Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1886-03-26
A Websterian Labyrinth.

trouble and paiustaking: In the first
place he read, " Easter, a church
festival occurring on Sunday, the
second day after Good Friday"
80 much for Easter, then hunting
mp Good Friday, he read, GOOD
Friday, fast kept on the Friday of
passion week" With nervous i'm
patience he turned to the back part Of
the dictionary among the P's and
read the following consoling tidbit:
Passion week, the week immedi-
ately preceding the festival of Eas-
ter"
Thinking, as a last resort, that
some of the other church days
would lead him out of the laby-
r,nth into daylight, he turned to
Lent, fast of forty days, begin
ming with Ash Wednesday and con-
tiuuing till Easter" All, now I
will hole the fox" he muttered to
himself, and turning to the AS, he
read. ASH "Wednesday, the first
lay of Lent
As he was about to toss the DIG
tionary into the CRATE, his wife came
to his rescue by exclaimipg" Look
Tor Shrove-Tuesday, dear"
Without the faith of a grain of
mustard seed, but to please his
spouse, he turned to the Kissing SIS
and read with much tlibulation,
Il" hrove-Tuesday, confession time;
the Tuesday before Lent" At this
juncture his brow began to cloud
and his wife doubtless fearing an
attack of apoplexy, minated that
she might after all have been mis-
taken and that Palm Wednesday was
the potent key to unlock the combi-
nation. Somewhat reassurred, lie
turned, once more, to the P's and
read " Palm Sunday, Sunday before
Easteiw
Human nature, he aflirms. could
stand the strain no longer. He
ground his teeth in anguish while
consigning the spirit of the great
photographer to tho hottest quarter
Of Dante's Inferno.
How the matter would have ended,
had not the ever-useful, ubiquitous
walking encyclopedia of the STAND
ARD raped at the door will, he be-
lieves. never be. known. He entered
like an angel of light in time to SEQ
Old Webster's immortal spirit rolled
up into compact bundle for con-
signment to those steaming cauldrons
and burning lakes which serve as
beacon lights to the majority of
mankind, and with a radiant smile
inquired the cause of commotion.
This being explained he said: eve
must remember that solely upon the
phenomenon of the moons superior
conjunction during the month of
March depends the date Of the an
nual recurrence of Easter Sunday.
Centuries ago the highest ecclesiasti-
cal authority ordained that Easter
day should be observed on the first
Sunday after the fourteenth day of
the calendar moon occurring on or
the next after the 2lst day of March,
each year. The " fourteenth day."
~ used above, means the fourteenth
day after the moons inferior con-
junction (now moon) and not the
day Of the month proper. Hence,
the fourteenth day only designates
the time of full moon. Now, if the
first full moon after the vernal equi.
nox March 2lst) happens to fall on
q Sunday, then the next Sunday is
Easter day. It is to be observed
that the modern Easter corresponds
TO the pasch or passover of the
Jews, and henceits dependence upon
the motion of the moon about the
earth.
II 10 o somewhat remarkable fact
that Easter Sunday. this year. 1886,
falls on the latest date on which it is
possible for this movable church.
day to occur. viz: April 25th. This
follows strictly in accordance with
tho rule already stated or as de-
creed at the Council OF Nice, that
Easter shall be observed on the
Sunday after the full moon following
tho 2lst OF March"
Easter may sometimes, but rarely,
fall on the 22d of March, and is it's
earliest possible date, for obvious az
Economical reasons. In tue year
1874. more than q century and q
half ago, Easter fell on the same
dato as it docs this year, April 25th,
and this thing will not again occur
till the year 1943, when q new gen.
Grafton OF children shall have arisen
to enjoy their Easter eggs.
Hero our reporter wrapped his
mantle about him and departed.
An eastern exchange, in speaking