Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1896-04-04
LEGENDARY ASSOCIATIONS OF THE
QUEEN OF CHRISTIAN FESTIVALS.
Of Jesus Have Ramifed Into . Compiler
Structure Of Theory and Organization.
Easter Customs.

w osplendor scarcely less than
Christmas. Each year, too,
1t grows in public esteem
" and becomes more closely
associated with social and religious OBJ
scrvance. On tho other hand, Whitsuntide,
perpetuating the Pentecostal miracle of
the gift of tongues, once under the old
papal regime. crowned with quite as much
ceremony and romance. has been greatly
sho.n of its dignity. The skill Of human
arti6ce, By which the teaching of Jesus, so
simple, practical and pellucid, has ramified
into such complex structure Of theory
and organization is more wonderful than
any marvel of steel and iron. The one has
harnessed the spirit; the other matter.
The record OK either Is n more fascinat-
ing story than any chapter of wholesale
slaughter from Observation-Disclosures to Napo-
leon. These and all like them have been
sent to grass, while the splen6ors Of reli-
gious conquest shine with increasing glory
and have shot their tentacles through all
the parts Of the social body. Nowhere do
we find n better example of the subtle
policy by which Christianity has subju-
gated the most intelligent sections of the
human race than in the institutions known
as its holidays. While the growth of these
was in part spontaneous it was further
guarded by the wisdom of tho serpent as
well as by the innocence OF tho dove.
1t was inevitable that tho birth Of the
founder of Christianity should become q
celebration Of paramount Importance.
There was no clew to the exact day nor
the month nor even the season in which
the prince of Peace" to use the most
beautiful of oil the titles Of Jesus, was
born into this wicked, bloodthirsty hui
mainly of ours. At different times in the
very early period 1t was supposed to be
about the middle Of September, from the
LIST to the 9Th of January, ind again about
at tho time of the vernal equinox. Finally
the primitive fathers manufactured q suit.
able date, which would connect tho event
indissolubly with the religious naturalism
and symbolism of the pagan world, there.
by disarming opposition and linking the
Christian faith with the whole continuity
of religious belief. The timo of the win
ter solstice witnesses tho very earliest re-
Nuisance of dead nature. Then the sun be-
gins his northward journey, which is to
end in the fervor and cxuberancc Of sum-
mcr. That was the period of the Roman
saturnaIia, when universal peace and good
will relaxed the iron discipline of society
wherever the imperial eagles were plant
cd. Then tho Druids crowned with mis-
tletoc and holly, performed the most sacred
sacrifices Of the year In the depths of the
forest. Then the Teutonic ragans lit great
fires, and for q week worshiped with q
sort of mad jubilee at the altar of the sun
god, Balder. The philosophy of adopting
this most universal and joyous of all
heather festivals as the period of celebrat-
ing the birth of Jesus Christ is at once ap-
parent. 1t helped to make tho heather at
bome in their new religious clothes.
The date Of Easter, commemorative the
resurrection from the grave of the cruel
| fed Saviour. needed no such sclective and
arbitrary choice. Its motive, being the
| final climax and conservation of Christ g
| mission in the minds of his followers, was
not less thrilling and significant than that
| of his birth. From the earliest period OF
| ecclesiasticsm Ii was endowed with the
most gorgeous pomp and attire of outward
devotion. The church then smiled be-
| nignly on its devotecs, babe them dance
to the sound of pipe and tabor enjoined
the wearing of the freshest garments as II
| going to q bridal and permitted the free
| enjoyment of all reasonable fleshly as well
as Of spiritual delights. As one of the IA.
Tiers Of the church quantity observed
"For as by this day all flesh was raised
from its swinish defoulmeut, to be cleansed
in spiritual fountain, so all its delights
do become innocent and of sweet SAVIOR to
| the children of God" This was before the
day when savage austerity and hate of the
harmless things of the body were made
by churchly teaching the highest evolution
of the sanity life
The Biblical record of course, fixed the
date by its association with the Hebraic
passover. Whatever controversy there
grew out of 1t was narrowed within Ger
tain definite bounds not connected with
any uncertainty as to time. Yet thi.
tempest in teapot embroiled all Chris
tendon for hundreds of years and is today
one of the cardinal points of difference be
tween the Greek and Roman churches. II
may be expressed In nutshell. The early
Christians promptly adopted the symbol
ism OF the situation. Christ was the true
Paschal Lamb, pretigured in the ANNA
sacrifice Of the ancient passover feast
| So the Christian passover was the resur
| rec:ion, and the comEiemoTation OF The
season fixed itself by the analogy. Thos'
| churches Of the first century most closely
Hebraic In their syinpathies followed thu
old rite exactly-that is, made the celebra
ton on the l4th day of the first month
being the lunar month Of which the 14tl
day either falls on or next follows tn
vcrnal equinox. But the western Chris
l CsiieOuar dttICncu IuOrt u
the fact that Christ arose from the deaf
on Sunday. the first day OF the week, ant
so they celebrated Easter on the Sunda.
following the 1ith day Of the moon o
March. From this slight rent widened
great chasn, and the question OF disciplin
finally hardened into one of dogma. Aft
er three centuries of battle the maiorit
of the churches accepted the rule announc
ed by the council OF Nice in 3a5, whic
| allowed for the differences between tn
! Jewish and Julian calendars. This con
! stitutes the rule Of the church today, s
that the Easter festival ranges betwee
: the possibilities of March % and April q
So much for chronology dressed up into
theological puppet, about which disciple
Of the Prince 1 Peace imprecatcd the ten
rors Of endless hell on each others head
for more than three centuries! AS Chris
mas gradually crystallized about itse
other beautiful myths which had flowere
out of heathendom, SO likewise Easter. Til
! period Of the vernal equinox, the begir
,, ming Of the true or astronomical spring