Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1880-04-21
The Rev. Mr.. EcOb's Letter On
Easter.
By The Rev. SAMUEL UPJoHx.

Tho Journal told ms some days ago, that
n. rcoh had wr;ttep a letter den.
@'1
recaung tue oosef ""Se VI A1~S'e'
were thus told was so written. 1t seemed NJ
ting that we should read. We remembered
n. r..h-s and we
rea"h's "ne 'e''e. VI MI
thought, why shouio we NOT reao ''iis "~
The previous letter as this one on EASIER We
| observe frat found readers in the ssChristian
..,-., :, mirrors.
""'''' anu o''", -
have way OF making personal reheeio"''
Now this latter epistle though addressed to
tho ..u;,ror ;. l;ke the former one. came back
,,a ;,d;,ac,
through various enanheis ullee' an" " n.i;,,h.'
doubtless Ipr .ne op' ao,n pup Os,ens;blv
ening our ossu nI;so 81 ,be ..orthodor =
written i1r u,e Ill. I CO. u,o,nen, NJ review.
We sn"ulu ~. Ia ~, r,,,hi;c .,,en,;on heep
ing ~ Ion si,ai .n :. ~ 20 a., .u,bor;tv and
eApiesv - 90 tho Ir.th,.n
were nv. IL ~ 49, ~, 81 on eviden,
,an, ;',an,;nn ror ,hase reasons therefore.
10 :. .annhin, mo, . sub;ect of unusual in
49, '.a - ;,,,,o-,a,ca we are constrained TO
80. :, sl;gI,, professional notice.
r., ,rh., his letter saws Faster we in
-. hav, ha., a ,.rr;hie dav m the mas
80. 81 Tho stone Church a ..dav of wrath. - a
..d.,. of n,onrn;nor, There was the dav it.
.aiS. ,ha, was had enouob. then there were
,ha snwers and there was the music, and
,her.. ,,erc new clothes possibIy. even to head
ae,r and worst of all the flowers and the mu-
s;c were in the churches. and great many
noonle some wearing. and more probably not
wearing new bonnets. went to church." Hiac
,IIor Ioc6rvmoer -
The truth is there ought never to have been
such day as Easter. or at least it ought not
10 have been a ..day to be observed" and AS
to flowers (except painted ones) they are ut
terly devoid of significance-the mere tokens
Of vanity and extravaganza. and as6fpr music
more militant than the strains of Hamburg or
Old Hundred. it is plainly an instrument of
Satan and az 10 the people going to church
nm sucb occasions they on cht to stay at home
and reserve the new bonnets, ETC. for funer-
ais and Fast-days. Really ''there is a time
for everything" But then though we are
well aware that Easter is not down in
the calendar of the Congregational
church. and it MAJ be an innovation to intro
duce il into that time-worn institution, we are
nersuaded that flowers have a religious sig
| n;6cance even 10 ConrepatiOnalists. and we
think we have seen at least one or two good
old Easter HYMNS in the Congregational
hvmn book, dear perhaps, to Congregation
aiists themselves And as for attending church
on Sunday with Spring bonHets on, people
must have Spring bonnets, and Easter comes
| in the Spring time, and it is clearly day OF
rc-clothing and of gOOdly apparel; and when
people are glad, thev naturally put on their
GOOD clothes, and if thev have a religious rea.
son for being glad. thew are likely to 90 to
church and that with unusual zeal And
| A., ~ 6 81,
and in any garb, if they will.
Perhaps if people had flocked to the Stone
Church on Easter, as they may have done a,
the proper season, to hear a Thanksgiv ing
sermon. or to attend Decoration Dav services
| in commemoration of our dead soldiers. there
might have been no sin. even if in the latter
case an occasional Spring bonnet had shed its
lustre on the scene. We half suspect, how
ever that the trouble lies in the fact of the
occasion in point being Easter and as tina
day is one of general interest, ridicule ant
invective rise in increasing scale, as if to fully
master the situation and have slash at ever,
one, not at offending. members only, but a
all. And here, by the way, comes thu
unkindest cut of all. For when one leaves
YOU one moment with kiss, and returns tn,
next, unknown to you, stealing round tn,
corner to give you thrust under the fifti
rib, what are you to saw of him? The refer
ence to Judas NAV not be so unnecessary afte
all. But we have not received anv caresses
and so we can leave this matter for those tt
settle, who have
We have something more serious to say
We do not object to Just and discriminatin!
criticism of any institution or usage, religious
or secular, and we doubt not but that almos
every usage under the sum- in the manner o
its application, nav be open, here and there
or now and then. to criticisms, however goot
and useful and Scriptural even. it may be
But to fling ndiscriminate ridicule and will,
assertion at an institution or usage of tn,
Christian church, and that such an one as tn,
Easter Feast, resting as it does on indubita
BILE proof. and appealing to the most sacred
and tender feelings of the human heart, is
pastime which no one can safely indulge in
The use of flowers and of music, at Easter
in its detail, may be a matter of taste. TIL,
general question is a matter of principle
The expense or pains spent on either or both
is to be measured by the Importance of tn,
occasion and the ability of those who max,
the provision. That is not waste which i
not ont of proportion with these two things
There NAV he instances of INSTRUMENTATION
but our experience and observation hay
proved in this matter that those who ar
most generous in their offerings to the ser
vice and house of God. are those who Div
most largely according to their means. 70 oh
| 80, ,,a.o ,.c,o.o 81 ,,o.r,.u. ~