The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1908-04-30
ABOUT TITLES.
The Discussion OF Them is On
Again,
WHAT TITLES GENERALLY MEAN.
The Latest New TILE, Witch has Been
Quite Freely Used, is ''CgI.
age3SiIaD.
WHAT TITLES GENERALLY MEAN.
(Fayettsyil!e Cuserver,)

Every iiCW anu tAtSti foOiIlS O1 Oui
contemporaries discuss the question
Of titles in this country. The discus
sion has broken out again. They dep
recate the bestowl Of the title
Hon" upon this, that and the other
official or dignitary. as if there could
be such a thing as lawful titles in
this Republic.
The matter was long ago threshed
out, and it was settled that even the
President should be addressed simply
as "Mr. President" when speaking
to him or The President" when ad-
dressing a written communication to
him.
There are half : dozen officials
named in the CoGstitution-"Am-
bassadors, other public Ministers
and Consuls" and Judges Of the
Supreme Court''-suhiect to ap-
ppointment by the President, and,
for long time, these monopolized
the courtesy title Ct Honorable"
because BY analogy with the old
world law, they derived their Office
from the executive head, who was
our substitute for the old-tirne Brit
ish King.
The bestowal OF TIE title upon SEN
ators and members Of the House Of
Representatives cane much later
because repugnant to the idea Of
al elective Office, but the custom
has widened its score until the title
has ceased to distinguish. As q mat
ter Of fact, the hestowal Of titles Of
this kind is primarily q newspaper
habit. a-d the newspapers, il they
desire, can put q stop TO it as, at the
outset, they createo it. When the
war broke out, there was a contro-
yersy going on in tie papers in this
State as to whether or not the Pres
dent Of the State Senate should be
entitled to the Hon" designation,
the Speaker of the House not yet
having been reached by the infec-
ton.
The history Of the attention of the
title Hon" by the widening of the
area over which ii is spread, is the
same as that Of the titles Mr." and
Esq" These two, like Hon"
are merely courtesy titles, having
no sanction in law; bat The latter
has almost caught up with them in
the thinness Of de coating Of re-
spectability which they confer. In
Georgia, for years past, all the mem
bers Of the Legislature have been
dubbed Hon" hy the press-and
none Of them have undertaken to
rebuke the newspapers therefor.
We flung defiance in the teeth of
old world follie5 of this sort when
we adopted that clause Of the Con-
stitution which forbids both the
United States ana the several States
from granting any title Of nobil-
ity." rs Justice Story says, in his
Commentaries on the Constitution,
"a perfect equality OF rights, priv
ileges, and rank, being contemplate
ed by the Constitution among all
citizens, there IS manifest pro-
priety in prohibiting Congress from
creating any titles Of nobility;' and
the same prohibition on the States
is supported by the same reasoning
as that already suggested, in consid-
ering the like prohibition upon the
National Government"
The French revolutionists were
much more consistent than We, say
ing simply "Cjtizen Genet" etc.
The spirit Of toadyism which III
spires the title mania in America
seems to affect our Northern breth-
rem to much greater extent than
the people Of the South. Perhaps
it is because they have riches enough
to buy titled foreigners. while we
have not; but, however that may be,
many women there seem willing tc
accept any risk if only they can get
the title. It is noticeable, by the
way, that no titled Englishwoman,
or other titled foreign woman, evel
marries q ricn American.
An amusing outcome Of our Amer
| lean toadyisn in the bestowal Of tt
ties, is the calling of Mr.. Bryce, the
British ambassador, "Hon. James
Bryce" and the like designation o.
members CT Parliament (the Com
mons). The title Honorable" is, il
Britain and Ireland, blood title
that is it comes By Inheritance from
peers to certain of their male and fe
male descendants. Mr.. Bryce's tru
+;+Io :. tho .'PiDht HonOrahla' be