The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1910-05-04

would he horrid. We've forestalled them
by nicknaming him Mac ourselves.
This was said once upon time, so long
ago that this handsome blonde lad has grown
into a stawart man. On Machin's first
day of school the boys looked at him once once.
then, scolning all previous names or their
fractions, they dubbed him Whitley. Whitley
Sullivan he remains to this day to all save
his disappointed mother
Sullivan boy the second was chriStened
Ray. That's short and easy to say. the
mother announced with renewed hope. Ray
remained all safely through the grades and
grammar school. then fond hopes were again
shattered. This son became Il star on the
high school football team and because he
did not chew the rag as the other fel,
lows did. the stout quarterback once called
him silence. In week the whole school
knew him by this nickname and in sec
ond week the nickname was ncknamed to
ST and this form became Rays used-name
for keeps
Now. wherefore must nicknames come
into the world: Why must solid and sub
stantial names sink into oblivion while new
1t may seem like putting the cart be-
fore the horse but see first what nick
name is and then why it is so natural for
us to bestow them
nickname says the book of words, is
derived from an ekename. for so 1t was
ago. Still earlier, this term was an exc
name DO you see the derivation: Exc
means to piece or splice or fill out: to
lengthen, complete or suit. Thus we say to-
day, "lIe manages to exc out a living
Very we'll, then. nickname is a name
which ekes out our other names and makes
in two to four names apiece. why should
any of us need ekenames? John James
Henderson Rivers, for instance. would seem
to make any additional name Super1uous
Why: 1t is just an old story over again:
nicknames are given today just as han
dies given long ago when our name
said John, did he mean John, the son =, of
James: John, the tallest man for miles
around: John. who lived by the river; or
John, who titled the soil? To distinguish
them there the appellatons John
Jamison. John Longfellow, John Rivers, and
John Farmer.
Custom fixed these names Instead of
meaning each individual man whom they
suited. these designations came to be fam
ly names. as time went by. Surnames. or
sire-names. We're handed down from father
to son. from son to grandson. and eventual
ly to John James Henderson Rivers and to
lives upon prairie, far away from any
stream Mr.. Jamisons own father was Jer-
emiah. Our friend Iongfelow is short and
plump The descendant of the old English
farmer is physician.
G OMETIAIES our family names suit US
" well. sometimes. as you have noticed.
they cover us but poorly. Many persons, like
DIR. Farmer, wear names that are insists be
queathed to them willy-nily by those who
are dead and gone.
experimenting hand me-down fathers
names have one or more given names
bestowed upon us before our personal char
acteristcs can be known These gift names
again. may be apt or not apt Who can he
sure that the infant Ernest will be an earn
est man: Will baby Patricia develop into
81 dignted. patrician matron: DO YOU not
know Lily'S and Islanche's who are bru-
nettes and olives with golden hair: lzaak' $
who are solemn ,l and not laughing; .,,,o,.
our own volition, and certainly without
parental consultation of all the host of folk
who will know us before die, what fol
lows: The public steps in. saving that
our lawful names are out of fashion. of
a style unbecoming to our peculiar person
alities, of a sound or length not pleas
ant to the ear and tongue of the speaker.
In other words, instead of using our ready
made names, we must have new ones cut to
order from individual measurements.
But, however,, the patterns and trimmings
of names may vary from generation to
generation, shall see the weave of the
material changes little.
When you went down the street yesterday,
did You hear your neighbor address Mr..
Farmer who is Il doctor: lie called him
Doctor or. more likely Doc. Mr.. Jamison
is known to his friends as Sunny because
of his contagious smile. Mr.. I.ongfellow
turns around if n voice shouts. stop there
Fatty" Mr. Rivers is Red Rivers to his
cronieS.
A very common of nicknames is
that of occupation. Just as ancestors
worked and earned for themselves and
gave to us a heritage the names Baker
Smith. Waggoner I'iermacher. Gardner. Full
cr Weaver, Webster, Carter, Fisher, Bar
Der. Turner Fowler, Miller, Hunter. Mason
Shepherd and hundreds of their kind 50
among the nicknames hear today are
wagon for The fellow who fills our re
frigerators Prof. for the man teacher OF
almost any rank; Cap. for the leader OF
even civilian organizations: Butch, and $
on to the end of the list.
Personal appearance or traits of character
won for our forbears the cognomenS, Long
Blue Jacket, Smiles, Young, Older, Elder
Wild (,uOdeuouyh. Brown, and others IA
mtliar tn us Among our acquaintance W,
LII of 1lns Nnr