The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-04-16

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of civilization now in exercise as will
be the Easter of this year of grace 1900.
At ali points barbarism is making way
for civilization. The Easter sky is be-
coming radiant with the crimson and
gold of a brighter day. This year
Easter bells ring out Liberty's "Te
Deum'' with a gladness and glory IN
known hitherto in the history of the
| human race and at the same time these
bells are uttering a prophecy of a still
gladder Easter whose coming will be
in the near future.
Origin of the Word.
The word Easter is of heather origin.
It is to be regretted that the word
which commentaries the most blessed
| fact in Christian faith should come
from pagan sources; but we must take
it as it is found, and fill it with nobler.
higher and diviner meanings. The
names of the days of the week and the
months of the year are also heather
in origin and in their earlier associa-
tons; but we must accept them, as we
can not unwrite history and unmake
| language.
! Easter is the Saxon oster. osten,
meaning rising. The German is ostern,
| the Hebrew Greek form is paseha, the
French paQues, the Scotch pasch, the
Dutch paSchen, the Swedish pask and
the Danish paaske.
The Apostle Paul calls Christ "Our
Pasch." No doubt the old Teutonic
name was connected with the festival
of the goddess Ostara, in Anglo-Saxon
Eastre, and so was connected with our
word east. This goddess Gems to have
been the personiication of the morning
or of the east, and also of the begin
of &c u,a1I b. t,ox
the Ang1o-Saxon name of April was
Estormonath; and in Germany. this
month is still known as Ostermonath.
From Northern Germany in the early
day the worship of Ostara was brought
to our ancestors in Great Britain.
Many of the popular observances of
Easter, even to this day, clearly indi-
cate its heather origin. The heather
bonf1res were perpetuated in the pas
chal tapers with which the churches
We're once lighted on Easter Eve. The
brilliant illuminations of the churches,
and parts of some Of the cities, in Rus
STA at this season. are also reminders
of those early heather festivals
The ''pasch eggs" when stained and
knocked together carry US back to that
heather atmosphere out of which so
many Christmas and Easter customs
have come, In Scotland it has long
been the custom to search for the eggs
of wild fowls on Easter morning FOR
breakfast: and their discovery is sup
posed to be an omen of good fortune.
Heather Festivals.
We know that the early Christians
adopted and strove to transform heath
en- festivals which were so deeply seat
ed in popular customs as to make their
neglect impossible on the part of the
heather. This was worldly-wise poll
icy; perhaps, also, it had a deep religi-
Gus significance. The Christmas fes-
tiYal was the transformation of some
| what kindred heather festivals such as
the Saturnalia. Juvenalia and Bruma-
| liza.
These were observed in Rome in the
month of December. They were held
in honor of the unconquered sun and in
commemoration of the golden age of
freedom and equality. They were days
of great joy for slaves and children.
1t was natural that the early Chris
tians should strive to give these popu-
lar festivals a higher significance; they
could not be rooted out but they might
be transformed. In many parts Of the
country today we are acting a similar
part toward the holidays of the Chin
csc. 1t was natural that the heather
the winter solstice begins 10 run new
career, should suggest the birth fes-
tival of Christ, the sun of righteous
ness and the light of the world.
But there is deeper truth in these
correspondence In these pagan festi-
walls, notwithstanding their acknowl-
edged sensual abuses there was a. pro-
found religious significance and a lofty
spiritual possibility; they have been
well called Unconscious prophecies" of
! the true and divine Christmas feast.
No doubt the heather origin of the
Christmas festival accounts for the
giving of presents to children and to
the poor, for the lighting of wax tapers
and Tor the general use of Christmas
trees. In like manner, heather Gus
toms color our observance of the
Easter festival. JOY at the rising of
the natural sun, and at the awakening
of nature from the sleep and apparent
death of winter. was an illustration of
the higher and diviner joy over the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Sun
of Righteousness from death and the
grave Here again natural things were
the significant prophecy of heavenly
things.
Religious Significance.
The resurrection of Christ is the
browning miracle of Christianity. To
this miracle its first preachers made
constant and confident appeal. If this
! greatest event could be proved, all
other miracles were at least credible
! No greater miracle than this can be
imagined; if the greater be established,
the lesser may be believed. Our Lord
foretold his resurrection; that resur-
! rection, therefore, was the f1lfillment
| OF prophecy as we'll as the perform
ance of a stupendous miracle. To be a
witness of the resurrection was a chief
| function of the apostolic office In his
great discourse on the day of Pente-
cost it was TO this event that the
| Apostle Paul made chief reference
Not otherwise was it with the Apostle
Paul when he addressed the men of
Athens; in that matchless discourse
! this peerless apostle declared that
God hath appointed a day in which
he will judge the world by that man
whom he hath ordained: whereof he
hath raised him from the dead" In
writing to the Corinthians he clearly
| affirms that if Christ be not risen our
faith is vain.
The resurrection of Christ alone ac-
counts for the existence of the church,
| The church was and is; that fact. nc
amount or degree of infideIitv can
deny. But if we deny the resurrection
of the founder of the church we can not
account for the existence of the church
The resurrection of the Christ is the
keystone in the arch of the Christian
system. Changing the figure we may
say that the cornerstone of the church
is laid in the empty grave of the risen
Christ. i has been said, with equal
spiritual significance and rhetorical
beauty, that the resurrection is Gods
amen and the hallelujah of humanity
over the completed salvation prepared
and offered by Jesus Christ.
The real battle between light and
| darkness. between heaven and hades
was fought in Joseph's tomb. The res
direction is the pivotal fact in human