Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1897-04-27

dered in his work. He had taken down
kings and queens and conquerors, ana
those without fame In that cold pail
ace there were shelves OF skulls, anu
pillars of skulls, and affairs or SKULLS
and even the chalices at the table were
made of bleached skulls. To the sKele-
ton OF Abel had been added the skeleton
OF all the ages. and no one had disputed
his right until one good Friday, about
eighteen hundred and sixty-seVen
years ago, as near as l can calculate IL,
mighty stranger came to the door OF
that awful place, rolled back the door,
and went in, and selling the tyrant
threw him to the pavement and PIT
upon the tyrant's neck the heel OF trl-
umph.
Then the mighty stranger, exploring
all the CHASTITY furniture Of the place,
and walking through the labyrinths,
and opening the dark cellars OF mys-
terry, and tarrying under roof the
ribs of which were made OF human
bones-tarrying for two nights and
day, the nights very dark and the day
very dismal lie seized the two chief pill
lars of that awful palace and rocked
them until it began to fall, and then
laying mold Of the pouderous front gate
hoisted 1t from its hinges, and marched
forth crying, Il am the Resurrection"
That event we celebrate this Easter
morn, Handelian and Beethoven mira
cles OF sound added TO this floral deco
ration which has set the place abloom.
There are three or four things which
the world and tho church have not no.
ticed in regard to the resurrection OF
Christ. First, our Lord in the garden
er's attire. Mary Magdalen, grief
struck, stands by the rifed sarcophagus
of Christ, and turns around, hoping she
can find the track of the sacrilegious
resurrectionist VINO has despoiled the
grave, and she finds some one in work
ing apparel come forth as if to water
the flowers, or uproot the weeds from
the garden, or to set reclimbing the
fallen vine-some one in working ap-
parel, his garments perhaps having the
sign of the dust and dirt of the occupa-
~tion.
Mary Magdalen, on her face the rain
of a fresh shower of weeping, turns to
this workman, and charges him with
the desecration of the tomb, when 10.
the stranger responds, fiinging his
whole soul into one word which trem-
bles with all the sweetest rhythm OF
earth and heaven, saying, Nary In
that popularity OF accentuation all the
incognito fell off, and she found that
instead of talking with an humble gar
dener of Asia Minor, she was talking
with Him who owns all the hanging
gardens of heaven. Consultations the
clusters of forget-me-nots, the sun
flower the chief of all, the morning sky
and the midnight aurora, flaring ter
races of beauty, blazing like a summer
wall with coronation roses and giants
OF battle. Blessed and glorious mis-
take of Mary Magdalen. "She suppos-
ing him to be the gardener" What
does that mean? 1t means that we
have an everyday Christ for every day
work in everyday apparel. Not on
Sabbath morning in our most seemly
apparel are we more attractive to
Christ than we are in our everyday
work dress, managing our merchan-
disc, shifting our anvil, ploughing our
field, tending the flying shuttles, mend
ing the garments for our household,
providing food for our families, or toll
ing with weary pen, or weary pencil,
or weary chisel. A working-day Christ
i'll working-day apparel for us in our
everyday toll. Put it into the highest
strain of this Easter anthem, "Suppos-
ing him to be the gardener"
If Christ had appeared at daybreak
with crown upon his head, that would
have seemed to suggest especial SYM
patty for monarchs; if Christ had ap-
peared in chain of gold and with robe
bediamonded, that would have seemed
to be especial sympathy for the af-
fluent; if Christ had appeared with SOL
diers sash and sword dangling at his !
side, that would have seemed to imply |
especial sympathy for warriors; but |
when find Christ in gardeners habit, |
then | spell it out that he has hearty
and pathetic understanding with every
day work, and everyday anxiety, and |
everyday fatigue.
Roll it down in comfort all through |
these aisles. A working-day Christ in |
working-day apparel. Tell it in the
darkest corridor OF the mountain to the |
poor miner. Tell It to the factory maid |
in most unventilated establishment at
Lowell or Lancaster. Tell it to the
clearer of toughest new ground in the
western wilderness. Tell it to the sew
ing woman, a stitch in the side for
every stitch in the garment, some of
their cruel employers having no right
to think that they will get through the
door of heaven any more than they
could through the eye OF a broken
needle which has just dropped on the
bare floor from the pricked and bleed
ing fingers OF the consumptive sewing
girl. Away with your talk about by
postatic union, and soteriology of the
Council of Trent, and the metaphysics
Of religion which would freeze practi- +;
al Christianity out OF the world; but
pass along the gardeners coat to all
lations that they may touch the hem (