The Nashville globe. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1906-193?, 1907-03-22
EASTER.

by Phil H.. Brown, editor OF the
Morning News, Hopkinsville, Ky.
Written for The Globe:
The mystery of mysteries Is life.
Earth, air and sea TEEN with its my
Rad forms; the year Inc and the
worlds green mantle grows sere and
dead; individuals and generations of
men and animals pass and are gone,
but out from its great inexhaustible
reservoir the vital force continues to
flow, %recarpeting the desolate fields
and bringing into being new forms
and new individuals as fast as the old
ones die. What and whence is this
marvellous thing called life?
From the first men have asked this
question. and have given to it's eluci-
dation all of the ingenuity of discov-
cry and all the power of intellect they
could command. BY some it is be-
lieved to be a special creation, each
time it appears, by a direct fiat of the
Almighty, by some simple manifesto
ton, under fixed law, Of the great
energy that animates and controls the
universe; by some, though attempts
to demonstrate it have proven always
in vain, that it was, and still may be,
spontaneously generated from matter.
Others believe that its original germ
fell from the earth from some other
body. Back from one hiding place to
another, still more secret and remote,
1t has been hunted by eager p%ursuers,
but in vain. The most prying curl
osity, the most patient investigation,
are still bafled and eluded.
Flower in the crannied wall
| pluck you out of the crannies;
Hold you here root and all in my hand
Little f~1ower--but if l could under
stand
What you are root and all, and all in
all,
should know what God and man is"
Early in the history of men 1t was
perceived that whatever power 1t was
that caused life it was the greatest
power. the one to be propitiated, and
the phallic worship found in most an
cient races was a primitive attempt to-
draw near to the sources Of life by.
defying what seemed to be its creative
fundamentally.
Growing out Of the wonder OF the
annual renewal Of life in which men
long ago, in different races and climes.
began to see a symbol, and find a hope
Of renewed life for themselves. there
sprapg up in many countries the OBJ
servance of a spring festival, which
among us Christians is known as Eas-
ter.
According to the Century Diction-
ory the name is derived from Eastre
1r Ostara, the Anglo-SaXon Goddess
Of Spring, to whom the fourth month,
April. was dedicated. In the early
| church. the ecclesiastical chronicles
say. there was no observance of festi-
yals. but Easter was adopted and
changed, partly from a pagan festival
md partly from the Jewish Passover,
% suit the peculiarities of the Chris
ian faith and the belief in the resur-
.ection of Jesus. There was at first a.
litter controversy between the Chris
ians of Jewish and Gentle origin as
q the time when Easter should be
celebrated. With those of Jewish an
t~ecedents the day Of month was all
important, while all of the others laid
emphasis upon the day of the week
This led to confusion and %dissension
md the diversity was finally ended by
he decision of the Roman Church
that Easter should fall on Sunday; it
was not, however, till after a long
period that all discrepancies ceased.
The rule that now prevails is that
Easter day is the first Sunday after
the fourteenth day Of the calendar
moons. which happens on or next after
March 81. After 900 years a fresh diff.
ference as to time of the festival be.
tween Roman and English churches.
due to the fact that the latter refused
to adopt the Gregorian Calendar. In
1852, however, this was done, and
Easter is now celebrated the world
over on the same day, except in the
Greek Church, where the old style is
adhered to, making it nearly two
, weeks later.
Among many curious Easter oh.
T ~servances which have come down
from a remote past none is more gen;
eral than the use by children in their
: play on Easter Monday Of colored
eggs. 1t is Of very ancient origin