The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1889-08-16
NAMES IN HISTORY.
Study That Has Produced Exceedlux ri
Interesting Results.

\
of the specific character of the names
OF those combining to make the pOpu.
latlon; that is. not of telling that here
a battle took place and there king
was murdered in his palace, but the
way up from barbarism to culture, and
down again through wealth to decay
The thing has already been quite
thoroughly done with coins and medals
which not only tell the story of dy.
nasties by likenesses and inscriptions.
but the progress and abasement of ART
in their design 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 a wonderful
manner. These people called the
mother of the race Eve, which signifies
life, and no more subtle tiattery was
ever given woman; the father was
called Adam, whose Interpretation is
the red earth, and which is surely at
the very root of things primitive;
presently they are putting the syllable
alb into names, alb meaning father.
and then we have label, wan
derer, the father of such as dwell
in tents: while Abraham, the father
OF great people, and MAN. other
combinations OF the syllable. point also
to the patriarchal character of the
race. But soon the syllable ell. mean
ing deity. comes in. in such names as
Melchizedek. Samuel. lshmael, Elihu;
and then comes those with combina-
tiOns of Jah and 10, with the same
Specification. and we have Elijah, to be
translated Jehovah is God: Eliab, God
father; Elimelech, God king; and
Joshua. God savior, which sufficient
ly pOrtrays the religious nature of the
people. Meantime the poetry of their
feelings appears in names such as
Jubal, a blast of .r":npets; in Isaac.
born to his parents in their old age,
tsld called, out of their gladness. only
laughter; in David, signifying beloved
in lsreal, prince with God; from all
of which it is plain that the wearers of
these names are people Of simplicity,
at first of tent life. then governed by
princes. full of poetry and of deep
religion. wOrshiping one God. as the
word Elijah shows. and seeing in that
God king. father, savior. as others
Of the name Indicate. The same thing
again is evident in Greek names.
Many of the earlier ones had the roo,
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 cu,siva-
ton of brute strength. After this
comes the word hippos, a horse, az in
Philippos, the lover of horses; Hip
parchus, horse tanner. Xantippe, yell
low horse. and Hippomachus. horse
warrior, whence perhaps the idea OF
the centaurs-here again showing
the advance from the rude element to
the martial spirit. the subsection
of the inferior. and the love of the
chase and of watlike sport. But
awhile after this comes the the prefix
Lys, from lysis. meaning free; where
upon we find Lysander, a free man.
and Lysimachus, a 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 aristocr cy, 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. a
farmer; COriolanus, worker in leather;
and many others similar, the simplest
sort of names appearing and reappear.
ing through the whole period of Roman
history. After a time one comes on
those more descriptive or imaginative.
HIS Nero. strong; Pompey. splendid
Aurelius, golden; but all the time We
have ScipiO, staff; Crassus, slow; and
those of kindred sOrt-names, too, that
show in the character of the bearers a
far less artistic sense than there was
among the Greeks. The theory again
finds proof in the old Saxon nomencla-
ture, Hengist and Horsa, the early con-
querOrs, both signifying the horse, and
both giving the keynote of the cour-
ageous and warlike atmosphere of the
time. Then comes the termination
wulf. wolf, in Ethelwulf, Fad wulf,
evincing the savage state of society
that upheld and ennObled mere physi.
cal force again. After this the moral
element appears with the syllable ed.
meaning truth, as in Edgar, truth
weapon; 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 10 the
word dred-Edred, happy fear: Nor.
dred. more fear, and a host of the kind.
till there come in the Norman conquest
and the French names of culture. All
these are certainly very amusing and
interesting ideas. and they may be fol-
lowed out in social circles of historical
study with much entertainment and
some profit. Harper's Bazaar.
A man of Oconee County. Georgia,
has very smart dog. He says this
dog will carry water to his hands at
| ,uorl on his farm half a rnilo from his