The Van Buren press., 1897-12-04
PEN NAMES.
Occasion for Their Use Has fasseu-
Some Notable Ones.

The term NON de plume is not gooa
French. and there is a pretty geherai
determination to regard 1t as not gooo
English, either, and to drop it for the
more sensible and simple expression
"nen name" Many reasons may exist
why an author may not wish 10 sign
his own name to his first attempt at
conauering position in the world OF
letters. He may feel little shy ABOUT
coming before the public in proprIa
persona; he may prefer to remain un-
known. he may think it is easier TO WIN
notorietv for an alliterative or catchy
sobriouet or he may feel that in assum-
ing a new name it is easier for hlm 10
assume the character in which he wishes
to appear before the public. Thackeray
used several names, because he wrote
for different publications in different
STYLES. He signed himself sometimes
"John Corks," sometimes "The Proser'
or "Traveler in London" For GER
tain set of papers he chose the name
James Yellowplush," for another that
of "Aliehael Angelo Titmarsh." The
latter was suggested by the nickname
given him by friend in allusion to the
fact that he, like the great artist, had
a broken nose. The best known pen
name in the world is mark Twain,
which Mr.. Clemens says twas the nom
de plume of Capt. Isaiah Sellers, who
used it to write river news over it for
the New Orleans Pcayune. He died in
1868. and as he could no longer use
that signature | laid violent hands upon
it without asking permission of the
proprietor's remains, and have done my
best to make il remain what it was in
his hands-a symbol-and warrant that
whatever is found in its company may
be gambled on as being the petrified
truth. How I have succeeded ii would
not be modest in me to say"
Miss Alice French chose the very at
tractive name. Octave Thanet," by
chance; VI. Paul Blouett combined the
first name of his French grandfather
and the last name of his Irish grand
mother into the happy combination
MAX 0'Rell;" Cineinnatus H. Miller.
when he began to write poetry. wisely
considered that ii would seem more
like real poetry II he signed his first
name joaquin" Many women have
won fame under masculine names. as:
George Eliot (Marianne Evans), Charles
Egbert Craddock MARY n. Murfree). s.
George Sand Oucille Aurore Du De-
vantl In tho lnct fha ar.sc
parents had the family name, Dupin.
changed to Sand. The three Bronte
sisters chose the remarkably taking
names of Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell,
inventions which are really marked by
genius, though they were assumed as
compromise between masculine and
feminine names.
1t is pretty certain that the best of
the short stories signed "Saxe Holm"
which appeared in Seribner's in the
early '7os. were written by I'll. H.
(Helen Hunt. The secret was we'll
kept, and, we believe. the truth has
never been absolutely settled As a
poet the name of Edward Robert Bull
wer Lytton is overshadowed by the sig
nature "0wen Meredith" taken from
remote Welsh ancestors and made IA
miliar TO the English-speaking world
by the favorite of our mothers, the
rhymed novel Lucille" Hosea Bige-
lows fame, however, is merged in that
of the real author, James Russell Low
ell. The affectation of alliterative pseu-
donyms like "Jennie June" "Grace
Greenwood" Fannie Fern" Frank
Forester" "Oliver Optic" and "Tim-
othy Titcomb" has gone out. AS a
rule writers sign with their real names.
Once it was quite necessary for
authors to fire ideas at the public from
the ambush of a pseudonym. Had
Junius signed his real name his liberty
and fortune. and possibly his stature,
would have been seriously eurtailed.
AT present there is no more reason for
authors to conceal their identity than
there is for preachers TO do so. Jour
nalists, of course, should, and do, merge
their personality in that of their paper.
Reviewers should not sign book no.
tees, for il their personality intrudes
that of the writer whom they are con-
sidering becomes present and the ar
ticle ceases TO be addressed strictly to
the public, as it should be. With these
exceptions there is no reason for con-
cealing the name of a writer in these
latter days, for modesty is rather an
old-fashioned virtue. Besides. nobody
now is lowered in public estimation
even by writing verses. The use of the
''pen name" in spite of the recent ex-
ample Of 'Ian Maclaren" may as we'll
be abandoned. The mask is worn by
highwaymen for personal reasons, but
honest people no longer need It for
safety.-Hartford Courant.
A Wldower's Tribute.
a pathetic little tribute TO a wife's
tact and self-forgetfulness was given
by an old New Hampshire farmer.