The Washington times., 1906-10-25
FADS IN THE SPELLING
or PROPER NNAlES
Fantastic Departures From Established Standard
Sets One to Wondering.

Il beg your pardon" said a pretty
young girl. courteously, but firmly
pointing as she spoke 10 the society coll
umn of a big daily paper, Il beg your
pardon, but my name is misspelled!
And in the announcement of my engage
ment. too, Won't YOU kindly see that II
is corrected, 50 thal such an error Will
not occur again"
The woman al the desk 10 whom the
complaint was addressed, took up the
paper and looked where the finger point
ed. Then the frown of worry left her
face.
Aren't you mistaken she answered.
Your name is correctly put in here.
See, here il is; Mabel
But" insisted the girl, that is all
wrong. il IS 50 commonplace 10 follow
accepted rules in proper names, that /
spell mine: M-a-b-l-e.'
This young girls desire 10 avoid the
commonplace. absurd as il is. has be-
come fad among many others ike her
at the present day.
In consequence. one is moved 10 Won
der where vagaries of this kind will
have an end. or whether any limitations
whatever are left TO the person floun-
d-ring hopeIessIy about many unfamil-
lar Navr4es. SaIlyes. Alyses and other
rnodernized versions of good old-fash-
toned English names, that no longer
have a character or distinctiveness
cf their own
Formerly one had a feeling that Bet
~ belonged by right 10 bright CO.
quettish damsel, whose attractiveness
was in no wise diminished by rather
quick tempeT. Sally meant sincerity and
SAT well ON the wholesome girl, gwen
70 household virtues and proficient IN
all the useful arts that minister to com
fort and well being.
And Alice, we'll Alice suggested BEN
Bolt" ana one of the sweetest OF old
English love songs, and the romance
that il embodies
These are just one or two. But names
in general. like flowers, were supposed
10 have grown around some lovely
thought which they symbolized. As a
violets. or lilies of the valley, so the
mention of name often called up the
tenderest feelings. stirred into activity
by the linking of its sound with an in
dividuality which had given it meaning.
Now we have changed all that. BY so
doing have We grown out OF the com
monplace, on nave We grown into it2
or are we simply. like the Athentans
always seeking for "a new thing"
Some things improve with age old
friends among the number And many
names are Ike old friends that one
doesn't care To change for new
1t would require some ingenuity to dis
cover old friends masquerading IN such
shapes as they have been twisted into.
and when one finally penetrates the dis
Euise III would Clly be TO find that one
had grasped the shadows, not the sub
stances; in other words, that the new
version would suggest nothing which
made the attracuVeness or the original.
There is one thing absolutely neces-
sary in 50 far a., spelling Is concerned
and that is for decision 10 be reached
and a choice TO be made between old
: and modern methods of spelling common
Z English nameS-womcn' names-fOr
men have not yet reached the point that
has fmpelled women to work a revoIt,-
tion that renders them by signatures ~.
on paper, unknown 10 even their best
friends.
BY women, not all women are meant.
There are still a remnant left who stand
Tor old-fashioned conservatism in all