Evening capital and Maryland gazette., 1912-12-26
WHATS IN A ANAMEl
OFTEN A GREAT DEAL
The Bard Of of Avon NOtwith-
standing.
A TOKEN OF INDIVIDUALITY.
Also the Last Memory Of Life, Coed
or Bad, is in a Name Says
Capitals Correspondent.
~ Jean Caben O'NeIIl.l


What's in a name? Muchl The
Bard of Avon, notwithstanding. A
rose would not be as sweet to the
imaginative, i f it changed cognomen
with the horrid stink-weed of South.
ern fields.
A name is the fret token OF indi-
viduality, the last memory of life,
good or bal. Life hardly holds a
dee per degradation for man than the
bestowal of number upon him in
place of the name he once held. The
qIintessence of loneliness is expressed
in nameless grave. There may be
even more TO name than we mortals
in our limited philosophy understand,
for strange it seems that Gods great
messenger Gabriel was sent twice
within six months not only to an
nounce the coming of souls to earth
that would make all the difference of
life to the world, but in each case he
gave the promised soul name.
FIRST, to faithful Zachary, serving
in the Temple, came the Angel with
reassuring words TO the terror-strick-
en- man: Fear not, Zachary, thy
prayer is heard. " ''Thou shall
call the child's name John. and many
shall rejoice at his birth. And to
the gentle Virgin the same splendid
messenger said, Fear not, Mary,
thou hast found grace with God. "
Thou shall bring forth son,
and thou shall call his name Jesus. He
shall be called the Son of God-of His
kingdom there shall be no end. I"
In each case be it noted that the
messenger called the name OF the one
addressed; to the doubling Zachary
the angel announced his own name,
81 am Gabriel, who stand in the pres
ence Of Cod then the swift showing
of his powell in striking the doubter
dumb, an affiiction that was lifted
only when the priest at the naming
of the child who came in fulfilment Of
the angels words, wrote on his tab
let His name is John.
Centuries before, according to
sacred and profane history, Moses
has been delegated by Jehovah to lead
from the bondage of the African king
the children of Israel Moses has
been exiled forty years from the
haunts of man, his soul and mind
were bright, but silence had for long
claimed him; even in the presence of
the wonderful manifestation of the
burning bush and in sound of the Di-
vine direction as to Moses mission
in persuading Pharoh to relinquish
his slave s, Moses protested that he
could not convince the king.
Quickly came Gods answer, "now
thou hast a brother Aaron, he can
speak well. +" Moses had doubtless
heard nothing from this elder brother
through all the years of his banish-
ment, but God knew. oh comforting
thought. God had full knowledge not
only OF Aaron's identity, but IF his
talent, and his readiness for service,
and He gave him the chance "to make
good, a chance so readily accepted
that the line of Aaron are priests of
a great Faith to this day.
1t cannot be that we are less than
individual in the sight of our Great
Father. He calleth us by name, we
see; He knows cur talents and our
limitations, even as He knew Moses
and Aaron's 1t mstSers not what
life in this world does to us we can
never be nameless in His sight. In
that great book where. under sur
names, stands our record of loving
thought and deed for our neighbors
in the flesh, We'll find our names in
lines of gold "midst those who love
of God had blest" and will hear the
angel say Pear not, thou hast found
favor with God.