The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1916-12-27
AltaVista, Va
Nomenclature.

Nomenclature.
Editor of The Virginian;
Sir,-The query was made by no
less mastery mind than that Of
the Bard of Avon" wherein our great
and matchless Shakespeare solllo-
quized and asked, What is there in
name?" Forsooth. "a rose would
smell as sweet by any other. Again
the wisdom OF solomon AYERS strong
ly that a good name IS rather to be
chosen than great riches.
Then clearly a nomenclature on
the names of men. animals and things
mean a very great deal. How the
heart beats and pulsates with the best
and tenderest emotions known to II at
the mere mention of the names Of
mother. father, sister, brother. wife,
husband or child! The very best that
is confined in that wonderful recep-
tace called the heart is spontaneous
~ germinated and expended from the
hearts Chore," our precious jewel
box in life's tempestuous pathway
Instantly there springs and wells up
fond emotions that are our very best
attributeS-those of love, SO. too. also
there is the richest and most diversi-
fled and variegated beauty in these
toEiloItlcIi 8llOi q Iildll III eiIig tllC
other thing in our lives.
SO, after the genesis of father,
mother and their satellites or deriva-
tives. of sons and daughters and their
descendants, with generations yet to
be born. there is sort of holy rev.
erence halloed around those names.
Again this deduction is absolutely
true, the rose to the contrary not
withstanding
So, for an example for exposition
of this principle. we will begin right
at home here in Richmond. Suppose
Richmond had been named smith
Vile. after Captain John Smith. FIRST
settler and daring navigator that he
was. Fancy, the sounding blow to
euphony, would be ''SmfthWlle on
Kings River" versus Richmond on
the James" Again, in this wildly
mad era of ever changing hue. what of
that iconoClastic measure loudly Whls-
pered of the changing of the names
of our treasured streets into numerals
/ 2 3. etc, ohllteratng forever the
names Of Washington Streets, as well
as Adams, Jefferson. Madison. Monroe,
Henry. randolph. Jackson. Jacqueltne'
Reyerlv. Davis and Lee-numberlng
them like convicts !, ?, 3, etc Mon
strous the bare thought! Even
Greater New York loves to be calied
Manhattan, a peerless legacy in ro-
nance and history. Fancy New OR
leans changing her historic streets
redolent of French, spanish Indian
Arcadian and American historic
names. into convict numbe
The admission is freely made that
to be progressive is very good in
&c top y,rnDraSsiNa is
close akin to two of our distinguished
statesmen-first, Colonel Theodore
Roosevelt the founder of the Progress
sive party. and Colonel Bryan. of the
free silver party. so in the preserNa-
ton of names let us be unified ana
care be taken of them as we extend
to all precious or rare heirlooms ana
traditions that make up all history.
For where do we find patriotism so
intense and ardent as in a country with
a great history? Conversely. In coun-
tries without that rich heritage, the
converse is true 1t Is no easy thing
to blot, tear up and obliterate that
which was inspired and made by Won
derful and powerful energy and
strength. What in this worlds varied
nomenclature is more pitiless Than
nameless thing or nobody? Yet as
time and associations cluster around
1t: yet even an Unnamed place or per-
son; yet time itself will alone en-
hance that name-like the sturdy oak
or soaring pine tree. For what names
could or would supplant their accept
ed meaning and memories? so, brief
ly let the names of traverse streets
ar others under contemplation
of name-changing remain as they are
already named. For the sake of fancy
I1@ vrN,l tho I
one can, to change the name of The
Corso or at Paris. the Boulevard des
Itiliens, or at London, Piccadilly and
Regent Streets; so. too. as to Broad
way, New York Chestnut Street,
Philadelphia; Beacon Street, Boston;
the Duke of Gloucester Street. Will
liamsburg. Va.
Why. assuredly it can be likened
unto a good fitting suit of clothes in
its ratio to a bad fitting suit. There
fore. II is clearly and conclusively very
uniting to change the names of our
city streets. The most wonderful ex-
hibit of what in itself has met with
but little transmutation or changes
since the meory of man runneth
not to the contrary" is our venerated
and great common law of England
which law of that realm is that of
the United States, wherein 1t has not
been changed by the Congress or the
Legislatures of States. Pardon is here
asked for a home thrust at the Vir-
ginia Legislatures abolition of that
generous and liberal writ of replevin
for the unwieldy and awkward sub
stitute statute unnteliigently called
interpleader.
lis wise to ''let good enough
alone"-an old aphorism as ancient
as it is true in its affirmation So let
us reaffrm it in our streets maintain
ing their early names in christening
which the city fathers since their
prosenitor, Father william Byrd, gave
which. with others. our streets no.
menclature now have. and with which
all of her citizens are, or ought to be,
familtarized with, so. forsooth, any
stranger or the wayfaring can inter-
rogate-our ever-ready and worthy con-
stabulary. who are ever ready to help