Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1896-04-05

It is Easter. It is the day perhaps nearest to the hearts of those who hold the Christian faith. It is the an- niversary of the day upon which the gentle cruclfed Jew, Jesus, whom we accept as the Son of God, came forth alive again from coffin made from space hewed in & 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 ascended 10 His own again.
 What matters it that learned skepties say that Easter is but the adaptation to Christian use of an ancient holiday in glorifcation over life and spring and the birth of all things. It 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 2,000 years ago or yesterday. We accept the belief and we are happy in Easter day.
 It 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 quiekening pulse and knew that His awful trial was over and that the world had been redeemed.
 It 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 tbe far distant Judean hills though there was darkness in the valley still.
 But in an instant, just as the morn 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 1 place and, at the same moment, above the far eastern hills, the sun, earth s light and one of Gods awnings, flung forth 8 million brilliant banners. It was day. And, just as day came, went from earth the Son who is pleading for us with the Father
 It is very sweet and wonderful, the story of this Easter day, one of the greatest observed in our religion. Itis the day recognized as full of all hope and promise. It is beautiful in the manner of it's observance, with it's flow CTS and it's ringing anthems and with it's atmosphere of the springtime and of faith and courage. It is blessed, this Easter day.