Indiana daily times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1914-1922, 1922-04-15
BY MARTHA J. STUBS.
THE WORLDS EASTER,


THE WORLDS EASTER.
'reat and beauteous Eastern Morn
y joys dispel the gloom
T that great day long years ago
b hen Christ lay in the tomb.
And angels white role d forth the stone
Back from that cavern grave
=, nj He arose 10 face the world
he world He'd died to save
The temple Law with wall in twain
As Mary trembling wept
Reside the rOck-heW u guarded grave
Where He is beauty slept
The angels said. why weepst thou ?"
% sorrow at her pain.
one at the head aIad one at the foot
'f tn grave whf.re Christ had lain.
They're taken my Lore away" she cried.
10 spot l E1qw not where
iier heart replese with mother love
Der flowed in beauty there
But Christ who heareth all our cries
Beheld that mothers grief
Mary He sairi in touching tones,
That gave her soul relief.
60 tell the vforIt I shall ascend
t-"d siug +hiue"
And Mary carried forth the news
--- o-- ia Il sacred shrine.
he gray .o4d world all breathless stood
d tnat g(ad Easter day
iehelq TIE Prince of Glory live
ae Truth, the Light, the Way.
The Sunday on which the resurrection
ut Christ is cOmmemOrated known as
AS Ger, probably derived its name from
Il of 4 goddess Of the heather Saxons,
.'Stara, OsteTr or Eastre. She was the
PersOnihc;Ition of the East Of the morn
ing; Of tlhe spring. The month Of April
was dedicated to her. and was called Eas-
ter mont among the SaxOns. Her wor-
snip bec;me pronounced in northern Ger
many ard was carried 10 English by the
Saxons and still survives in some obscure
customs in feasts TO celebrate the return
of spri1Ig
The name and custom cause Christian
people ITO recognize the Easter festival as
successor to the Jewish Passover. while
he word Easter carries us back through
the sSTixOns to very ancient celebrations
which from the earliest ages of man have
"Npressed the universal outburst of re-
joici ng over the reawakening of nature,
Htte the long sleep of winter.
f>TER IDENTICAL
81 TIL PASSOVER.
the early Christian churches Easter
"ils Identical in date with Passover. but
ne opposition Of the Christians to the
sevs led to change History relates
.hat this opposition was most acute about
a d. 30 After much confusion and zeal
GUS rather than intelligent opposition be-
Neen the Jews and the Christians, an ar
titiciaI DAY was chosen which occasionally
fell, as in 1870 and 1925 a ia time that
was unsatisfactory TO both factions. and
in ISIS the wrong day was kept.
u was at first determined that Easter
MUST fall on the first Sunday after the
fourteenth day of the neon that happens
to he reigning at the time of the vernaI
equinox. Then it was declared that the
date Of the equinox should be arbitrarily
made March 81. although it really comes
sometimes earlier OF later.
If the equinox moon is fourteen days old
on March Easter sunday falls on
llarch -. Itch is its earliest possible
date, or it may be as late as April %. In
1TG1 and 1915 Easter came on March %:
in 1916. 1876 and 1918. it fell on March
p. In 1856 Easter was celebrated on
April -, and that will happen again in
1913
Originally Easter was a sort Of Thanks
giving service lasting eight days-in CON
fprmity TO the length of Pagan spring
festivities and Jewish Passovers Chris
,iHns cut the eight days to three days
Friday. Saturday and sunday. then later
70 two days and finally to one day in
commemOratiOn of the Resurrection morn.
CELEBRATION
IL ESTABLISHED.
The celebration of Easter in the United
States is now an established practice
New England was the last section to
adopt it. because her Puritan settlers
looked with adherence upon it. Vir-
ginia and Louisiana have always kept
Easter and so have the Catholics and
Lutherans.
After the Civil War polite society kept
Lent I'm preparation for Easter. In the
early church Lent was a season in which
the faithful begged Gods mercies for
themselves and they in turn. were sup
posed to he merciful toward others. Good
Friday also was kept as a day Of strict
fasting and humiliation.
n SO \. ID. all people fasting only
until 5 p. M, were rebuked and were not
Permitted to participate in the Paschal
Communion.
Very elaborate Easter festivities have
gradually lcssened or become more
marked in many centuries.
In the Roman Church the clergy wear
black. the altar is stripped and the can
dies are not lighted. After a short pause
the altar is -Overed with white. selec-
tiOns from the Old and New Testament
are read and prayers recited Mass must
Ice cOnsecrated on Holy Thursday, the day
before Good Friday, 4 special feature be-
ing the Alteration Of the Cross. After
the cruciixion is Invested of its
lack and is kissed by the clergy and
tae people while four hymns are sung.
In the Latin countries this alteration
# the cross is a very elaborate ceremony
a huge crucihXion or wax image Of Christ
rests on cushion on the floor for all
to kiss In many places the image sup
posed to represent the Christ is buried
with solemn rites in the Easter sepulchre.
there 20 remain until the dawn of Easter
Sunday, when it is returned 20 the church.
In Rome the Eucharistic body of Christ
is blessed on Holy Thursday and borne