LAW: Sign of the Goat

The petitioner, a plump and solemn Negro, wanted to change his name. Peaceful Heart, he felt, was a much more suitable name for a follower of Father Divine than plain old Henry Green. Judge Curtis Bok, who heard the case in Philadelphia's Court of Common Pleas, was sympathetic.

Peaceful Heart might not be such a ridiculous name. Said the judge: "The Puritan mind . . . felt the need to name many girl babies Patience, Prudence, Peace, Faith, Hope, Charity, Tolerance, Preserved and even Chastity. Many names from abroad escape notice only because they must be translated. Thus, we have...

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