Michigan-From Indian, meaning "The Lake Country." water." Mississippi-From the river, Indian for "Father of Waters." Missouri-Named from the river, Indian for "muddy water." Nebraska-From Indian, meaning "water valley." Nevada-From Spanish, meaning "white as snow." New Hampshire-So named by George Mason after Hampshire County, England, his home. New Jersey-Named in honor of Sir George Carteret, who had been Governor of the Island of Jersey in the British Channel. New York-In honor of the Duke of York, brother of Charles II., to whom the territory was granted in 1664. II. North and South Carolina-Named in honor of Charles (Carolus) Ohio-Indian for "beautiful river." Oregon-From Spanish "oregano," or "wild marjoram." Pennsylvania-Meaning "Penn's Woods," in honor of Admiral Penn, father of William Penn. Rhode Island-Some say it was named from Dutch " Roode Islandt" (Red Island), others from Isle of Rhodes in the Mediterranean; others say it is named "Road Island," because it was near the Roadstead; others claim it was named after a prominent settler in Newport, named Rhodes. Tennessee-Indian for "the river of the big bend." Vermont-From French "Vert Mont," meaning green mountain." Virginia-Named by Raleigh in honor of Elizabeth, the Virgin Queen of England. Wisconsin-French, from an Indian word, said to mean “wild, rushing river," also, "flowing westward." Washington-After the first President. OUR RAILROADS. He stood in the station; she at his side "These railroad maps confuse the eye; On any road but the Sky Blue Lake. Have sleepers on the entire way; But I've heard these trains are much more slow Than the Kankakee or the Kokomo." She murmured, "Sweetie, I've heard pa say And prefers the X. S. H. O. P. This chart says, baby, the views are fine A conductor chanced to pass them by, The conductor's eye gave a savage gleam, Connects with the Flip Flap Biff Bang B., You can change on the Leg-off-Sueville-Grand, "The Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh Through, Of the road you named I nothing know, The Kankakee and the Kokomo." The bride said: "Baby, 'tis best, by far, Like the dollar, we return to pa, The conductor smiled; his eye teeth showed; He had spoiled the trade of a rival road. And the bride and groom returned to pa, 66 Why didn't you go on the Cross-eyed Bay?" The railroad names had turned his brain. He raves, insane, forever more; In a mad house, chained unto the floor, He gibbers, "Tootsie, shall we go By the Kankakee or the Kokomo?" -Dramatic Times. In this connection we submit two articles by Prof. Leon Londsberg, of the editorial staff of the New York Tribune. CHINESE NAMES. History tells us that Emperor Hwang-te (B. C. 2697) was the first to introduce sing or surnames. From the earliest times the sing were conferred by the Emporor, and no Chinaman has, down to the present day, ever had a right either to adopt a sing or to change it without Imperial sanction. These surnames are taken from their native places, countries or cities, or chosen on account of epithets attaching to them, or of their titles, trades or personal characteristics. In addition to the sing, every Chinaman possesses one or more personal names. In his infant days the father confers upon him the ju ming, or "milk name," and subsequently, on his arriving at maturity, the shu ming, or "school name,' is given him. The shu ming generally consists of two characters, selected with reference to the boy's condition, prospects, studies or some other event connected with him, such names. as Ink Grinder, Promising Study, Opening Olive, Entering Virtue and the like. Girls have only their infant and marriage names; the former may be a flower, a gem or such like; the latter are terms like Emulating the Moon, Orchis Flower, Delicate Perfume, etc. At Canton a mere number, as A Yet, A Sam, A Luk (No. 1, No. 3, No. 6), often designates the boys till they get their "school names." 66 When a man marries he adopts a third name, called tsz," or "style," by which he is usually known through life. When a girl is married her family name becomes her given name, and the given name is disused, her husband's name becoming her family name. Thus, Wa Salah married to Wei San Wei drops the Salah and is called Wei Wa Shi; i. e., Mrs. Wei (born of the clan) Wa. When a young man is attaining a degree or enters an office he takes a title called Kwan Ming, or "official name," by which he is known to Government. Of the members or heads of licensed mercantile companies each has an official name, which is entered in their permit, whence it is called by foreigners their "chop names.” Besides these various names, old men of fifty, shopkeepers and others, take a hao, or "designation." The names taken by shopkeepers allude to trade or its prospects, such as Mutual Advantage, Extensive Harmony, Rising Goodness, etc. Finally, when a man dies he receives another and last name in the hall of ancestors. The personal names of the Chinese are written contrariwise to our own, the surname coming first, then the given name and then the complimentary title, as Liang Wantai Siensang, where Liang, or Millet," is the family name, Wantai, or "Terrace of Letters," the given name, and Siensang, Mr. (i. e., Master) or Teacher. THE OLDEST LITERATURE. Which country had the earliest written literature? Does not to India belong this honor? ANSWER BY LEON LONDSBERG. In the eighteenth century the unanimous answer to this question was "China." In the first three-quarters of our century, however, the Celestial Empire was stripped of this glory, and India was proclaimed the cradle of literature. Then came the Egyptologists, who, by real texts and not merely by hypothesis, as did the Sinologues and Indianists, showed that to Egypt belonged the honor of having had the earliest written literature. At the same time contemporary Indianists proved that the oldest Hindoo poems, dramas and novels known to us did not originate before the sixth or seventh century of our era; while the novels offered in many Egyptian papyri are at least thirty centuries old. We possess now, besides a good deal of Egyptian religious literature, twenty novels that have been disinterred within the last ten years, and learned Egyptologists are preparing the publication of some more stories. Most of the twenty novels, already published date from 2000 to 1000 B. C. (twelfth to eighteenth dynasties). The Egyptian novels are written in demotic characters, which, after the Thibetan, are the most difficult to decipher. The great Egyptologist, Maspero, had to work diligently five years to translate an Egyptian text which in any European language would hardly fill twenty pages. |