Bryan daily eagle and pilot. [volume] (Bryan, Tex.) 1909-1918, 1911-06-24
PASSING OF MECHANICS.

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and less common?
What has happened to the pictur-
esque names of Boyville?
Why is 1t that the boys of the pres.
ent generation do not answer to the
euphonious names of Dutch or
Stats" or "Skinney"?
Something has happened to the
nickname. 1t is not heard so often as
it was when the country was younger
and everybody knew everybody else
much better than they seem to now.
Every boy used to have nickname,
He was "Simp' or Snake Eye" or
Red" or Doodle" or some other of
the epithetical titles that the young
males of the human race bnce delight
ed in bestowing upon each other.
1t has got so thet a boy named Reg
inald can get along pretty well now,
adays without being given some harsh
and descriptive title in the place OF
the name given him by fond and
foolish mamma. Even Algernon may
escape his just dues now that the
boys have ceased to give each other
weird and barbarous names.
There was something primitive
about the nickname. Boys are nearer
the primitive than man, nearer in
fact than any other part of humanity
The cave man distinguished his ac-
quaintances one from the other by
such names as big Tooth" or "Lop
Ear" They We're the first names the
race ever knew. The nickname is the
oldest name of all.
Boys once applied the same barbar-
Gus principle in distinguishing their
playmates. Nearly everybody has at
some time or ANOTHER known a freck-
led-faced scion who reioiced in the
name of Ears" He always had a
flaming and outstanding pair that set
him apart and in a class by himself.
He wore that title, too, until he was
dignfied citizen or moved away. Even
the old folks knew him best by that
title. His chums and boyhood friends
will always remember him best by it.
If a lad had a pair of legs some
thing like horse-collar in general
outline, he was certain to acquire the
name OF Hoop sometimes it was
Bow Legs especially if there were
two lads in the same neighborhood
rejoicing in the same physical charac-
teristics.
The primitive community loves the
nickname. The West used to be. full
of individuals known as "Jaybrd
Bob,p or Cherokee Bill" or Indian
Sam" They were expressive, those
names, and they told something about
the individual When you heard a
name OF that sort 1t told you more
than Smith or Hawkins or Caldwell
1t gave individuality to the fortunate
possessor and marked him out from
among the common herd.
There is a st. Louis man known to
thousands of his fellow citizens who
years ago acquired the title of Coy
ote Charley" Only his very intimate
friends know him by that name now.
But when he ventures back into the
foothills of Colorado his old acquaint-
ances pay no attention to his real
name. He is still Coyote Charley" to
them. He remembers his particular
pals as Red River Bill" or Texas
Jones" or wind River Johnson"
What has become of the Bricks"
the Spots" and the 'Fattys" that
used to live in every community?
Why is it that the Young America
of now does not follow the old-fash-
Toned method of distinguishing one
boy from another? There used to be
Blenders" Hooks" and Stats" in
every block.
It used to be that only the pale,
Oololl VoS anu au'ShtuiouS iau 70
capped a descriptive title. Even then
he was apt to be known as SISTER"
or Bessie" The boy who was I'M
worthy of a nickname was usually
ignored by those hardy youngsters
who rejoiced and were made glad by ,
such titles as pea Eye" or Slew ,
Foot" The real leaders of boydom al
ways had some such handle prefxed
to their real names-Temple Tele-
gram.