The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1904-03-31


and its history. Before Christ the
Athenians celebrated the resurrection
OF the earth from winters grasp, the
putting forth of new buds and bios
SONS, with pipes and peans of praise,
the city marching in procession to the
fower-crOwned hill of the Acropolis.
The word Easter is derived from the
Anglo-Saxon goddess OF spring, Eastre.
All ancient people greeted natures re-
newal with religious rites. Christ's
resurrection crowned the spring festi-
val with halo of sacred glory, of di-
vine promise to man. Early Christians
kept vigil till cockcrow and then the
stiffness of the night was rent by the
joyful reclamation: The Lord is risen.
From remOtest antiquity the egg
holder of the germ of life and type of
the universe-and the hare-type of
the moon, the light of the night-have
been symbols of life's renewal. To-
day the Parsees of India distribute
eggs at their spring festivals, as the
Chinese, the Egyptians, the Persians,
the Romans and the Greeks did thous-
ands of years ago. AS the years roll
on the egg and the hare seem to be
more and more the chief decorations
of English and American shop win
dows at Easter time. The white lily
was the Egyptian symbol of joy i'm
mortal, the Greek type of purity.
Nowhere are the pleasant home
features of Easter more observed
than in England and Holland. No
where do "hares lay more eggs" for
children to find. Easter. is a great
time for wedding bells in Merrie Eng
land, as the clergy of all denominations
exact no fee for performing the mar
riage service on Easter Monday. Ihave
heard my grandfather tell how he mar
ried 105 couples in the parish church
at Leeds on that day-marrying the
last twenty couples in unison as it was
nigh on IL o'clock.
In some parts of Europe the people
keep vigil on the hills until the rising
of the sun, which they say dances for
joy on Easter morn. In Silesla white
robed watchers on hill called Calneey
appear in the dawn like spirits rising
from the grave, and in the valley the
people looking up at them cry, "Easter." !"
In Hungary the youths sprinkle the
maidens with rOsewater and receive
eggs in return. In the villages of Eng
land there are many quaint Easter
customs, one of which l could never
ascertain the origin. Young men
carrying chair go about in parties Of
three and every woman they meet has
to sit down. They lift her three times
saying, "The Lord has risen."
In Rome Easter is celebrated with
such magni6cence of ritual, music and
decoration as can be found nowhere
else. The Easter service at St. Peters is
something never to be forgotten by one
who has witnessed it. The gorgeous
robes OF the Pope and the cardinals,
the solemn service, the angelic music,
the devout worshippers, the cathedral
itself-that poem in stone-all inspire
one with such reverence and awe that
it is never forgotten. The city of
Rome at Easter is filed with visitors
from all parts of the world.
Paris is at its best at Easter. Then
the gay and beautiful city is like a
great flower and fashion show. Every
body, from the countess to the washer
woman, wears a sprig of green. The
windows are gay with bits of bloom.
"Christ is risen! He is risen of a
TRUTH Bearded Russians exchanging
this salutation on Easter morn kiss
each other. In Russia Easter begins
at midnight. In the cathedrals and
churches the worshippers kneel in
darkness on the cold stones until the
priests proclaim and the choirs chant,
"Christ is risen." Immediately the
whole edifice is blaze of light, and
the multitude with sob of joy re-
spond, "He is risen of a truth" Neigh
bors call on each other exchanging
eggs, and at each house refreshments
are served. The czar and czarina pre-
sent the court with costly eggs made
of pearl, gold or silver inIaid with
Jewels. Artificial egg making is q
great industry in Russia.