HER MAIDEN NAME.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 158, 28 March 1908, Page 11

HER MAIDEN NAME.

About this time of year, weddings crowd thick'upon each other's heels, and,,evcry day wo hear of a Miss Someone who lias,- iiy the twinkling of an oye—to be accurate, in tho space of ten minutes—becomes Mrs. Someono Else, her personality transferred to the credit of another family, her own. surname merged, destroyed. Every now and then it.'cccurs to somebody, to regret that a' surname'with qualities to recommend it has been oxchangcd for one that is altogether undesirable, and. then the question is asked why it should al.ways bo the bride's surname that is! lost, why"; the. bridegroom should not occasionally, tako- advantage of the wedding ceremony to thfow:;away the ugly name that he possesses. It is a great; chance that might never again comes his way)' and'it will bo acknowledged by, many men that they-would be all the better for ■ the change. .This is not a .land of many ancestors. It would matter little to the; average man if his. children were called by the mother's name; no great patronymic would go out in darkness if 1 ho made this concession to his wife's family, pride, and yet always it' is tho wife's name' that' has to go. Thero .are various reasons why occasionally she-.might wish her name to bo the one that stayed, and very often the reason is aesthetic. It. seems there is never an ugly, oven an offensive namo, but the bearer) can find a wo-man-to. share it. with him,'and this not .because. she -loves tho name, • but bccauso she loves- the man' enough, to put up with his unfortunate, appellation. , One can call to rmndjvarious'eases of friends.who havo said to.them, "How I. laughed when I first heard his name, Mr. Pigry', and littlo did I. think I should ever bo Mrs.'Pigry.",, And tho probabihty is that all her married lifo long Mrs. Pigry will hate the sight of her namo, and 'whenvsko thinks of it, hato its sound. She will worry nioro,than most mothers over the choiqo .of names for the baby, .'realising ti tlijia; -more beautiful the ' Christian name .chosen, the more absurd it will look in con-; !junction'yith..the.' surname. ;Yet one .need hardly.', point out. that Pigry is a ; very mildly mad'name as. names 20.. \ . •'l'^",• w ' 1 ® n tl'e name "of the husband is not ;.ugjy or. absurd how often the bride loses in ; by adopting it. There is 1 tho pretty tale of an Sarly-Victorian Miss • Wilborfo]ce,,' who, . after canvassing hard, for a successful! Candida to, was, .on election.'' day .greeted . By--' tho '.'congratulatory - crowd /with shouts .of. "Miss Wilberforce for. over.'.' "I :thank 1 yquj gentlemen, for your good wishes," . said thq,lady., .with a charming . air, "but I can assure you I havo : no desire, to bo Miss Wilberforce for ever.", Every year how many, distinguished names are, sacrificed on the altar, of .the Smiths? (and ; by the samo.token,-how many Smiths aro annually exalted at ..other altars?). -Thero is a strange, family prido abouti that race, and even if . a lady .where to rejoice-in the namo .of Miss Peroxide ,somo Smith wouM be 'capablo of asking hor to mergo the individuality ofi'tho Peroxides ,in the commonalty of. tho Smiths. Pqrhaps ithough it is,.hardly accurate, to caJlSmitha surname:.- It has got beyond that, and the, position was admirably stated ;by an .obscuro republic over-run -.with 1 inhabitants of that; namo which, it is confidently stated,. recently decreed that.no ono of-them should henceforth or ever-aftor bo known as Smith. As tlio mover of the Smith Surname Bill.pointed out in his first speech, the, object of, a surname .is ! to distinguish its bearer and his family from all other families, and,when every, other man was called by tho same, liamo. tho value of V ' thoVsiirnamo.. vanished. . A?:-'; hianV first 11 name could; bo. left to the choice of his fripndsi •li, "was- theirs to play . with, ~but; - the secondwas for - the conveni-/ onco of- "the; commu-. ii.ity.'/:,. And, .quoting an extreme - case, ho said • that'.'- tif , ' every:. book-i seller in the country wore named Harry 110 ono .would,- be inconvenienced, ; i)ut ' if. they wcroi all Smiths, business 'would bd conducted. under the greatest difficulties.' 1 : . .