The Holly chieftain., 1923-03-29

So said Jesus to His followers be-
fore He " ent to His death on Calvary. Later they
saw Him fiinching beneath the weight of the cross
He went forth from Pilates Judgment hall along
the Way Of Sorrows to Golgotha. Still later they
saw Him dying that cross And finally they
saw Him risen from the dead on Easter Day.
To Jesus disciples the cross symbolized the
power of imperial Rome over those who offended
against her. Rome stood for material achievement
for oppression. Jesus stood for spiritual things.
for love. for human freedom and brotherhood.
To the Christian Of today Easter Is a celebra-
ton Of the belief that Rome was wrong and that
Jesus was right. And he knows that he must car
ry the cross, as we'll as cling to the cross.
Man fnstinctively yearns for life beyond the
grave It'll death do part" reads the marriage
service. There some who would have 1t SO
that not even death can part them. Wrote Robert
Browning:
0, thou soul of my soul. shall clasp thee again.
And with God be the resti
Many feel that If there is to be no future life
for them then is this earthly life hideous iniqulty
a prodigious failure Wrote Tennyson:
Thou wilt leave in the dust;
Thou madest man, he knows not why.
He thinks he was not made to die;
And Thou hast made him. Thou art Just
1t seems inconceivable that man should toll up
ward with sweat and travail until Lincoln could
say, with malice toward none, with charity for
Darwin:
1t is intolerable thought that and all other
sentent beings doomed to complete annihiauon
after such long-contnued and slow process
So the Christian of today sees in Easter the an.
swer to the ages-old question: "If man die, shall
he live again"
This Is an DID, old earth and man has lived long
upon it-so long that he celebrated Easter ages
before Jesus died upon the cross and rose from
the dead. The Easter that man celebrated before
Christianity came was an instructive expression
oN his Joy that winter was over and spring as on
the way. To him the sun, II not God himself. was
light and warmth and springng life. So at
near the vernal equinox early man celebrated the
change in the seasons. that renewed his slender
lease on life and comfort.
Man instinctively turns to god, II not to the
God In the beginnings Of the race man saw god
in light and darkness; heard god In the thunder
and the wind felt him in the manifold manifesto
tions of nature. Perhaps most of all early man
god In the sun that drew nearer in the spring
and gave light and heat and food. So 1t Is no
wonder that modern man rejoices of old at the
coming of spring. He would sing. II he could with
Bliss Carman:
Well know
The will shine again and spring come back
Her ancient. glorious goden-fowered way
And gladness visit the green earth once more
For many city man does Berton Braley sneak
when he sings Of the tunes Of the first street
plano Of the spring:
They build vision of meadows Elysian,
OF brooklets that babble and breezes that Groom
And wstful tender young spring in her splendor
Comes dancing to the wings a tune
Russell Mott, a poet Of long ago. spoke for all
nature lovers when he wrote
Godde helpe allie good adventurous
Who love strange roads wee.
Whose prysonne US city street.
Whose counting-house cele:
Send them n safe deliveraunce,
That each may yte his tyre,
With only the starres for gaolers
lime the lande Nof hys desyre.
So 1t is that out-of-doors on Easter offers
lure for many that church can equal.
Easter morn at sunrise, should you be In Los
Angeles and of those lured by the out-of-doors
hasten to Eagle Rock park. You Will fnd many