Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-05

imported lot INC OCCASION OF grown WlL0lU
| the greenhouses of the town Festoons
| of cedar, ivy and holly hang in ornate
| curves from oaken rafters, and grace
fully converge toward the garnished
| chandeliers, whose crystal pendants
| sparkle with the play of every prismatic
color. The galleries are embowered and
the tones Of the great organ see 10 almost
| muffled amid so lavish an orniture of
fragrant exotics. The pulpit and the
| rostrum are
LAvIsHLY DECORATED,
and the fresco on the wall behind is con-
cealed by elaborate decorations. In the
center, deity fashioned with white hy-
acinths and roses, shine forth IN large
letters the words, 'Christ is Risen. -
At the evening service, when tall waxen
candles are placed around the pulpit and
the church is brilliantly illuminated, the
decorations, of course, appear more
beautiful.
For weeks before the first observances
of the festival take place, an immense
choir is drawn together for practice, and
voices are attuned to sing the songful
anthems of the church that are appro-
pirate to the occasion. The Moravians
are distinguished for good church music,
and every boy and girl in Salem is early
taught the rudiments, both vocal and
instrumental, so that for the Easter
choral service there is q splendid store of
talent from which to draw.
The celebration begins on Palm Sun
day, when liturgical services are held,
accompanied by sermon appropriate to
the commemoration of Christ IS entry into
Jerusalem. The exercises present a fore
taste of the musical feast yet to come.
During the Passion Week (between Palm
Sunday and Eastern, lumber Of inter
esting services are held both morning
and evening and attract very general
attendance; of these, the most solemn
and impressive take place on Good
Friday.
The following day Saturday is called
''the Great Sabbath, - on which the
love feast, i'll imitation of the apostolic
agapae, is celebrated. This observance
is one of the most original and distinctive
features of the MoraYian church, and
every member of the congregation is
present, save the very sick and infirm-
even the mothers carrying babes being
assigned seats in the lecture room, ad-
joining the main auditorium where pratt
ties and cries may not distrub the
service.
The contrast between the intense So
lemnity OF the previous day and the
Observation-Disclosures of this one is plainly
portrayed upon the faces of the congre-
cation; a joyous smile illumines every
counteuance. even that of the man of
God, who, with a beaming light playing
on his own face, warns his hearers not to
make it
SEASON OF LEVITY.
A neatly printed programme is ad-
hered to and provides largely for congre-
gational singing, or the half chant, half
anthem, which is peculiar to the Mora
VANS; many beautiful solos and choruses
are rendered by the choir, with grand
and inspiring accomplishments from the
great organ.
The specially distino tive feature of this
days worship, is the novel service of
coffee and sweetened bread. To the air
already laden with the scent of flowers,
is added the delightful aroma of the
best Java distilled in huge urns in the
basement below.
At the proper moment as fixed by the
programme, the doors facing each aisle on
either side of the pulpit, are thrown
open, and through them file two process
sions, one of men and one of women, all
bearing huge wooden trays containing
cakes of sweetened bread. The women,
who wear dainty white aprons and snowy
null caps, pass down the right aisle, and
serve each female member of the con-
gregation with cake; while the men,
dressed in conventional black, wait SINH
larry upon their own sex seated on the
opposite side Of the church. When all
MIL 81,
walters pass out and return with their
trays full of huge porcelain mugs Of hot
steaming coffee; these are likewise served
to the congregation, who, led by the
choir, sing through the whole distribu-
ton.
The choir pauses when the bread and |
coffee have been passed around; and the |
arises, makes a few remarks, |
and finally, after asking the blessing of |
God upon the service, breaks the bread |
and begins to eat. This is a signal to
the congregation to do likewise, after |
which the choir continues the anthem |
which the minister reads out stanza by |
stanza.
The cups and remnants of bread later |
on are borne out by the same walters, |
and after more singing, interspersed by |
words from the preacher, the eongrega- |
ton rises TO recelYe the benedIctlon, and |
departs amid sonorous peals from the
organ.
DURING THE AFTERNOON
the graves in the cemetery are decorated
with flowers, and little later the nests
for the ''Good Rabbit" to lay in are Sc
GREETED within the flower yards of each
household. It is an old tradition-as
dear to the younger population of Salem
as that of the visionary, Krs-Kriugle in
Christmas time-that the rabbits lay
beautifully colored eggs at Easter.
The nests are sometimes made of candy, |
and the eggs of the same, but the usual
custom is to improvise, of grass or straw,
and place within them real eggs, dyed |
n every conceivable hue. These are dis
covered by the little folks early Sunday
and an interesting sight it is to
Zee the pretty childish faces aglow with
great delight and anticipation, as they
from hedge TO bush in quest of
he "Good Rabbit IS freshly laid eggs.
The children use the eggs in the well
known game which consists in testing
The strength of the shells; there are