' was one of the finest pub
lie speakers ever listened to. Mr. Thackerav
was one OF the wretchedest. Tho first Lord
Lytton's manner was splendid but his delivery
was detestable. Mr.. Bradlaugh was most
there was something the matter with his his
Shirley Brooks spoke mellifiucusly but pain
fully, and Hepworth Dixon was elegantly fluent
but too much addicted to ''high fautin"