Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-10-06
Opinions and Views
from the Exchanges
Bible Names Going Ont of Fashion

Bible Names Going Out of Fashion.
From the Hartford Times.
A certain set of Christian names
taken from the Scriptures have been
in use so long that we do not think
of them as Bible names. Among
them are Adam, Moses, Samuel,
David. Daniel, Solomon, Abraham
Isaac and Jacob. Others taken from
the saints. like Peter, Paul, John,
Stephen and Matthew, originally
given the children because they were
born on the saints day, are still so
common that we think of them as
English names. These names ante
date the use of surnames,, as may
be inferred from the fact that nearly
all of them have given rise to
patronymics, like Jacobson, Peter
son and Stevenson. In the twelfth
century missionaries sent out by the
authorities used to baptize whole
villages at once, and to save time
invested all the men with the name
of John or some other saint, and the
women usually Mary or Martha. To
distinguish the Johns some additional
name like Short or Strong or White
or Black was given HIM by the
neighbors, and so Christian names
and surnames were united. After the
Reformation it became the fashion
among the Puritans to give, chill
dren the names of characters ike the
Old Testament, and odd ones like
Melchisidek or Barzillai were pre-
ferred Among these were Abel. Levi,
Jesse, Amos, Asa, Isaiah, Ephraim,
Gideon, Malachi, Job, Abner, Hosea,
Ezekiel, jeremiah, Zachariah, Asher,
Eli and hundreds of others
For some reason the use of these
names has largely ceased. We can
understand why Ebenezer has been
dropped, though once one of the most
common of names in New England,
for it is decidedly unmelodious. NO
modern girl could fall in love with
an Ebenezer. But most of the Puri
tan Bible names have a strong, man
ly ring, and have been borne by
able men. That they are going out
of use is very evident from COM
pairing the early class lists OF Yale
with later ones Twenty-Five classes
in the early eighteenth century, num-
bering 375 graduates, show 1ls with
Puritan given names. This is about
80 per cent. Ten classes in the twen-
tieth century. numbering 3,O37, show
but twenty-five given names of this
ezer and Barzillai have completely
disappeared Nor is Peletiah or
Zadok to be found. We can only
hope that the descendants of these
ancient worthless have inherited some
of their sterling qualities, though
they do not perpetuate the name.
Tariff Reduction and Lower Prices.
From the Springfield Republican.
A tariff that reduces duties so dras-
tically as this one cannot help tend
ing to reduce the prices of many
articles of commerce, other things
being equal. Our short corn crop
will temporarily raise prices of
cereals, but in the long run the
prices of food must be lower than
otherwise would be the case, because
this tariff carries a reduction of
nearly so per cent. on foodstuffs in
general while all duties are abolished
on such articles as Leafs, fish, dairy
products, flour and potatoes. Wooden
clothing for next spring has already
gone down in price because of free
wool and lower duties on wooden
cloth. The free-listing of lumber and
the reduction in iron and steel
duties surely mean something, at
least for the Eastern and most popu-
lous part of the country in which
European goods may compete on
their merits without encountering
high freight bills for long hauls.
Yet so strong and pervastve are
other forces making for high prices
that the effect of u lower tariff may
not be appreciable to the mass of
~, n,,1x ic 10
in attacking the problem of high
prices when a high tariff is revised
downward. Military ornaments and
national luxury aside-among the
causes of the retardation in the rate
of the production of wealth put to
useful and fruitful purposes is the
waste continually going on in the
processes of distribution. 1t has been
shown that the final cost of beef to
the consumer embodies an increase
of 81 % per cent. on the true cost
of production. The general drift of
population from the country to the
city in our time has had the effect
of increasing unduly the proportion
of the population engaged in the dis
tribution of products. OF the retail
price for most goods an increasing
proportion probably represents costs
of marketing. Here is a task for in
dustrial and social reformers as well
as statesmen.
1t is an interesting fact that the
administration responsible for the
lower tariff will not be content with
it's achievement in tariff legislation.
The whole question of distribution
and marketing is being studied by
the Bureau of Markets of the Depart
ment of Agriculture, of which the
head is DR.. Carver, former professor
of economics at Harvard University;
and legislation designed to free both
the producer and the consumer in
some measure from the appalling in
cubus of the present costs of market
ing the products of the soil is to be
urged upon Congress. A farm credits
banking system will be a conspic-
uous feature of the program at the
next session. The problem is i'm
mense in it's ramifications; it must
be attacked from various angles. But
we may feel considerable confidence
that the first necessary step, polit-
ically possible, toward q higher
efficiency in wealth production that
will result in lower price levels has
now been taken in the signing of the
new tariff by President Wilson.
Some Thoughts on Newspapers.
From the indianapolis News.
1.-The daily newspaper, so simple in
its construction in an earlier day."
said DR. Oldfish, has come to be a
monster, beside which the one created
II. .I-.nr .frfr, He. l.. i