Page:Rolland - A musical tour through the land of the past.djvu/19

Rh excuse those on whose backs these foreign appellations have been fastened by ridiculous parents; they may be forgiven for retaining them. But those who of their own initiative falsify their names and create a new race for themselves deserve the fate which befell the gentleman whose name was Riebener but who called himself Rapparius: when he sought as heir to claim his brother's estate, the judge rejected his claim, saying that in the petition which he had addressed to him he had admitted himself to be 'incontinent' (Rapparius), and therefore could not lay claim to the inheritance. Many other madmen have disguised themselves in French names. I used to know one whose name was Hans Jelme. As his clothes and his manners and so forth were all in the French fashion, he wished to ensure that his name should match them. As a matter of fact his knowledge of French was confined to these words: 'Monsieur, je suis votre très humble serviteur.' But it was absolutely essential that his name should become French. And farther, as he had a great desire to be a gentleman, he thought that while he was changing his name there would be no additional difficulty in adorning it a little by the addition of the particle. He therefore called himself Jean de Jelme. But he had not reflected that the German pronounciationpronunciation [sic] would turn this into Schand-Schelm (infamous scoundrel, dirty rascal) so that he was despised and derided by all. I wish it were so with all those who blush at their German names and commit forgeries to change them; they deserve that Germany should blush for them in return and hurl them across her frontiers with other forgers."