The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-03-27
An Unitarian Idea Of the
Season
AS Expressed by the Rev.
MinOt j. Savage.
1t Is an Undying Witness Of an
Everlasting Faith.

Savage and published In the Easter num-
ber OF the New York herald last Sunday:
Every little while someone, immersed
in ecclesiasticism, and who seems to
suppose that Easter can by no possi bility
have any rational significance to one who
is not so ecclesiastical as himself, won
ders and gives expression to his wonder,
why Unitarians or rationalists, who do
not believe in the literal bodily resurrec-
tion OF Jesus and his ascension into
heaven, should continue TO celebrate
Easter.
They say: "You can have no part or lot
in the glory, the significance. the bright
ness, the hope, the flowers of a day like
this; for you reject the fundamental his
toric fact out of which the celebration
springs" And, on the other hand, per-
sons OF extreme radical ideas, who are
not well acquainted perhaps, with the
past history and religious development OF
man, JOIN IN the same protest, aud accuse
OF weakly giving way to the popular
tendency. and current In the direction OF
superstition because we recognize the day.
But in both cases the extreme tradi-
tioner and the extreme radical, when
they make protest like this, betray the
fact that they have never studied deeply
enough To learn just what Easter means;
that they have never traced the course OF
this stream up to its source in its eternal
principles and in the heart of man.
The word Easter" as no doubt you
are aware. Is simply an apglicized form
OF the name OF an ancient Teutonic god
dess, the goddess of spring. And, al
though the name occurs once in the New
Testament, 1t IS there by curious
anachronism; for il was unheard of in
the church until hundreds of years after
the New Testament was written. Known
and long familiar in the church when the
lhs.x fran laf MT haze
to stand for the Greek, because 1t was
the popular. word that was familiar to the
people.
1t is simple historic truth, that all
over the world, hundreds of years-in
some cases tnogshnds OF years-before
Jesus was born, the Easter idea not only
was in the thought and heart OF the
race, but the Easter festival was kept;
SO that, leaving out the peculiarIties
of race and time, we might suppose that
we were in the midst Of Christendom, II
we could still join in.ssuch a celebration,
as used to be held. In China, in Mexico,
in Greece, in Rome, in Egypt, in Syria,
in Persia, in India-all over the world we
find it. How did they keep this festival.
They began first as We do, with their
period of mourning and sorrow in which
they lamented the death of their god.
You will find in the prophecy of Ezekiel,
in the Old Testament, graphic iiiustra-
ton on the part of the prophet OF the
fact that the people are given over TO
idolatory, and, as an illustration, he
tells how he found even in the temple
court OF Jehovah the women weeping for
the dead Tammuz, or Adonis. some
times they had a figure to repre-
sent the god; sometimes young man,
who appeared asif he were dead.
What is the significance of this event?
First, you will see very plainly, without
my doing more than calling your atteu-
lion to 1t, that the wide diffusion of
legends, stories and beliefs like this must
cast discredit upon the historical accu-
racy OF the belief in the literal resurrec-
tion OF Jesus from the tomb. For when
ever we find any story told by the writer's
of many races and many nations, what
does 1t mean? When we lind, for ex-
ample, the story of William Tell, not
only in Switzerland, but all over the
world; when we find the story of the
faithfulness, even unto death, OF the
brave cog Gellert, told not only among
the Norsemen, but everywhere; when we
find the story OF Cinderella, fireside tale
with which children have been delighted
in ell other ages and under every sky
what does II mean?
1t means first that undoubtedly the lit
erai story as it's told Is not true. But 1t
means something deeper and grander
than that's 1t means the intensifying of
the reality OF the belief itself which the
story represents. For what men take
the trouble to dress in so many beautiful
forms, what they take the trouble to tell
themselves and their children under every
sky, in every nation and age after age,
must be something which they really
and earnestly elieve deep down in their
hearts. The form that the story assumes
may or may not be literally true, but
the simple fact that 1t is TOLD Is mighty
and Sndying witness to the everlasting
faith of those hearts that have dreamed,
of those lips that rave retailed their
faith--ft does not follow of necessity
chat we must give up the spiritual idea
tonnected with the para BILE OF the Prodi-
gal Son because no sue event may have
been historically true.
Ii does not at all follow that we must
give up the spiritual truth in the parable
OF the Good Samaritan because no man
went. down to Jericho In precisely that
way, and fell among thieves In precisely
that way, and was passed by on the other
side by one and another, and then helped
by this Good Samaritan. But-and here
is the point that / wish 10 bring before
you as clearly as possible, and emphas lZe
so that 1t shall print itself on your. very
hearts and lives--what is the significance
of IL sli? When men tell themselves these
beautiful tales, parallels, allegories, leg
ends, 1t may not be, as. have said, that
the outer shell and husk of the story is
true, but IL must mean that men have be-
lieved and continue to believe the spirit
ual and essential truth which they have
clothed in such variety OF forms. To
my mind. then, because find this Easter
story and this Easter belief in China,
Mexico, Greece, Egypt and India, while
IL discredits the literal accuracy of the
story that comes to me from Judea, il
does not impeach my faith, does not take
away the reality Of my belief, but is only
the universal and age long witness TO this
grand fact that the human race, in all
ages, under all conditions, ana under all
varieties of ignorance or learning, i'm oil
degrees OF culture, has given perpetual
expression to the reality Of this great
Easter faith and hope. The world believes
that which Easter means, however many
OF the different Easter stories you may
impeach and discredit.
For the hope which lies at the very
heart OF Easter Is that without which all
human life IL worthless, Is the main
spring under the impulse Of which all
the grand activities Of the world go on.
No man in any department OF thought
or life, whether he te artist or student
or merchant or discoverer or general-no