The Mena weekly star., 1908-12-31
DlGNIFIED IN NAME
HAVE BEEN THE MlsTREsSEs OF
 THE WHITE HOUSE.
But One Woman Has Trad High Honor of Being the Wife of One and the Mother of Another
 President.

Fame is feeting enough in the case the goddess is twice as fickle. Almost any public school pupil more than ten years old can repeat the names of the presidents of the United States. but how many know the presidents wivesl Doubtless 90 per cent. Of the adult population is unable to name on hand more than a half dozen women whose husbands occupied the White House.
 Everybody knows Martha Washing. ton was Mrs Custis when she was married to the Father of His Country. but how many remember her maiden name was Dandridge? There are dozens of families throughout the coun. try which, if heraldry obtain in Amer lea, would be entitled to emblazon the nations shield on their coatof-arms by reason of having been connected with presidents through their ances tresses. They represent the names of Dandridge, Custis, Smith, Wayles, Skelton, Payne. Todd. Kortwright. Johnson, Donelson, Robards. Hoes Symmes, Christian, Gardiner, Chil- dress, Powers, Carmichael Mcintosh, Appleton McCardle. Dent, Webb. Ru- dolph. Herndon, Folsom, Scott. Lord, Dimmick Saxon, Lee and Carow.
 And those are only names of presi. dents wives. The mothers of the presidents, beginning with Washing. tons, originally bore the surname. Ball, Boylston, Randolph, Conway, Jones. Smith. Hutchinson, Hoes. Bas- sett, Armistead, Knox. Stroller. Mil lard. Hendricks, Speer, Hanks, McDon- ough, Simpson, Birchard, Ballou. Stone, Neal, Irwin. Allison and Bul. lock.
 Only one woman had the honor of being both the wife and the mother of presidents. She was Abigail Smith. who was married to John Adams, the second president, and whose son, John Quincy Adams, became the sixth president. Another woman, Eliza. beth BaMett, was wife and grand. mother oN presidents Her husband was William Henry Harrison, ninth occupant of the White House. her grandson. Benjamin Harrison. the twenty-third in line.
 That all the presidents have been dignified men from their early years Is shown by the Christian names of their helpmeets. Among the wives of the presidents there never has been Flossie, Babette, Tessie, Kitty. nor even Gwendolyn, Hortense or Mabel The only woman whose given name approached frivolity was Dolly Madison, and she no doubt was chris. tened Dorothy or Dorothea. unless A mistake was made at the baptismaI tont There were two Marthas and as many Abigails, Carolines, Marys, Elizas and Julias.
 The other presidents wives have been. respectively, Dolly. Louisa Rachel, Hannah, Anna, Letitia Sarah, Margaret. Jane, Lucy. Lucretia Ellen, Frances, Ida, Alice and Edith Equally staid were the names of the presidents mothers There have been two each of Jane, Eliza. Anna ana Nancy; three Marys and four Elizabetha ne other mothers of the presidents dlNde the names Susanna. Nelly. Abi. gal. Maria Sarah, Phoebe. Harriet sophia, Malvina and Martha The wife of the first president and the mother of the latest were named Martha. It is hard 10 conceive of anv ot lhose women being addressed by undignihej diminutives.
 still the Friday Superstition.
 The Atlantic liners are now run. ning much oftener than they used to uo' ln lime they will leave mort every aay in the week but Friday. They VIII never sail on Friday on account oi sne Friday superstition"
 The speaker a shipping agent eoook his head and resumed
 This Friday superstition is amaz. insiy strong. It affects the educated Ao less than the initerate I know nAfqy a person who would set out on = seq voyage on Friday. and nobodv would marry on that day. while there M even say the undertakers. q nreip u'ee against Friday bnrials
 A Friday burial" he exnlairaA .a. not supposed to affect the hereafter ot ,ue aeeeased, but 10 augur i'll for tbe health of the mouruers fhronoha,,, ,hs M ensuing year" 'ou' 'ne