Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1894-03-22
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Christ is risen from the dead, and
become the first fruits of them that
slept"
Over the whole world to-day rings
the anthem of the resurrection. Be
ginning in the far orient, it runs with
the dawn to the limits of the occident,
is sounded from every church bell, is
voiced in every hymn of praise, rising
up to heaven like pean of hope and
promise. The winter is past, and Ma
ture has set man again the lesson,
which since time began she has spread
out before him in the earth, that book
which may be read by the unlearned
as well as the wise, by the savage as
well as civilized man. There is no
death, there is no effort that sinks into
the dim void and becomes naught, there
is no cessation of soul influence. The
summer comes and its glory passes the
harvest time of our lives wanes. the
fields are brown and barren, and look
ing over them sadly we grieve that all
of our hopes were not brought to frui-
ton. When the frosts of age cover our
heads we sometimes say with the great
soul that voiced his agony in dark
hour: youth is a blunder, manhood
struggle and old age a regret"
Yet we have lived and loved, and that
is within itself boon. From the
grave where were laid our crucified Joy,
our blamcless offerings to untoward
destiny, our loved and noble ideals,
shall arise a glorified spirit to guide
others down the rough way to the place
where the great light" shines. No
path of sorrow in the vale of life is
virgin to the naked feet of our shrink
ing souls. Wherever the water is deep
est, and the shadows fall darkest, there
trod the martyrs of the ages, and,
though they found sepulcher at the
end of the journey, being dead, they
yet live and speak with undying ut
terance.
Did you ever stop to think of the
wonderful symbolism of the divine en-
blem of this asst and feast of Christen-
dom? Like other symbols, it is the
plaything of the thoughtless, the inn
plement of the utilitarian, and per-
forms its humble office as u material
factor. 1t is food for the body, and
thus the bulwark of the soul. The
egg is the sacred emblem of the ere
alton and the resurrection. The lily
which sends up its fragrance from a
million affairs upon Easter day is fair,
but its odor is lost in the encircling
air, and the hours bear away upon
their bosom its beauty, and it is gone.
When men, in their days of innocence,
worshiped the egg, and saw in it the
cradle of the universe, they had re-
ceived into their souls the heart-throbs
of truth. Within the egg, formless but
perfect, is the element of new life. Its
shell-the earth and sky; its white
the sun; its yolk-the moon; and all
the emblems of created forms subserv-
lent to the needs of the organized crea-
ture. The Firms, the Persians and the
Teutons of old, in this symbolism,
clasp hands with the Christian upon
Easter day, and the past finds another
tie of brotherhood with the present.
Christ is risen from the dead! Long
ages passed when it seemed to the
waiting nations that He was yet in the
tomb, and in the sleep of death had
forgotten the world. Toll, stripes and
anguish were the portion of His peo-
pie, for the poor are His. Wickcdness
wore the robe and crown and fillod the
earth with signing. Even then there
were brave hearts that looked up
through the clouds and listened for the
anthem of the resurrection. 1t was
heard at last, and liberty of thought.
faith and conscience was proclaimed.
The ccrements of error are cast off and
lie in the open sepulcher, and with
them are the broken shackles and
rcndcd fctters. Lou V. CHAPLIN.
A SUGGESTION FOR THE DAY.