The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-15

/ in the history of Christianity There have
been other religions with their founders.
! such as CONTIGUOUS. Zoroaster. Brahma
and Mohammed; but thera is no evidence
that any of them rose from the dead.
! The resurrection cf Christ is the unique
tact in Christianity; it is the fact which
widely and eternally differentiates 1t from
al other re igions. Writers on the life of
Christ have often called attention to the
fact that the resurrection involved the
whole earthly ] f. Of The Lord. This is
a fair implication for if he rose from
the dead he must have died. if he died he
must have lived; if he lived he must have
been born Thus the empty tomb proves
the occupied cradle; thus the resurrec-
ton implies the incarnation
1 1t would be difficult to name any facts
I OF history more easy Of certiication than
the birth, life, death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ. AS wen might a man deny
the birth. life and death of julius Caesar
or Napoleon Bonaparte as deny the birth
/ life, death and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. His resurrection has changed the
art, the music, The poetry and the relig-
ion Of the civilized world; it has changed
all our thoughts alike of time and eter-
nifty.
The Present Easter.
Many Of the lessons of Easter belong
to all countries and centuries; but each
era and year may learn lessons peculiar
to itself. Nothing is more certain than
that we are entering upon one of the
1eatest eras in human history. Prob
I lens of the profoundest meaning are wait
ing for their true solution; questions Of
widest reach are demanding immediate
answers Was the recent peace conference
at The Hague entirely in Yain2 The two
great branches of the Auglo-SaXon race
are now engaged i'm deadly warfare Is
the time when all international difficulties
are to be settled by International arbitra-
ton indefinitely postponed? Does this
Easter find the Prince of Peace less glo-
riousiy dominant in that character among
the nations than he was a decade or a
millennium ago? Let US not be too hasty
90 answer these questions with an affirm
alive. Gods time Is often a long time;
to God year is as a thousand years, and
they sometimes are as a day. There are
no clocks In eternity. Hourgla sses DO not
stand on the throne of God. We are
hasty impatient, impetuous and some
times petulent. God moves in majestic
circles; he takes a step and centuries pass:
he speaks and empires rise and fan. end
nations wax strong and then grow weak
God is king. The pierced hand of the
risen and omniiic Christ is on the helm of
the universe.
The time is coming when nations will
not think of settling their disputes by
war any more than educated men would
now think of settling personal difficulties
by personal encounters. The trend Of
the best thought of the hour is in this
direction The spirit of aitruism is in the
air. This term was first employed by
the POsitivists or followers of the French
philosopher Comte. il is a good word
1t signifies devotion to others and thus
stands sharply opposed to selfishness. It
is If one may so say, "otherism." We are
following apostolic teaching and example
and ca lear fF,rr 70 - -i.,,
our own things, but also on the things of
others. This is a difficult accomplish
ment; It is an attainment involving many
of the noblest elements of character. To
many persons their "oWn things are vir-
tualiy the whole world of things.
When our Lord said, HE that findeth
his life shall lose it; and he that loseth
his life for my sake shall find it," He
formulated one of the greatest laws
ever promulgated among men. This
statement IS not true simply because
Christ uttered it; but he uttered it be-
cause it is eternally true. 1t is a law uni
versal as gravitation; it is law eternal
as God. All noble lives find their true
inspiration in their obedience to this law.
The law of self-saerifce dominates all
worthy life. Our Lords words here strike
n all forms of selhshness. The man who
loses his outward. secular selfish life finds
the inward. spiritual, eternal life. Sci
fshness is death; self -abnegation is life
and peace. Jesus Christ is now the
worlds prophet priest and king, because
| once he died as the worlds sacrifice
Here is the divine altruism.
This thought is found in many of the
great fraternal organizations of the hour
! Even though outside of the church, many
Of these bodies of workingmen are illus
trating some of the noblest principles al
| true religion. What Is true religion? II
! ie the life of God in the soul of man
! How was that life most fully illustrated
! In the life. death and resurrection Of
! Jesus Christ All these great truths East
er beautifully represents.
/ Humanism.
Closely allied to altrusm is humanism
| Once humanism meant simply poIit,
| learning; and a humanist was a mar
versed in the humanites, in classical
! learning and polite literature generally
We have now broadened our definition: {
humanist now is a man versed in tn,
! study of human nature, a man possessinf
| a disposition belonging to man as such
a man who labors to humanize and e
| divinize his fellow men, The changed
| meanings of words of this class indcat,
the progress of the race toward a noble
manhood. For oil this progress Easte
to-day stands. Long ago, when thes'
words of Terence, II am a man, and
! deem nothing common to man foreign q
me-" were spoken In Roman theater
they evoked thunders of applause. They
evoke heartier enthusiasm to-day Easte
| has given them a deeper meaning. Al
| men are now our brothers. We toucl
not only elbows, but hearts around Tn,
| globe. Railways. ships telegraphs anC
| telephones have made the world a wills
| pering gallery. and we are filing Il will
noble thought, and diviner inspiration
| than ever before. If there be too mucl
| evil stil remaining 10 allow us to in
| dulge in unlimited optimism, there is n
the same time too much of good to permi
us to sigh in hopeless pessimism. w
| can at least cherish a cheerful meliorism
believing in the constant betterment o
the world in all that relates to the hes
interests of the human race. The diapason
thas is the pervasiVe, dominant, unitive
concordant note, to-day in the oratorio o
humanity Is brotherhood. This is the pc
culiar thought OF The hour. Sometime
II breaks out in unrestrained forms O
socialistic theories. but the Thought
present. the thought which challenge
the attention and reioices the heart O