New-York tribune., 1900-03-04
FRENCH PSEUDONYUE.S.
A PROPOSAL TO PROHIBIT THEM

fttOFOSAL To PROHIBIT THEM
Paris correspondence Of The London Globe.
M Gervaix one of the youngest Deputies. ha,
resolved to distinguish himself. He has laid ON
the table proposal prohibiting the use ot
pSeudOnymes which he considers are fnjuIrious "a
the French language. Thereanent a few interest,"
ing details have just been published. It is hard
ly necessary to say that the of false name,
dates a long way back. MOlieTe in the seven-
teenth century, and Voltaire. in the last century
are the most nlustriOus examples of il in France
/ Two other writer's celebrated in contemporary
literature, George Sand and Stendal known
only under their pSeudOnymeS. and nobody
dreams of nquring what are the real names ~
Gerard de Nerval and Cnamptleury. The former
was called Gerard Labrunie. and the latter
HusSOn-Fleury. But il was not in literature aIOne
that these fictitious names became celebrated
The author of 'SiSurd" and 'Salammb6" NJ
Reyer. did not use his real name Of Rey. NJ
Edouard Lockroy was called EdOuard simon
and Jules Simon named Jules Simon Suisse
But it was more among artists that the use OF
the pseudOnyme employed. Brrtail was
the anagram of Albert Arnoux. and Cham was
the of the Comte de Noe. GaVarni-whOss
real name was Chevallier-changed his appel
latiOn on account of his miStakinS q town for
man.
AT the theatre the pseudOnyme is a tradition
Garcia, the father of MaIibran, was named Rod
riguez; Arnal was called Etienne Motiron; Mon
rose. the celebrated actor at the FranCaiS Bari
zain; Mime. Nathalie. Zaire Martel; Rosiua Stolz
Lecuyer, and Theresa Emma Valadon. The
eighteenth century produced several examples
Among them was Mime. Saint -Huberty. the re-
nownel songstress. who married the COmts
4
while in London. Her real appelatiOn An
/ tOinette ClaveI. Mile Duchesnois the tragedi-
enne. was called Catharine Raffin: under the
"ancien regime the Able de Noisenon, the racy
pCet of the last century. went by the name Of
Fusee. and the yeritable name of VauSelas was
Claude FaVTe. Racan was called HOnOre de
Buell.; the poet Dorat. Jean Dinnemandy: the
two Crebillons, the one Prosper and the other
Claude JOlyOt, and finally d'Alembert firSt
of all named Jean le ROnd.
The adventuTers of the epoch preferred nOns
de Suerre- Everybody knows that the Comte de
Caghostro was called Balsamo. but it may be
forgotten that Cartouche was in reality Louis
Dominique BourguignOn. and that Fra DiavOlO.
the bandit -mmOrtalized by Auber was named
Michel PeZZa. Among the other people who
have taken pScudOnyHes are HetZel. who be
came the writer, u. J. Stahl; Arsene HOusSays
turned into Housset; JObert transformed into
Jobert de LambaIle: David who became David
dangers; jules CIairOn. Jules NOriac and final
ly Mare Girardn changed into Saint-NIarc
Girardin. Women have made great of tho
pseudonyme. Daniel stern was the name OF the
Comtesse d dAgOult, and the COmtesse Dash hid
her personality under the title OF the VicOmtesse
de Saint-MarS. The majority of female writers
sign with a nom de plume. Gyp. as is well
known. is the COmteSSe de Martel; Arv5de Barins
is Mime. Vincent, and Brada the COmtesSe ie
PaliSa- The name Of a woman is often u be
found hidden under that of a
1t is almost useless 10 remind the reader that
Pierre Lott is in reality Julien Viaud, and that
Caliban is the false name of BerSerat. But it
may be less known that Leon Kerst is NJ L. de
Froidemont: NJ Montjoyeux. NJ. Poignant; Jean
Reibrach. NJ Chabrier; S'aint-(feneSt NJ. Buch-
eror; NJ. Phi de Grandlieu, NJ Lavedan. and
M Jules de Glouvet. NJ. QueSnay de Beaure-
pare In a country where the pSeudonvme BIOS
SONS with abundance IL is not astonishing TO
see the "SCbriquet' turned to account on certain
occasions. one hides under pseudonym- but
one is pointed out by "SObriquet." Political
"sObriquetS' those which live the longest.
Never were they employed much or with such
success as in 1870 and ISL One remembers
Ferry, Pain de SIEGE which was transformed
into Ferry La Famine" and years later on he
became Ferry lie TcnknOis."
NJ Theirs was called in turns General Tom
Ponce. Attila de Petit, Tamerlan in SpectaCles
CPur-Saignant Croquemort or the nation Cen
eral BOum King of Versailles. Cesar cut short,
and finally Papa B6COn. Papa MOulineauX. and
Pere Saquet, in consequence OF the batteries
which he built at those spots. But the most
celebrated ''sObriquat'' that of Pipe-en- -BOis
attached TO the name of CavaIie who was ons
OF the numerous secretaries of Gambetta and
who. political Bohemian, left behind him
remembrance OF the past.