The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1889-07-06
NAMES IN HISTORY.
A Study That Has Produced Exceed,.. !.
Interesting Results.

no0rl
made concerning the possibilitv ~
tracing the career of nation by rnesns
of the specific character of the names
of those combining to make the ponr-
lation; that is, not of telling that here
a battle took place and there k;ng
was murdered in his palace, buttbe
way up from barbarism to culture. and
down again through wealth to decay
The thing has already been onite
thoroughly done with coins and medals
which not only tell the story Of DIV.
nasties by likencsses and inscriptions.
but the progress and abasement Of arr
in their sesign and execution. The
result of this study of names has been
exceedingly interesting in more than
one case. Take, for example, the
names prevailing among the Hebrews.
and the primitive simplicity, the pas
toral, poetic and religious nature,
which they picture in wonderful
manner. These people called the
mother of the race Eve, which signifies
life, and no more subtle flattery was
ever given woman; the father was
called Adam, whose interpretadoa is
the red earth, and which -iss ! ~,
the very root of things prtmjfk;
presently they are putting the sHable
alb into names, alb meaning fther,
and then we have label, a wan
derer, the father of such asdwell
in tents; while Abraham, thefather
of great people, and mani other
combinations of the syllable, pint also
to the patriarchal character of the
race. But soon the syllable q mean
ing deity, comes in, in such Rmes as
Melchizedek, Samuel, lshma, Elihu;
and then comes those with kombina-
lions of Jah and 10, with be same
Specification. and we have Elhh, to be
translated Jehovah is God; Eiab, God
a father; Elimelech, God a ling; and
Joshua, God a savior, which iutficient-
ly pOrtrays the religious natre of the
people. Meantime the poetls of their
feelings appears in names such as
Jubal, q blast of trumpets; in Isaac,
born to his parents in thef old age,
and called, out of their glamess, only
laughter; in David, signifyig beloved;
in lsreal, a prince with Coz; from all
of which it is plain that thewearers Of
these names are a people ofsimplicity,
at first of tent life, then governed by
princes, full of poetry aid of deep
religion, worshiping one God, as the
word Elijah shows, and SEEING in that
God king, a father, savior, as Others
of the name indicate. The same thing
again is evident in Greek names.
Many of the earlier ones had the root
Lyc, from lycos, a wolf; as in Lycurgus
and Cycaon; and others had Leon, as
in Leonidas, Leontes. all betraying the
rude element, admiration and cultiva.
ton of brute strength. After this
comes the word hippos, horse, asin
Philippos, the lover of horses. Ea !
parchus, horse tanner, Xantippe, Tel
low horse, and Hippomachus, hdrse
warrior, whence perhaps the idea of |
the centaurs-here again showing
the advance from the rude element to
the martial spirit, the subjection
of the inferior, and the love Of the
chase and Of warlike sport. But |
awhile after this comes the the prefix
Lys, from lysis, meaning free; where
upon we find Lysander, free man,
and LysimachuS, free fight, from
which it is easy to conjecture that a
democracy has come to pass among
them. But shortly appear the combi-
nations of the word cratos power, and |
we encounter Socrates. safe power, and |
Celebrates, noble power, and we can
again conjecture that wealth and au-
thority have the upper hand at last in
an aristocracy, and there comes an
end. Again, with the Romans in the
early generations, there is ANGUS, a
servant; Servius, slave Marcus,
manly; Curtius, short; Agricola, Il
farmer; Coriolanus, a worke,in leather;
and many others similar, the simplest
sort OF names appearing and reappear-
ing through the whole period of Roman
history. After time one comes on
those more descriptive or imaginative.
as Nero, strong; Pompey. splendid;
Aurelius. golden; but all tb time we
have Scipio, staff; Crassus, slow; and
those of kindred sort-names too that |
show in the character of the bearers
far less artistic sense than here was
among the Greeks. The thery again
finds proof in the old Saxon nmencla-
ture, Hengist and Horsa, the early con-
querors, both signifying the horse, and
both giving the keynote of theeonr-
ageous and warlike atmosphere 81 IN
time. Then comes the Termination
wulf, a wolf, in Ethelwulf, Fad wuf,
evincing the savage state of society
that upheld and ennobled mere physi-
cal force again. After this the moral
element appears with the syllable cd.
truth, as in Edgar, truth
Edmund, truth-speaker. This
is in turn followed by fred, meaning
peace, as we have it in Alfred. Wini-
fred and Ethelfred; and this is sue /
ceeded by the religious idea in the
word dred-Edred, happy fear: Nor
n red mora faap and a hoS+ ~ Al Ia |