Names and Nicknames.
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��only by courtesy, and which should be allowed in none but necessary cases to distinguish her from some other bear- ing the same name, or to address her when her own Christian name is not known. Mrs. is but a general title to designate the class of persons to which she belongs, and not a name, any more than Mr. or Esq. Who ever knew a man to sign his name Mr. so and so, or so and so, Esq. ?
To show the absurdity and impro- priety of this misuse of the name it will be needful to mention but a single illustration. Suppose a note or check is made payable to Mrs. John Smith. Mrs. being only a title, and no part of the name, the endorsement would be plain John Smith, and nobody, not even his wife, has any right to forge his sig- nature. An instrument thus dra\vn is a mistake, since no one can be authorized to execute it.
The trouble to the genealogist and historian is cf a somewhat different na- ture, since he merely desires to identify the individual and cares nothing about the money value of the document. Much the safer and better way is for the wife always to sign and use her proper name and to add, if she thinks it necessary to be more explicit, " wife of," using her husband's name. By do- ing this a vast deal of perplexity would be avoided, and sometimes a serious legal difficulty.
Another custom, as common, and quite a favorite one with many married ladies, is that which changes her middle name by substituting her maiden sur- name ; for example, Mary Jane Smith marries James Gray, and immediately her name is assumed to be Mary Smith Gray, instead of Mary Jane Gray, her legal name. The wife, if she so chooses, has the right by general consent, if not by law, to retain her full name, adding
��her husband's surname ; but she has no right to use her own maiden surname in place of her discarded middle name. Much confusion might arise from this practice, as the following illustration will show. Mary Jane Gray receives a check payable to her order, and she, being in the habit of signing her name Mary Smith Gray, thus endorses it, and for- wards it by mail or otherwise for col- lection, and is surprised when it comes back to her to be properly executed.
Again, Mary Jane Gray has a little money which she deposits in the sav- ings bank, and, for the reason already given, takes out her book in the name of Mary S. Gray. She dies and her ad- ministrator finding the book tries to col- lect the money, but he being the admin- istrator of Mary Jane Gray and not of Mary S. Gray may find the Treasurer of the bank unwilling to pay over the money until he is satisfied as to the iden- tity of the apparently two Mary Grays, which, under some circumstances, might be a difficult process.
These changes are usually made thoughtlessly, but the result is none the less serious than though it were done with the intent to deceive or mislead, and the mischief that often arises in con- sequence is very great. These changes that have been noted from the na- ture of the case can only occur with women, since men have no occasion to make them, and in point of fact cannot ; but there are those, quite analagous in character, that are common to both sexes and should be avoided unless the necessity is very apparent. Double names are sometimes very convenient for purposes of identification, but they may also prove fruitful sources of diffi- culty and trouble. As an illustration, Mary Jane Smith is known at home by her family and to her acquaintances as Mary. For some fanciful reason or
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