The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-05-26
THE HISTORY
OF THE CROSS
Was Held q Sacred Symbol Long BeiOr,
the cruciiixion.
REvERED BY THE ABORl0lNES
OF America as We'll as by the Most
Ancient Peplc of the Old World.
The instrument of IgnOminiOus
Death.

No ~ Hipoi, either III ART Ut III TeiiSioii'
Is SO universal as the cross. 1t appears
twice in our alphabet. as the letter I
ana the letter X. 1t is worn by priests
ON their sscrfciai robes, by distin-
guisheu iaymen as sign OF dlstinctlon
female nonepti,;es as tnste NAV direct
1t is craven on eucharistic vessels, en-
broidered on altar cloths, and cut In re-
lief on tombs and monuments Some of
the greater churches and cathedrals of
Christendom are fashioned in it's shape.
In European countries 1t is common to
see large crosses erected in public
places. The famous Charing (chere
reine) Cross, In London. derives Its
name from the fact that II was one of
the places at which King Edward I.
Set up a cross to mark where the body
of his Queen Eleanor rested during the
progress Of the funeral cortege to West
minister.
Yet II is mistake to suppose that
the cross has only Christian history.
Ii was used as u religious symbol by
the aborigines Of North and South
America. as we'll as by the most ancient
nations Of the Old Wcrld. Prescott tells
US chat the SDaniards found the cross
| as an object OF worship in the temples
| of Mexico. Researches in Central
America and Peru prove that 1t wa;
used in the same way by the inhabit-
| ants of those countries DR.. Brinton, IN
Myths of the New World" informs us
that the Indians regard the cross as u
mystic emblem of the four cardinal
points OF the compass.
AMONG THE ANcIENTs
MI, -. ,,.a,,,e ,,S.,
As.,r;,n,, a,'d u,ah,,,,n'' ,',onad ,,nny
sssi,".' an" piaiiilne iooneu upo"
the Ctoss as d hoiy symooi. as ~ aouh-
uahtiy SHOWN by the numerous Nero
slyphics and other pictorial representa-
| tons on their monumental remains
Osiris by the cross gave light eternal
TO the spirits OF the just, beneath the
cross the Muysea mothers laid their
| baoes. trusting by that sign to secure
them from the power or evil spirits. ana
| win that SYMBOL TO protect them the
Etruscans' the ancient people OF North
ern ltaIy, calmly lald them down 70 Ole.
the Thau OF the jews ana the Tau or
the Greeks, whence came the I or the
Roman alphabet. were held to be not
merely letters. but sacred symbols, on
account or their being suggested by
cross. Among the Scandinavians Thorr
was the thunder, and the hammer was
his symbol. IT was with this hammer
that Thorr crushed the mead or the
great Mitgard serpent; that he destroy
ed the giants; that he restored to life
the dead goats. which ever after drew
his car; that ne consecrated the pyre
OF Baldur. This hammer was a cross.
In Iceland the cross of Ihorr IL still
used as q magical sign In connection
with storms OF wind ana rain. Long
fellow tells us how King Olaf kept
Christmas at Dorntheim:
Ger his drinking horn, the sign
He made Of the cross divine.
n, AZ ne urank ana muttereu MS prayers;
n. nat .st ts ne,seiHs s,Sn ~ nv esebsm,O,e % r,
over theirs. ' - ava
Neither King Olaf nor his Berserkers.
nor. indeed, Longfellow himself, seems
to have realized that the two symbols
were Identical
Comparative mythologists draw vari-
Gus deductions from these remarkable
Facts. Let us, however, appeal to q
man who Is not only comparative
mythologist. but Christian priest.
For my own part" says the Rev. Bar
ing Gould. II see no difficulty in believ-
Ing that the cross formed portion of
the primeval religion. traces OF which
exist over the whole world, among every
people; that trust In the cross was u
part OF the ancient faith which taught
men to believe In Trinity. In war In
heaven. paradise from which man fell
a Hood and Babel. faith which
was deeply impressed with conviction
that virgin should conceive and bear
a son. that the dragons head should be
bruised. and that through shedding Of
blood should come remission. The use
Of Il cross as symbol Of life and regen-
Grafton through water Is as widely
spread over the world as the belief in
the ark of Noah. Maybe the shadow Of
the cross was cast further back into
the night of ages. and fell on wider
range or country than we are aware OF"
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT.
?. ..,
~ was oniy nuturui that tne carry
@ anu ,,eu,aesa' % Ss.ans, ,,sa .auhs tne
cross sytnooi vi ne uniong the nations
oI antiqu,'y, snou.u iook curiousiy INTO
.ne oiu iestaineh, to see Whether tney
We're not ioresnadoWmgs IN II OF the
wooo wnetepy risnteousness cometn.
Nor was tnen seaIch uhsewarueu. III
isaac Ieavins lne wuou VI tne sacrince
tney sa" preIsurea Doth Snrlst anu the
cross. Ihey saw the cross IN Moses
with arms eNHahueu on the MOUNT. IN
tne pore Win tiahVeIse pars, upon
whIch was Wreatheu the prazen serpent,
IA tnc TWO SUCKS sathered oy the WIDOW
h Sa,ep'a; hut 'piainest OF an they
IS"u !. III EHehlei. M = o, 10 throuSn
tne iniost OF the city' throusn the MIDST
oi Jerusaiesi' anu set marx upon the
loreneaus Vi tne men mat are TO be
saved @ lro''i aestrue,lon py the SWORD.
me "vEu ie.e rehuereu marx Is IN
| .he ulsa,e sigHa lhau. Ihe Thau
was Was t'c olu HepreW character, SNAPPED
like cinss' Mhlcn was regarded as the
s'su oi NE, leic!tS ana saiety
iet 'ne croas was not always SYM
Dol OF hohor. among the Phoenlcians
ana "yIlahs, ana latsr among the Ro-
mans II was punishment inilicted on
slaves, r"operS' assassihs ana rebels
among whlch last Jesus was reckoned.
ON account or MS proclaimipg himself
khE or Messiah. The person sentenced
TO TINS punishment was stripped of his
clothes. except covering around the
!oinsln state OF nudity he was beaten
with whips Such was the severity of
| this flagellatiOn that numbers died Of ~