The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-27
YOUR FIRST NAME
ITS ORIGIN AND THE FAMOUS FOLK
WHO HAVE BORNE 1T

There have been two great men named
Elias: Elias the Levite. a famous He
brew scholar Of the 18th century, and
Elias Howe. the American, who, in 1915.
completed the first sewing machine. The
greatest man of any Of these names
today Is an American
But. II the masculine names Of this
group nave not been prominent In mod
ern or medieval history, the feminine
name. Elizabeth. makes up for them.
1t Is said that it has more forms and
abbreviations than any other name. For
Eliza, Elsie. Bessie. Betsy. Betty, Lizzie.
Isabel Bella, Tibbie, Libbie. Elisa beth.
Sib. Lizette. Babette. Elsie. Bettina, and
several other names are all forms Of
Elizabeth In some form or other the
name has been borne by countless num-
OF Aaron. first bore II. and Elizabeth.
the mother Of the prophet Of the Will
derness. made 1t popular.
or course, these two early women Of
the name gave 1t fame; but much Of
Its popularity is doubtless due to the
queens and princesses Almost every
country of Europe can boast some roy al
Elizabeth or Isabelle.
Perhaps the two most famous Eliza
beths are good Queen Bess,'' the great
est Queen England. or perhaps any other
country. has ever known. and St Eliza
beth. OF Hungary. The latter died when
she was q. Year younger than Eliza
beth OF England was when she was
crowned But both women knew what
It was TO outlive their popularity. For
the English Queen. after devoting her
life to make her reign one OF the most
prosperous her country had ever known.
died forlorn old woman. The Hun
garian Queen. who had fed the poor and
nIIFSeI the siCE bo hod
her own cloak to bessar. was driven
from her husbands place after his
death. to wander the streets with her
small children at her side until she died.
The most famous Isabella was the first
of her name in Spain. Isabella the Catho-
lie. To her bounty and generosity is due
the fact that Columbus discovered
America. She equipped his expedition,
as every loyal American boy and girl
can tell you
The most interesting Of the three royal
1sabellas of England was born in France
in 1887 and. when only years old, was
sought as the bride OF Richard III, the
English King. His ambassadors went to
France to make arrangements for the
betrothal and entered the presence Of the
child princess. The stately Earl Marshal
went down on his knees and said:
Madam. by the blessing Of God, you
shall be our Queen"
Sir" said the little princess. If God
and my father So desire 1t. nothing will
please me better. as l am told I shall
then be one of the greatest ladies on the
GARTH
The naive answer Of the child SO de-
lighted the English ambassadors that
they reported favorably on the marriage
to the King. and the betrothal contracts
were signed.
l,,sff
", the most picturesque of the three
royal Elizaoeths Of England-not even
excepting the great Elizabeth-was born
in 1437. Her first husband died and she
and her two sons were deprived of their
inheritance.
One day she heard that the King was
hunting in the forest OF Whittlebury. near
her home. and she decided to waylay
him and beg for mercy and justice for
herself and her children. Her beauty
and earnestness. her modesty and her love
for her children. won not only her re-
quest. but won also the Kings love and
a short time later she became his con-
sort
Russia's royal Elizabeth was the EN-
press Eliza beth Petrovna, the daughter
of Peter the Great. who made her coun-
try stronger both in arms and in re-
sources. Spain has had three royal Isa-
utlldS, dHO EshLdocSh CHTlStinc, WIG OI
Frederick the Great Of Prussia. shares
with st. Elizabeth of Hungary the task
OF making her name popular in Ger
many. In France one of the royal Isa-
bellas was the wife of Philip Augustus
and another was st. Isabel the Virgin,
daughter of King Louis VIII.
Two women outside the pale Of royalty.
yet nearly within it. were Eliza beth, the
favorite daughter Of oliver Cromwell.
Tot til
who married Napoleon's brother. Jerome
Bonaparte.
Two of the other great women Of the
name were Elizabeth Barrett Browning
and Elizabeth Montague-the former one
of the greatest women poets Of the world.
The latter was an author and social
leader and esta blished an association of
literary. political and artistic men and
women of her day known as the Blue
Stocking Club"
There have also been two great re-
formers of the name, Elizabeth Quincy
Fry, the English prison reformer. and
Eliza beth Cady Stanton. the American at
whose home in 1S4s the first woman's
rights convention was held.
The first Isabella was the wife OF
Philip II Of France. who consented. on
going to France from Hainault to hav-
ing her name changed from Elizabeth
to a form more pleasing to French ears.
The first Bessie on record was Elizabeth
woodville. the Queen of Edward " of
England. Eliza was first used by the
poets of the great Elizab eth's reign. who
liked the abbreviation better than the
full name.
Ell. the Hebrew word from which all
these names are derived. means divinity
and was the title by which God was
known to the Hebrews before His reve-
% EHioh nd In
mean God the Lord. Elisha-and Ellis Is
supposed to be derived from this-mcans
God my Salvation. Eleazar and Eliezer
mean God will help. Elizabeth means
the Oath of God.
Copyright b. Fnnces Marshanl
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