The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-01-13
ABOUT WoMEN'S NAMES.
Suggestions Concerning Custom of Many
Society Newspapers.

AS / am o lone woman, dwelling in q
corner, may pour into your sympathetic
ear question which perplexes me? Being
poor seamstress-that is a seamstress
who is poor, my only enjoyment of society
Is that which | obtain through the thrill
ingly interesting columns of the daily pa
pers. always go to church. of course, on
Sunday morning; but Sunday afternoon
do you think it very wrong of me to settle
down comfortably with the big, big papers
and dream that | dwell in marble halls
with the Montmorency Joneses and the
Clarence Fitzherbert Smiths who are giving
dinners and teas and all sorts of delightful
frolics? Once week thus hear the music
for their dances, see their lovely, lovely
gowns, smell their sweet yiolets and roses
1t is really sort of going into society by
proxy.
But within the last year or two puz.
cling phrase has crept into my dear Sunday
journals, am constantly confronted with
the expression 'Mr. and Mrs. Thomas de
Montmorency Jones (born SMITH, - OF Mr..
and Mrs. Augustus Won Tompkins (born
Snooks(" or "Mr. and Mrs Clarendon
White (born Redd), +" did thus and so. Now,
what does that meang Was Mr.. Clarendon
White born Reid? or was it only Mrs. Clar-
endon White who was born ReddY And If
Mrs. Clarendon White wants everybody to
know she was born Redd, why does she not
announce herself as Mrs. Redd-White?
have hesitated long before confiding
my perplexity to you for solution, dear sir,
but find my mind dwelling so constantly
on the subject that Telt it would be q
great relief to receive information Was
Mr.. Thomas .Montmorency Jones born
Smith, And, Ii SO, must he have had his
name changed by act of legislature? Or,
ii all these couples who were born with the
same surname are first cousins, is not that
rather an alarming outlook for society?
Or can it be possible that what the writer
Of these paragraphs means to imply is that
it is only the wife of Thomas Montmorency
Jones who was born proud possessor of the
name Of Smith? Are we to understand
that it is only by this little weekly remind
er in the Society Notes that She, who was
once known to vide circle of friends as
Sally Smith, is resurrected, as it were, from
a marital engulfment by Thomas Mont.
morency JonesS
And, if it be of such Importance to the
public that Sally Smiths husband should
always be made prominent as sort of lat
est improved attachment, would it not be
valuable as information to go farther and
let us know in each case similarly Just who
is the wife ofthe Thomas Joneses! l recently
read a deeply affecting story Of an artist
who painted n young lady's picture and un.
consciously won her young affections be.
cause be neither wore wedding ring nor
told be was married until 1t was, alasl toe
late. He had been introduced to her sim.
ply as Mr.. Vandyke Brown, and not until
her heart had become deeply penetrated
with love for Mr.. Vandyke Brown did she
learn that he was the husband of that for,
mer belle of New York, Miss Mary Rouge.
Now, If his cards had borne the inscription
Mrs. Mary Rouge-V Vandyke Brown, his vic
tim would have known at once that he wa,
not a single man, and being well brought
up British maid, would have guarded hel
heart so carefully that 'twould not have
even thought Of straying his way.
And II this should be adopted we would
always know without fail upon what fam
lily tree each woman as well as man Is enti
tied to a place. Mary Rouge would b.
Mary Rouge from her christening font t
her bier, even though at intervals she af
fixed to her own the title Of succession O
husbands (the predecessor of each being, o
course, either properly divorced or buried)
"A Humble SeamstTess in Boston Tran
script.