Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-04-20
FESTIVAL OF FLOWERS.
The Glorious Easter and Its Signi
ficanCe.
Tho Anniversary of Christ's Resur-
rectiOn and One OF the Three Great
Festivals Ofthe Christian Year---lts
Worldly Importance.


resurrection from the dead, is one of the
three great festivals of the christian year.
1t is the triumphant holiday of every
christian church throughout the civilized
world. The Lenten season is past and
the glorious day OF rejoicing is at hand,
when thousands of hallelujahs will be
waited on the wings of the wind to the
throne on high, expressive of the univer.
sal exultation of Gods people in COM
memorating the rising of our Saviour
from the tomb. This browning event
In the earthly life of the redeemer
has always been celebrated by believers
with the greatest joy, from the earliest
period of christianity down to the present
day. On Easter day the churches, es
pecially in this country, are lavishly
decorated with the purest and most beau-
tiful OF all natures Observation-Disclosures
Easter Is. in the popular mind. init
mstely associated with flowers. The or.
igin Of the name. according to one au-
thority, is Eastre, or Ostars, the Anglo
Saxon goddess of spring. To this deity
the fourth month. corresponding to April
in our calendar, was dedicated. This
was called Esstur month, or Easter
month. The festival concentrating the
resurrection of the Savior of mankind
alaO ma Lo ha Of animal
awakening. 1t is the period OF bursting
buds and spring blossoms.
Whence come the beauteous progeny Of spring.
They hear still small voice, Awake"
And while the lark Is on the wing,
From dust and darkness break.
Flowers OF all hues
Laugh in the gale,
Sparkle with dews
And dance Der hill and dale.
The groves and meadows which were
dull and dead since winter, begin already
to feel the new life which has started to
pulsate in tree, grass blade and flower.
The brooklet Is again active and joyous.
From their winter quarters in warmer
climes the birds have begun to come.
Some of them have been here for several
weeks. The blue bird arrived IN Febru-
airy, and the swallow in March. Two or
three weeks hence the robin, bobolink
and the thrush will be with US. The ats
mosphere has taken on kindlier mood.
The rigors of winter have gone, and
there is an ecstasy once more in the mere
consciousness of existence.
Easter is movable festival in the |
church. Last year it came early; this |
year it falls late. The earliest possible |
day for Easter is the 22d of March, and |
1t fell on that date in 1918 for the last |
time in about two hundred years |
One object in arranging the calendar |
moon was that Easter might never fall
on the same day as the Jewish Passover.
Two years ago Easter and the Passover
were separated but by single night.
The Jewish festival usually occurs in
Passion week, the last week in Lent, or
after the 25th Of April. On the other
hand the christian festival is never held
before the 25th of March or after the
25th Of April. In 1918 Easter will fall
on the Esd of March, as it did in 1885
and 1855. The latest occurred in 1886,
the 25th of April. and will not fall on
that day again until 1913.
While Easter is one of the brightest
and most glorious occasions known to
the religious thinking people, it has q
worldly importance-it is the great mills
merry Sunday. 1t Is the greatest day of
all the year for the display of feminine
headgear. provided, of course. the weather
8 propitious.
Easter, like Christmas, is a day when
the unfortunate should be remembered.
There are sad-eyed thousands who would
barter all the new bonnets on top of this
hard old earth for good beef and bread
for their hungry children tomorrow. II
the fragrance of Easter lilies could but
steal into all these darkened homes to.
morrow. 1t would be teaching the true
lessons OF Easter.
There will be special and appropriate
services in all the Catholic and most of
the protestant churches tomorrow. In
the afternoon there will be services for
the Knights Templar at Trinity and will
be attended by Everts' commandery in a
body. In the evening there will be a
gsHxiRe Of song in the Central Presbyter>
ian church, conducted by Prof. s. T.
Bowlby.