The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-12-24
STRANGE NAMES
Of NEWSPAPER
Drawn from Classic Fable and
Many Other Sources
THE CONFUSION OF NAMES
How a Western Paper Came to Be
Called the Jmpecute-PersonaI
Names Are Popular In
Magazine Titles.
THE CONFUSION OF NAMES

Mercury, the messenger of the goods, is
a favorite newspaper name, but Hebe, the
cup bearer, is ignored. The Olympian is
used, but Jove is disdained, although An
thony Trollope in "The Warden and
"Barchester Towers presented the Lon
don Times under the name of the Jupiter.
An instance of the reconsideration of a
name is to be found in the Spokesman of
Spokane, which doubtless was copied from
the Oregonian of the chief city Of Ore
gon, says the New York Tribune.
A newspaper called the Ships might well
be made up chiefly with the scissors. a
motto for the use of which in column
of credited paragraphs is "Aut scissors
aut nullus." The Zeitgest is a most ex-
p:essve name for a German newspaper,
equivalent to the spirit of the age. The
Ocean Breeze is as fedolent of salt air as
Above the Clouds is expressive of the
altitude of Mount Washington. The
Townsman and the Neighbor are express
siVe of New England cooperative COM
monwealths. The Healthy Home is medi-
cal just as Spirit of the World is re-
hgious.
AS there is no adjective derivative from
the United States the word American is
used a prefix to many publications.
and also standing alone until it has al
most lost its significance. There is no
similar use OF English, British, Canadian.
French, German Italian or Spanish IN
newspaper titles. The use of the word
Christian in connection with religious
journals is almost as much oyerworSed,
both here and abroad. An alliterative title
is the Brown Book of Boston. The Green
Bag is abusive to the law, while Every
Other Sunday, like Every Saturday, and
Once a Week, is a timely title The Re-
porter is expressive of an effort to set
forth facts. while the Review indicates
of the work of showing their meaning.
The Casllet is appropriately the organ of
undertakers, but the Tombstone Epitaph
is a regular Arizona newspaper in the
town of Tombstone. The Square and
Compass is Masonic The EX-Parte is
by no means non-partisan, and the Buff
and Blue is eolored.
Political Names.
\ large number of newspaper bear the
names of the republican or democratic
party but all those which once were
designated as Wing have dropped that
disused name. The original American
newspaper was the organ of the Know
Nothing party, whose shibboleth was to
put none but Americans on guard and
was violently opposed to any symptoms
of foreign domination. In the mix-up of
party designations in the early half of
the last century the title Republican be-
came affixed to some newspapers which
are now of democratic politics. and that
of Democrat to some which stanchly sup
port the principles of the party Of Lin
coin and Roosevelt To those who know
them the confusion of names causes no
trouble, but to outsiders it is often a puz-
zle. For instance, the Rochester DEM
ocrat and Chronicle is a republican news
paper, and the Independent Republican of
Goshen, \. Y, is a democratic one. There
is little likelihood of the confusion being
obviated by any changes Of names, al
though it might be effected without
especial difficulty IL so desired. But
name is trademark to which many
things inhere which are not lightly let go.
Hyphenated names for newspapers have
become common in these days of the con-
sclidation of separate enterprises, and
some of them have become elongated so
that they nearly overrun the space re-
served for titles, although the practice is
fl equently followed by putting a portion
of the name in second line. The Albany
Press niclxerbocker-E Express is one of
the longest
Some Odd Names.
Among the odd names which may be
found in various parts of this country are
the Bad Axe Tribune Republican, the An
niston Hot Blast. the Wire Grass Sift-
ings, the High River Eye Opener, the
Punxutawney Spirit the Klondike Mug
get, the Hancevile Hustler, the Gate City
Humming Bird, the Canebrake Herald,
The Oakman Goosequill. the Kentucky
fTldngan GtfplS fbp AInina Avalanche
the Blum Paper, the Blanket Gazette, the
Blooming Grove Rustler, the Bowie Cross
Timbers the Arizona Arrow, the Arkan
sas City X Rays, the DeSoto Eagle Eye,
the Eningham New Leaf. the Gas City
Gaslieht. the Hopton Headlight, the
Larned Tiller and Toiler the Lyndon Cur
rent Remark, the Better Way, the Sprig
Of Myrtle, the Fulcrum, Push. Wide
awake Mouthpece, New Wrinkle, Log
Cabin. Boomerang, Javelin, Tocsin, An
vii, Roundup, Opera Glass, Meteor, Bail.
Maverick, Coaster. Silver X Ray Stick
er. Coming West, Fast, Word of Truth,
Light and Mathematical Messenger. The
Headlight Guide is edited by Jim Tom
Story in a far off Texas town. a neigh
Dor is the Texas Mule. but whether its
name is indicative of any of the quail
ties of the animal which John ]. Ingalls,
declared had neither pride of ancestry nor
hope of posterity," is not disclosed.
Difficult Problem.
The selection of the name for new
newspaper is often difficult In the case
of weekly publications and magazines the
tendency of the times seems to be to give
the individual name of the publisher to
the publication, but this has been adopted
in only a few instances by newspapers.
The story is told of a far western job
printing office from which it was planned
to issue a weekly newspaper, and the
day of publication no name had yet been
selected. On the peremptory demand by
the foreman upon the editor for a name,
the latter directed the foreman to throw
a handful of type ON the imposing stone.
The type arranged themselves in the odd
combination 'jimplecute," and the name
was adopted and the Boomtown Jimple-
cute issued. But thus baptised the news
paper did not long endure.
The most profane name in the news
paper list is doubtless the Devils River
News of Texas. Perhaps the greatest
jawbreaker is the Polish Tigodnik Nowo-
jorski of this city, while the Swedish
Ungdosinnens Sandebud of Illinois, and
the Slavonic Glasnik Cd Govenjega Je-
Zera ran it close second In neiphbor-