The evening times., 1900-01-20
About Names.

A gentleman whose chief characteristic
/ appears to be thoughtfulness for Others, has
| lately published a book entitled The
Childs Name" in which are given some
FIVE hundred names which are uncommon
and more or less attractive. 1t is intend
ed for the assistance of parents who have
trouble in naming their children. COM
mentator on the book observes that the
author must be regarded as one OF the ben
efactors of humanity, since people are more
| or less judged by their names, and it is
important that they should have attractive
I ones
or course, il would be very nice il some
such work as this could be presented to
every mother of a family; and it would
+ give her just FIVE hundred more names 10
/ choose from in a dilemma, and create five
hundred possibilities of further discussion
Of the subject. Mark Twain somewhere
observes that when he was a little boy he
used 10 go to the store to buy a new knife
and feel that the knife which his means
Obliged him TO select was far inferior TO
all the other knives in the long, glittering
showcase; whereas when he got his new
possession home it appeared a shining and
glorious acquisition. 1t is just the other
way with names. An appellation which
seemed very attractive when compared with
a dozen others too often becomes awkward,
commonplace, or tasteless after it is ac-
tually bestowed on the hapless infant. 1t
is sad, but that is the way of the world.
Perhaps the Indians were mere civilized
than their contemporaries thought when
they devised the plan of not naming chill
dren at all until they had done something
which attracted attention. Two Bears, Big
Elk, and White Otter had at least the
proud satisfaction of knowing that their
names meant something to those who knew
their history.
Under cur present system every child is
at the mercy Of its parents taste If the
fathers name happens to be Hogg, and the
mother is blessed-or affiicted-with a ro-
mantle disposition, the children are likely
to bear such baptismal names as Alonzo,
Reginald, Leonora, and Ethelind and the
combination is not esthetic in sound or
sense. Girls are named Blanche, Rose, or
Lily with utter disregard to the family ten
dehcies in the way of figure and complex
ion; and boys are christened by heroic
Dames which will be burden to them all
their lives.
1t really seems as if it might be a good
plan to allow each person three names. one
the surname, which cannot conveniently
be changed by the masculine half of hu-
manity. for business reasons; another the
baptismal name, given by the parents and
the third a name chosen by the bearer
when he or she becomes of age. Most peo-
pie do to certain extent adopt this plan
called Libbie, or Bessie, all through her
childhood. and happens to be a young
woman of some dignity of charac-
ter, she is apt to insist on being
called Elizabeth when she is old enough to
insist on anything. Likewise the man who
has been Bob to his family and friends
may sign himself R. Grahame Smith when
he begins to make his reputation. Why
should not advancing civilization bow to
this tendency of human nature and recog-
nize the fact that people have as much |
right TO choose their names as their |
clothes? We no longer insist that a man |
shall be ruled by his father in choosing |
his life work or his wife; why should he be |
compelled TO abide by that fathers choice |
of name if he does not happen to like it Z? |
1t is possible that some way might be |
arranged by which people could get rid of /
undignified or ugly surnames when they so |
desire. Those unfortunates who have to |
spell out their names whenever they make |