Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1917-10-26
Cities ODD NAMES
Few National Capitals Are Called
After Noted Citizens.
Many Municipalities in United States
Commemorate Famous Men of
History, But Not Many of
Them Are Americans.

There used to be a saying that to
reach the heights of fame man must
have street, a town and a cigar
named after him. But it is an odd
fact that while many men achieve such
greatness, there are only one or two
who have had the capitals of nations
named for them.
There is, of course, Washington,
named after the first president; Pet
rograd, named for it's founder, Peter
the Great, and Constantinople, named
for the great Constantine; but beyond
these the capitals of the various coun-
tries have received their names by
reason of their climate, their geo.
graphic position or some touch of SEN
timent, a writer in the Philadelphia
North American observes.
Changing the name of the capital
has been frequently done. Indeed it
was only with the beginning of the
present war that st. Petersburg be-
came Petrograd, eliminating the Ger
man ''burg," whose choosing has al
ways been a mystery to the Russian
people.
Tokyo, the capital of Japan, has
alse had it's name changed, for less
than fifty years ago it was known as
''Yeddo," a japanese word meaning
estuary gate. When the mikado took
up his residence there, however, he
changed the name to Tokyo, meaning
eastern capital, thus differentiating
it from the former capital, which had
been called Saikyo, or western capital.
Another capital which has been re-
christened within recent years is
Christiania, the capital of Norway,
which derives it's name from King
| Christian ", who built the now-fa-
nous city after the destruction by
fire of the old capital Oslo. 1t was his
desire to make it the most modern
| and most beautiful of cities, and he
took so great a personal interest in it
that when it came to name every
one urged that it be called for him,
and Christiania was finally adopted
as being more artistic than Christian
vile or burg.
There are very few great cities of
the United States named for Ameri-
cans, but there are many which com,
memorate famous men of history. OF
those named for Americans, there are
among others, Jefferson City, Mo.
Madison, Wis; Lincoln, Neb.; and
Houston, Tex, while there are also
the stories of gallant priests who
started missions among the Indians
and were often the first white men tc
penetrate into the depths of the viii
derness. San Francisco is named, il
is true, for st. Francis but the monks
of that order are really the one:
whose deeds the city commentaries
and there are, besides, Hennepin
Mimi, and Marquette, Wis, whost
names tell mute stories of the priests
The majority of the larger cities are
however, named for Englishmen o.
Frenchmen. for when the cities re
ceived their christening no on
dreamed that the time would come
when the vast new country would b.
a nation of itself. Thus New Yorl
was named for the duke of York, ST
Louis for the king Of France, Pitts
burgh for Lord Pitt, Baltimore TO
Lord Baltimore, New Orleans for tn
duke of Orleans, and so on through
long list of names that have now be
come most thoroughly Americanized il
the thoughts of the whole world.
In Australia the habit of namin
cities after statesmen is more preva
lent than in any other country, an,
the majority of its larger towns brin
to mind men who have helped to max
history. Thus Melbourne recalls Lor,
Melbourne; Sydney was named afte
Thomas Townsend, first viscount Sgd
ney, and at that time secretary o
state for the colonies, and Adelaide
another of Australia'S capital cities
keeps green the memory of Queel
Adelaide, wife of William ".