The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1895-04-13
SATURDAY, APRIL Is. 1895.
EASTER SUNDAY.

Tomorrow will be Easter Sunday. 1t
IS interesting to note that, while the
Protestant churches are straying further
and further away from what was origin
ally the accepted doctrines of all Chris,
tians, the festivals of the Catholic
Church are yearly having more influence
both upon it's own people and those
without. The business and social life Of
the entire country is affected by the
cycles of the Church. Many who would
regard it serious imputation upon their
intelligence to admit that they are in any
way interested or affected by these festi
walls will tomorrow silently steal away to
some Catholic Church and in presence,
if not in spirit, add to the celebration Of
the Savior risen from the grave. Whether
people regard the day as an epoch in
their religious or social life, whether q
time to sing praises to the Savior of the
world, or a day upon which to amuse
themselves in q way the most foreign i'm
aginabIe to the history Of the day, they
nevertheless, unconsciously though it be,
give their approval to the Catholic
Church and the doctrines it teaches.
The specifically critical will tomorrow
listen to ingeniously devised arguments
calculated to impeach the story of eye
witnesses corroborated by the testimony
ofhostile Roman soldiers and the scrutiny
Of nineteen centuries, and congratulate
themselves upon their superior intelh-
genoe. But the vast mass OF Christians
will listen to the old story and accept it
without question. It was the observa-
ton of the "Father of Modern Philoso-
ply Rene Des Cartes, that every man
was endowed by God with an equal
amount of reason. By reason he meant
the weighing faculty of the mind I'M
trained and unaffected by any prejudioes.
His observation was undoubtedly cor
rect. The reason is impaired as we'll as
aided by the established prejudices and
environments Of ones surroundings. In
history we prefer to accept the story OF
those living at the time, especially wien
that story is uncontradicted, admitted
both by friends and opponents. The
God.given reason which philosophers
hold all men possess in q sufficient
amount has for nineteen centuries &C.
copied almost unquestioned the facts
which tomorrow commentaries. In ell
reason why should the simple story now
be doubted? @
But there are those who like to call
themselves Christians to whom the relig-
ion Of Jesus Christ is inconvenient. To
make 1t convenient certain old truths
must be discarded and the essential fea-
lures Of the history Of the life Of the Sa-
yior denied. Easter Sunday has been
observed all through the Christian era.
In the early centuries there was q
dispute as to the day on which Easter,
should fall. This matter was settled at
the council OF Nice, 325 a. D., although
a difference Of opinion continued, especl-
ally in the Irish Church, into the later
centuries. The difference arose owing
to . confusion with the Jewish passover.
Easter now falls each year on the first
Sunday after the full moon that falls on
or after March q. March q is signifi 1
can't ii the fact that il q the day OF the
yernal equinox. Easter Sunday may
thus come as early q March y 2. and a.
late u April q. 81 &c