Norwich bulletin., 1914-04-11

There was a beautiful Good Friday service held at Park Congregational church at II o'clock on Friday morn ing which was very largely attended.
 From Stainer's cantata.
 The special music for the choir was taken from the cantata, The Cruci- fixion, by Stainer and was extremely well given so that it brought out the full beauty of this impressive and ar tistic composition. The four sections from the cantata were placed at diff ferent points in the service. The solo parts were given a perfect rendering by Eben Learned and Eugene B. Sea mans and the whole effect was most finished and harmonious. Especially so in combination with the excellent address by the pastor, Rev. Samuel H. Howe. D. D.
 Sermon by the Pastor.
 His text was Luke 23: 48-9: And all the people that came together to that sight. beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned. And all his acquaintdnceS and the women that followed him from -Galilee, stood afar off, beholding these things"
 All of the four evangelists observe a delicate reserve in their accounts or the crucifixion, he said. They leave a great deal to the imagination of the reader and tell the story without un- due realism. As great artists do not paint the cross itself. but portray only it's shadow and the faces of the won dering multitude. so the evangelists follow the same rule which is also the best for us
 A Representative Assembly.
 And in this multitude we see a rep resentative assembly. At Christmas time we noted the representative groups around the manager at the Sa- viour's birth. And at his death, too, there were even more representatives There were no angels, shepherds nor wise men, but they were men of all races and tongues. It was not an acci- dent that three languages were used in writing the inscription over his head. For 1t was an event in which the whole world was interested Not only every nation, but every class of char acter was represented. The Sanhedrin, the priest and the mob, friends and folloWers-all were there. They rep resented humanity at it's worst and humanity at it's best. The powers of darkness were there too. As the Amer ican poet wrote at the time of the massacres, Hell is burning through in Turkey" so hell was burning through in Jerusalem that day. Vices were be- ing crowned in Rome, and virtues were being crucified in Jerusalem.
 The World Indifferent.
 Outside this multitude of friends and foes there was the larger environ ment of the indifferent Caravals were coming and going on their way as if nothing was happening. The market places were thronged with people; gay companies were rushing about intent on pleasure; children were playing in the streets as usual, and a Roman knight entering the city crowned with flowers, passed the scene without giv- ing it attention Far away in the cities of Greece and Rome the inhab- itants were reyelling in luxury and vice, all unconscious of the event
 Heather Temples Now Desolate.
 This wider environment was to ex- perlence even greater changes as its result, We read of the old temples of Egypt, now banked up with sand dunes, and think of them as they were then-the great temples of Luxor and KaFnals, of Ephesus and Athens, or Rome and of North Africa or the great temple of Theseus, all throng- ed with wePshipperS. Why are they deselats now? It was this death on the cross which has extinguished them and caused their vetaries to disap- pear from history. He rose again in three days-but these ether gods could Ret rise again after they were dead.
 Causes convuIsions in Society,
 Te go back te the scene itself, we find immediate results, The earth sheekj the dead rose from their graves and walked around: the sun was dark ened, and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, Though the shaking of the earth would be a miracle and miracles, some say, are not to be be- lieyed, the coaVuLsion of society, caused by His death, is not an incredible fact. Neither is the rising from death of sin of the millions new kneel- ing at the cross.
 And Christ has surely tern away the veil that hid the human seul from God.
 Garnet Be lnHered.
 The ayes of all the world have been