The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-03-31

| Reformation.
The Easter season Is tho season Of joy.
This Sunday morning will carry to the reader
of the HERALD that annual message of peace
and rejoicing which is given to us from the
sacred Gospel. In this hard, stony, material
age, with the cares and necessities of living,
with our concerns of business and politics and
so ,iety, it is refreshing to turn aside from the
bitterness of party strife, the heartburnngs Of
Wall street, the perplexing problems that
distress our brethren over the seas; the
misery, the mockery, the fruitlessness of the
time, for moment, to think of the Christ who
to-day came from the grave, and to unite in
that hymn of praise with which Christian men
have for centuries past celebrated the risen
Saviour.
This festival of Easter, in fact, all these
sacred festivals, belong to humanity. We
realize on these occasions the trutbfulness Of
the homcly phrase that one touch of nature
makes the whole world kin. The imagination
may love to dwell upon the splendor, the
reverence, the sublimity of this day. 1t may
think of the Pope, who will this morning
chant the ''Kyrie Eleison" at st. Peters, OF
the assembled thousands who will kneel for
his blessing, moved by the strange pageantry
of the service, the incense, the flowers, the
decorations, the imagery of the Crucifxion
shorn of its sombre Lenten drapery, the
swelling strains of music, and feel car
ried back in enthusiasm and devotion
to that solemn hour when Jesus
burst from the tomb So from the seat of the
Catholic faith we may follow to other lands
to all lands under heaven, to Russia, with its
Greek clergy; England, with its episcopate
America, where Greek and Catholic and Epis-
copalian worship together, and remember that
wherever the Cross Is revered this day Is
sacred and happy festival; that hundreds Of
Millions of all tongues and nations and civii-
cations, will join In the same rejoicing and sing
the same hosanna. Whatever theologans may
say, and however they may differ as to the
precise number Of sacramsnts or the exact
meaning of the Gospel teachings, we feel that
Easter brings us an inspiration above mere
theology, that belongs to religion itself, and
not to any creed.
comfort of all faith. If, without appear
ing to tread upon the dangerous, hazy
dominion of controversy, we might venture
on this Easter Sunday morning to draw lesson
from the day. it would be that the good In all
religion should be the one thing precious to
Christian men. The world is happier and
more devout as it becomes more liberal.
There is no necessity for martyrdom or perse-
cuton to give strength to faith. We honor
the sainted men who died for their opinions,
and can well appreciate the reverence and
sympathy which have canonized them but we
could wish that religion had never a stain
upon its garments, that Christ-loving men had
never drawn the sword to proselyte and
destroy. The highest and purest faith is
that which sees no heresy, or sees it only
with eyes of pity and solicitude-that well
comes as true religion that which means
love- liberation, confidence and cordially,
which carried the Samaritan to the side of
the bruised Levite, which called the thief to
paradise in his moments of agony. The
religion which sees in the world only
good and evil, and does no. regard dispute
on the sacramento or the real presence or
the Papal Infalibility, is what we would teach
on this Easter Day. Here are the poetic
words of one of the modern masters, the
bright, consummate flower of American intel
lect, which have the true meaning, and burn
with an Easter eloquence -
Out from the heart of nature rolled
The burdens OF the Bible old
Earth proudly wears the ParthenOn
AS the best gem upon her zone,
And morning opes with haste her lids
To gaze upon the Pyramids.
Ger Engand's abbeys bends the sky.
Ever the fiery Pentecost
CIrds with one flame the countless host,
Traces the heart through chanting chors,
And through the priest the mind mspires
The word unto the prophet spoken
Was writ on tables yet unurOKen;
The word by seers or SYPHILIS told,
In groves OF oak or Ianes OF gold;
Still floats upon the morning wind,
Still whispers to the willing mind,
Une accent OF the Holy Ghost
The needless world hath never lost
There is nothing in all that was done by
our fathers so precious as the fact that under
our flag every conscience may have its own
creed and observe its own sacraments. We
view no form of discussion with the shudder-
ing horror which arises from the attempt to