| Show E 4 t k 1 t 4 4 ar rh A 1 I i iRr Rr I By ELMO SCOTT WATSON illS HIS year on In April 17 11 the th whole Christian world will III be he celebrating l Easter Euster Sunday 03 os tho Festival esthal II of e the Resurrection Insurrection n of Jesus Christ t. Because Easter means so o many different things to ninny many different ri people It tt Is worth while I fur Cur us to take stock of ot our I knowledge of the lute history f ot of thIs annual festival Dud and after doIn dos do- lief In fat that we wo may perhaps have a clearer dearer Idea of ot what It should mean weun Itous to us Nearly Kearly everybody knows knowl that the I date of luster Duster varies from frum year to year lear that unlike Christmas Christinas Dus It does sot come cOlIe on one certain day of at the month In ln one certain month that unlike unlike unlike un un- like Thanksgiving day duy It It does not notI I come tome ou on a u certain duy day of ot the week In Int InI t I certain mouth month and that It mu may come comeI I on 00 a certain da Sunday day Sunday In either of two months That U Is to suy I Eus lus a ter Ie er Sunday may mammy fall tall either 11 n u March Barch or April Brit 15 U at t they I du do not nut know perhaps that It cannot came earlier than ln nrc 22 nor later Inter thou limn April 23 25 nor the reasons To arrive arrhe at those reasons it Is hI nee neo lusty Io to go 11 fe buck lilt Into ancient history Tie festival now known us as Ju Easter Easier ler wy ww celebrated by ancient I Israel ruel ns as tile the las over U for fur centuries before before be he- fore the birth of t Jesus us Christ It was bused based the events which took place wh n the In- Hebrews were v cle saved train from the destruction witch was vIsIted visited vis via lied upon the Hit Egyptians us liS given ghen In Exodus 12 7 The Tile first IIrI l Christiana Christians being belag In the main Jews continued ell for tor fora I a long to observe lt the to s will well us other ancient ceremonies lint gradually these early followers of It the llie Cross S begun to 0 substitute the for the paschal lamb of ot Israel In the Passover lr ceremonies cell E Eventually there here arose Krose a difference of Gf f opinion the Christians of at lIt Hebrew descent timid nud those thoe of ut Gentile ili us as to tin the Um time when these ceremonies should be bo celebrated Those of It Hebrew lU d descent scent declared that the du day day- of the death of oC Jesus Jesu would should he be time the date of ot the ending of ot the POM hid rust fuM which in Hebrew lIebre rites 8 always ula's ul as a's was on the thee fourteenth liar M fill of ut the lilt moon In the evening e Therefore the Easter festival which followed might fu full tull on any allY day of ot ill lime Wel we k those of Gentile descent however tr wanted the first day of the seek leek Sunday to be the be-the the first day daT of ot the the ie resurrection festival Thus the Friday would bo ht- observed IS M the tile dine date of ot the crucifixion n without Wing paying any attention to the day of ot the T the fast continuing until wl of Saturday The d T over w thIs P point t wa was by time the Irregularities of the time Ume ot of full tull moon In relation to y year ur The he Hebrew sacred I year begun n HI lit the time instant of the vernal but thIs time Is subject ec to o Slight aUght t changes due to the astronomical tact V of l I of ot the motion motton of fit all I bullIes bodies lu the U solar system The Hebrews bused based 6 cu their rim years ou on lunar i changes whereas we now determine the exact len tin ne n a D e n w R UT ule suu and nd stars Blurs Which kh i Is ls more more accurate accurate It la ii th that the e ancient I all as had trouble with t Vr chro- chro nolo because they based ho he begIn Slag ot of each month on the of first sight the new moon ninon the The trouble was principally due to 10 tact fuet that the moon revolves U around the earth In T hours Seth fUlth minutes and 11 seconds and the around anund the sun lun In hi cads see sec the makes revolution re n to the earth earths one moon ull T n ware also out ol of wt with the spring equinox and Je Jee e F k l 1 e t I rz t e s y e fl t I 1 e pG 9 Q M d Nr a x yd ym this his fact tact call caused ld trouble In determining determine ing time In ancient tines times The result of lit all RII these complications was that by applying the Jewish rules to Easter taster the dates of ot the crucifixion and aud the resurrection two days whIch were supposed to be fixed for tor all time va- va led fled constantly For lor years rears the difficulty between the Christians of Jewish descent and those of t Gentile descent continued i Not being able uble tf to decide the recurrence recurrence recur- recur rence lence of oC Easter the time council of ot the early Christian church finally appealed to the astronomers In Alexandria i I Egypt for tor aid However these scientists scientists were riot not of much assistance for forth th they y hud had no lunar tables such as we now lla how have e computed by master math math- They Tiley attempted to make rules but the variations of ot the full tull fullmoon moon In reference to the year would not cause Easter Euster to fall tall on Sunday any uny more than any other day All wanted It to come on SlInda Sunday so each nation celebrated to suit cult Itself so that It would come curve on that day dill Thus In A. A D D. the celebrated Easter Easteron on March 21 In Italy It fell on April 18 and In Egypt on April 25 5 Eventually E the selection of ot a certain tamp tain Sunday was definitely fixed Died dating durIn during dur dur- In ing the Sixth century A A. A D D. It was dU designated dut as us the Sunday between the II fifteenth and twenty-first twenty days das of or the moos moon III In the first month of the l Jewish h lunar years It was directed that the computation should be made according to the tables of ot Victorious of ot Introduced In la A A. D. D De- De cause of the fact that Britain had ceased eased to be a part of ot the Roman noman empire the Sixth century decree did not affect the British church at first and It continued to calculate I Easter aster on ona ona ona a basis basin previously approved pd at Rome nome The matter was finally disposed of ot at atIt atu u It synod held at Whitby In Yorkshire e eIn In GO A A. A D. D after which the cJ clergy of the British Isles conformed to the general practice of the western church Accordingly Easter is now observed by both the Roman Catholic and Irot churches on the first Sunday 1 f full u 11 moon or n fourteenth da 1 flat Ull after 1 t me e AU YV nv y of ot the moon on or next nen after March Marcil 21 So Bo It cannot be earlier than March larch 22 nor later hater than April 2 25 Thus It Is II possible for tor the astronomers astronomer and mathematicians to tell In advance on what dotes dates Luster aster I will come each year and und they are now known for tor more than a century In advance This of course may mal be changed especially es es- if It the proposed new calendar which Is to contain 13 19 months I U is put Into effect universally In that case calle Easter Eaner Sunday will be a Ii fu td date Just as I Easter Kaster uster Is le a variable date so 10 It hut has a variable meaning to va- va n. n O. O dons rious persons To To the time child who cannot cannot can can- not grasp Its religious significance It means s a a day whose whoso symbols are rabbits robs rab bits little chickens and Easter eggs To 10 the children of Washington D. D C C. It means especially the day when they roll Easter e eggs 1 on the lawn of at the White House while the President of the United States and the First Lady LadT of ot the lie Land look on and enjoy the sight of ot a childs child's happiness To Call Call- It means the time remarkable sunrIse sunrise sunrise sun sun- rise Easter service lIer near Los Angeles the fame tamo of which has hu become worldwide world world- wide Far as some lame of these meanings may maT appear to be from tram the real significance of ot Easter Itself they are In reality not BO so far tar I Easter day Is II Resurrection tion day the climax of the springtime urge when all nature awakes from sleep throws off ort the lIke death chill of ot winter and begins to live anew The egg Is the tile simplest and most most-ens- lIy understood ily-understood tood symbol of ot potential life lite Within Its shell Is concealed the germ which can be warmed Into life So It becomes what can be regarded regarded re re- re- re as the time primary symbol of the Easter Easler season When that germ Is warmed Into life and develops to a certain point the baby chick emerges I and ond life lite real life begins So 80 these fluffy little lItlie balls of ot down dOWD beloved of all the tile children are also also symbols of Easter With all nature bedecking herself In fa new raiment why should not mankind mankind man man- kind also celebrate the surge of ot renewed renewed renewed re re- re- re life with new apparel So thEaster th the Easter Enster hat hat and th the frock In which milady appears at church on on Easter morning Is not mere human uman vanity She Shu puts them Ulem on because she mu must tl I She has heard the call of ot spring the message e that all life lite Is renewed and she attires herself to be bo In keeping with the season Easter Euter has a deep religious significance significance cance In Its celebration of ot the triumph of light over darkness of t love over o hate of ot right over wrong of at the time true over o the false ot of f all that is good over overall overall all 1111 that Is bad bad ot of nil all these as liS exem exemplified ed In the time life lite and death and res- res of ot Jesus Christ Rut But ut It has haa a deeper significance In that It exemplifies exem nem- I a fundamental truth of human existence Man Ian finds life lite good He lie longs for everlasting life lite He Ile longs for tor some assurance that he be will have haveIt It UP And the spirit of at Easter gives given him that that assurance that though be dies dIE's be shall live again So Easter Is a symbol sym 1111 bol hol of ot that assurance Christ died I but lived JIved again Man may die but so 10 surely as ho lie has faith he too tuo Un again SO SO- tie So-tie he Ie can con lift un U up his alleluias elof al el- of ot Joy JOT and hope and und victory Christ Is U risen I Christ Is II risen I INo No hath bath tile the gravel I |
