The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-05-10
THE PEN NAMES OF SOME
 OF WELL KNOWN AUTHORS

Philadelphia Inquirer.
 There is such tantafizing suggestion of mystery ir many of the pen-names which are so familiar to us that one can not resist wondering how and why they were assumed, and the story of tneir genesis ought to be interesting.
 Why. for example. should the late Charles Kingsley's talented danghter choose to be known as Lucas Malet? Ac- cording to her own confession, her mod esty was the motive which induced her to conceal her identity, so that any fail- ure on her part should net dim the luster of her fathers fame. For this reason sne combined ths names of two clever women in her family, one of whom was Miss Mary. Lucas, the maiden name of her fathers mother and the Other Alice Ma let, her grandmother's aunt. both or which names she has thus rescued from oblivion.
 With lady writers. the fear of family criticism seeris to have been responsible for many assumed names. Mrs. Alexan- der. for instance, the author or dne adopted the Christian name Of her nus band. Mir Alexander Hector, and under this mask won her fame before he was even aware that she had written line. and Madame Sarah Grand. knowing tha- her husband. Sur yeon McFall. did not ap- prove Of her views concealed her ide:l- tity under the name now 80 widely known. and which she chose on acc punt of it's p!ainness
 It Is curious. by the way. how many lady authors have selct tel unattractive a Id even ugly pen-names. Olive Schrei- ner won her laurels under the almost re- pelIant name of Ralph Iron: Mrs. Cralgie chose to be known as John Oliver Hobbes. deliberately selecting the last attractive name she could think of, so that 1t might no; be recognized as woman s choice and that It might warn her against any yielding 10 woma lly sentimeD. ,lity in her ~I f@x eft, Arthur Stannard presented herself to the public as John Strange Winter. as unef- feminate name as one could easily con- ceive.
 Many writers have reduced the mystery of their noms de plume to the utmost by simply using their Christian names. as: Mrs. Thomas Anstey Guthrie, who chose to be known as T. Anstey: MT. Forbes Phillips, as Athol Forbes MT. Anthony He De Hawkins, as Anthony Hope. and Mir. A. R. Hope -Moncrieff, as Ascott R. Hope.
 It is curious to observe how almost in variably tha pen-names or lady writers are either avowedly masculine or without indication of sex as George Eliot, Max well Gray and G. M. Hutton (Mrs. Mona Caird)
 Miss Ada Ellen Bayly arrived at the name Edna Lyall, now so familiar to us, by the simple process of transposing some of the letters or her own name and Mile. de Ia Rance as is known, adopted her public appeltation "Ouida," which was th' nearest approach a very youthful sister could maAe 10 the pronunciation of her Christian name, Loulsa.
 Some pen-nAmes have q distinctly hu- morous origin as Luke ehlrp which aug gcsts the obvious meaning that occurred to its owner, Robert Barr. Mostvn T. Piggott preserves his initials in the anus ing form of Medium Tom Phun.
 The name Mark Twain was. as is pretty generally known, suggested to MT. Clem- ems by the cry of the ieadsman oa a Mississippi boat when the lead indicated that the boat was in shallow and conSe- ouently dangerous water: the Rev John Watson arrived at Ian Maclaren py us ing the Gaelic form of John and adding his mothers maiden name of Maclaren and Max ORell made a combination oi his grandfather's Christian name. Maxine and his grandmother's patfonymir O'Reilly. ahbreviating Maxine OReiliy into the familiar Max O'Rell