St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1897-12-18

Oceaslon for Their Use Has Psssca-
some Notable Ones.


oeeassen for ThelF Use Has Psssca-
soae Notable Ones.
The term "nom de plume IS not good
French. and there Is q pretty general
determination to regard it rs not good
English, either, and 10 drop it for the
more sensible and simple expression
''pen name" Many reasons n,sy exist
why an author may not wish to sign
his own name to his first attempt ut
conquering . poeition in the world OF
letters. He may feel little shy about
coming before the public In rropria
persona; he may prefer to remain nm
known, he may think 1t n easier to win
notoriety for an alliterative or catchy
sobriquet, or he may feel that in assum-
ing = new name It Is easier for thim to
assume the chafacter 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 . Traveller in London" For Ger
tain set Of papers he chose the name
James Yellowplush." for another that
of "Michael 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
q broken nose. The best known pen
name in the world II 'lfark Twain"
which Mr.. Clemens says was the nom
de plume Of Capt. Isaiah Sellers, who
used It to write river news over il for
the New Orleans Picayune. He died in
1863. 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 it remain what it was in
his hands symbol-and warrant that
whatever II found in its company may
be gambled on ~ 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; n. Paul Blouett combined the
first name Of his French grandfather
and the last name Of his Irish grand
mother into the happy combination
MAX O'Rell;" Cinc;nnatus II. Miller.
when he began to write poetry. wisely
considered that It would seem more
like real poetry II he signed his first
name joaquin" Many women have
won fame under masculine names. as:
George Eliot (Afarianne Evans. Charles
Egbert Craddock (Mary N. Murfree),
George Sand Uucille Aurore Du De-
rant). In the last case the authors
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
a compromise between masculine and
feminine names.
Il II pretty certain that the best Of
the short stories signed SAKE Holm"
which appeared in Scribner's in the
early '70s, were written by III. H."
(Helen Hunt). The secret was well
kept, and, we believe. the truth has
never been absolutely settled. As
poet the name Of Edward Robert Bull
wer Lytton is overshadowed by the sig
nature 'tOwen Meredith" taken from
remote Welsh ancestors and made IA
n,iliar to the English-speaking world
by the favorite Of our mothers. the
rhymed novel Lucille" Hosea Bige-
lows fame, however, IL merged in that
Of the real author. James Russell Low
ell. The affectation Of alliterativc pseu-
donyms like "Jennie June" "Grcce
Greenwood" Fannie Fern Frank
Forester" solver Optic" and ''Tim-
othy Titcomb" has gone out. As .
rule writer's sign with their real ramcs.
Once Il was quite necessary for
authors to fire ideas at the public from
the ambush Of a pseudonyn.. Had
Junius signed his real name his liberty
and fortune, and possibly his stature.
would have been seriously curtailed.
At present there ID no more reason for
authors to conceal their identity than
there II for preachers to do SO. Jour-
nalista, Of course. should. and do. merge
their personality IN that Of their paper.
Reviewers should not sign book no.
tices, for II their personality intrudcs
that Of the writer whom they are con-
ssdering becomes present and the ar
ticle ceases to be addressed strictly to
the public, a. II should be. With these
exceptions there 10 no reason for con-
cealine the name Of . writer in these
latter days, for modesty is rather an
old-fashioned virtue. ycesides, nobody
now IL 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 well
be abandoned. The mask il worn by
highwaymen for personal reasons, but
honest people no longer need II for
safety.-Hartford Courant.
A Wid0Wexss Tribute.
A pathetic little tribute to . wife'e
tact and self-forgetfulness was given
by an old New Hamrshire farmer.
The couple had lived together happily
for nearly so years. and when the wife
died her husband seemed utterly unable
at first to act, or even think, for him.
self. The funeral was taken in charge
by nm energetic niece, and occording to
those who were present everything was
conducted with propriety. One Of the
neighbors stopped to speak to the poor
- -lAA-~. a. Il - ~Aa~>~ 49,