The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-03-22

Hours Of unique amusement may be spent
| in the great shopping centres in these DAYS
noting the number of times You will oyerhear
remarks something like these. Dear me-
| Faster in March. why. / shan't be half ready"
How can one wear spring hat in March,
/ anyway! l thought Easter always came in
| April
People that fully understand the religious
significance of Easter know. of course some
thing about the changetulness of the date but
only "a small percentage Of them. perhaps
could satisfactorily explain the matter II
YOU should ask ten intelligent people how far
the Easter date can vary the chances are
that not one would be able 20 answer YOU
correctly without FIRST consulting "a book Of
reference.
The fact is that the date varies more than
a month. though many years clapse between
the widest variations II is possible for
Easter to como as early rs the I'D of March.
and it may come as late rs the 18th Of April
Five years ago. in lsSG, Faster fell on the 18th
Of April. but il Will not again come so late as
that until the Youngest reader Of these lines
shall be old enough 10 be a grandparent-in
1913.
The moons monthly journey around the
earth Is the foundation Of the eccentric Easter
dates, just as the earths annual excursion
around the sun causes the trouble that neces-
states leap wears
Easter is simply Christian adaptation of
Easier
back further than the time of the religious
obscryancCs that now characterize it. The
AngiO-SaXOn name oil April was Estermorath
meaning the month of the spring morn
ing. OF the sun warmth, which awakened M
turc from its winter tOrpidity. The early
Christians adopted this idea Of natures
spring awakening 10 typify the resurrection
OF the Saviour. Just as the Jews used 1t 10
commemorate the events connected with the
escape of their people from Egyptian bond
age.
But the antipathy Of the Christians towards
the Jews IN those early days led them 10
make an attempt 20 have the Easter obser-
vances always fall on dates other than those
that COMMUNICATED the Passover. The sys-
TEN that We now have for fixing the Easter
date IS due 10 that attempt. After rs much
thought and calculation as We're given 20 the
tinkerng of the calendar complete plan was
adopted. and here is an attempt 70 make il
ineligible IN q few words:
II was determined, in the first .pace. that
Easter must Invariably fall on the first Sunday
after the fourteenth day of the moon that
happens 20 be rclgung 20 interval equinox
time Then II was declared that the date IF
the equinox should be arbitrarily made
March oath. although the equinox really comes
sometimes little earlier or little later than
the DIST. For example. suppose the equinox
moon Is Just fourteen days old on the Dist of
March and that this day falls on Saturday
then the next day Sunday, would fill the con-
diton noted above and would consequently
be Easter
OF course you can readily perceive that so
early an Easter date can very rarely occur.
Tho principle that causes the wide range be-
tween equinox time and the latter part Of
April is analogous to that which gives US five
Sundays in the present month. The Christian
Faster was originally sort Of thanksgiving
observance lasting eight days. This conform
VI somewhat " the length Of time devoted by