Rev." and "Most Rev.", one has yet to learn what titles a particular person has, and with what particular form of address he should be approached, an impossible task even for a Master of Ceremonies, unless he always has in his pocket a Burke's Peerage to tell him who's who.

What a waste of time, what an inconvenience, and what an unnecessary amount of irritation and annoyance all this causes.

How much better to be able to address any person you meet simply as Mr.So-and-So, without unwittingly treading on somebody's sensitive corns! Americans have shown their common sense in doing away with titles altogether, an example which the sister Republic of China is following.

An illustrious name loses nothing for having to stand by itself without prefixes and suffixes, handles and tails.

Mr.Gladstone was no less himself for not prefixing his name with Earl, and the other titles to which it would have entitled him, as he could have done had he not declined the so-called honor.