Omaha daily bee., 1912-05-05
Let People Rename
BY ADA PATTERSON

| famous young woman toiu Inc at uIu
ner the other night that she had never
known real Happiness until she changed
her name.
Not at the marriage altar. The young
woman, content. successful and not n
all prone to hero worship. shows no in
clination toward matrimony. Besides.
her surname, short, crisp and forcefui'
is quite TO her liking. 1t was her chris
tended name with which she found fault,
She quarrelled with that name from the
time she began TO talk and the quarrel
continued until she was u years old.
My name was Annie and | didn't like
It." she said. Il don't Know why. There
are Armies who are sweet, and Annie'
who are smart. and Armies who are good,
but ! happened not TO like the name
Why do think all blondes are beautiful
and that no brunette is even attractive?
And why does my neighbor across the
hall see no beauty except in a woman OF
dark hair and brown eyes? We cannot
account for these deep-rooted likes and
dslkes They are constitutional. Ike
| seasickness and hereditary like Roman
noses. Whatever the reason, ! ioathed
my name and used 10 reproach my
mother for giving II TO me. When ] was
| Il We moved from one part of san Fran
cisco to another. a long distance away,
where we were not likely to ever again
see our old neighbors. While we were
watching the last chair topping the van
load Of furniture ! said;
Mother. when we get to the new hous"
there will be no more Annie Mother
looked surprised and conscienee-stricken.
too. as she had begun TO do whenever /.
complained of my name.
I'm going TO be Alma hereafter, !
said. | knew a girl named Alma.
loved the girl and her name. and l Dor
rowed it for good. The girl committed
suicide afterwards, but that made no DIFF
ference TO me. remained Alma, and
mother says my disposition completely
changed for the better from the day
changed my name"
Why shouldn't she change her name 10
It made her happier? 1t would tighten
the burden of unhsppiness considerably
in this burden weighted world IT, after
we achieve years of discretion, we we're
permitted to change our Christian names
without any storm Of nelghborhood in
uuiry or avalanche Of local censure.
Parents show a marked lack Of con-
sideration in naming their children.
While the child is still an indeterminate
quantity as to complexion, height and
disposition they fasten upon 1t name
that may become a joke. a girl of four
feet eleven inches in her hgh-heele1
boots invites smokers by answering 10
the name Juno" A girl whose face is
the nth power Of pastiness responds to
the blooming title Rose" Girls who
have checks like peonies autograph their
photographs Lily and we've all seen
"Blanches" that are the same shade as
the ten Of spades. know a girl named
Angel" who has a temper Of the other |
sort, and the only survivor 1 have met /
Of the almost extinct species Of old maid |
signs all her checks Love Jones" The I
most melancholy woman l have eve-
known was named Joy" and woman
VINO Is NhAAtd haiA0lg nhNAlA nave Veil &
named Defeat"
A prize fighter named Job caused |
much more than the usual mirth at the
ringside. and the most irascible man In
our town vas made yet more impatient
by reminders that he bore the name Of
the meekest man in the world
Parents name children to please rel3-
ugft
thought Of the future fitness of the
child. The name becomes a burden ard
an evaporation when the child grows
to manhood or rsomaDhoOd's estate. The
name that fitted snugly upon the wee
human sits but Clumsily upon the man I
or woman while individual rights are
the blazing topic II seems that childs I
rights should be considered. Names
might be tentatively given The child !,
provision that when said child reaches !
the age of p years he or she may be- |
come Reginald or Gwendolin. if the de- I
veioped romatic tendencies do not &C 7
cord with plain names for practical I
folk. Or IL for no reason more definite Z
than that some persons dislike eauliflower /
and that cabbage does not agree" with .
others the names bestowed at birth
snite painfully upon their ears-if for I
some rsason-they prefer TO be Frank or /
Josie. then by all means graciously grant
them the privilege. Life furnishes /
enough handiesps without the embar-
rassment Of an ill-fitting. or the irrits-
ton Of al uncongenlsl name.