The Coalville times. [volume] (Coalville, Utah) 1894-1923, 1910-04-01

Sunday through Easter there are
many services each colncldcnt with
the life Of Christ Thus. Palm Sunday
commentaries the trlumphal entry Of
Christ into Jerusalem. Monday tells
OF the healing In the temple; Tuesday
suggests the giving of the parallels
and Thursday brings It's sad associa
lions Of the Lords supper when the
sayings OF Christ upon the cross are
read and the bells toll on Good Fri
day. the whole passion and death seem
very real. II Is relief when Easter
morning comes and the tuncful from.
bone choir awukons the people that
they may arise and hasten to the
little church. and from that TO the
cemetery nearby. Here the people
stand In hollow square. and as the
dawn slowly rcddons the sky. and the
rising sun touches the tree tops. the
birds begin their morning anthems
and seem 10 Join In the chants Of
praise which so up from the deyout
congregation.
There have been few such spec.
tnclcs since the pope gave up bless.
ing the world on Easter morn from
the loggla Of ST. Peters. To-day Rome
lacks this ceremony. but the devout
car 30 TO the Church Of the Passion.
atos. where are the holy staircase and
chapel filled with relies Of the Passion.
among them the title Of the cruel.
hxion, which no one but the pope Ia
allowed to see. In France the arch.
bishop has for years given his bone.
dictlon on Easter morn from Mont.
mnrtre. and In London there are rich
parishes whore there II still u sort
OF pcrfunctory aims giving among the
people. relies NJ time when the Pas
chal feast was celebrated In arts of
grace and charity
The American Indians take kindly
20 any observance which can Gnd OK
preston In forms and ceremonies, and
for this reason Easter and Passion
week appeal forcibly 10 those who
have embraced Christianity. 4 re
markable Passion play has been en-
acted for years NJ Amecamcca. neal
Mexico city. which Ia sort Of Ober
ammcrgau In the new world. Short,
after the Conquest Pope Adrian vi
sent ~ missionaries to convert thu
Aztccs one Of them. Fra Martin
was kind man, who lived In cav,
on mountain near TenoChitltlan. ri
Mexico city After his death his bod!
was placed In chapel built over tn,
cave. and the mountain became
sacred spot. Thousands OF Pilgrim
come here In Lent and on Asl
Wednesday the body Of the priest Il
placed In the village church. For 30
years this ceremony has been enacted
and has been followed by a Passion
play ON Good Friday, which is wit
messed by people from all over IN,
country. The performance, which 1
under the auspices Of the priest. be
! gins early In the morning and end
AT midnight when the peasant VIII
is selected to impersonato Jesus I
taken from the cross and the pcone
| who have been In attendance esCor
the body of Fra Martin back to tn
chapel over the grave, Thousands q
Mexican peones attend these Ger,
monies. and II is this class Of peopl
who take the various parts.
These Passion play celebration
can, OF course be traced to the II
fiuence OF Christianity, but II is
singular fact that Just a. the eros
was found IN Mexico, long before tn
advent OF Cortcz. when the countr
possessed the cultivation OF ancier
Thebes and Egypt, so the Indians 1
North America have always hel
dances and religious rites TO con
memorate the coming of spring n
one knows whether this was NATURE
instinct that led them to rejoice owe
the awakening OF earth or the suryiy,
OF some religion that prevailed anon
them before the coming OF Christian
ity. We can only guess at the pas
of our North American Indians an
deduct conclusions from their Ger,
monies and occasional folklore. Tn
fact remains that heathendom as we
as Christianity rejoiees when Easte
comes, and all nature lifts up its vote
AZ the glad acclaim that spring
here. bringing with II promises {
eternal life,