The Arvada enterprise., 1919-04-10

year for the reason that It commentaries the ~
direction Of Jesus In the words Of Paul. ~
Chri't be not risen, then IL preaching vain and
your faith 10 also vain." But" he says, NOW y
Christ risen from the dead and become the nrst
fruits Of them that Sleep" Which In to say that
the Christian religion stands ON the resurrect0a q
Jesus
Pagan Rltss Survive.
But the Easter season II observed by millions
VINO are not even nOmlnally Christians They d
not celebrate the resurrection Of Christ but rather
the end Of winter, the approach Ut spring the b.
ginning OF life In nature after tho long sleep OF
winter Celebrations of this kind antedate ~
corded history. When Christianity came into ~
world the Christian church adopted and modified
such Of these pagan rites Of celebration II c0ua
not abolish. This accounts for tho many queer
rites OF tile Christian observance Of E&ster ID
various parts OF the world. They are pagun rites
that had their origin In the remOtest past, and
have been modified BY time and custom and
changed meaning.
Thus the parade Of fashion to Easter morning
church services In the large American cities had
its origin ages ago In the superstition that failure
to wear at least one new piece Of clothing would
bring bad luck during the year. The uss Of the
egg symbol Of new life h far older than Chris
tianity. The Easter rabbit II y survival Of Old
old superstition. The uss Of flowers - an express
Son Of rejoicing II probably almost ~ old % naa
himself The paschai candles arc In another
form the bonfires lighted by our remote ancestors
to celebrate the arrival Of spring.
Just how the rabbits managed to ct Into ths
Easter celebration nobody seems to bs able "
md out with any certainty. Anyway. they are
not properly rabbits; they are hares Undoubtedly
the association Of the hare with Easter and IT.
eggs was introduced here by the Germans. bat
where they got the ries Ii what none Of the anti
guardians have been able to learn to their satsfae'
ton. A. far a. they have gone they agurs THE
n1~Al., h~HVn su&Nn nd ~
hare Ia fairly close The relation Of the mooa to
Easter IL very close. Gradually In ancient tiusss
the hare seems to have become associated With
Easter and with Easter egxn.
Gasesr aNe ne GOS.
Easter without eGGs-fresh laid. dyed and sugar
would he like Christmas without Santa Class,
the stocking and the tres. And the ass0ciaton a
the egg with Easter Ii easily explained. Many Of
tho old peOpjes Of earth have uxed the egg from
time imtnsnorial o. the symbol Of the germ 1t
life. The wise men Of old taught that the world
was Matched from an egg. All over the paeaa
world II s.gnine fertility and potential life. The
place Of the sgg was therefore arrnly nxed In ths
spring celebrations that long sntstated Christ aud
the Christian Easter. The Christian church found
the egg 10 nrmly established ~ an Easter symbol
that II could not bs disiodged. Therefore The
church adopted tho egg aud adopted II % . syn
Dol Of the resurrection In the transition Of Easter
from 4 heather 10 . Christian festival the tradi.
tiou Of the egg stands unbroken. When he CO..
osing Of eggs began. to the ChFistian tho white
stood fOv tho Immaculate conception: the RID fos
the blond Of the redemption. ind the yellow fos
the dawn 0f the resurrection nsOrn
II il natural that many queer relics Of ancient
exg customs should have survived, while many
have died on the way. For Instance. the rulers IT
earth no longer indulge In Faster eggs Wholesale
After the Easter celebration found it, way Into
France every hen roost In the country was
a~~~ .a,ks1 A~k~