Call No Man Happy

AN OFT QUOTED phrase of the philosophers, "Call no many happy until he is dead," reminds us that the future is uncertain.

See the article It’s official: Make way for Obama Boulevard. Delmar Boulevard in Saint Louis is to be renamed in honor of our President-Elect.

The naming of things is a serious matter, best done with much consideration. Saint Louisians perhaps remember the embarrassment which followed the renaming of a stretch of Interstate 70 as the 'Mark McGwire Highway'.

Prudence tells us that we ought to wait until after someone is dead before we rename something in their honor. Or, at the very least, after the honoree has reached a ripe age, and has retired from public life.

But as it so happens, the City Aldermen hedged their bets, and only voted on an honorary renaming. Delmar is still the official street name, and only six street signs will be posted, along with — and not replacing — the existing signs.