News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1902-11-19

essay on Jefferson and the Louisiana
purchase, however enthralling the
theme. am phllosophizing about
naming places for men.
A Mighty Name to Carry.
OF course our pioneer worthless had a
vast adyanta e in this regard, for the
all sufficient reaSon that the farther we
go back toward TIE beginning of things
the more places there were to be nam
ed. For this reason as well as for 9TH
ers the names of Washington, jefferson
and Jackson lead all the rest on the
map of the United States. 1t is a curl
GUS fact that one may take a map and
determine from the names of places
and the dates of laying out towns and
counties almost the exact period at
which any American warrior or states
man was at the food tide of his popu-
larity. One might ascertain the same
fact Nrom the names of men save for
the unfortunate fact that men die and
usually their names perish with them.
a hero suddenly impinges upon human
vision, and an entire generation of
helpless male infants are saddled with
his name. One of the best friends |
ever had was labeled KOsciusko Kos
suth Harris, a most appalling case of
historic ALTERATION. The father had
to unite Poland and Hungary to ac-
cOmplish the feat, but lie did it. No
mortal man could carry such a name
through life, SO the victim wisely re-
ieved himself of his burden by curtail-
ing that name to plain Kos Harris and
as such has had great success at his
profession of the law.
A Matter of Pronunciation.
King Solomon says, "a good name is
rather to be chosen than great riches"
OF course he meant reputation, but his
dictum would still be true even if he
had meant merely a fitting name. 1t
Is a great piece of idiOcy to name a
child for a living man of distinction.
This long string of reflections on
names was started in my mind by
passing through the beautiful little
city of Van Buren,, in the county of
Crawford, in the state of Arkansas.
In passing it may be stated that for a
long time nobody knew the real name
of the state. Some pronounced it Ar
kansas, others Arkansaw. At one
time the two United States senators
from the state differed as to it's pro-
nunciation. The vice president, being a
kindly man, of great tact, consulted
their tastes by always recognizing one
as "the senator from Arkansas" and
the other as the senator from Arkan-
saw" Finally the legislature took the
matter of nomenclature in hand and
by solemn statute decreed that the cor
rect name of the state is Arkansaw.
l am not certain but what the Mis-
souri, legislature will have to do some
thing of the sort. The dictionaries
give it as ''Miss-u-ry," but no genuine
Missourian ever pronounces it that
way. 1t is always "NIiz-uhrah" or
"Miz-uh-ruh." VoX populi voX Del.
The people have as much right to
make a dictionary as a government.
Political Revenge.
The city of Van Buren, was of course
named for Martin. He Jared better at
the hands of ArkansanS than he did
with Missourians. The latter in their
love and admiration nan-Pd two cOun-
ties for him-one Van BuSen, the other
Kinderhook-but when he bolted in
1913 and headed a political side show
whose effect was to defeat General
CaSs, the regular Democratic nOmi-
nee, the ardent affections of the Mis-
souri, Democrats for Van turned to
bitter loathing, and they wrathfully
changed the name of Van Buren, coun-
ty to Cass and that of Undertook to
Benton. The old proverb says, Hell
hath no fury like q woman ScOrned."
That may or may not be true. At any
rate, the scOrn of Missouri Democrats
is terrific. Sweet is revenge" declares
Byron. He ought to have known. Van
Buren, revenged himself on Cass, and
the Missouri Democrats revenged them
selves ON Van.
Van Buren's Cruel Mot.
Martin Van Buren, is an enigma OF
American history just as the Duke of
Marlborough is an enigma of English
history. Some one says of the duke,
"He never fought a battle which he
did not win, never besieged a city
which he did not take, never made a
movement which was not successful"
The same may be said of Van Buren,
in politics until after his election to
the presidency. The same fate has
come to the great Englishman and the
great American in this: Nobody has a
kind word for either Most assuredly
they do not need the warning words of
the Bible as to the danger of getting
into the condition when all men speak
good of them"
Nor are the reasons far to seek of the
woeful historic plight of the British
soldier, the first captain of his age, and
of the American president, the first di
plomatist of his age, the well beloved
of Andrew Jackson. Avnrice. a vice of
ignoble souls, a sordidness which has
no parallel among men of brains, cou
pied with an astonishing lack Of tidel-
ity to any sovereign or to any cause,
are the foul blOts on the escutcheon of
the hero of Ramellius, Malplaquet,
Blenheim and Oudinarde, while Van
Buren, suffers from the contrast be-