The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-06-30

.NtN ! .NlIEitlt-ifl Hi''.b i'. ai"t pD
served by. ST. Philip. 81 l'ctcr. 81
Paul a..G ST. John all of whom d;cG be
. fore 100 y. D.. consequently i: Is :. te>
;ival OF The first century - approved
and sanctioned by every church f..thei
10 the immediate apostolic succession:
Ignatius. Polycarp. lrcnaeu>, OrIgen
!Anicetus Victor. Eusebius. Socrates snC
ChrySoStom
Heterrin. 20 each OF The 1--WE points:
& am growing tired OF admitting g
that the word Easter" but not The
Festival itself IS OF papan origin: bEt
the Pascha. 10 which the name was ther
applied. is OF Christian birth, exactly
wha, The Encyclopaedia Britannica IL
! self states. With c":ty word o! which is
TO the origin OF tie word "Easte: We
| cordially agree Why the early Chris
t;anS snapped this IS Mr.. Bianch-
ards choice OF word PaScha for Easter
know not, Let me now ask Mr.. S!au-
chard wha, Induced The early Christians
TO swap" the original Biblical name
The Lords Day" or '.thc first day OF
! the week for 4 he:.then pagan word.
..Sundav. The two Festivals, Sunday
and Easter. stand or ia!! together with
respect not only 10 their command
from the Bible. buta!so in both bearIng g
pagan names. II the fact that the names
OF Festival is OF heati>en origin carries
with it the co-idea that the underlying =
FeS,iva! is 10 itself o! pagan birth. then
Sunday also will fall Eudcr Mr.. Siacch-
ards dire condemnation.
II would irst be Is rational 20 argue
that when Mr. B!ancnard,s congrega-
ton assemblies every Sunda: IN the Old
Court House Z: Manning that thsy are
met 70 worship the sun IN the heavens
as TO say (which he so toolishly persists
in repeatingl that modern Christians
meet on Easter Sunday 20 worship Las
tire. the Anglo-Saxon goddess. Again.
we frankly admit the truth OF the oo-
servationS in Chambers Encyclopaedia
| that many o! the rites connected With
Easter are OF pure, unadui,era;ed pig
an origin: but what have dyed eggs,
| boafres. the easter rabbit, music and
| bell--insing ell Of which pagan rites
are observed IN different parts OF the
world today 10 Go with the ''PaScha
in It's spiritual significance IS the f.as-
ter OF the Christian. There is absolute
! IL no evil IN any or all OF these pagan
customs: they are all symbolic and sug-
ces,ive: and reflect honor and credit on
! the Universal Church OF Christ il re-
tusins 70 allow the devil TO hsye all the
good things OF life. but retained them.
wisely and protitably, as the Easter
Monday and Easter Tuesday afterglow
OF innocen: Joy, the holiday conse-
quent and subsequent 10 the glorious
news of the ''holyday" message Christ
IS Risen" Christ is Risen. We have
not the slightest objection 70 Chambers
statement that the church Incorporated
some of these old innocent pagan rites,
performed and enjoyed after the church
Festival proper was over. Such blend
ing OF church and pagan rites IS. today,
observed al Harvest Festival when
after :: Thanksgiving Service IN church
farmers and their hired men dine and
laugh together. and He who graceG
Cara of Ga!ilee hv His presence a. the
Marriage Feast and supplied their lack
OF wine can reasonably be expected,
even today 70 honor even pagan ho!i-
dav following Immediately OF q Chris
tian holy-day with His Unseen Pres
ence.
To tes. Mr.. Blanchard. will he kindly
tell us what rite in the Easter services
he may have attended offended his
Christian sense OF property apd deco
rum! Can he name one pagan rite en-
bodied in the service itself, conducted
ia the church on Easter Day. II South
Carolina is to be guided by Mr. Blancn-
ars:, the children Of our Palmetto State
have mad their last egg hunt. Next
year. nor ever asaiO. since Mr.. Blanch-
ard has ISSUED his 'ultlmatum against
pagan rites, dare We organize or partic-
;pate in The pleasurab!e enjoyment Of
our chiidren's pagan egg hunts. Mr..
Blanchard speaks 50 d!sparaging!r OF
everything pagao. that surely t2 does
not know Tor has iorgo,:enl that the
pa.aus have given the world many OF
its cleverest scholars. poets, philosoph-
e-s and Granatis.S Ia our American
High Schools and Universities, the
books OF these pagan writers are wise
~, deliberately, chosen rs studies OF
the finest and Sublimesc literature. ST.
Paul himself in the very pages OF the
New TeStaD eEt quotes pagan authors.
IN the Engi:s.! Grammar tBeuhlerl
taught IN the graded schools OF South
Carolina there is diagram illustrating
the relative proportion OF the debt the
English language owes TO foreign words.
More than one half OF the figure Is COM
posed (oh. hor-id thought OF pagan
words. To repeat what have previous
" said, Mr.. BlancharG's objection is
simply 40 Interesting point IL ctyno.-
ogy, and has not the falatest bearing on
the question ~ issue Easter, then, is
not OF pagan origin. although the name
is. The "PaScha" Passover 20 which
il refers is the New Testament fulfill
| mer, of the divinely appointed Pass
over at the Exodus from Egypt.
Blu. t2i i: has 4 Jewish moulding.
| we are informed by NJ. Blanchard :or
the third time OF course it has: II
could DO; be Z true PaScha, otherwise.
The Savior, Jesus Christ Himself. had
Jewish moulding too: for He was 4
Jew, the Lion OF Judah. Oar Lord Him
self, when on earth. attended the Ole
rite TIE beautiful Incident recorded
! OF him when l. years Old. occurred Z; !
Passover. At each OF the three Pass
overs during His ministry. we read o..
the Saviors attendance I; Jerusalem ;
Feast. There is absolutely nothing TO
answer in NJ. Blanchard two first OBJ
jec,ious. The first is purely eIytno!ogl-
cal: the second we admit, and rejoice in
the admission. Christians are not
ashamed either OF Christ on Easter, be-
cause both alike have 4 Jewish mould
ing"
Poln, 81 have argued fully, and
demonstrated conclusively Mr.. B!anch-
ard 5 unworthineSS 70 pose as an author
ty on ecclesiastical research. ir conse-
ouecce OF his two slarinS errors in ref
erence 10 the Bible. will not re-wr!;e
my scholarly; reply in this connection:
but avail: his solution OF this, aud by 30
means the least of the troubles our !uSsr
and divided friend has 70 meet.
Objections i and ID 100 wait for Air.
| Blanchard : answer ir one single word.
YES, or no. 70 my question !. g.
| Polycary and An!cetus.
|, mus. by now be apparent 70 q.
your readers. including even Mr.. Blan-