-> Now, for reasons best known to themselves, physicists have decreed
-> that "S" stands -- not for "speed" as you might expect -- but for
-> "distance."
I think I know why "s" is used for distance.  (v is typically used for
velocity or speed, by the way.)
Velocity is the derivative of distance traveled with respect time, i.e.,
the change in distance divided by the change in time.
A derivative is shown with "d."  For example, the derivative of x with
respect to time t is dx/dt.  The derivative of y is dy/dt.  The
derivative of z is dz/dt.  What would be the derivative of distance if
distance was "d?" The answer is dd/dt.  See how confusing that might be?
Is that a typo or a derivate of "d?"  The problem is that "d" is the
derivative operator.
I believe "s" was chosing for distance to alleviate confusion.  ds/dt
will be the velocity instead of dd/dt.  Thus, velocity v = ds/st.
Does that make any sense?
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