The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1895-04-18

JOYOUS EASTER.
"THE MASTER rs RISEN
INDEED Fl # ~
Music, Flowers and Discourses
mark the Celebration in
: s.y s< 60 Worthington.
Ring out Easter bells, He has risen! for you is
the token and sign; -
There's world moving sunward and Godward.
= ye are called to the front; ye mu ct lead!
Behind are the grave and the darkness; the
u Master ls risen indeed!' p =. ."
Sunday last was Easter, blessed
day of all the year, save Christmas,
the day of beautiful significance.
All Christendom observes Easter
with increasing interest. More and
more is it becoming a day of music,
flowers and other signs of beauty
and awakening life. It: is signi6-
cant fact that Easter is the survival,
in q more, beautified form, of an
ancient pagan festival which was held
in honor of Ostara, the Goddess of
Light and Spring. 1t is day of
rejoicing, and it's observance is SYM
bolic Of new life; of triumph over
death, Of sunshine over darkness,
JOY over sorrow, and brightness and
beauty over depression. The Easter
season cannot be made too joyous
but it's observance should be practi-
cal, that permanent influence for
good may be exerted, that all the
world may catch glimpse of the
beauty of the life to come, Of the day
that is sure to dawn when all man
kind will be made pure and holy,
when the Great Teachers principles
prevail.
"A large congregation was gathered
at the Presbyterian church on Easter
Sunday. The church was appropri-
ately decorated with plants, in the
center of which, and in front of the
pulpit, was white Cross In the re-
cess back of the pulpit was a star of
hope, emblematic of the light shed
upon the grave by the Resurrection of
Christ. An Easter Anthem, entitled
"He is Risen" was rendered by the
male quartette. In his sermon, Rev.
Wilson Aull called attention to the
fact that Immediately after his resur-
ection and just before his ascention,
Chris tsgaYeato his cipleg tbAss great
u commission, 4o ye 1s Unto H ar the
world and preach the gospel to every
ceature." At the conclusion of the
sermon large offering was made to
Foreign missions. In the evening,
full house listened with attention to
the very able discourse by the pastor
on 1.-The Resurrection of our Bodies"
and the choir sang a new arrange
ment of the truly poetical hymn,
"Abide with Me"
Easter was observed at the NJ. E.
church in the way of missionary
service by the Sunday school, under
the leadership of the superintendent,
Mrs. j. G. Thorn. The large congre-
CATION that assembled were doubtless
surprised on entering the church to
see black curtain stretched across
the front of the room, giving the ap-
pearance Of mourning rather than
that of gladness, which might have
been expected. But the superinten-
dent, in few we'll chosen words at
the beginning of the service, ex-
planned how the darkest period in.
the worlds history was the time Je-
sus Christ lay in the tomb, proceed
ing the joyous event of his resurec-
tiOn. The choir then sang the hymn
"He dies! the Friend of Sinners
Dies?' impressively to the middle
of the third verse, the
last two lines of which
''But 10! what sudden joys we see,
Jesus, the dead. 1evives again. in
troduced a change in the situation,
and were sung by the choir and con-
,gregation in a triumphant strain,
while the dark curtain was drawn
aside to present to the view of all
striking contrast in elaborate floral
and white decorations. A projection
over the recess, back of where the
pulpit stands, was draped in white,
as was also the entire background,
artistically arranged. Then in the
recess and on either side were flowers