Evening star., 1924-11-08

! Faithful followers of this column,
from the age of IL to 81 years, will
notice that the full and unabridged
name of the author is signed thereto
| for the first time.
This is done in no spirit of egotism.
believe me, but simply to satisfy
Smith d. Fry, historian of the Capt.
| tol who has written to me protesting
| the simple use of initials.
Mr.. Fry, who knows more about
| the great Capitol than any man liv-
! ing. or who ever did live, insinuates
that those who use only initials are
ashamed of, or seem afraid to use,
the names given to them by their
sponsors in baptism"
He says: This may be a sugges-
ton worth while to you, personally,
in bed and had the coffee which seems
| to be necessary to your enjoyment of
life.
"Or, it may be a suggestion for an
other topic Interestingly elaborated
and portrayed, Enthusiastically in
formative, too.
"Or, it may be inopportune, untime-
ly or lacking efficient clarity of eX-
preston.
Conclusions, friendships and enmi-
ties grow not wholly in the brain.
They are affected largely by the
| sweetness or acidity of the stomach,
at the crucial flash of time.
"Who is II. G. Wells? Who is o. o.
Mcintyre? Who is c. f. Tracewell? ?
| What have either one of those CO.
| lumnists and literary ebullitions done
to be ashamed of? Why do they hide
their real identity under initials?
| There must be countless fellows
whose names would warrant the ini-
| tials H. CT. for Wells. There must be
| other descendants of honest people
who came from the land where the
| River Shannon flows who would be
entitled to make use Of the initials
O. o. to designate which Mcintyre.
Also, there may be Hoosiers a-plenty
with baptismal excuses for the use
| of the initials C. +. Introductory to
| the word Tracewell.
How can toiling bread-earners of
the future give proper classification
in the future Who's Who to the lit
erary geniuseS, or near -Eeniuses, who
are ashamed of, or seem to be afraid
to use, the names given to them by
! their sponsors in baptism?
LAS Mutt says to Jeff, and as Jeff
says to Mutt, Now answer me
| that? ''Inquiringly yours,
SMITH ID. FRY"
x X
AS the ffappers would say Mr.
Fry asks a mouthful.
He brings up the great question of
signatures. one that crops up when
any one takes his pen in hand to
! write piece for the papers"
There is plenty of precedent for
signing initials only. William Shake
speare, George Washington, Abraham
Lincoln, to select at random a few
or the great men of the world. used
their initials most of the time
You will find them simply:
w. Shakespeare, CT. Washington, A.
Lincoln.
When one gets to be President, of
course, the case is somewhat differ
ent. As for Shakespeare, | am rea-
sonably certain he used his initial in
the few authentic signatures dis
covered Inquiry among my asso-
ciates fails to throw much light upon
this point. however.
He signed it W. Shak kespeare in
the checks he gave me-" says one
facetfouS Gentleman.
He signed his letters to me simply
BILL replies another.
III Shakespeare and Washington
and Lincoln did it, that ought to be
enough for Mr. Fry, or any one else.
OF course. it must not be forgotten
that in those days paper was scarce.
and postage high, so that economy
was practiced, but even then there