The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1896-04-03

1t is Easter. It is the day perhaps
nearest to the hearts of those who
hold the Christian faith. 1t is the an
njversary of the day upon which the
gentle crucified Jew, Jesus. whom we
accept as the Son of God, came forth
alive again from a coffin made from n
space hewed in a rock and blocked
by a great stone.
That rising was in the sequence of
events which made Christian the
world of to-day. That rising was what
is making strong the course of the con-
trolling mass among the creatures
who fit about upon this particular
planetary crust, and who have a be-
lief in their own Immortality. Had
the more potent portion of humanity
not accepted Christ as risen, there
would have been some other belief,
some other hope and grasping for after
death welfare among the inhabitants
of this one among the millions and bill
lions of planets revolving in all space.
The rising completed the Christian
story. The Son had gone to the Father
as an emissary, forever pleading in
behalf of the creature we call man,
Himself man, He went back to Heaven
to be ever our Ambassador. And so it
is that throughout the Christian world
it is the sweetest of all hopeful days,
this anniversary of that day when
Christ assembled to His own again.
What matters it that learned skeptics
say that Easter is but the adaptation
to Christian use of an ancient holiday
in gleriication over life and spring
and the birth of all things. 1t matters
not what the beliefs or legends were be-
fore, since we accept the story of the
Child of Bethlehem, and stake our fu-
ture upon the promise of the man
grown who died for us. The heather
legends of the early man are but as
nothing, whether the Son of the Ruler
of the Universe came to us nearly 1000
years ago or yesterday. We accept
the belief and we are happy in Easter
day.
1t is wonderful and very sweet, the
thought of that morning when the
gentle, murdered Man. who was both
Man and God. felt from the Father
the quickening pulse and knew that His
awful trial was over and that the world
had been redeemed.
1t was of all mornings the most beau
tiful, if we may judge from the weak
human story, or if we judge from our
own conception of what it must have
been. The gloom of night was dissi-
pating, the lighter haze of morn was ap-
parent upon the far distant Judean
hills, though there was darkness in
the valley still.
But in an instant, just as the msrn-
ing broke, all changed. There was a
rustling of wings. the wings of angels,
in the semi-darkness; the huge stone
which filled the entrance of that cavern
tomb rolled away as lightly as if it
were something a wind might lift.
There was a sudden light about the
place and, at the same moment, above
the far eastern hills, the sun, earth's
light and one of Gods ownings, flung
forth a million brilliant banners. 1t
was day. And, just as day came, went
from earth the Son who is pleading for
us with the Father.
1t is very sweet and wonderful, the
story of this Easter day, one of the
greatest observed in our religion. 1t is
the day recognized as full of all hope
and promise. 1t is beautiful in the
manner of it's observance, with it's flow
ers and it's ringing anthems and with
its atmosphere of the springtime and of
faith and courage. 1t is blessed, this
Easter day.