Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1896-11-05
NAMES or LOVELY WOMEN
According to Bah Some are
Fearfully Distorted.
new WAY OF SPELLING MAMIE"
To What Base Uses May We
Come at Last.


through a letter, at least through the
signature at the end of letter. After
telling me, on four pages OF rose Colored
paper, carefully lined with pale blue,
exactly the style Of beauty possessed by
y the writer and her great grief, which
she felt true lady could understand,
because of some tiny spots that came
on her nose and its inclination to get
red and to awell she asked my advice
and ended up by being "Mine very low
ingly, Maytnye Opal Jones'" 1 grasped
the "Jonee," and | did not struggle
with the "Opal," but 1 looked long
time at the "Maymye'' before realized
IT was a new way of spelling Mamie.
To what base uses may we come at last
Fancy anybody starting with beauti-
full Hebrew name of MARY" which,
pronounced correctly, lie the loveliest
name in the world, and degenerating
into "Maymye'' About "Mollie"
there is something wholesouled and
Rffectionate; you think OF "Mollie"
with dimple in her chin and with
blue eyes and blonde hair. You can
forgive woman named Mary for per-
mitting herself to be called Mollie by
those she loves and while ale is young.
can even understand girl allowing
herself to be called Mamie, which is,
of course, the French for 'My Soul, :"
but what sort of girl is it who signs
her name "Maymye Opal Jones?"
Where did she get that 'Opal?" Not
10 baptism am sure. The future of
"Maymye Opal JONES' is the variety
stage; that name must appear on pro
gramme, and irR wearer will sing in
husky voics those knowing ballads
which are the delight Of a certain kind
of music hall.
It's curious how some people rise
superior to their names, while others
are absolutely crushed under them.
To my way Of thinking there are no
names so beautiful as those taken from
the Bible. There is dignity and woman
illness in Miriam, Leah, Salome, Rachel,
Ruth, Deborah, Elizabeth and Magda-
len but when you call Sarah "Sadie, +"
when Rachel is lowered into one syl-
liable, when any of them are degraded
into nicknames, l can imagine the old
prophets arising and calling down all
sorts of bad fortune on the foolish
women. 1t is said that Mr.. Tennyson
is responsible for the influx of Saxon
names that came to us at one time
Maud, Mabel, Gwendoline, Eleanore,
Ethelind, and even so many others that
were as dignitied as they are sweet
sounding. For myself like a name
with meaning =. Constance, which
tells its story OF faithfulness at once
r. Annabel, from which Mabel comes, and
Which is after all only twisting around
of the word 'amiable;" then there is
Penelope, weaver; Susanno, lilly
Hilary, a cheerful spirit; Emma,
gem; Angelina, little angel; Bea
trice, a blessing; Ada, princess; ant
Agatha, gracious. There are hundred
of others, and each one tells its owl
story.
Did you ever trouble yourself to fol
low name through the different Ian
guagesi Take the name Rose, which
is of Latin birth. and means, of course
the queen Of flowers; in Italian, i
becomes Rosabella, which means fai
rose; in French, it is Resale whicl
means rosy and in German it is Rosa
mond, which means rosy lips. Now, Their
would be some sense in grandmothe
named Rose, with granddaughters eaci
having the name in its pretty changes
Visiting IN the Highlands once, | me
small girl who was named Vida, an
until she educated me | never realize
how ignorant 1 was. Eager to MAX
her talk, / asked her for whom she wa
named she said, after her father, for hi
name was David: and it was only whe
little. search had been made that
discovered that, in the Gaelic, Vida
tho feminine OF David. Speaking
names influencing people, the mot
abominable gossip | ever knew wi
called by her intimate friends, "Ar
gie.' Curiosity prompted me to as
her her full name; she told mo it WI
Evangeline, and, of course, that meal
the bringer Of good tidings! Quer
Had she depraved the name, or la
the name influenced her?
Who, that ever read david Coppe
field" could think of girl namt
Dora as anything else but meek, foolisl
indeed, absolutely silly, though @
tirely lovable? And who that ever res
"Middlemarch" could think of womi
named ''Dorothea" except as one Gag
TO do right. eager for wisdom, and y
with heart and brain battling again
each other? Could Becky Sharp be-
called by any other name? When "
say Becky" don't you seem to he
the sound of gold, and don't you thin
simply of the good things of this wor
and how they are to be gained? Al
toast? Soft and adapted to any dige
who name us have much to answer ft
There is the boy who is slender
build, weak of mind, vain and inclin
to be talkative, weighted down
( Reginald or Oliver, or even Hectic
Any clerk In haberdasher shop cou
down him. There are men who,
their lives long, are known by initia
because they realize the folly of hayi
been given fashionable name.
rather like the Southern fashion
4. giving to the Oldest daughter b
mothers maiden name; it doesr
Undue her with any masculine
stincts, and II seems, in pretty wa,
to make her cling to tie girlhood
the past.
A hunt through dictionary
names has proven to me that Barba
means ga foreigner or somebody W
is strange; don't believe In that d
tionary.
I have heard people say tt
Barbara reminded them of unripe pr
simmons, but they were people W
didn't like somebody named Barbal
] like the name quite as we'll gs il
godfathers had asked my advice befc
bestowing 1t upon me. y-the-by,
funny how little the average godfatf
thinks of his dutiea; a silver mug,
case containing knife and fork ii
spoon, either of SILVER or silver 81
and behold the gentleman who
promised to stand between you and