The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-04-11
CASTERS JOYOUS FESTIVAL.
CONTINUED from Eighth PageJ
lcal programme was rendered by the choir,
under the direction Of Miss OByrne.
INDEPENDENT pREsBYTERIANs.
Rev. DIR. Fairs Sermon on ''The Eas-
ter Dawn"

ter Dawn"
The Easter services at the Independent
Presbyterian Church were of unusual in
terest, particularly on account of the first
appearance in the pulpit of Rev. DR.
James Y. Fair the pastor, after his recent
illness of several weeks, from which he
is just now recovering.
There were many attractive and interest
ing features about the service. The pulpit
was deliberately decorated with Easter
lilies and plants of various kinds, and the
music was excellent Another feature was
the appearance in the church of an old
font, presented years ago in memory of
Mr.. George Cumming. This old font was
badly damaged during the fire which de-
stroyed the church, but has been restored
and now stands to the right of the high
pulpit. With the older members the sight
of this font brought up many memories
Of the past, and not few eyes were
filed with tears as they looked upon il
and recalled its history
special feature was made of the music
The anthems and hymns were most appro-
PIRATE to the day and well rendered by the
choir. Rev. DR.. Fair preached on the
subject. The Easter Dawn" His text
was from Matthew xviii, /, part of the
verse: I'm the end of the Sabbath as il
began to dawn toward the first day of the
week"
That was the most glorious dawn in the
history of the world DR.. Fair said not I'm
appearance but in meaning. 1t ushered in
a new light and new life to humanity.
As the first of three propositions in that
connection he said dawn implied a previous
night, it is the struggle of light with the
darkness and the triumph of light over
darkness. So the text implies. The gloom
of night had been resting upon the world
True it's darkness had been illumined by
the full splendor of the pascal moon, but
as its rays fell upon the cross. it could
not interpret the meaning of the blood
stains there; it could only guild and beau
tify the tomb of the sleeping Christ. Prior
TO the resurrection of Christ moral gloom
rested on the world. That gloom was H.
. lumined by the full orb of splendor of rea-
son, but reason could not interpret the
mystery of death, art could rear splendid
monuments, but 1t could not take away the
horror of the grave.
The second lesson was that of the Eas-
ter dawn. 1t brought light. As the disci-
pies looked into the empty sepulcher ia the
light of the first Easter they saw the grave
clothes folded up and laid aside. Where
they expected to see death they saw ra-
diant immortality. Where they expected
silence tney nearu the chants of triumph:
Christ had conquered death. The grave
now is no longer the end of life, but the
beginning. II is not the home of death. but
the birthplace of Immortality, the robing
place of Heaven where the shroud woven
by human affection and believed with
tears, is laid aside and the soul robes itself
with Immortality.
The last lesson was that the dawn Is
only transitional. God does not intend
that the world shall dwell in the dawn
alone. II Is only the connecting link be-
tween darkness and light. 1t is the golden
bridge Gods fingers have woven between
night and day. So the Christian life is
merely transitional, the connecting link
between heaven and earth. Sweet and
holy as are the pleasures Easter brings 20
us now they are merely the pledges of
better things when in the Heavenly para
disc we will stand face to face with the
risen Christ, when the little earthly dawn
Will merge into the perfect cloudless tay
of heaven.
There was no service at the church last
night. As DIR. Fair has been quite i'll re.
Gently he was hardly able to undertake
1t. He has been at the Savannah Hos
pital during his sickness, and said yester-
day he could not speak too highly of that
institution and the kind and skilfuI treat
ment received there. He regards il as a
most healthful and attractive place. and
one under an able management It is a
most important institution, he says. and
one that Savannah is fortunate in having