New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-27
NAMES.
SOMETHING IN THEM, AFTER ALL-Too MUCH
SOMETIMES.


SOMETIMES.
What's In a namel IS question that has been
often asked and often answered though 1t may be re-
marked I'm passing that the famous reply of Juliet to
the question which she put 10 Romeo and answered
herself Is commonly misquoted three or four words
which give different sbnde Of meaning being omitted
so it may be worth while to print the couplet cor
recty, in the rather visionary hope Of inducing o
little accuracy in the use of what has become
popular proverb. Here 1t Is as tie best authorities
say Shakespeare wrote it
"What's in a name That which we call rose
BY any other name would smell as sweet
The words ordinarily left out-"that which we CALI
show forth the philosopher who well that the
name Is not the thing.
But that IS another story or at any rate another
moral than the one the writer set out to point. 1t
Is sometimes regretted by those who have occasion to
use them often that the Of such associations
the Society for the Prevention OF Cruelty to Animals
and tile Society for the Prevention Of Craelty Children
were not made shorter, perhaps they might have
been by the employment Of Greek roots and the manu-
facture OF new words for the new things Such
names are cumbersome and awkward; which fact has
been emphasized by the frequency with which the
initials alone are used-the S. F. c. A., for example
still moro common illustrations are Y. NJ. G. A. and
W. c. r. T., which have come to be used almost uni
versay by the members Of those organizations, well
by the public at large. But In this matter OF
OUR English cousins 20 us several better We have
A. b. c. F. NJ, which, however, nobody thinks
Of calling anything but the American Board but how
feeble the American Board Of Commissioners Of Foreign
Missions sounds alongside Of the following which has
recently come under the writer's observation The
National Society for the Education Of the Children OF
the Poor in the Principles Of the Established Church
Even the initials Of that are appalling. Think OF an
nouucing collection for the benefit of the ~ s. T. G.
p. p. f. c.. OF this formIdaby lettered society the
Dean of 81. Paups, London, is officer What better
service could he render TO Its beneciares than to take
steps TO provide short, simple and easy name for
the ~ S., ETC..
OF there hosts OF names that are mlsits-
outside OF the "Pilgrlms Progress Bunyan had q
genius In devlsng apt names and may be sure that
II he could have been set up as an suocrat in this
matter there would have been none of tho mon
initials only. Speaking Of misfts however, reminds
the writer that at time he had occasion to call
repeatedly in the way of business upon Mr. ReasoDer
Never did a human being more belle his name. II
Il putting IL mildly TO say that he was one OF th,
communicative, almost insolent, with a public be-
dashed air that would have precuded more than one
call, save in the Of stern necessity. " sweet
rcasonabeness" wholly lacking In his nature de-
adduced Run over the list of your acquaintance and
sec how many insists there are among them as 70
names. There is Mr.. Longfeow, who will barely
measure five feet six; Mrs. Short who is tall the
narne implies. No need to mention other illustrations
Every one can supply them for himself by the score
There Is something In Dames-more thnn GOOD
many people have dreamed Of in their philosophy.