The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1908-04-19

freed IN the hearts IN that cnuFc1 -
carried out TO those who could not coma
within IS portals. for IL Is Love that 70
not held behind walls or n mstes and
bounds.
That night tho town rsttres early,
for II knows what Is ahead OF II One
may sleep till I o'clock. nayee. but
not later, for not long after mtdnight
with the very earliest hours OF Easter.
every band OF which the town boasts
takes TO tho streets Then bursting
through the darkness. IN triumph. IN
spIendor. in the might OF trumpet ana
horn. comes the hymn. Hail. al hail.
victorious Lord and SAVIOR ana
thenceforward through the night the
-jubIztion. the rejoicing. goes on In al
the well known hymns OF EasteTtidA
oNG before dawn strange pro-
cession begins. Into the streets Of
1.-The ancient town. silent ana desert
ed town. silent and deserted every
night in the year but this. pour ma
people. hurrying, silen- shadows In Che
darkness One almost hcpss-ezd
would not ind II unnatural OF even
startifnE-that II one would bus stop
enc OF these ghostly shapes one might
discern. however diuIy. the features
Of some friend or kinsman who has
crossed the bounds OF the hesh-ons OF
those.
given that afternoon and whose pres
encs had been felt ar surely. a. dearly,
as ever strong hardclasD had made is
felt IN life
Where streets cross thFonss meet
and swell till. when the avenue lead
ing 20 the church IS reached. a solid
mass OF quietly moving people fills II
That IS one OF the wonders OF the
thing. the silence OF the people these
two days In spite Of the fact that
there is nothing awesOuls to Cypress
them. an utter reverence holds themS
though there Is no mystery save love,
ret do they worship. and because that
elemental love that should be about
Us as the air we breathe IS freed for
awhile IN each locked up breast and
wells up from its secret depths, be-
cause for once heart speaks TO heart
without tia medium OF language. the
tongue Is numbed and refuses utter
ance-
There IS a large space before the
little church where streets meet. and
this IS packed. but without pushing
or showing These thousands walt IN
ths darkness for what VIII happen be-
fore the dirnly seen little church that
is the center. the pulse beat OF this
tTansplanted Moravia-
Then, as the first radIance CLOVIS from
under the slowly lifted lids OF dawn.
the breeze with q quick sigh shs
turns from her slumber. the door OF
the church opens and on the Threshold
appears the bishop A squire seen
grayly in the luminous gray he stands.
and quietly, but heard to the bitterness
edges OF the vast throng. he proelairss
what for 1900 years has bssn thu
worlds hope
The Lord Is riseni"
And back from every tongue. from
every heart. from every soul. comes the
response:
'Ths Lord Is risen indeedg"
Than with a sound OF rushing victory
comes Dealing out the hymn. Hail, al
hail. victorious Lord and Sevfori''
IN scarce light enough 10 guess thu
printed words the Moravian Easter
morning Htany is than begun When
amen" is said 10 the creed there IS a
pause and the two bands which have
been waiting at the church door sepa-
rate One band. turning on thu road
% the cemetery. plays the hrst verse
OF a hymn, and the other. waiting be-
hind. replies with the second verse
Then IN the wake OF the first band the
people begin 10 fall IN till a vast pro-
csssion Is formed. the two bands. play
Ing antiphonally. growing farther and
farther apart Till the second one.
bringing up the rear. can scarcely hear
in the distance the notes OF the leaders
II HE road 10 the cemetery IS a broad
avenue shaded by huge elms. Along
the way are gates leading into the
great quiet garden OF the dead. but
only the middle one Is open. and the
procession keeps on till this is reached.
entering under an arch on which ara
the words Blessed are the dead which
Gle IN the Lord"
Entering. in one wide sweep OF
beauty is shown a cemetery unique.
rare in = simplicity as overpowering
az that OF the love feast OF the day
before. simplicity so vital that II be-
comes an emblem OF the spiritual law
OF the equality OF souls IN Gods own
sight. For before one. on a vast
stretch OF ground. now level. now Dip
ping gently. Is cemetery whsrs
every grave, OF rich or poor. high or
humble. saint or sinner. is exactly like
every other grave There Is as little
difference as in Gods love for each:
there u as little difference as IN Gods
tudgmsnt OF each The great place "a
divided four square by avenues. and
each part Is subdivfded into smaller
parts by footpaths. all sxact and all
alike. And in each OF these smaller
squares. as good soldiers. lie the dead.
over each resting head . stone table,
fat IN the turf. with the simple short
record carved upon It. On one side
are ths women. On the ether the men,
all waiting IN quiet equality the final
day.
But lest this lsvslinx Of ths dsad
should seem austere on this their day
OF reunion with the living. thers have
been brought By remembering hands
thousands upon thousands OF flowers 20
the cemetery till IL i Ike a place
where tides OF grass break into foam
OF flowers. in the wonder OF its love-
illness All the blossoms OF tbs early
sunny south are there. delicate. rain
Bow tinted. till II seems as Il the I'm
gers OF dawn. nov passing marvelously
above the trees, were scattering them
there.
Where the two avenues cross thu
bishop takes his stand. and about him.
In hollow square. gather the people
and Just as the sun sends his nrsi
the shafts down the great avenues OF CO.
S. dars the litany is taken I'D where Il
was left or at the church Then from
-. those thousands OF throatf comes ths
80 hymn that expresses more than any