Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-04-18

of London there is a payroll of Ed
ward l., on which there is an entry of
eighteen pence for four hundred col
ored and pictured Easter eggs, with
which the people sported In Russia
slaves were fed and aims were distrib-
uted on Easter.
Ecclesiastical councils met at Pontus,
at Gaul, at Rome, at Achaia, to decide
the particular day, and, after con-
troversy more animated than gracious,
decided 1t, and now through all Christ
endom in some way, the first Sunday
after the full moon which happens up
on or next after March "a is filled with
Easter rejoicing The royal court of
. the Sabbaths is made up of fifty-two
f1fty-one are princes in the royal
household; but Easter is queen. She
wears richer diadam, and sways
more jeweled sceptre, and in her right
hand the wrenched-off bolt of Christ's
sepulchre, and holding high up in her
left hand the key 10 all the cemeteries
in Christendom.
My text is an ejaculation. 1t is spun
out OF hallelujahs. Paul wrote right on
In his argument about the resurrection,
and observed all the laws of logic; but
when he came to write the words of the
text his fingers and his pen and the
parchment on which he wrote took fire,
and he cried out, Death is swallowed
up in victory!' 1t is a dreadful sight
to see an army routed and flying. They
scatter everything valuable on the
track. Unwheeled artillery. Hoof of
horse on breast of wounded and dying
man. You have read of the French fall
Ing back from Sedan, or Napoleon's
track of ninety fhn,ca,1 nd in the
snow-banks of Russia, or of the five
kings tumbling over the rocks of Beth
oran with their armies. while the hail
storms of heaven and the swords of
Joshua's hosts struck them with their
fury. But in my text is a worse dis
comhture. 1t seems that a black giant
proposed to conquer the earth. He
gathered for his host all the aches and
pains and maladieS and diStemperS and
epidemics of the ages. He marched
them down, drilling them in the north
east wind, amid the slush OF tempests
He threw up barricades of grave
mound. He pitched tent of charnel-
house. Some of the troops marched
with slow tread, commanded by con-
sumptions; some in double-quick, COM
manded by pneumonias. Some he took
by long besiegement of evil habit and
came by one stroke of the battle-ax of
casualty. With bony hand be pounded
at the doors of hospitals and sick-rooms
and won all the victories in all the great
battle-flelds of all the five continents.
Forward, march! the conqueror of con-
querors, and all the generals and COM
manders-in-chief, and all presidents
and kings and sultans and czars drop
under the feet of his war charger.
But one Christmas night his antag-
onist was born. AS most of the plaques
and sicknesses and despotisms came out
of the east, it was appropriate that the
new conqueror should come out of the
same quarter. Power is given him to
awaken all the fallen of all the centur-
les end of all lands, and marshal them
against the black giant. Fields have
already been won, but the last day will
see the decisive battle. When Christ
shall lead forth his two brigades, the
brigade Of the risen dead and the brig
ade of the celestial host, the black giant
will fall back, and the brigade from the
riven sepulchres will take him from
beneath, and the brigade of descend
ing immortals will take him from
above, and death shall be swallowed
up in victory" The old braggart that
of the planet has lost his throne, has
lost his sceptre, has lost his palace, has
lost his prestige, and the one word writ
ten over all the gates of mausoleum
and catacomb and metropolis, on ceno-
taph and sarcophagus, on the lonely
cairn of the Arctic explorer and on the
catafalque of great cathedral, written
capitals of aZalea and Gala lily, writ
ten in musical cadence, written in dox-
ology Of great assemblages, written on
the sculptured door Of the family vault,
is Victory" Coronal word, emban-
nered word, apocalyptic word, chief
word of triumphal arch under which
conquerorS return, Victory! Word
shouted at Culloden and Balaklava and
Blenheim; at Megiddo and Solferino; at
Marathon. where the Athenians drove
back the Modes; at Poictiers, where
Charles Nartel broke the ranks of the
Saracens; at Salamis, where Themis-
tocles in the great sea-fght COMPOUNDED
the Persians, and at the door Of the
eastern cavern of chiseled rock, where
Christ came out through a recess and
throttled the King of Terrors, and put
him back in the niche from which the
celestial Conqueror had just emerged.
Aha! when the jaws of the eastern
lOoh dO"l Tile DldCk giant
death was swallowed up in victory"
proclaim the abolition of death The
old antagonist is driven back into
mythology with all the lore about Sty-
gian ferry and Charon with oar and
boat. We shall have no more to do with
death than we have with the cloak room
at a governors or presidents levee. We
stop at such cloak room and leave in
charge of the servant our overcoat.
our overshoes, our outward apparel,
that we may not be impeded in the
brilliant round Of the drawing room.
Well, my friends, when we go out Of
this world we are going to kings
banquet, and to a reception of mon
archs, and at the door Of the tomb we
leave the cloak of flesh and the wrap
pings with which we meet the storms Of
the world. At the close of our earthly
reception, under the brush and broom
of the porter, the coat or hat may be
handed to us better than when we as
signed it, and the cloak Of humanity
will finally be returned to us improved
and frightened and purified and glori-
fed. You and do not want our bodies