Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-06-05
THE CONTRARY WIND
DIR. TALMAeE's SERMON OF ENcouR-
AeEMENT TO STRUGGLING SOULS.

DIR. TALMAGE'S SERMON OF ENCOUR-
AGEMENT TO STRUGGLING SOULS.
The Disciples on the Lake of Gaiiloo-A
Draft of Discouragemcnt-The Disad-
vantage of an Unfortunate Name-Early
Mistakes That Cloud the Life.
WASHINGTON. May 30.-Dr. Tai
mnge's sermon this week is one of good
cheer. 1t will give encouragement to
many struggling souls. The subject is
Contrary Winds, !" and the text Mathew
xiv, "a, "The wind was contrary. -
AS 1 we'll know by experience Oh
Lake Galilee, one hour all may be calm
and the next hour the winds and waves
will be so boisterous that you are i'll
doubt as to whether you will land Oh
the shore or on the bottom Of the deep.
The disciples in tho text werc caught in
suoh stress Of weather and the sails
bent and the ship plunged, for 1.-THE
wind was contrary. There is in one of
the European straits place where,
whichever way you sail, the winds are
opposing. There are people who oil
their life seem sailing in the teeth of
the wind. All things seem against
them. 1t may DO said Of their condition
as Of that of me disciples in my text,
"the wind was contrary.
A great multitude Of people are IN
der seeming disadvantage, and will
today, in tho swarthiest Anglo-Saxon
that can manage, treat their casos not
as nurse counts out eight or ten drops
Of prescription and stirs them in
half glass of water, but as when man
has by mistake taken large amount
of strychnine or paris green or BELLA
donna, and the patient is walked rapid
" round tho room and shaken up until
he gets wido awake. Many of you have
taken largo draught of the poison Of
encouragement, and come out by the
order of tho Divine Physician to rouse
you out of that lethargy-
Handicapped by n Name.
First many people are under the dis
advantage of an unfortunate name given
them by parents who thought they
were doing good thing. Sometimes at
the baptism Of children while / havo
held up one hand in prayer l have held
up the other hand in amazement that
parents should have weighted the babo
with such dissonant and repulsive
nomenclature. I have not so much Won
dored that some children should cry out
at tho christening font as that others
with such smiling face should take a IL
Ito that will be the burden of their life
timo. It is outrageous to afflict children
with an undesirable name because 1t
happened to DO possessed by parent or
a rich uncle from whom favors are ex-
pected or some prominent man Of the
day who may end his life in disgrace.
1t is no excuse, because they are Scrip
turc names, to call child Jehoiakim
or Tiglath-P ileser. I baptized one by
tho name Bathshcba Why, under all
tho circumambient heaven, any parent
should want to give to u child the name
of that loose creature of Scripture times
I cannot imagine. / have often felt at
the baptismal altar, when names were
announced to me, like saying, as did tho
Rev. DR.. Richards Of Morristown, N.
j., when q child was handed him Tor
baptism and tho name given, Hadn't
you better call it something else?"
Impose not upon that babo name
suggestive of fippancy or meanness.
There is no excuse for such assault and
battery on the cradle when our Ian.
guage is opulent with names musical
| and suggestive in meaning, such as
John, meaning "tho gracious gift of
God," or Henry, meaning the chief OF
q household" or Alfred, meaning
"good counselor, or Joshua, meaning
"God, our salvation" or Ambrose,
meaning immortal, or Andrew,
meaning "manly," or Esther, meaning
"star," or Abigail, meaning my
fathers joy, or Anna, meaning
"grace," or Victoria, meaning vic
tory" or Resale, meaning beautiful
as a rose" or Margaret, meaning "a
pearl" or Ida, meaning "godlike, or
Clara, meaning Industrious, or Anne
liza, meaning "busy," or Bertha, mean
ing beautiful" and hundreds of other
names Just as good that are help
rather than hindrance.
Names rs Lifelong Obstacles.
But sometimes the great hindrance in
life is not in the given name, but in the
family name. While legislatures are
willing to lift such incubus, there are
families that keep name which mort
cages all the generations with great
disadvantage. You say, "Iwonder if he
| is any relation to So-and-so, mention
ing some family celebrated for crime or
deception. 1t is q wonder to me that in
all such families some spirited young
man does not rise, saying to his BROTH
ers and sisters, eff you want to keep
this nuisance or standardization OF
name, will keep it no longer than IN
til by quickest course of law l can
slough off this gangrene. {" The city az
rectory has hundreds Of names the mere
pronunciation Of which has been a life
long obstacle. If you have started life
under name which either through RI
diculous photography or vicious sugges-
ton has been an incumbrance, resolve
that the next generation shall not be
SO weighted. 1t is not demeaning to
change name. Saul of Tarsus became
Paul the Apostle. Hadassah, the
myrtle" became Esther, 1.-THE star.
We have in America, and 1 suppose 1t
is so in all countries, names which
ought to be abolished and can be and
will bo abolished for the reason that
they are libel and SANDER But II
for any reason you are submerged either
by q given name or by family name
that you must bear, God will help you
to overcome the outrage BY life conse-
Grated to the good and useful. You may
erase the curse from the name. II 1t
once stood for meanness, you can make
it stand for generosity. If once it stood
for pride, you can make it stand for hui
mility. If it once stood for fraud you