The sun., 1918-08-14
THE NAME AMERICAN"
A Dispassienats Reply TO Mr.. Wells
and Professor Hayes.

II. @. Wells in The Fourth Year" and
Prof Ellen Hayes, In Popular Science,
express judgments about our name Amer
lean that are not sound. When 4 child
10 born kindly nelghbors may suggest
fanciful names or better names than the
one chosen by the parents. Sometimes
a volunteer suggests 4 name that pleascs
the parents and the name 10 adopted.
TIE .ame phenomenon occurs in munici-
ralitiss. know q village growing from
cross roads cluster which was nick
named skunk Hollow" by all OF tine
neighboring villages but on attaining Its
Independence as q borough 1t formally,
by its charter. repudiated the offensive
appellation and Is named for q General
Of the Revolutionary War. The old namc
has passed into oblivion.
So 1t was In 14e2. when Spain acquired
as against Europeans a definite right In
a new hemisphere, composed of two con-
t,nents. rivalllng Europe and Africa In
extent Of territory. One obscure map
maker said, Let W call It the New
World another America" another a
different name. But Spain adopted for
It's infant colony the name of New
cpoH, wHtCn - CQulNAIont III CuT CoIH~
mon experience to naming a child after
its father with the addition OF Junior"
The suggestion Of geographers gave way
to tho name Of New Spain" except in
Holland and England. whose navigators.
Frobisher. Drake and Hudson, were
leading the way to a clam to the north
ern part of tie new hemisphere antago-
nistic to that OF Spain. They were ac-
curing new additions to their incipient
empires. Again the volunteered name
of America was not considered by the
parent countries. So we hnd New Am
sterdam," New England" and New
France" and the name America" re-
mains in the clouds. The child to be
named America" has not been born.
though the beautiful name awaits. i'm
pending like 4 prophecy. not that the
CT lid shall be called blessed but that 1t
shall be called America" Map max
ers In Holland. France and England.
however. called the continents North
America" and South America" names
bearing no invid!ous concessions to the
claims of any nation. Yet no nation or
principally had bestowed the name OF
America upon any section OF the ssrth.
BY what name was the newly discov-
cred hemisphere christened? Pope Greg
DRY named II the New World" Portu-
gal as we'll as Spain sought new Of
| spring on this side OF the Atlantic Ocean.
and 1t was necessary to designate the
territory into which the rival explora-
tions we're directed. So the land east OF
Brazils western boundary fell to Portu-
no ha far ri hn 20 in
Still the name America" Is suspended
and has not been adopted either by au-
| thority or usage. The hemisphere was
Novus Mundus or Mundus Novus.
To all of this naming tie natives OF
the new world were more or less obliv.-
Gus or unconscious. The Sioux for all
| of that was a Sioux. and the Aztec ar
AEtec. They had names sufficient for
| their needs, and by what authority were
they called Indians? 1t was a nickname
and the name American" was as bad.
A sovereign nation names itself, and
| the name 1t chooses 10 binding within
| its borders. In Independence Hall In
Philadelphia will be found an exact rec
ord Of the naming of America. or ali
tie nations now inhabitlnE the New
World. or Western Hemisphere. we irst
became sovereign and independent. I'VE
were the frst that ever burst into tina,
silent sea-" On the wall Of Independence
| Hall hangs the original form of the res.
olution submitted by Richard Henry
Lee. Resolved" 1t says. that these
united colonies are. and of right oush,
to be. free and independent States
That was introduced July 2. 1T76. The
resolution was inadequate and was re.
ferred to a committee of which Jeffer.
son was chairman. TIE phraseology
adopted was this we. tho representa-.
tives OF the United States OF America
In Congress assembled" &C. When that
resolution was adopted a sovereign PEG,
pie adopted a name which before tina,
time was as much the property OF no one
as the lightning which Franklin's kite
drew from the air.
In the same hall was drawn UP tt
Constitution which was later "ordainet
and established for the people OF tn,
United States Of America" Afterwart
were launched the United States o.
Brasil. the United Mexican States. ant
much later the Dominion OF Canada OBJ
tained Its new charter. Washington IL
his Farewell Address tells US that tn,
name American" which belongs to US II
our national capacity. ought to awaken
the Just pride Of our patriotism. refer
that quotation to Prof. Hayes of welles
ley. and to II. q. Wells. BARBARIAN.
| PHILADELPHIA, August -.