El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1917-04-07
EASTER IN 1917: STRANGE RELIC
OF ONE TINE FESTIVAL OF JOY

TN ALL ages every tribe OF every religion
and Of religion have celebrated the Festival of Spring
uses and still further aided by the fact that
porant Jewish festival conceded with chosen for
the Christian Easter the Of the feast itself doubt
less Of pagan origin but least the Bible it used
In auson TO the Jewish Passover In the Christian churches
including those dissenting branches which have fur
hest abandoning the rituals of church tradition the festival
Of Easter celebrated comemoIaon OF the Resurrection
of the Christ Anonted One the Savior Of the world
eording to the Christian faith In the more highly uasc
churches regarded the chief festival of the
tire church year. he great day. surprising IN religious IN
tereSt, If not In popularity Christmas itself.
Easter regarded the festival of fulfment In the
Christian creed, all eliminates in the Resurrection which
definitely sets the Christ apart from the saints and Patarchs
church. only furnishes the key elaborate
system of socaed revealed religion Of prophecy and prom
stimulates hope Of myrads of believers
yeanng thus forever directed upward to the
skies instead of toward Earth, the universal tomb
This is the third Easter" since the began Three
years ago hundreds of millions of people all over the
celebrating festival with joyful song with upted
PRAYERS and vorshpfu praise It was or seemed to be-
happy world, with purpose heart, and conscience Al
the entire world peace, quiet interval in
world strife The world seemed to have become softened
It devoting itself before labor behalf Of
the happiness and safety of the weak and unfortunate the
young and helpless It's social systems had expanded and
diversified until it seemed if there society pub
nc agency 10 meet every neeo OF suO-stanGaIo
And in economic fields the world developing and i'm
proving at rate previously dreamt Of Commercial
intercourse had reached point CT universal interchange and
the peoples of earth had learned how to exchange ideas and
derive reciprocal benefits.
Everyone recalls with shudder how few swift days
st end of July suced the constructive work
thousand centuries Looking back
newly with the that the caacysm which has shaken
the world and engued large part It is comparable TO
nothing human that befOre it comparable to
nothing less than those awful dpaceents OF me eartn
which lifted mountains moved oceans and ranspoSed
continents other days Short of collision of the earth
another heavenly body impossible imagine any
thing that could happen that would be more destructive of
the stored abors Of mankind during 100000 years Of toll
than this world is.
And the United States with its 100 900 people and its
aggregating almost half of everything
world chosen add to war, andtfnds
justification in the with which its national soul
is not meanly endowed.
Tens of millions Of copSes have been returned to the SOIL
decayed of forms wonderfully fashioned that might
today but for the war; been happily at work play
ent they kill their brothers, and the symbols Of
Christian church renched in blood where die in
nexpessibe hate Never since the world began the
Festival of Spring heTaded to proceed pageantry
field sodden this is with noisome human dregs.
Wheat the soldiers say and garden truck grow twice
and pastureis suculent battlefield; the
lines of feTces fighting be traced, they say by the
sreener grass and the brilliant flowers that FED
from the dssovng bodies Of brave Is this then, the
todays Easter sermon? Is this to be the nspiIa
Of those who claim be the interpreters earth of
Gods message and Gods will? Is this the Resurrection
Morning which children their prettiest frocks;
about the affairs; for which thousands Of grand hymns have
been written which devout and have sought
to purify themselves by 20 days of fasting; for which the
bread and wine sgnyng mems nshp with the Most High
TO be bst and elevated before the Lord the sound
Of sweet music and the Ginning Of silver bells?
No but master sast could do Justice TO the rea-
ties Of the world this day Not history religion phil