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3omc Rcminusccnaes of the festival in Omaha
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irtRi iittcAi iiiiHHion was Bcrom
I I pllshed. The Chrint lay dead in
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closed and sealed. Already upon
the awful Bern: a of flood Friday
night's shadow rested. In the night's dark
ness, with a deeper darkness of Inexpressi
ble sorrow In their hearts, some women
sit In view of the divine grave. When the
twilight grew darker and darker and the
stars woke to look down upon sleeping
Jerusalem, the devoted women, who clung
to the spot enclosing their beloved dead,
with s lingering look behind, departed,
leaving their dead to be watched by unseen
hosts of angelB. It was the vigil of love
over the infinite sacrifice.
Whin they who had so lovingly watched
the burying of the Great Dead were making
their lonely way to the Garden, gray dawn
was coloring the sky, but before they came
to the hallowed ground the rock-hewn
tomb had given up its dead. Be not afraid!
Tarry here; listen! He Is not here; He Is
risen aa He said.
Linger here a moment, and listen to
the voices that rise from the grave. Per
haps to you it Is the fresh-made one, or
It may be the one already moss-covered,
whero lies all that la left of the best-beloved
of beings. Out of its silence comes
the voice teaching you the twofold and
difficult art of how you should live, and
how vou should die.
It was Easter. Always the firBt Sunday
after the full moon, after the vernal equinox
memories of the mightiest miracle return.
To the Church It Is a Reason of rejoicing,
and memories of our blessed dead are quick
ened. From Its earliest history Omaha's
churches have reverently observed its re
turn. The old churches of our fathers
echoed with praise, and devout worshipers
thronged her sanctuaries. Sermon and choir
lifted hearts from the dross of earthiness
to the kinship they hold with the skies. In
the ministry of the day, too, now as then,
U found in the resurrection of the dead
one of the great article! of Christian faith,
the best cure for heart sorrow. This is
how Mr. Fiske puts a thought of the day:
"Whether it be In the individual or in the
race, we cannot tell Just where the soul
comes In. A due heed to nature's analogies,
however. Is helpful In this connection. The
maxim that nature makes no leaps Is far
from true. Nature's habit Is to make
prodigious leaps, but only after long prep
aration. Slowly rise the water In the
tank, Inch by inch through many a weary
hour, until at length It overflows and
straightway vast systems of machinery are
awakened Into rumbling life. Slowly grows
the eccentricity of the ellipse as you shift
Its position In the cone, and still the nature
of the curve Is not essentially varied, when
suddenly, presto! one more little shift, and
the finite ellipse becomes an infinite hyper
bola mocking our feeble powers of concep
tion as It speeds away on Its everlasting
career. Perhaps in our Ignorance such an
alogies may help us to realize the pos
sibility that steadily developing ephemeral
conscious life may reach a critical point
where It suddenly puts on Immortality."
And in the Easter voices of the Church Is
the witness to the King of Kings, and
Lord of Lords, who only hath immortality
dwelling in light. Here Christmns receives
its larger Interpretation in the consumma
tion of love's mission in Christ.
Again Easter returns. It may be memor
ies of the past may delight you. Since this
Is neither a poem nor a sermon let memory
be its Justification. The Easter of thirty
years ago is reputed to have been teiy
-J V
-BWW.
LUTHER M. KUHNS, D. D., PASTOR
GRACE LUTHERAN CHURCH.
OMAHA.
ct-ld, its severity unsurpassed the entire
winter, and heavy snows delayed the trains
on the Union Pacific fully five hours. When
Easter came in 1875 the river was not open
at Omaha, but in the Centennial year the
Missouri river swept away the rlprapplng
near Willow slough, four miles south of
Council Bluffs, to the annoyance of the Bur
lington. Even at Easter men are not all saints.
About thirty years ago a gentleman from
Oakland. Cal., on returning from the even
ing services at church lost $500 at brace
faro. It was the time Marshal Snowden had
the custody of the culprit who robbed the
ticket office of the Omaha & Northwestern.
This was the season, too, that the civil
rights bill was tested in an Omaha barber
shop, when, instead of lather, white paint
was applied to the face of a negro who re
quested a shave.
Twenty-four years ago Easter the steamer
General Terry touched at Omaha, enroute
from St. Louis for Fort Benton. It was a
brand new boat built at Pittsburg, Penn., for
the upper Missouri river trade, at a cost of
$18,000, and was loaded with a cargo of
300 tons of merchandise. W. A. Burleigh
was captain. At the same time the steamer
C. K. Peck reached here.
To the Eastertide of old Omaha belong
the vIsltB of Colonel Sellers and of Thomas
Nast, who lectured on "Caricaturing" In
the old Academy of Music.
But with the passing of years interest in
Easter in Omaha and elsewhere has grown
and hope in its message has gone into the
wide human heart suffocating with despair,
decaying courage, a dying faith as the flood
of light poured with heavenly brightness
from Christ's open sepulchre upon the
world early in the morning, when the Sab
bath was past, at the rising of the sun and
lit up the trembling soul of Mary Magda
lene. It was the birth of a wonderful hope.
It makes sorrow bearable. Through the
Christian centuries ever since the light
Christ brought with Him from the grave
has shined upon the earthly path of so
journers and pilgrims. Men have almost
lest the power to conceive correctly what
the darkness was before Christ died and
rose again to greet the world with the In
spiring words of faith and hope. All hall!
In his aspirations after ideals forever be
yond him In this life man has interpreted
his destiny as larger and higher than the
flower of the field In short, an Immor
tality. Though the solemn vision of Easter
may vanish and Its purest emotions may
seem only a dream when we go back to our
usual life, often because we forget that
other part of Christ's Easter message of
the ministry we owe our fellowmen, the
grand fact of personality makes man in a
high sense a child of the infinite Father, as
the old poet claimed, "We are also His off
spring," and justifies the courage of the
common human faith which disdains the
fate of the grass of the prairie that withers
and the beasts that perish. He puts be
fore him the destiny my text gives him:
"But is now made manifest by the appear
ing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath
abolished death and hath brought life and
immortality to light through the gospel."
LUTHER M. KUHNS.
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SUNDAY MORNING AT FIRST M. E. CHURCH. OMAHA Photo by Staff Artist.
Stories About the Ministry
AFTER SERVICE AT ST. MATHIAS, OMAHA-Photo by Staff ArtiBt.
On Jordan's Banks
F l in k. Alia oi Arcnmsnop nyan oi
I Philadelphia tell this story of his
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griro; ios an uuinuiip mm iuuui
to take a train for Baltimore at
the Broad street station when a
young man accosted him, aaylng: "Your
face ia familiar. Where In hell have I
seen you?"
"I really don't know," said the arch
bishop blandly. "What part of bell do you
come from?"
"Dow'n In South Carolina," says Con
gressman Talbert, quoted by the New York
Tribune, "I once attended a colored church.
The preacher, one of those negroes with an
oily face and big; spectacles, was talking
about the prophets. Ha had taken an hour
to discourse upon the major prophets and
then ha took up the minor ones. In course
of time he reached Hoses. 'My breddren,'
he exclaimed, 'we come now to Hosea. Let
ua consider him. Where shall we put
Hosea T At that moment an old negro, who
had been peacefully slumbering In one of
the back pews, woke up and looked at the
pastor. 'Hosea can take my seat.' be said.
I'm ao tired that I am going home.' "
Rev. Alexander Doyle of the Paullst
Fathers Is clever apeaker and a warm ad
vocate of total abstinence and tight-closed
saloons for Sunday, reports the New York
times. When hs talks on these topics the
ears of opponents tingle.
Lately among his admiring auditors waa
country girl who had come to New York
and found herself attrred by admiration of
everything In It. Ths preaching of Father
Doyle Impressed her deeply and she wrote
home to her mother this choice bit of criti
cism: "I never get tired of going to hear the
sermons In the Paullst church, mother.
Father Doyls Is such a lovely preacher that
you'd think every word be said was true."
A story Is told In Youth's Companion of
one of the old-time pillars ol a New En
gland church who held out firmly for a long
time against the Innovation of an organ,
but when he finally yielded did so without
reserve. From violent opposition he be
came the most strenuous of all the congre
gation as to the fineness of the Instrument
to be purchased.
"Seems to me you aren't consistent," said
one economical brother, reproachfully.
"Here a month ago you couldn't speak
harsh enough about organs, and now you
go to advocating extra expense In getting
the best that's to be had."
"See here," said ths deacon, grimly, "If
we're going to worship the Lord by ma
chinery, I don't want to putter around with
any second-rate tunning gear."
When called to take up the new mission
of the Holy Communion, Chicago, relates
ths Century, he found busy railway yards
close to his chapel. He asked the chief
engineer bow to reach railway operatives
"Read Lardner'a 'Railway Economy' until
you are able to ask a question of an engi
neer and be not think you a fool." So in
structed, he dropped In one day on a group
cleaning an engine and ventured a ques
tion: "Which do you like the better. In
side or outside connections?" A torrent of
discussion followed on connections, (team
heaters, exhausts, and at the end of a half
hour he remarked in leaving: "Boys, I
have a free church In Metropolitan hall,
whero I should be glad to see you." The
next Sunday every man was there.
After preaching a sermon on the fate
of the wicked, relates the San Francisco
Argonaut, an English clergyman, met an
old woman well known for her gossiping
propensities and he said:
"I hope my sermon has borne fruit. You
heard what I said about the place where
there shall be walling and gnashing of
teeth?"
"Well, as to that," answered the dame,
"If I 'as anythlnk to say. It be this: Let
them gnash their teeth as has 'em I ain't!"
Bishop Williams of Connecticut used to
tell the following story of the late Dr.
Ducachet: "One Sunday morning Dr. Duca
chet arose feeling wretched. After a futile
attempt to eat breakfast he called an old
and favorite colored servant to him and
said: 'Sam, go around and tell Simmons
(the sexton) to post a not leu on the church
door saying that I am too HI to preach to
day.' 'Now, mama.' said Sam, 'don't you
gib up dat way. Just gib blm a trial; you get
long all right.' The argument went on and
resulted In the minister starting off. Service
over, be returned to his house looking
much brighter. 'How you feel, massa?'
said Sara, as he opened the door. 'Better,
much better. Sam. I am glad I took your
advice 'I knew It; I knew It.' said the
darky, grinning until every tooth was In
evidence. 'I knew you feel better when you
git dat sermon out o" your system.' "
HE traveler in the Holy Land will
witness new sights which will
Interest him more than that of
the Russian pilgrims at the an
nual ITn'nHanw n ..m I . i
" -'ft'" " Ml UIWM ICTB UU II1S
banks of the River Jordan. A week before
the festival itself crowds of these Slav
peasants are seen trudging along the Jeri
cho road, with every Imaginable kind of
haversack and carryall on their backs.
Some of the pilgrims are old and weather
worn, others young and cheerful, while a
few, overcome by sleep and fatigue, are ly
ing prone along the roadside. But some
how the whole lot, young and old, manage
to reach the banks of the river In good
time for the ceremony, says the London
Traveler. They spend the night, perhaps.
In the Russian hospice at Jericho, like a
flock of sheep. Before dawn the rooms are
empty and the whole crowd has gathered on
the bank, where Greek priests, who will
presently drive a moBt lucrative trade,
await them. The principal articles sold are
branches of trees from various sacred spots,
stories from the Mountain of Temptation
hard by. plants from the wilderness and
rosaries with olive stones for beads. To
whatever relig ous value Is claimed by these
articles the Russian peasants Implicitly give
credence, and they willlagly pay their
money to obtain them.
During the hours immediately preceding
the ceremony the motley crowd Is occupied
In prayer and silent devotion. To many
pilgrims this occasion is one of the great
est life can bring, namely, to be permitted
not only to visit the Jordan, but actually
to bathe In Its sacred waters. Suddenly
chantiDg Is beard and the crowd quickly
opens to let a procession of purple-clad
ecclesiastics paps to the waters, then the
pilgrims close In again and station them
selves along the banks, eager and watchful.
And now, quite reverently, a Jeweled cross
Is laid by the patriarch on the surface of
the stream to bleES It, and no sooner does
the sacred symbol touch the water than a
dive is made Into It by the enthusiastic
crowd, which splashes and prays and wal
lows and dips altogether a strange scene.
Such is the baptism, and the longer it lasts
the greater the merit the pilgrim will en
Joy. All dripping with water each Bhroud
Is now wrung out and stowed away to serve
as the cerecloth when the pilgrimage of life
is over, and the body Is ready for the grave.
As the traveler rides away the next day to
Jerusalem he will see these childlike peas
ants, bedraggled with mud and fatigued by
constant sleeplessness, plodding along
toward the Holy City, chanting and sing
ing aa they go, and leaning on their sticks
of reed. But there Is now a smile on their
faces and Joy in their hearts, for have they
not bathed in the waters of the Jordan?
Terms Reversed
Washington Star: "What ia a captain of
Industry?" asked the boy who is going to
be very wise soma day.
"It is a term that Is applied to the hea l
of a great monopoly when hs is at a ban
quet." "And what ia a robber baron?"
"It's ths same man when he Is in politics."