Page:Colymbia (1873).djvu/167

Rh historical characters. But they often prefer to pay some living or deceased friend a compliment by assuming his name; and sometimes they will retain the pet name by which they had hitherto been called. This is particularly the case with the young ladies, who frequently elect to retain the trivial name their loving parents had bestowed on them, rather than take any new name. Thus there are lots of Pollys, Jennys, Millys, and such like. If they dislike their childish name, or think that it is not sufficiently pretty, they often take the name of some terrestrial flower they know or have read of, which strikes their fancy, as Lily, Rose, Daisy, and so on. Occasionally they select the name of some interesting character of romance or history. The names of Shakspeare's heroines are much affected by them. They have better sense than to select the name of some moral quality, such as Patience, Mercy, Charity, which fond parents in England sometimes inflict on their daughters.

Thus it happens that one seldom meets with ugly names among the Colymbians, for, though parents or guardians sometimes do not scruple to give their children and wards most unæsthetic names, it is very unlikely that any one will give himself a name that might excite ridicule or contempt.

The Colymbians rightly consider that there is a great deal in a name, and that one's future career is often made or marred by an appropriate or an injudicious name. Hence they hold that no one has a right to bestow a name on another without his consent, and they attach great importance to allowing a perfect liberty of choice to all on arriving at years of discretion.

The selection of a name is with some a most important event, and as the time approached for doing so, 5em