The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-11-03

(
where's Gwentolin and Ermentrude
Mehitable. Sabina?
Where's Araminta, Merribelle
And likewise Clementina?
They are the fussy names Of yore,
The fashions change tbs plain,
For now the very smartest names
Are Ann, Sue, Betty Jane.
New York. Nov. 3.-Changing fash
ions don't stop at the cut of your coat
or the shape of your hat. No indeedy
they invade the sanctity of the home
and dictate the style of your furniture
and the color of your curtains, the
size ofs your calling cards and the
monogram on your stationery. Even
your real name isn't safe from the
meddling of the mode
There are a few women who object
to changing their last name for hus-
bands but l have yet to see a woman
name if it didn't conform to the pre-
vailing mode.
There are period names just as
there is period furniture and you can
almost figure out a woman's real age
by her name if she isn't smart enough
to Turkish it up a bit and make it
over to suit the present day styles.
In GrandmOthers Time.
In our grandmother's day a female
was hopelessly without the fashion
able pale unless her name boosted
at least three syllables Then there
was the era when you were lost unless
you possessed at least two cognomens
like Eliza Jane or Mehitable Anne or
Henrietta Hester.
Bessies, Jennies, Fannies, Armies,
Susies. Brides, NeIlies and Nannies
had an awful (and 1 use awful ad-
visedly) vogue about thirty-five years
ago and in more recent years we were
hlIf Of oh
Geraldine, Gwendolin, Ernestine, AL
bertha, Georgiana, Evelyn, Evange-
line and Isabella.
Clarissa. Araminta, Arabella, So
phia. Euphemia and Clementina flour
ished midst Victorian crewel work
porcelain cats and china dogs, and
altho we have swung around to a
fashionable passion for those Victor
ian knick knacks, we haven't gone so
Iar as to work up enough enthusiasm
TO take back the Victorian names.
Flower Names Passe.
Rather we have gone back to the
plain name of the one syllable period,
ana all the brand new infants of my
acquaintance have been duly dubbed
Ann, Jane, Susan, Betty, Nancy, Sally
and Nell, while three have succumbed
to the prediction for two to one
with the quantity euphonious cogno-
mems of Betty Jane, Polly Ann and
Mary Ellen.
Age has withered and customs
stalled the infinite variety of floral
names SO that Lily. Rose, Pansy, Myr-
tie, Ivy, Fern, Violet, Mayblossom and
DAISY are forced to smell as sweet
by any other name If they would be
fashionable.
Gems of thought for names, such as
Pearl, Ruby. Opal, Jewel and Dia-
mond, have been put away into the
Of Of
Hope, Charity, Joy, Delight, Patience.
constance, Prudence, are now found
only in the family Bible-that is of
course If you can find it.
Change Teutonic Names.
In Inez Haynes Twins newest book.
The Lady of Kingdoms" one of the
characters, whose rightful name is
Eliza, smartly spells it backwards and
thereby revels in the up-to-date han
die of Azile.
know a fashionable woman who
mas successfully rung all the changes
on her name thru the different name
periods from her infancy to maturity
She has been successfully and fashion
ably Jane, Jennie. Janet and now is
conten ito relapse again modishly to
Jane.
1t isn't bit fashionable to bear a
name even family suggestive of things
eOAS eAlSSe uAyS Inat Is why a
paragraph in the days news an
nounces that Tracy Einstein. DR.
Schwartz, Albert RosenfeId and Aaron
Brookheim have had their names
changed respectively to Tracy Cullen.
DR.. Blake, Albert Redfield and An
drew Brooks.
Naturally. pretty maiden doesn't
yearn TO have recourse to the law 10
nave her last name changed. She
prefers to let her fianca Az ~ ,,,t.h =
wedding ring and white ribbons IL
stead of lawyers fee and red tame
But when it comes to her firat
name. If some misguided parent has
wished Annetta or Susanna, on her AT
birth, she can perform a little opera-
tlon on a couple of syllables and
emerge modfshly, Ann or Sue, without
the anu OF party of the second part
OnETnN nnA-