TRIBBY FOR SHORT

Evening Star, Issue 20556, 7 August 1930, Page 6

TRIBBY FOR SHORT

The Puritan practice of giving children Biblical texts as Christian names was comparatively common among the early settlers of New England. The following illustration is taken from an old volume of records of “ marvellous, rare, curious, and quaint ” things;—“The anecdote forcibly illustrates the absurd custom which prevailed many years ago in America of giving children names made up of Scriptural septenccs. About the beginning of the present century a New England sea captain, having some business at a public office which required him to sign his name, was rather tedious in performing the operation, which did not escape the observation of the officer, who was a little impatient at the delay and curious withal to see what sort of a name it could bo that required so long a time to spread it on paper. Perhaps the captain had a long string of titles to grace it, such as honourable, squire, colonel of militia, selectman of the town of , etc., of which ho chose to make an ostentatious parade; or perhaps it was his whim to subscribe the place of his nativity and that of his residence, together with iiis age, height, and complexion. He was mistaken, for the captain had subscribed nothing but simply his name, which, when he had done, the officer, after some trouble in deciphering, found to read thus: Through-Much-Tribula-tion-We-Rnter-Into-the-Kingdom-of . Heaven Clapp. “ Will you please to tell me, Cap tain Clapp,’’ ho said, with as demure a face as his viole j inclination to indulge in a hearty laugh would allow him to put on, “ what might your mother have called you in your infancy to save herself the trouble of repeating a sermon whenever she had occasion to name her darling?” “ Why, sir,” replied Captain Clapp, wuli laughqb’lo simplicity, “ when I was little they used to call me ‘ Tribby ’ for shortness.”