The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1905-04-21
he WILL CHANGElT
Thomas Emmett Dewey Starts
a Reform.
First Names of Judges to Be
Spelled Gut.
INSIST ON A SYSTEM.
Not So Particular About the
Second Names.
Calls Attention to Common
Grammatical Errors.

fOnL names are TO De OfIlc1ally TecOg-
nized in the forthcoming volume of
Kansas supreme court reports Every
supreme court justice, every judge of
a district court, every officer of the
court, will have his front name spelled
out in full
This is one of T. E. Dewey's ideas
It would be more proper to say that
this is one of Thomas Emmett Dewey's
ideas. Mr.. Dewey, in his business of
supreme court reporter, observes a good
many interesting details about things
which the ordinary person would STUN
bic over all his life and never detect.
Mr.. Dewey says:
We are going to use the first names
of all the judges and court officers so
that the work will be symmetrical in
this respect. In the past some of the
names have been printed in full and
some with nothing but the initials. It
doesn't look well.
Courts have decided that initials do
not constitute name; that initials are
merely symbols, and that a name must
be a name. In case of a felony, the
papers must be drawn to show the full
name of the defendant. You never heard
of a murder case in which the defend
ants first name did not appear in the
&ODSGQ uGLLly II IL ulL441E
that in a report of court proceedings We
should recognize the legal status of
name.
Moreover, it is the social usage 10
use the first name. Society demands
som ething more than the mere Initials
of a mans name. The custom is to
use the fun name"
This new rule of Mr.. Dewey's has
put Del Valentine clerk Of the su-
prene court, in d terrible dilemma. II
/ 4 T-,,- nd
naked fact that Mr.. Valentines name
is not Del; that as a matter of fact,
such a person as ID. A. Valentine"
has rather a doubtful existence, so far
as the name is concerned
MY father and mother. says Mr..
! Valentine decided to call me
| 'Adelphus.' That was all the name 1
started with. The boys got to calling
me A valentine, ana didn 5lke =;
So I turned the name around and
made it Delphus A The A did rot
stand for anything special. / have
managed to struggle along with
! Delphus A. as a name and expect
viii have to let it go that way the rest
of my life"
Queer Grammatical Errors.
Mr. Dewey has dug UP a. few queer
grammatical errors which most peo-
pie never heard of. The fact is that
Mr.. Dewey knows SO much about
grammar that it is rather dangerous
to discuss some of the fine points of
the game in his presence. He will
invariably prove that he is right.
For example, Mr.. Dewey criticises
the newspapers for the incorrect use
of that very common expression, ''as
follows"
1t is incorrect to say 1.-The names
are as follows" To be strictly ac-
cording to the rules of grammar, one
must say 1.-THE names are as follow"
It is all right to say '"The governors
speech is as follows" but it is all
wrong to change the number of the
subject and say, 1.-THE governors s
words were as follows"
Il wish the newspapers would be
more careful to use the possessive cor
rectly." says Mr.. Dewey. Then he pro-
ceeded to give a few examples. He says
it is incorrect to say; There is no
doubt about the book being written -
What should be said is: There is no
doubt about the books being written .
The city hall reporter will have to say:
There is no doubt about the ordi-
nance's being passed" The police court
man will have to say: There is no
doubt about the jOintist's being convict
ed" And so it goes. The good old way
of leaving off the possessiVe, which rolls
so easily from the tongue, won't do. 1t
is very evidently right to say: There is
no doubt about its being written or
cts being passed. or his being con-
victed.'' and so of course this possessive
is right. At least that is what Mr.
Dewey saws. and he knows.