Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1902-04-04
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NiSSVuASS ny III. tAlIuaeS lEOlu tue
text Cor. XIV. 81, death is swallowed
up in victory"
About 1.S70 Easter mornings have
wakened the earth. In France for
three centuries the almanacs made the
year begin at Easter until Charles TX.
made the year begin at Jan. 1. In the
Tower Of London there is a royal pay
roll Of Edward I. on which there is an
entry of IS pence for 400 colored and
pictured eggs, with which the people
sported. In Russia slaves were fed
and aims were distributed on Easter.
Ecclesiastical councils met in PontuS,
In Gaul, In Rome, in Achaia, to decide
the particular day and after contro-
versy more animated than gracious de-
cided IL, and now through all ChriSten-
dom in some way the first Sunday aft
er the full moon which happens upon
or next after March 81 is filled with
Easter rejoicing.
The royal court Of the Sabbaths is
made up OF flfty-two. Fifty-one are
princes In the royal household, but
Easter Is queen. She wears richer
diadem, she sways a more jeweled
scepter, and in her smile nations are
irradiated. How welcome she is when,
after a harsh winter and late spring,
she seems to step out of the suowbank
rather than the conservatory, to come
out of the north instead OF the south,
out of the arctic rather than the trop-
les, dismounting from the icy equinox,
but welcome this queenly day, holding
high in her right hand the wrenched
of bolt of Christ's sepulcher and hold
ing high in her left hand the key to all
the cemeteries in Christendom.
My text is an ejaculation. II is spun
out Of halleluiahs. Paul wrote right on
in his argument about the resurrection
and observed all the laws Of logic, but
when he came to write the words OF
the text his fingers and his pen and the
parchment on which he wrote took fire,
and he cried out, death is swallowed
up In victoryr' 1t is an exciting thing
TO see an army routed and flying. They
run each other down. They scatter ev-
erything valuable in the track. Un-
wheeled artillery; hoof of horse on
breast OF wounded and dying man.
You have read of the French falling
back from Sedan, of Napoleon's track
OF $4,000 corpses in the snowbanks of
Russia, OF the retreat Of our armies
from Manassas or OF the Eve kings
tumbling over the rocks of Beth horan
with their armies while the hailstorms
OF heaven and the swords of Joshua's
host struck them with their fury.
The Charge OF the Black Giant.
In my text is q worse discontinue.
1t seems that black giant proposed to
conquer the earth. He gathered for his
host all the aches and pains and ma
larias and cancers and distempers and
epidemics OF the ages. He marched
them down, drilling them in the north
west wind and amid the slush Of tenn
pests. BE threw up barricades of grave
mound. He pitched tent of charnal
house. Some OF the troops marched
with slow tread commanded by con-
sumptions. some in double quick CON-
mnnded by pneumonias. Some he took
by long besiegement of evil habit and
some by one stroke OF the battleax of
casualty. With bony hand he pounded
ut the door of hospitals and sickrooms
and won all the victories I'm all the
great battlefields of all the five CONT
nents. Forward. march, ordered the
conqueror OF conquerors, and all the
generals and commanders in chief and
all presidents and kings and sultans
and czars dropped under the feet Of bis
war charger. But one Christmas night
his antagonist was born.
AS most or the plaques and sickness
es and despotisms come out of the east.
IL was appropriate that the new con-
queror should come out OF the same
quarter. Power is given him to awak-
en- all the fallen of all the centuries
and of all lands and marshal them
against the black giant. Fields have
already been won, but the last day OF
the worlds existence will see the de-
cisive battle. When Christ shall lead
forth his two brigades, the brigade OF
the risen dead and the brigade or the
celestial host. the black giant will fali
back, and the brigade from the riven
sepulchers will take him from beneath,
and the brigade of descending immor-
tails will take him from above, and
death shall be swallowed up in vie
tory.
The old braggart that threatened the
conquest and demolition OF the planet
has lost his throne, has lost his scep-
ter has lost his palace, has lost his
prestige, and the one word written over
all the gates of mausoleum and cata-
comb and metropolis, on cenotaph and
sarcophagus, on the lonely khan OF the
arctic explorer and on the catafalque
OF great cathedral. written in capitals
Of azalia and Gala lily. written in mu-
steal cadence. written in doxology OF
great assemblages, written on the
sculptured door of the family vault, is
Victory" Coronal word, embannered
word, apocalyptic word. chief word of
triumphal arch under which conquer.
ors return.
Hout of the King of TerrOrs.
Victory! Word shouted at Culloden
and Balaklava and Blenheim, at Me.
giddo and Solferino, at Marathon,
where the Athenians drove back the
Medes; at Poitiers. where Charles
Martel broke the ranks of the Sara.
Gems; at Salamis, where Themistocles
In the great sea fight COMPOUNDED the
Persians. and at the door of the east.
ern cavern OF chiseled rock. where
Christ came out through a recess and
fhrottled the king Of terrors and put
MIN back In the niche from which the
relestial Conqueror had just emerged.
Aha! When the jaws of the eastern
mausoleum took down the black giant.
rdeath was swallowed up in victory"
L proclaim the abolition Of death.
The old antagonist is driven back
into mythology with all the lore about
Stygian ferry and Charon with oar
and boat. Melrose abbey and Kenil-
worth castle are no more in ruins than
Is the sepulcher. We shall have no
more to do with death than we have
with the cioakroom at q governors or
a presidents levee. We stop at such
cloakroom and leave in charge of
servant our overcoat, our overshoes,
our outward apparel that we may
not be impeded in the brilliant round
or the drawing room. Well, my friends,
when we go out OF this world we are
going to a Kings banquet and to a re-