The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1880-04-01
THE CHRISTIAN PASSOVER.
Easter Sunday-What It Is, and
How t Was Observed in
n..i--i-:
Pulaski.

4
festival celebrated in commemora
tion of the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ. The name by which
it is known in France, Italy and
Spain, is derived from a Hebrew
word which signifies passage" and
which was applied to the Jewish
festival of the Passover to which
the Christian jubilee corresponds.
Like all religious festivals its au-
thority is derived from the man
dates of christian churches, and al
though the exact date of its insti-
tuition is uncertain, it is said to
have been observed as early as the
year of our Lord 160. With the
primitive churches Easter began the
ecclesiastical year. 1t was the day
of days, the feast of feasts-for the
Resurrection was the great witness
to the divinity of Christ, He having
been by that declared to be 1.-THE
Son of God with power"
In this country, with every recur
ring year, the observance of this
great festival is growing more and
more general. Nearly all religious
denominations recognize it, more or
less, in their services.
The general rule for calculating
Easter is that it is always the first
Sunday after the full moon, which
happens on or about the 21st of
March. 1t can never occur earlier
than March 22d, or later than April
25th. or course it will bo readily
seen that in keeping Easter we do
not celebrate the actual day of the
month on which Christ rose from
the dead. That question was dis
cussed in the third century, and
the voice of learned theologians
finally decided to observe the Sun
day following the full moon; thus
preferring the proper day of the
week to the actual day of the
month. This year, however, affords
remarkable exception. The full
moon happened on the Goth of
March, the day of the Crucifixion;
and it has been carefully calculated
that in the year in which our
Lords cross was erected the full
moon occurred March Goth, on Fri
day-Good Friday, as 1t is terme !,
despite the gloom which enveloped
the world when its sacrifcial hor
rors were enacted.
Easter, in Pulaski, passed off even
more pleasantly this year than
usual, and the holy associations of
the day were vIsioly felt. With the
Episcopalians this is the regal fes-
tival and it is always marked by
special manifestations of Joy, OF
which floral decorations constitute
no unimportant part. And, indeed,
the interior of their church here
was made very attractive. The
chancel presented q very chaste and |
beautiful appearance in which the
refinements, rather than the extrav
agances of taste were exhibited. !
The altar, the central object, was
chastely clothed in snow white drap-
cry, delicately fringed with flowers |
Above it lowered a stately cross,
handsomely adorned with white
hyacinths and verbenas, in striking
contrast to the sable habiliments |
which mantled the walls on Good |
Friday. Over the leotern and read |
ing desk, both of which were COW
cred with white embroidered cloths,
a vase OF geraniums was gracefully
suspended between two hanging
baskets, and Immediately below,
upon the chancel steps, there was
bright array of Towering plants |
constituting a charming foreground |
to this truly exquisite picture.
Upon the altar itself, in a splendid |
vase antique, on each side of the altar
stairs, and upon the Credence table,
which was also draped in white.
several full-blown Gala lilies reared |
their pure and stately heads-ma
jestic emb. ems of Easter joy. AT
the morning service the music was
exceptionally fine. imparting to the
solemn ritual the sweet shapes OF
harmony. In the choir we noticed |
several of our finest singers, whom
we classify as follows: Mrs. u. w.
Ewing, Mrs. John G. Brown and
Miss Della Alternately, soprano;
Miss Lizzie Caldwell, alto; Mr.. +.
Winship, tenor; DR.. William Bate,
basso. Mrs b. F. Carter presided
at the organ. The special Easter
anthem, the hymns, and Warren's
"Benedictus" were very well rem
dered, but the climax of musical
ecstacy was reached in the TIE
Deum, with its stirring choruses
and exquisite solo parts. The SER
mon by the young rector, Rev
Thomas +. Gailor, was worthy of
the occasion and that is saying a
great deal. 1t reached the heighrs
of inspiration and was full of earn
estness, eloquence and religious
fervor. We have seldom listened
to q more beautiful discourse, or
one that impressed us more forcibly
with the surprising charms of the
Christian faith. We regret that
our limited space forbids even
synopsis. At the Sunday school
cele bration in the afternoon, as the
children went forward in regular
order to the chancel to recite their
verses, each one deposited a bou
quet of flowers in a wooden frame
which had been ingeniously con-
structed for the occasion, and as
the last class returned to It's place
the congregation was surprised and
delighted to see that the offerings
of the little ones had grown into a
beautiful cross of flowers. This
was certainly the loveliest feature
of the exercises, and it had felici
tous termination when Miss Minnie
Browns deft fingers intonated on
the keys of the organ the sweet
measures of the closing hymn.
At the Methodist church, Easter
was celebrated In an appropriate
manner. The floral decorations of
the pulpit and chancel exhibited
rare taste. The ladies of the church
brought from their Conservatives a
radiant constellation of flowers, fit
emblems OF the chastity which
should surround the altar of the
Moct uiuh prnfusiOp Of Gala