Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-06
MAINE THIS CHILD"
Queer Things Which Happen at Lon
don Christenings

uOu
From the London Telegraph.
From a Gainsborcugh clergyman comes
the plea for the exercise of common sense
by parents when naming their children. He
protests against entering children for the
race of life handicapped by bearing name
which may expose them to ridicule. I'm
doubtedly there is much cause for the ap-
peal, though it may be thought to come
strangely from clergyman when one re-
calls that many curiosities of nomenclature
have been drawn from the Scriptures. For,
besides the bearers of the sensible if plain
names of Peter, Paul, Luke, Matthew and
the like, and the corresponding multitude
of Ruths Marys and Rebeccas, there have
been goodly number who answered to,
but did not rejoice in, quaint names gath
cred from the tables of genealogy of the
Old Testament. Scriptural names, how
ever, are not now so common they used
to be; in fact, 1t is to be feared that mod
ern mothers are more prone to select high
sounding names from novels than appella-
tions from the Bible But the clergyman's
protest is rather directed against the grow
Ing inclination to give children pet
names. The doting mother may think it
pretty to call her child Kit or Popsie but
grown man or woman hardly cares to sign
these publicly.
Some curious reasons have been elected
in the endeavor to find out how and why
children have come by unusual names.
Gabriel and Ruth were babies of devout
coolie parents. Me call him Gabriel cause
OBJ de great white angel who stan at de
doh an might lool- after him Ill name
sake" said the mother, who "hoped for
heaven for her son. and she called her lit
tie girl Ruth because they wished that
the story of the real Ruth might lead her
to self-sacrifice. These parents carried the
practice of selecting biblical names to ex-
tremes, for their dog was yclept Moreover,
after the animal of whom 1t is written,
Moreover the dog licked Lazarus sores"
There is not much piety, however, in the
ordinary circumstances that determine
baby's name. Eastward, in the direction of
Shoreditch, Whitechapel and Stepney,
where babies are plentiful and sometimes
not much regarded, it frequently happens
that parents bring their offspring to be
christened without having determined upon
the name 1t shall bear. Then the services
of the clergyman are requisitioned, and as
a rule, another John or Mary is added to
the register. Most Johns and Marys are
John and Mary because their parents were
so named before them, but when all the
names of father and mother and uncles
and aunts are exhausted, and still there
are babies unnamed. distracted parents re-
sort to Ernestina, Hyacinth, Beryl, Aga
memnOn, ClariSsa, Miranda or catch thank
fully at any current event which may help
them in their dilemma. Thus arose the
full crop of little Pretorias. Buffers and
Kitcheners.
1t is sad to think Of small girl having
to answer the attendance roll call at school
to the name Of Majuba jerks. or, as one
maiden will, Polly Paardeberg Mason.
Polls papa fought at Paardeberg, and her
mother may be pardoned for wishing to
record the fact, but the name will give
away Polly's age in the days when she be-
gins to be sensitive on the subject. In the
war time Pretoria seems to have been first
favorite, perhaps because less cumbrous
than Bloemfontein and the other tid-bits of
Transvaal nomencla ture "reminiscences of
the craze remain in Colenso Cook Kitchen
er Roberts Jenkins and Victoria Ladysmith
Brown-most registers had share Of this
patriotic admiration. Not till actually
glanoing through the district registers is it
realized how much environment influences
the question of names. Mary AIMS and
Emmas. Emilvs and Jacks, Bills and Harrys
grow up thIckly in the neighborhood of
the docks by Poplar and Limehouse, while
naturally in the Jewish quarters Of White
chapel and Aldgate found Joshua,
Moses. Rebecca, Solomon. Isaac, Hannah
reduplicated into monotony.