The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1926-04-02


eth, is an evolution wrought by Chris
tianity and civilization from the pre-
historic ages of the world.
Easter is a popular festival, aside
from its religious significance, because
man has always welcomed the recur-
rent miracle of the spring with re-
joicing AS festival of the Christian
church its Importance is obviously
basic. The foregoing linking of the
birth of Jesus Christ and of the INDIE
pendence of America is warranted, in
asmuch as in America church and
state have been made separate and
the American of today has religious
freedom to observe Easter according
TO the dictates of his own conscience.
He may see in the Easter of the
Gentle only the Passover of the Jew.
He may confess himself an 'infider'
and walk with that gentle old nature
lover and plant-wizard, Luther Bur-
bank. He may confine his activities
to raising for the market the Easter
lilies now made symbolic Of the day
Like Easter lilies, pure and white,
Make Thou our hearts. o Lord of Light!
Like Easter lilies, let them be
Sweet chalices of love to Theei
He may take part, IL he choose, In
the parade of fashion In the big cities
and yet stop short at the church
door. He may shut his heart to the.
Easter bells and content himself with
the egg-rolling of Easter Monday at
the White House of the President of
the United States. Or he may go to
church with that President and add
his voice to the jubilant chorus,
Christ Is Risenr And no one shall
say him yea or nay.
For, 10, the winter Is past, and the
rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth; the
time of the singing of birds Is come,
and the voice of the turtle dove is
heard in our land;
The fig tree putteth forth her green
figs, and the vines with the tender
grape give good smell Arise, my
love, my fair one, and come away.
So Solomon's Song welcomes spring
and so has spring been welcomed al
ways by primitive man. And especial
ly great was the JOY of primitive man
to whom winter was the season of pri-
walton, of peril and of uncertainty of
the future. To him the return of
spring was the promise Of another
span of life, the incentive to prepare
for the future, the urge to perpetuate
his kind.
Easter" comes to us from Anglo
Saxon forefathers of long ago. Easter
and east" are obviously akin. With
the vernal equinox Sol, the sun. re-
turns from his excursion to the wintry
North to his rightful home In the
effulgent East. And who hath wiled
him back home, with his grateful
warmth and revivifyfng rays? Why,
none other than Easter, the fair god
dess Of spring. So said those Saxon
forefathers-who worshiped Easter
long before they had ever heard Of
Jesus Christ, the Son Of God. And
the story goes on:
There fell from heaven one day, long.
long years ago. an egg of immense size;
1t rested on the Euphrates, where doves
descended and Matched 1t, when out
from II rose In splendid beauty Easter
or Venus; and that explains why eggs
are a favorite food during the festival
of this splendid deity. When the early
Christians came to our Saxon lands
they preserved this feast but changed
its application. I'VE will maintain your
celebration" they said, but 1t shall
henceforth mean the resurrection of
Christ" And that explains why It is
that this joyous Christian festival bears
an old heather name. Similarly with