Wilmington daily gazette., 1874-05-25
THE CROSS IN HISTORY.

During the discussion In the General
Council of the Cummins Episcopslians, in
New fork, yesterday .iupon the subject Of
the revision of the prayer.book, some OF
the members objected to the practice of
making tho sign OF the cross upon tho FORE
head OF person who Is being baptized, and
one opponent of tho custom denounced it as
"a heathen abominati on. form of supersti-
tious exorcism OF evil sayoring of Popery
and the dark ages" or course it Is not
within the province of a secular newspaper
to speak Tor or against such a practice "a
this. 1t Is matter which solely concerns
the denominations themselves, and we can
have nothing to say In favor of its abolition
or continuance. But there arc ono or two
historical facts which suggest themselves in
connection with this subject which NAV
fairly be alluded to without offending the
sensibilities of any class OF religious people,
Not only Is 1t true that tho sign of the cross
was used by heathen nations ages ago as a
means OF oxorcism but it possessed peculiar
religious Significance thousands of years
before the Introduction of Christianity upon
the earth, among people who know nothing
OF tho true God, and In nations separated
from each other by almost half the circum-
ference ofthe globe. 1t is found In various
3 shapes on almost all the Egyptian monu-
ments and upon many that must have beon
erected before the arrival OF the Isrselits in
Egypt. IL is found usually near to, or in
the hands OF, figures OF deities, and one form
OF it Is now known, strangely enough, to
have represented ''the life to come" The
cross has been discovered also upon bricks
and pottery and metal taken from the ruins
OF Babylon and it appears so frequently
that the theory prevails that it must have
possessed more than common significance
among the lsabylOnians. 1t has been found
also among the remains OF the people who
dwelt III the lake villages OF Italy and Swift
zerlaud, and who lived so long ago that
thew we're blotLed from existence before the
Romans appeared upon the Italian penInsu-
In. Tho cemeteries OF these mysterious
people have been explored, and upon every
one of tho cinerdry urns that has boen found
the cross ~ inscribed. There tx little dou lot
therefore, that IL had for these people a spe-
| cial religious meaning connected In some
manner with death. The caves OF India
show that the cross was Il religious symbol
among the nations of that continent centu-
/ ries ago: it was also n favorite emblem in
\ the rites OF the Druids; il was the DrIucipa
token of the Scandinavians, for the hammer
| of Thor was a cross; and when Cortes had!
conquered Mexico, tho exploring parties
| sent out by him found the cross stAndin o
| everywhere in the temples OF tho AZtecs 1 n
| Mexico and Central America, while PlZzar-
| ro discovered that psrt of the lncas of Peru
| wore cross among their personal orna
ments 1t Is oven more remarkable that
| baptism by water was religious rite among
| the Mexican AztocS.
The theory has been advanced that this
general and vida spread veneration of the
cross was the result of a mysterious but
universal conviction in the heart of maI
that redemption of the race wound come
Through the medium OF that sign. Bu
| whatever the reason for this very remarka.
be adoption of the symbol by so many and
so widely separated peoples, the facts are
indisputable, and it is perfectly clear that il
the mere fact that lIeathenism anticipated
christianity in the elevation of the cross
into high and peculiar significance as
religious sign is to no accepted as reason
why Christians should not make the cross
the special emblem of their faith. Christian,
must carry tho matter 10 Its legitimate con
lcluson and deprive the cross of all OF it,
spiritual meaning; and this OF course woult
put tho Christian faith upon very differ
ent basis from that which 1t rests upon now
Whether the sign shall be used IN certain
ceremonies of the various cAurches il
matter to be settled among the churche,
themselves. and 1t is probably matter o
no: much importance. Bnt II it Is not used
lonly because some Mosaic psgans used i
in certain fashions, the entire cross-symbol
ism of Christianity will have to bo abolish
ed tor the Same reason.-IhHa, Bulletin
| MdV l6.