The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-04-16
bAOI.G DAY.

urlHIn Of she I'D so CTstoTs % OF the wayEThe
he stnS' uiay r. r. Se 0b.erved-Ths services IN
-oo,Ddr low, Raster Sunday, the day com
Ie alive of the rising Of our Lord from the
vo ii after His cruel crucihxion, will be gene
ally observed in churches of all denominations
by appropriate services. Though the observ-
auce of Good Friday and of the other memorial
days of Passion Week Is practised by but few,
nearly all agree In giving some prominence in
their church services to Easter rs q church fes-
tiyal. The wisdom of this is apparent, for this
day is the greatest of the great festivals, and
should be observed in the most marked manner.
Without risen God there could be no Christian
Church. The rising again from the dead is one
wonderful parsonage 1t is the
event most vital TO the whole
plan of redemption, and the one showing the
superhuman power of the God-man-the power
over death and the grave. With crucihed
Saviour only, we would have dead Church,
Church without unity. doctrine, or believers.
Without frm belief in risen Lord our lives
would be but blanks, with no hope of glorious
resurrection for our own poor bodies. The
death of friend or relative would be an ire
parable loss that few would be able to bear.
But with Saviour who has broken the power
of death, the universal Christian Church is a
living reality, our life is glorious existence,
by reason of the hope of a glorious immor-
tality.
considerable doubt. Some say that the term is
derived from EOSue bDe name Dy which one OF
the old Saxon deities was known. The feast of
EoStre was formerly celebrated in the spring of
the year somewhere about the time of the great
Christian festival. 1t is claimed that when the
character of the feast was changed from Pagan
to Christian the old name was retained. Some
authorities state that the word is derived from
the Anglo-Saxon Tst, o storm, from the stormy
character of the season of the year; others
maintain that it is derived from O"ter, which
signifies rising, and this last supposition is the
one most penerally received correct.
Easter is a movable FEAST and the period
during which it may occur extends from March
% to April 25, thirty-fve days: The rule for
fixing the time as laid down in the Prayer-Book
of the Protestant Episcopal Church is as follows.
-"Easter day is always the first Sunday after
the full moon, which happens upon or next after
the 2lst day of March; and If the full moon hap
pens upon a Sunday Easter day is the Sunday
after" From this feast all the movable feasts
and fasts of the Christian year are calculated.
There were formerly many curious secular
customs peculiar to the season which were
observed in all countries, but they have now
mostly fallen into diSuse. The common one of
the Easter egg remains. The egg is a symbol
of the resurrection and new life. The fancy
coloring has doubtless only come into use on
account of its beauty. Where the barbarous
but now common habit of picking" originated
it would be hard to tell. Doubtless it is the
offspring of the fertile Yankee mind which is
proverbial for picking flaws in all time-honored
usages.
and also Good Friday, is more generally OBJ
served than any other day of the year, sacred or
otherwise. On Good Friday no one thinks of
doing business, though many think nothing
of driving their trade on every Sunday in the
year. On Easter day every one must go to
church, though it is but the one annual visit.
Easter Monday is kept as the greatest of jolif-
cation days, after the services of Easter are
over. These last two customs will be found to
be generally observed by Germans in this coun-
try also.
The services tomorrow in many churches of
this city will be of most interesting descrip-
ton. In the Moravian and in several of the
Episcopal churches sunrise service will be
held. In oil of the churches of the latter demo-
mination special Easter services will be held.
In st. Marks p. E. Church communion SER
vice will be held at A. NJ, which will be fol-
lowed by the regular services III the morning,
afternoon, and evening. In the Roman Catholic
churches the services will be as usual on that
day. The affairs will be richly decorated with
flowers. At the Cathedral Pontifcal High Mass
will be celebrated by Bishop Wood, and special
musical performances may be expected. In
several of the Lutheran churches the special
liturgy for Easter will be used, and in many
churches of all denominations the diseourses
will bear reference to the great lesson of the
day,