The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-02-01
THE THINGS IN A NAME.
Poets Oft Repeated Question Is An
sWered in Full.

sWered IN Full.
What's in a nameg" the poet asks
! There are a good many people in Chi
cago who answer a good deal" and
are so dissatisfied with the name given
them at birth that they invoke the law
TO let them change their names TO some
thing which in their ears has a sweeter
sound.
Twenty-eight people last year in Chi
cago petitioned the courts TO change their
names In almost every case the petit
ton was granted.
When the laws required that a person
wishing to change his name should ap-
peal direct TO the Legislature the rea-
sons why change was desired had to
be stated. The present law which en-
able the courts 10 change the name of
a petitioner does not demand this. but
in some of the petitions now on file at
the county building however. the rea-
sons are voluntarily given. In other pa
pers where the reasons are not given it
is not difficult to read the lines and see
why a change is wanted
Foreigners, especially those of Slavic
race. find that names which are perfectly
agreeable in the old country are an
unpronouncable nightmare in America. 1t
is also an undisputable trademark of
their foreign origin. and no matter how
Americanized they and their children
may become, the family name remains
decidedly un-American. For this reason
foreigners with names composed of two
coughs and a sneeze form the greatest
number of those who petition the courts
to let them change their names TO ones
that have an American sound.
This is probably the motive that prompt
Ulysses l. Sabeolowitz to change his
name. He said in his petition that he
was Russian, and the court permitted
him 70 drop the extra syllable and be
known as Ulysses l. Sabel.
John Ramage Ireland wanted to change
his name to Curtiss. his fathers name.
He had ben adopted by a man named
Ireland and took the latter's name. but
he decided he would rather have the
him change back.
The changing of last names is COM
mon. but it is more unusual when a
person appeals to the court 10 let him
drop his given name. Ordinarily q per-
son who desn't like his Christian name
merely drops II and subscribes himself
by the middle name that is the favorite. !
and in time he comes TO be known by /
that name alone. But one young man
that appealed to the courts last year !
seemed 10 think that his was an exag- !
gerated case, and he was not satisfied !
to merely drop the first name. He want /
ed The courts to chop 1t off officially and I
bury Il so that il could never come back 4
to haunt him. His name was Alphouse /
buckingham Chandler. and he was born \
in Florence. Italy. Under the blue sky /
and amid the romantic setting OF Flor I
ence Alphonse Buckingham Chandler was !
a beautiful title but in hustIing COM /
II ercial Chicago il was a good deal Of 4
a handicap. So Aiphonse Buckingham
Chandler begged the court to have COM
passion an him and take Alphonse away ,
so tina; II would never bother him again.
The court seemed TO think that Alphouse
might be more or less a detrinent- so II
was decreed that the young man in the
future should be known as Buckingham
Chandler.
Niels Riis Kinggaari did rot want his
name actually changed. but he wanted il
run into the shops and repaired. shifted
about ard generally overhauled- He want
ed the Niels changed 10 its English
equivalent. Nelson The kinggarrd was
20 be uncoupled from the rest OF the
name. switched down the track. and then
backed in between the Nelson and the
Riis. which he wanted changed TO Reese
The court thought il over and then
ordered Niels Riis Kin-saard 10 the
shops. and when IL came out again II
was ordered Nelson Kinggaard Reese.
Moses Jersky also wanted front bay
window and other Improvement and i'm
important alterations put on his name
md when the court got through K was
samuel Morris Jess
Durand Churchill Mayer was well sat
SIZED with Durand Churchill. but he
wanted the court TO cut out The Mayer
The saw was applied and the name vas
ieharrAd
Walter @ Uuharn seemed TO think
hat his name had a mersciug sound
Mr.. wiIharm was certain thai he would
lot harm. 50 he wanted the threaten
ng part OF his name eliminated The
,o,frt chopped Of the lss, syllable 20
Ia. the name now stands Walter G. VII
The changing OF hard s1pzouoUnes-
ibie foreign name is common enough but
; is seldom that the American courts
ire called upon 20 permit person 20
wep a good American name for che that
.ouid only be pronounced after long and
.zrefui practise Yet such was The case
when Benjamin Block asked the court |
o let him change his name 70 Be1ja-
uiu .zechov Mr. Block set |
o-th that Cxecho~skioS7ski zzs his
name and that people
Izd fallen into The habit of calling hir, I
= TIA, name Until finally Re hardly
new himself whether rs rsre vas
sleek - Ccechev1SkL Sni that as more
eoule called him Czecho~sss than thSe
rere that called him Block h hop-d that :
he court world IN the future f@t him |
2 known exclusively a. Ben54nir Cze-
haxskf Leon Cx>cbovsxi- however (
rzyed the courr rot 20 grant RE pest-
ion He said TIA. Re was . lz6i-s taller |
nd tnat he Rad buflt - good business |
rt TIA. Block Was a;tenrti-x 20 Kez h. {