The Irish standard., 1908-07-04
FASHION IN NAMES.
Faith and Sentiment Sway the Name
Of the Baby.

Faith and Sentiment Sway tho Name
Of the Baby.
Babies" says a. contemporary. "are
the victims Of fashion like their elders.
Whatever happens to be the name
phase of the period in which they made
their advent, to that are they doomed.
Just now Elizabeths and James are be-
ing literally christened by dozens. and
Peters are alarmingly prevalent"
We are pleased to know that just
now fashion has turned to good old
names like Elizabeth and James and
Peter. We prefer Elizabeth to Mabel
and Maud. We prefer James and Pet
err to Percy and Sydney. says the New
ark Catholic Monitor.
| Faith and sentiment sway the NAM
ing Of the new baby. Whenever 1t is
faith, the child will always bear SEN
sible and acceptable name. When 1t is
mere sentiment, the family custom will
In many instances, determine the name
by which the child shall be known.
Sometimes the mothers caprice will
give the name. When this is the case,
the name hobs up from the page of a
sentimental novel or floats in through
some newspaper story of a newspaper
hero or heroine.
There are some names that appeal to
! the woman's heart as stylish or high
toned or unusual or something else.
Often these names are without meaning
waits drifting around in literature.
But the artistocrat of the mothers
heart is soon properly labeled for his
journey through life.
1t has been within the experience of
some priests lately that the infant is
presented at the baptismal font with a
request that she be named Evelyn. The
type of sancity which the name has
suggested of late so appealed to the
foolish mother who bent for hours over
the daily paper that she must needs
dedicate her girl at the sanctuary of
her newly discovered heroine. That
there should be mothers so foolish!
But there are.
Not long ago. a priest friend of ours
told us of fond mother who asked to
have her child named Rubiola When
questioned about the unusual name, she
declared that she had heard the physi-
Cjan who had of Ia
the name. And so she had-or some
thing like it. for 1t was the Latin term
for scarlet fever. The priest suggested
Typhoid or Cancer" as equally Mt
names. though lacking in the music Of
final "a" The mother was offended.
but the child was preserved from the
affection OF going through life with a
diseased name.
| We confess to a great admiration for
| the names which Italian parents find
| for their babies. Their choice is the
result of the custom Of their country;
| but that custom has centuries Of faith
back of it. The names given refer to
the mysteries OF our holy religion. to
the choirs of angels. to the saints. They
are sweet to the ear and filed with re-
ligious suggestion for the soul. You
might build up the doctrines Of the
Christian faith from the names you
will hear in an Italian settlement.
! 1t is the spirit Of the Church that the
names of the baptized babes be redolent
of faith. They are designed to inspire
piety after life, and to give a model
of the Christian virtues. The name
should be an invitation to godliness:
it should establish a powerful patron
amidst the temptations of the future.
Names should not be chosen for their
mere sound, or through an inane senti-
mentality.
| A custom which we must reprobate
also. is that of twisting our good ordi-
nary names until they are almost I'M
recognizable. There IS no name for a
woman to compare with Mary. But
how that beautiful name is contorted
by every conceivable devise! We are
not content with style in dress and
manner and many other things: we
must have it in the form Of the name
that Is used. Plain Mary must. of
course. be plain Mary. And no girl
wishes to be plain.
Read the list OF sradutes these