Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1903-03-24
NAMING OF CHILDREN.
a Change of Custom is Very Desira.

A Change OF Custom Is Very DeSira-
Bile.
with the beginning of the next GEN.
fury, 1000 A. d., let US hope to see a
change of custom by the enlightened
people OF that period as regards the
naming of children" remarked we'll
dressed man in the lobby of an uptown
hotel,
Perhaps personal names raay be
done away with by that time, suggest
ed another gentleman, "and some per-
sonal designation adopted which will
be more satisfactory and definite than
in use now: one BETTING the great al
vance in civilization aud refinement
then attained For instance, let us Of
fer a prayer that in 1000 A. d. parents
will not infiict upon their offspring
patronymics such as mine---Arehibald
Archibald"
Mine is William Williams replied
the first speaker.
And mine spoke up the third gen.
tleman. lis Edward Edwards
Il worry along with MacAllister
MacAlliister." remarked Scotehman,
from the depths of an easy chair.
"The system of personal designa-
tion.' resumed Mr.. Archibald (which
permits parents to impose any name
they please upon child. name which
must cling to him through life. unless
he has it changed by legal process, is
open to serious consideration ana criti-
cism. AS another brief example there
are in the Washington city directory
forty eight William Johnsons, eighteen
John Smiths, forty-fye William
Smiths, forty William Browns. twenty
John Joneses and twenty-five William
Greens, to say nothing of the innumer-
able other similar cases of repetitions.
Another senseless feature as re-
CARDS names is where an engraved
piece of pasteboard is flashed under
our plebeian eyes. and our intellects
are berumbed with awe as we read
something like this, Mrs. Reginald
Ronaldson Revelstrole- Revelstroke.'
Why net add another repetition and
say Mrs. e-Revelstroke-
Revelstroke?' One is as senseless as
the other. and it would certainly sound
startling to hear leather-lunged
lackey call out Mrs. Revclstroke-
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. carriage!
The hyphenated repeated name, alas,
is growing in popularity in some quar-
tiers, but ordinary mortals look upon
the affectation as absurd and worthy
of the ridicule it receives.
"Repetitions and similarity of names
result largely from lack of originality
on the part of parents, and also from
parental pride. The same old titles
are handed down from father to son
ad libitum for generations. In few
generations more, if the practice is
kept up there will be, for instance
John Smith, ADD which will be as
much in keeping as John Smith, I'd,
or Peter Jones, Sd, as we see now so
often in print. and all of the interven-
ing John Smiths, from LIST to AID,
will be simply shadowy, forgotten
myths of memory.
CAS- confusing and Objectionable as
is this practice, however, it is not so
bad as the habit some parents have of
giving to their child the same Chris
tian name as his surname, as, by a
singular coincident :, four of these UNI
happy individuals happen to meet in =
single hotel at the same time in Wash
ington."
And to celebrate what was certainly
a remarkable coincidence all of the
gentlemen of one accord retired TO the
cafe to debate further the situation
Washington Star