The national Republican., 1867-04-13
LOCAL DEPARTMENT.

Ooterutn
--h, Celebration in DGsrcM CoaRfrie,-
Unique and dmNsing CHsioms in Ancisnt aud
Modern Times-Hard Eggs-DOes Ms San
Danes on Eaasr p hs Obnruancs IN this CITY
Tomorrow is Easter Sunday, the
anniversary Of our Lords rssurreetion from the
dead, and Is one Of the three great memorable
ieash or festivals Of tho Christian year, the
other two being Christmas and Whitsuntide
From the earliest time down to the present II
has always been celebrated by believers with the
greatsst Joy, and accounted tho Queen Of Res-
uvals," The common name Of this festival In
the East was tho "Pasehdi Far" because
kept st the same time as tho "Paseha," /" or Jew.
tsh Passover, and in some measure succeeded it
In the sixth Of the "A,ieyToN CanonS" II 10
called the "Grcat Day.'l The name Of Easter is
derived. 90 some suppose, from "Rasfys," the
name Of Saxon deity, whose feast was cele.
brated every year. in the spring, the name being
retained when the character Of tho feast was
changed or, as Others suppose, from "Oasr, -
which signifies 'rising" II the latter suppo.
sition 10 correct, Easter Is in name as we'll as 10
reality the feast Of the resurrection.
There never has bsen any difference Of opinion
In the Church as to why Easter 10 kept, but
thcre has been a. to whom II ought to be kept.
1t is . movable feast, and not fixed on any par.
ticsisr day, Qike Chistmas,) but moves forwards
And backwards. according to the full moon next
efter the vernal equinox falls nearer or further
from the equinox. Our Episcopal readers by
turning to their prayer book will hnd II laid
down thus: Easter day Is always the FIRST Sun
day after the full moon which happens upon or
NEXT after the 2lst Of MaSeh. and II tho full
moon happens upon Sunday, Easter day Is tho
Sunday after." Tho principal controversy,
which for time divided Chrisiendom, grow out
ofa diversity Of custom. Tho churches Of Asia
Minor, among who were JudaiIing Christiars
kept their principal feast on the same day as the
Jews kept their passover that l., the l4Ih Of
Nisan, the mOath corresponding to our March
or April. But tho Church Of the West, remem-
bsring that our Lords resurrection took place
on Sunday, kept their fsstiva, on tho Sunday
following, The 18th 81 Nisan. They hoped b;
this means, not only to commemorate the resur.
rsction, but at the same time to distinguish
themselves from tho Jows But differences arose
and disputes begani and finally Polycarp, the
venerable bishop Of Smyrna, when on a visit T."
Rome, conferred on tho mooted question with
Anioestas. Polycarp pleaded the practice Of St
Philip and 81. John. with the latter Of whom be
hadlived. conversrd and Joined In Its celebration
On the other hand, Anioestas advocated the
practice Of st. Peter and St. Paul. Concession
came from neither side, and tho matter dropped
both retaining their own opinions and views, and
remaining upon the most friendly terms This
transpired about 1853, A. D.
Towards the end Of the second century,
Victor. bishop Of Rome, took It into his head to
make the Eastern church conform 10 the practice
Of the Western, matter In which he mSrwith n,
success The East was divided from the West
and all who, after the example Of Asiatics, kept
Faster day on tho 18th, whether that were Sun.
day or not were styled "QaartodeeimOmr BY
those who adopted the Roman custom. The
cause Of the strife was the impsrfeotions Of the
jewish calendar.
In the beginning Of the fourth century, the
Emperor Constantine thought Il his duty to take
steps to allay the controversy and insure uniior.
nifty Of this pactiee, and for this purpose he had
acanon passed at the Council Of Nice. A. D. 325
That everywhere the great feast Of Easter
should be observed upon one and the same day
and that not the day Of the Jewish passover, but,
as 1t had been generally observed upon the Sun.
day afterwards" and to prevent all future dis.
Putes as to the time tho following rules were laid
down.
l. That the 2ist of March shall be accounted
the vernal equinox.
2. That the full moon happening upon or nexi
after the 2lst Of March, shall be tho taken for
the full moon Of Nisan.
8. That the Lords day no1t following that full
moon, be Easter day.
4, But Il the full moon happen upon Sunday,
Easter shall be the Sunday after.
1t 10 we'll known at this period that the Egyp.
tians sxoeled In astronomy, and the Bishop Of
Aiexsndria was appointed to give nbtice to the
Pope Of the approach Of Easter Sunday, and to
other patriarchs But this was too inconvenient
and the fathers Of the next age began to adopt the
Metonic cycle, which was period Of nineteen
years. Il had been observed by Meton, an
Athenian philosopher, that the moon In her
changes in the given space returns to the same
day Of the month Of the same day Of the solar
year every nineteen years But though the new
moon really happened on the same day Of the
year, after space Of nineteen years, as It die
before; still II fell an hour earlier on that day
which, in the course Of time, created q serious
error In their calculations"
A cycle was formed at Rome for eighty -four
years, and generally observed by the Western
Church, as, In that space, the moon not only re
turned TO the same day Of the month, but the
week also.
Archbishop wheatley informs us that during
the time the Easter was kept, according to this
cycle, Britain was separated from the Roman
empire, and the British Churches, for some time
After that separation, continued to keep Easter
according to this table Of eighty -four years.
But II was soon discovered that there were also
errors In the table, and yet the time the Britains
kept Easter must have varied considerably from
that Of tho Roman missionaries 10 have given
rise to tho statement that they were 'Quarto
decimans," which they certainly were not for
II Is q we'll known fact that British bishops were
at the Council Of Nice, and, doabtless, adopted
and brought home with them the rule Of the As.
sembly.
King 0sway. Of Northumbia, determined I
take the matter In hand; and for this purpose
summoned the leaders of the contending Parties
to a conference at Whitby, A. D. 664, AT which
he presided. Coleman, Bishop Of Lindisforne
represented the British Church. The Romish
party were headed by Agilbert, bishop Of Dor.
chester, and Wilfrid, q young Saxon. Wilfrid
was spokesman. The arguments were ohArsc-
teristio Of the age but in the manner in which
his Majesty decided irTesistibly provokes a
smile, and makes one doubt aa to whether the
King was jssting or In earnest, Coleman spoke
first and argued that the custom Of the Celtic
Church ought not to bo changed, because It had
been inherited IRON the forefathers men beloved
Of God, dc. Winfred followed, and said: "The
Easter.which We observe I saw celebrated by all
at Romei there, where the blessed Apostles lived,
taught, suffered, and were buried !" and con
cluded with telling speech: "And IT, after all,
that COLUMBIA OF yours wore, which will not
deny, a holy man, gifted with the power of work.
Ing miracles, 10 be, ask, to be preferred before
the most blessed Prince Of the Apostles, to whom
opr Lord said, Thou art Peter, and upon this
rock will build my Church, and the gates Of
hell shall not prevail against 1t, and to them
will give the keys to the Kingdom Of Heaven. "
The king, turning to Coleman, asked him, ''Is
II true or not, Coleman, that these words were
spoken to Peter by our Lord?' Coleman, who
seems to have been completely cowed. could not
deny it, ut Is true, o king" Then" said
the king ''cAn you show me any such power given
to your COlumbo'" Coleman answered, No -
''You are both thsn agreed" continued the king
"are you not aware that these words were nd
dressed principally to Peter and that to him were
H.. AZ. L.v. nf Haavan hy nur Inrd0iI nnlh