The Republican., 1899-07-06
POPULAR ERITHETS.
Familiar Names That Have Stuck to
WeII-knOwn People at Home
and Abroad.

Well-Known People at Home
and Abroad.
During the recent visit of Lord
Charles Beresford to Chicago he was
introduced to the members of the
board of trade as 'Fighting Charlie"
the name his sailors gave him in ap-
probation of his warlike qualities,
and the democracy of this subtitle
drew the peer into closer and more
cordial relations with the people than
his most conciliatory and effective
speech could have done.
1t reminded them, too, of children
of our own soil, "Fighting Joe" Hook
er and others who have endeared the
epithet in advance of the coming of
our genial guest. The English phrase
was so distinctively American that it
readily takes its place as a link in the
alliance, and proves that the broth
erhood of man is a cosmopolitan assO-
citation. We may hold Lord Beresford
at arms length in respectful admira-
ton, but we take 'Fighting Charlie to
our hearts.
The minimizing of great name is
test of endearment. Washington re-
mains alone on the heights of fame
in nomenclature, possibly because he
was the first to wear the dignity of
the highest Office in the land; or, more
than likely, because he lived in an aris-
tocratic era, and playfulness had not
yet entered into politics. But his
prototype, Lincoln, serene, august, get
ting into history shoulder to shoulder
with Washington, is dear to our men,
cries as "0ld Abe" When that loyal
phrase is qualified it is with the epi-
thet 'honest" prefixed. 1t is not that
we lack respect for him, but where
there is love there is liberty, and we
bring him down from the pedestal of
fame to the level of our hearts with the
homely diminutives.
The pages of political campaign his
tory are luminous with names besides
which the baptismal cAgnomen of the
subject grew dim and commonplace.
'Tippecanoe and Tyler, too" gave lus-
ter to the presidential records of two
heads of the nation, but Harrison wore
the glory of the name of Tippecanoe
to conjure with. "Old Hickory" does
not need the name of jackson append
ed to let the American people know
who he was any more than Yelling
ton needs his name in translation of
the Iron Duke" The Little Cor
poral' follows Napoleon I. like the
shadow of his better self, and was it
not one in succession to the throne of
France who was called prince pion-
Pion?"
Royalty has frequently been called
on to wear the merry foolscap of a
comic name, and this fact was most
noticeable when a prince of the royal
succession in England was tenderly
alluded to in a fearful obituary as
"Prince Cuffs and Collars" Not an
unllind thought prompted the bestowal
of the name, but the whim of an eX-
travagant size in these articles led to
IT'S alliterati~e repetition until it be-
came delightful substitute for the
real one. Nothing is more agreeable to
the populace than to give a man of
culluCucC ulck1dUle DN dcCIdHldIlOl.
1t makes him one of them, and they
do not hesitate to invade the divinity
that is popularly supposed to hedge
king if they can fasten their favorite
epithet so it will stick.
1t has been asserted that the custom
of giving diminutive names, or those
which tersely or humorously express
qualities characteristic of individuals,
lacks dignity. But does it? Has it not
instead a correlative value which en-
hances the Importance of its subjects?
Who would cavil at the friendly free
dom of the world honored phrase:
"The Grand Old Man." or need to be
told that it stands for the name of
Gladstone? Sponsorial names are all
very well in their places, but the nick
name or pet name won by the valor 0
great deeds is diploma every man
should be proud to win. ''Teddy"
Roosevelt is a bigger man than the
governor of New York.-Chicago
Times-Herald.