The Washington herald., 1915-04-20
By FRANCES MARSHALL.

For the cause Of the popularity Of such
names as Temperance, Prudence. Hope.
Faith, Truth. Thankful. Mercy, Modesty.
Patience and Accepted We must go back
to the days Of the Puritans in England
and America, who liked to embody the
various virtues they admired in their
daughters names. But for the first pop
ularity Of the two most popular names
of the virtues-Mildred and Grace-we
must 90 back to the pagan days Of the
early Anglo-S o-SaXons and the Greeks ana
Romans.
Grace the most popular of all these
names. is perhaps the oldest, and 1t comes
from pagan Rome. Rome. in turn. got
the idea which the name celebrates from
Greece. For the original bearers of the
name were the three maidens known to
the Romans as the Graces. to the Greeks
as the Charities. They were the daugh-
ters Of Zeus, and were the soddesses- OF
graciousness: their name does not come
from the same word which gives the
word grace when it is used in the sense
OF beauty and charm, but from a word
siSnifying thankfulness Of graciousness.
The Graces or Charities lived on Mount
Olympus with the MUSES., because their
help was needed in the perfection OF all
the arts. They had such names. in va
Joy, Bloom. Brilliance. Sound, Light and
Increase; but through all the changes OF
their history they were maiders of spirit
ual rather than physical perfection. and
hence were worthy ancestors Of the
modern Graces.
Grace has always been a popular name
in ireland, because there 1t was consid-
cred an equivalent of a native name.
Graine. This was the true name of
Grace O'Mafiey, the noted pirate queen
of ireland in the sixteenth century. She
was born In 1880. and became the wife
of an Irish chieftain. Her fonaly were
all rovers of the sea, and her childhood
was spent wandering about with them
After her marriage she gained fame
as a bold leader Of the piratical bands
which her husband gathered about him.
But after the death of her second hus-
band she was captured and carried to
Dublin, where she was described as "a
notable traitress and nurse Of all re-
bellion for forty years.
Grace O'Malley was the subject Of
many romantic tales and legends, and
a tune known by her Irish name-Graine-
Mhaol-is still played by many q wan
dering old Irish fiddler.
There have been many more worthy
bearers of the name of the Graces than
this romantic pirate queen. Several
saints bore the name, among them En-
gracia, a young Spanish girl who was
killed in 3o4 A. D., and Grace Of Valentia.
who died in 1906. at the supposed age
of l12 years. The name has gained some
fame in the field OF letters, especially
as the name Of Grace Aguilar, who died
in 1S47, a young English woman Of Jewish
parentage who wrote books Of . religious
cha aracter which had immense popularity
In their day and Of Grace Greenwood
known outside the world Of letters as
Mrs. Lippincott, an American writer of
some ability. But the Grace who will
aIvays be remembered L. Grace Darling,
the brave life-saver OF England.
Grace Darling was born In 1916, the
daughter of a lighthouse keeper on one
of the Farne Islands. On September 2,
ISIS she and her father sighted q foun-
dered steamer on the rocks, beating
Itself to pieces in the heavy sea and the
storming wind. The old father. with the
wisdom of many past experiences. hesi-
lated about risking his life. But the girl
urged him on, and finally the two set out
for the wreck in a little boat.
When Grace and her fatner reached
The vreck only nine men remained OF the
.iytv-three who had been there. and the
brave old man and the dauntless girl
rescued these nine and carried them to |
Lhe lighthouse m safety.
Fame probably neyer camc more quick |
" than il came to Grace Darling. News
u her feat was carried from END to end
n the earth. and from everywhere carne /,
Of her bravery. A purse
K about 1900 was sent to her. poeps
we're written IN her honor, and people
came from FAR away 70 - Her.
Through all ~ exc1temens 0eees Dasi-