The times., 1897-04-19
Songs and Glad Rejoicings Of a
Paragon Easter Day.
SERMONS In THE CHURCHES
Natures Symbols of the Glorious
Resurrection-Triu TriumphaI Carols,
Te Deunis, and Anthems-Bro road
Avenues Thronged With Easter
DeyUteeS.

the day the Lord made. WaShingtonians
had Yesterday the amplcst evidence of the
beauty and glory of the skill of the
Divine Architect.
1t was not spring day; 1t was not q
winter day; its cold was not the cold OF
winter; nor its sunshine the light OF the
usual spring Most people have read Of
the wonderful weather of the gardens OF
the Western maidcns, and others have
tried to fancy the temperature of the
land of the Lotus-eaters, where it was al
ways afternoon. Either of these or both
was the kind of weather that marked this
particular Easter Sunday.
The history OF Easter Sunday is so full
Of pretty traditions that it is always an
interesting theme. The latter day tradi-
tons are among the beautiful ones They
rustic with silk and are gay with flowers.
The current story is one that ought to hc
written on satin with velvety touch and a
diamond point. This particular Sunday
was written In the light green of the elias,
the glistening white of the dOgwood and
the peachblow of the Agricultural Depart
ment gardens.
A glance up any Of the beautiful avenues
revealed the modern secret and glory
of the festival. Dame Nature was 10
longer Dame Nature She was a maiden
again, a maiden arrayed in her Easter
bonnet and dress. There was your elm
all in green, and that was a fashion of
the day, there was your glorious mass Of
yellow Forsythia and that was a fashion
OF the day, there was your maple III purple
buds, and that was a fashion OF the day,
there was your peach in pink blooms, that,
also, was a fashion of the day, as IL WAS
of the garden of Eden, and there was yonr
little park, your paTquct, if you please, and
that was the fashion in chief OF the CAY
This 1T tie park was. your Easter bonnet,
was it not? You were the Caryatid at
least Of the Easter season, for you carried
ON your head hollyhOcks, and pinks, and
carnations, and tulips, and jonquIls, if
were blonde The mysteries OF the day
were typified in your satin bows, and
royal ribhons, and hide and seek laces,
and the other elusive things that rise and
fall with your own breath as that of
lovely spring Gay comes and goes.
All this aud great deal more 5 the
Faster girl of the nineteenth century, the
type of the seasol. She is no mere parable,
nor an alIeEory, nor a paradox Nor is
she distraction like the warm summer
girl, hecause the Easter gir! is deyout, and
that is the suggestion OF another chapter.
Plato said that man was a bundle Of
habits. aud it is now generally known
that woman is a bundle of some kind or
other and that she takes the whole bundle
to church every Easter morning Any
body who was on the streets yesterday
from 10 TO II a. III. would have seen
all the rest of the Washington world
there admiring the bizarre, bewIlderiug
multitude of Easter devotres. Church bells
weTc rim ging, the sunshine shmmeTed
Inaryclously bright. there was just enough
breeze to blow softly through the Iosrs
and laceS OF those impossible bonnets, or
rustic the ribbons of the grandc danes, or
give one Whit OF the perfume of the
dainty little or big Easter girls as they
tripDcd along to the bedecked shrines OF
Washing gtons splendid temples. There was
scarcely a church in Washington which had
not in its sanctuary some floral offering III
honor of the greatest of all miracles
Some OF the altars described elsewhere
were wonderfully suggestive OF the festal
significance of the day. In the Catholic
churches on Easter one expects to see not
always a lavish decoration, but at all
times, at and around the altar an eX-
quiste scene: not the richest and rarest
flowers only but these shedding the beauty
ana eXhallng their fragrance IN tie mySuc
light of hundreds of glittering candles,
almost obScured now ana again by tire
coads of incense. In the Episcopal and
the Lutheran churches, both retaining
many of the beautiful customs of the
parent church, affairs are made beautiful
with flowers and other loving tributes to
the risen Redeemer.
But III al churches there appears to BE,
as the years go, by some relaxation or the
the rule of simple severity, so that no.
where can one enter a church on Easter
Sunday in these days and not know that
Christians are the CelebrantS OF great
Joy.
There was one feature Of the day that
was common to all of the churches-the
music. 1t was all triumphal, all Te
Deuln. In many of the churches of diff
ferent denominations selections were made
from the same composers There is no
hetcrodcxy when it comes to music, moth
ing polemical in sacred music. The ser
munion II the Catholic churches the
music accompanying a mass is always
solemn, but the chair and orchestra are
REINFORCED; "the flowers of the COM
positions OF the masters are selected, as
from Gounod, yonLa che, Hayden, Mario,
Mozart, Beethoven, Millard, names which,
with Dudley, Steven, Farmer, Berthoid,
Tours, King, Hall, are found as the coin-
posers of many Of the most Beautiful
anthems, professional hymns, carols, etc,
Of other churches Wiegand appears in the
Catholic as well as in the Ba ptist church.
Millard and Haydn in the Catholic, Epis-
copal and Lutheran, and Topiady In them
all. The iightest and most joyous of the
music is usually sung at the Yesper ser
vices in all the churches The spirit OF
the days music Is in contrast with the
solemn chants of the proceeding Sun
day, which is commonly observed us
one of meditation, prayer and preparation
for the communion OF Easter.
Such a day was Of course an invitation
to be abroad, not only for church but for
the outing There was great ontpouilDg
ON the streets from 1 p m. to abont z
p. M, with missal and hymnal and prayer
book to teI where these thousands had been.
In the afternoon there was an increased
multitude on the streets until sundown