Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-04-03
HAS MANY MEANINGS
REAL SIGNIFICANCE OF CHRISTIANITY
is BROUGHT HOME TO MAN.

Faith Based Upon the Observance-o1dest
OF All Festivities.
The churchgoer knows the meaning
of Easter in way, because in every
land where the Christian faith obtains
the singers carol "Christ is Risen
Technically, it means the anniversary
commemorative of the resurrection
Really. it is an annual reminder to
mankind of all the term religion i'm.
plies, and of tile d ties that really de.
volve upon every person.
The resurrection is the oStenSible 70.
pic of the majority of sermons prea h,
ed on Easter Sund:y, but it il not only
that which is meant. The deep religi.
Gus significance of the occasion is illus.
tfated III the most attractive and
beautiful form in the churches. as a
lesson to the eye and through that to
the heart. Greatest of all. however,
are the joyful features of Caster, the
upspringing of hope and the miracle of
returning life. All these inspire a condi.
uon OF JOY and happines in the lives
OF young and old and the most insensi.
bic object becomes part of the carni.
val of joy. In a word, Easter is a con.
tinual pledge to mankind that life is
eternal.
II was NOT until the fifth or s;v+boon
turv thot Easter was tnnt as 81 To'1,i'.n1
Tha frst dav of each ,yoai, u,ae ,e't'a i.o,'t a.
boI,, hv mo ,noetIal ,l,,,,'I. N' ~
honor of Christs resurrection, and with
this weekly observance there came the
great annual commemoration. In
early days there was much diversity
as to the date of keeping the festival
Some persons observed it annually on
the same day of the yenr Others oh
served the fourteench dnv of rho f,.,t
moon in the new wear reparfIless NJ
what that day might be. Still otbers
celebrated the first Sunday after the
first full moon and these persons diff.
fnred widely as to exactly what Sun.
day that was.
Nothing was definitely settled in tbe
wavof universal agreement untiI the
question was taken up by the conncil
of Nice. That bodv settlad tho dotn nc
the first Sunday following the 14tb dov
of the calendar moon which h,nnouoJ
upou or next after the Dist of NJnrcb co
that if this 1Ith day he Sund,,,
Easter was not TO be on that doto h,,t
on the next following Sunday. Easter
therefore, may be any date within five
weeks, inclusive of March % and
April 2Jth. 1t cannot happen earlier or
later than these two days. In 1882
Easter occurred March 25th and again
on the same date in 1894.
misunderstanding the passover with
His disciples that ChrisIs Cruelty
ion took place, yet the Christian Easter
and the Jewish Passover seldom fou
on the same day The last time they
did so was in 1923. on the I'd Of Anrii
the 10Th of April. Easter is. therefore
called movable festival and on its
date depends the time of keeping Tant
being forty days before. and also tho
ascension. forty days aftar Eostor po.
sides this. Easter fixes the date of tbe
feast of Pentecost with the remaining
special sundays that go to make Ill
the church year.
German mythology pictures Ostara
as the goddess of Easter and makes
her 4 most attractive parsonage. This
goddess, says the mythologst, has
given her name to one OF the greatest
events in the Chris tian era. The name
is form of the modern German "Os-
ern," and of the English "Easter"
The early church found it wise TO
adapt to Christian purposes many in
Stllu anu GUS StOUlS OF Il pagan ma
ture, which had become established in
the affections of tie people. So the
observance which in heather times
honored the advent of Ostara, the god
dess of spring, survived, to a certain
extent, in the Chris tian celebration of
the resurrection.
Apart from the religious services,
those observances with which the
heathen people honored Ostara still
nnger IN thelf primitive form in many
parts OF Germany aud possibly of Eng
land. In New YORK ana other centers
OF Anglo-Saxon clVlllzatlon, they have
assumed a more complex character.
German mythology always said that
the German rustic feasting at Easter
time represents the ancient sacrifice
of the goddess. Sacrifice is also or.
dered by the urban American in these
days, in the form of fine raiment and
a bonnet.
Ostara is represented in mythology
cal art as a dazzling creature. clad
with simplicity but exceeding beauty.
She is surrounded by winged babies.