Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1897-04-22
EASTER MESSAGE TO WOMEN
Sent by Bah From Her Former
Home In the Southland.
DAY OF NATURES REAWAKENlNG
Inspiration Offered by Easter
Buds and Blossoms.
Resurrection Day and It's Sweet Incense of
Flowers Sentiment Makes Life Worth
Living-sunrise IN the soul-Biessed Love
Was tho First TO Dream OF Immortality.


Special Ccqrespondenceof Gazette and Journal
Baltimore, Nd, April 16.-Just a
branch Of lilies-the lilies of Mary
tied on the long slender stem with
pale green ribbon, on which the word
Easter" Is painted 10 letters of gold.
just an Easter greeting from that far
off South which still call my home.
II was great woman who long ago
said that places meant much to women,
and to women who remember there Is
much in thinking of the place where,
II you no longer have friend, your
dead sleep. But my Easter lily brought
with it, as it should, not alone
memory of the past, but the hope for
the future. Beside the great white
flower were two unopened buds; while
the tender green of the restless riband
told its story of hope as that pale green
tint always whispers, of something, of
some great fruit to ripan in the future.
All the Easter flowers are inspiring.
The faint yellow OF the primrose, the
pale blue of the forget me. not. the light
purple of the wood violet, the tender
pink of the hyacinth and the clear
white of the lilies of the valley in their
green frames. everyone of these flowers
sing in their coiors prediction of
beauty to come. There is not flower
of the spring that is INTENSE in its color.
The brilliant hues belong to the flowers
OF the summer day; but in the early
spring time. when the sun itself is only
faint gold, the. flowers that come to
you, or TO me, or to my neighbor, tell as
clearly as il they sang it: Hope on !!
Hope ever" And that always seems
to me the story, as well as the sermon
OF the Easter Day.
1t says to the other one who is griev-
ing for that other one who is not |;
'tWait and hope and the grave will give
up its dead, and those who loved on
earth will be united in heaven" And
to that other one. whose life seems a
failure. whose work has resulted only
in mistakes and who sees nothing but
drudgery ahead OF her. the message of
the Easter flower ought to be: Friend,
be of good cheer; for every sorrow tina.
you have suffered here on earth there
IL great JOY awaiting you hereafter
and the children Of your brain, which
men could not recognize because OF
their blindness. will become God q chill.
dren and be made perfect, and some day
all this dull, stupid world will marvel
at them.
You laugh at me-you who are a
mass OF realism, and who find nothing
particularly good in the world, and
nothing to be eagre to obtain in the
next. You laugh at me because you
think OF all the great troubles of tbs
world of all the trials and tribulations
especially those that come to women and
you understanding that all this is ar
old story to me-that can be what YOU
mi on al 1v Nfo1 hat
would life be without sentiment; OF
worse still, what would a woman b,
without sentiment? She would be /
hard hearted creature, sexless, ugly anl
detestable. 1t is only the sentiment
that makes life worth living for senii
ment makes US willing to have faith il
those things not seen by the eyes o
man. Sentiment makes us willing t
be charitable alike in deed and word
And sentiment best of all teaches u
to hope and hope and hope unto tn,
very end. Take hope out Of life ant
what would you have? Neither faitl
nor charity, for they would certainly g
with it. Take hope out of life aul
what would you be? The most miserabl
wretch in the world. How could 20,
endure the grief of to-day il you di
not hope for better things tomorrow
How could you love any human bein
ii you did not hope and believe that i
him whom you love the great virtue
would make as nothing the small faults
How could you love a woman VIII
lacked faiths / have heard OF men
great men they we're called-who denie
the truths that you and / accept, an
who longed to find for their companion
women whose brains should be lik
their own and who would agree wit
them in their lack of belief. OF courst
the world does not always hear Ii
result OF such marriages, but / do nj
believe that any man, no matter no
lacking in faith he may be himsel
can love, until death do item part,
woman without hops for the future.
Fl, What is love without hope? What
love worth, if it ~ to come TO an en-
whea our bodies go the way of d
flesh? Who would endure the sorrow
of love il this earth were to see II
last of it? 1t would not be worth viii
suffering, as We women do. for de;
loves sake, if au eternal good-by weI
to be said to love when the eyes close
in death. Once love has entered Il
heart, there must come faith. n
only faith in the loved one, but faj,
love that one which claimed that ii
woman loved was nothing but hul
with a petty. trifiing brain. adapt,
TO last for lifetime. III that were
that the woman you loved represente
she would not be worth giving
thought to. But being wise, you 10,
for something more than that in be
You seek for her soul. and it is the so
that makes the body worth anythin
And you cannot kill the soul. Expla
it? You can't with all your philosop
and neither can | with all my belief.
You laugh at the special holiday, a
yet you would show certain ill-natu
if the women and children who be
your name did not recognize the d.
make the house gay with flowers, a
have some pretty tribute suited to I
day, as gift for you from those W
love you. You call that womsn's wor
You think, in your bigness of body a
of brain that such trities are not wor
consideration. But wouldn't
household seem bare and cold and no,
less il Easter Day came aud there "
not even primrose to tell you that
who came to rave the world had aris
from the dead? Ut may be that this
not your belief, but, oh, my frier
il you have a belief, a belief I'll
teaches you that there is a hereaft
anG that to be happy in that heresf
you must be loving and kind and &c
while you are here, cling to that bell
whatever it may be, and observe
festivals and its holidays. As surely
you and know Ut the sorrows of Il
So, Lee, A