Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 96, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 April 1911 — Page 2

Caster at mount st.Sepulchre

BY WALDON FAWCETT

6 HK United States is the scene of a -. number of widely varying forms of church observance on Easter moma ■ St ing,, ranging all the way from the IIW// novel rites in the Moravian Lj churches of to the fashionable services in the churches on Fifth avenue, New York, attended by the '400" of metropolitan society. There is little doubt? howft c Q ever, that the most impressive and 'I the most picturesque of all Easter services is that w-htch takes place on the joyous spring holiday at Mount St. Sepulchre. The fact

that only a very limited number of people have ever witnessed the significant program here carried out and that, indeed, the great majority of the public is unaware even of the unique character of the services at this mecca for worship ere, serves, perhaps, to add interest to the place and the eVent. Mount St. Sepulchre is located at Brookland In the District of Columbia and is the seat of the most important church and the most famous monastery reared in the New World by the fYanciscan brothers. However, it should be emphasized just here that the casual Easter visitor to this retreat at Easter tide need not be a Catholic nor yet even an adherent of any church to appreciate the solemnity and marvelous beauty of the services which take up the greater portion of this, the most momentous day on the church calendar. The most important architectural feature of the church at Mount St. Sepulchre, and one from which the church and monastery takes its name, is the location in the sanctuary of an exact duplicate of the Holy Sepulchre which has been reproduced exactly as it exists in Jerusalem. This in Itself would lend interest to the Easter services held in such a setting, but intensifying the meaning of the religious program for all the spectators is the circumstance that the services are an exact duplicate to the smallest detail of the services which are being held under similar aus pices and at the corresponding hour at the last resting place of the Savior in Jerusalem. It is as though the congregation at Brookland were suddenly transported to the Holy Land for an hour or a day. To appreciate the novelty of all that transpires

at. Easter at Mount St. Sepulchre it is necessary to know something of the history of this Institution. The Franciscan brothers have a number of monasteries or houses of the order located in various parts of the United States, but the community in the District of Columbia is in a class by itself in that It is in effect the American “branch office" of the Franciscan friars who are laboring in Palestine. For, of course, the Franciscans are a brotherhood whose work is of world-wide scope and one of the most important branches of this work is found in their function of “keepers of the holy places." For more than seven hundred years the Franciscans have been in possession of almost all of those places in the Holy Land, which are most dear to all adherents of the Christian faith—such places as the spot where Jesus was born in Bethlehem and the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem —and this order of monks has made of It a labor of love to restore and preserve these sacredly historic localities. A large share of all the funds with which this work is carried on comes from America and most of the Franciscans who are nowserving actively as “keepers of the holy places” have been educated for their task in the States —at this self-same institution at Mount SL Sepulchre. Officially this community Is designated the Chapel and College of the Holy Land and the thirty monks who make up the community are known as the Fathers of the Holy Land. Not only la this a college for the education of the young members of the order who are to go as guides and missionaries to the Holy Land, but It is also the headquarters and business office of the Commissariat of the Holy Land. p This latter is a legally organized corporation which Is authorized by law to receive bequests and donations of all kinds made for the purpose of commemorative and restorative work at the holy places In Palestine. A country wide organisation of laymen known as the “Crusade for the Holy Land** la ever active In the cause and the funds raised by the “Crusaders” or by means of the collection taken once a year in all Catholic churches are sent to Mount St. Sepulchre for transmission to Palestine. ' With such an inspiration it Is, of course.

not at all strange that the Franciscans at Mount St. Sepulchre are enabled to present particularly impressive services at Easter. Moreover a number of the members of the community have resided for yearß at a time in the Holy Land and are familiar from long participation with every deail of the Easter services as conducted at the tomb of our Lord in Jerusalem. This is the caae with the present superior or the community. Rev. Father Bede Oldgeering, who is the celebrant of the solemn high mass which is the principal feature of the Easter program. It is doubtful if any church in America is embellished with a more lavish floral decoration than that in the Chapel of the Holy Land on Easter morning and equally notable is the special music by the choir of male voices made up of members of the community with one of the brothers acting as organist. The chapel at Mount St. Sepulchre, and which is all too small to accommodate the throngs that come hither on Easter, is in the shape of a five-fold cross, the large cross forming the main body of the church and the small crosses being represented by chapels. This cross, symbolic of the five wounds of our Lord, appears again and again at Mount 3t. Sepulchre and a representation of it In Venetian mosaic forms the pavement of the Church. The central aisle of the large cross has. at the entrance of the church, a portico which supports a gallery, while at the other end is the sanctuary. The whole interior with Its rows upon rows of columns and arches and its significant white and yellow decoration, la stately and majestic in the highest degree and affords the best possible background for the Easter decorations. %The whole arrangement <ft the interior conduces to focus attention upon the sanctuary which is the main point of attraction in the church and especially so on Easter when it becomes the locale of much that transpires. The architect who directed the erection of the duplicate of the Holy Sepulchre spent much time in Jerusalem studying the original and he has produced a marvelously faithful and accurate replica. Two marble stairways, one on either side of the Sepulchre, lesd to Mount Calwiry, which forms the high altar of

the visitor reaches the representation of the place where the Savior was laid. From the celling depend memorial lamps and every detail of the tomb in Jerusalem is reproduced, even to the famous silver panel by Raphael representing the Resurrction. Above the Sepulchre. as already explained, is Mount Calvary. the altar being a replica of the one at Jerusalem. While the Sepulchre .itself is naturally the climatic point of interest on Easter, services of special character are held in the church throughout the week preceding this, the most significant Sunday of the yfear. Of the throngs of Easter visitors to Mount St. Sepulchre, no women and very few men are admitted to the “enclosnr<s” of the monastery—for this institution, being designed as a college as well as a chapel, is built on the old monastic plan with a courtyard laid out

Easter Betrothals in Hungary

During the first centuries of the Christian church, Easter was celebrated on the same day of the Jewish Passover, because Christ rose from the dead on that day. In the early days of the church Easter was the favorite time for performing miracle plays; priests became actors, and the churches, theaters for the time being. One of the most popular of the mystery plays is based upon the cowardice of Pilate in condemning Jesus. "Three days after the death of Christ,” runs the old legend, "the pious women of Jerusalem came in a crowd to the palace of the great ruler and hurled bitter reproaches at him for his cowardice. Pilate retired to the innermost part of the palace to escape their reproaches. S t till the voices of the women reached him, erying, ‘Coward!’ At last Pilate became so infuriated at their cries that he ordered the pretorlans to drive them out by throwing water on them. This seemed effective, for the mob dispersed and quiet was restored. But to the horror and consternation of Pilate, as 'he passed from his palace and entered the streets of Jerusalem, the cry of ‘Coward’ filled the

the church. A low door, set between two ornamental panels leads to the outer room of the tomb. In the middle of this, supported by a low pedestal, !there is a stone called the Stone of the Angel, the original of which, tradition avers, is a fragment of the very stone on which the Messenger of Heaven rested when he gave the glad tidings on that memorable Easter morn. Naturally this is an object of the most intense interest to the Easter throng. Through a second door in this sac-simile Sepulchre an opening even lower in height than that above men t i oned

air as if from a thousand tongues. “Nature herself takes up the curse, and a sudden shower breaks, in which every drop of rain calls the wretched man ‘Coward!’ The , ocean, the sea and the rivers take part in the • great demonstration, and the word coward wrung from the heart of nature herself ceases not to ring In Pilate’s ear until death frees him from the curse.” From the legend springs a curious custom practiced In Hungary on Easter Monday. At dawn the men of the village wait for the maidens of their choice to appear; as each sees the maiden of his heart he runs after her, and drags her, shrieking and protesting, to the nearest fountain or well, where he proceeds to drench her liberally with water. Thoroughly drenched, the maiden la supposed to pay for the courtesy with a kiss. Often she breaks away from her tormentor, and there is a hot and merry chase until she is captured. Of course, she is soon caught and is usually a willing victim, for this is one of the Magyar betrothal customs, and an early marriage follows the rite.

as a garden—-the traditional cloister in tba form of an open gallery measuring 200 fe<* on each of its four sides, which serves the friars for their walks on rainy days when it is inconvenient to take exercise in the open. However, visitors, though denied % peep at this sheltered retreat, are admitted to the wonderful shrines and subterranean chambers beneath the chapel and which are in large measure responsible for the rapidly growing fame of this institution. Reached by. flights of stone steps from the main chapel are two underground chapels, one being a representation of the Grotto of Nazaretb and the other the Grotto of Bethlehem where Jesus 'was born. The two grottoes are qonnected by means of an underground passage which duplicates in appearance the Catacombs of Rome and this passage has at Its central point a crypt In reproduction of the ancient sepulchral chambers where an altar was erected over the tomb of some famous martyr. From this crypt another underground corridor leads to the subterranean Chapel of Poor Souls which is intended for funeral services. In these underground shrines burn votive lamps that are never extinguished, day or night, from one end

of the year to the other. These underground shrines, representative of the spot where Jesus first opened His eyes upon the world and the humble home of the Holy Family in Nazareth, are both, as in the case of the Holy Sepulchre, exact reproductions of the originals in the far-off Holy Land. Indeed, so faithful Is the duplication even in little things that we see in its proper place the stone bench upon the counterpart of which in the Holy Land sit the Turkish sentinels who stand guard over the spots so hallowed by Christians.

TWO JUDGES IN COURT.

“A man has been passing judgment on women for centuries. It is high time that a woman be permitted to judge men. And I am perfectly sure that a handsome man could not get away with it at a woman’s tribunal, as handsome women are doing every day in courts presided over by men.” That’s what Miss Mary Coleman, lawyer and suffragette, remarked when I called on her with the new proposal, backed by a number of women’s clubs, that all the officers of the women’s rights court, from the magistrate down, be women. “I don’t think an all woman’s court would be a good thing. “I don’t think an all man’s court is any better. ‘The ideal court will exist only when justice has gone into partnership. * In "this court there -will be two judges—one a man and one a woman. Each will learn from the other. And they will sit jointly and pass judgment on both men and women.” "I have heard two criticisms of women as judges, especially of their own sex,’’ I remarked. ‘One person says they would be too sentimental. Another writes essays on woman’s inhumanity to women.’ ” “Well, we can’t be both things," Miss Coleman replied, briefly. “As a matter of fact. I don’t think we’re either. I believe that the best justice prevails when head and heart works together, and I think this excellent combination is more often in women than in men. “Either a man is absolutely inflexible and cold-blooded, or he is wishy-washily emotional. A judge and jury of men rarely fail to be influenced by a handsome, attractive woman. But 1 am equally positive that fascinating men criminals could wield no such influence over women on the bench.”

MARVEL OF CINEMATOGRAPHY!

Wonderful Apparatus Invested by Drj Cranz of the Military Academy of Berlin. A cinematograph apparatus which, takes pictures with intervals of one! five-thousandth of a second has been; Invented hy Dr. Cranz of the Military J Academy of Berlin- A striking exam-; pie of the power of the apparatus! shows a bullet fired at a bladder ofj water that is hung on a string. The/ eye only sees a little smoke] from the pistol and a couple of hdlesi In the bladder, from which the waterj runs; but when this is cinematoH graphed and the film is shown slowlyj a very interesting series of operations] can be watched. i First the bullet is seen approaching.) It is traveling 1,000 feet a second, butj it seems to move quite deliberately] In front of It and extending a longj way above anfi below It is a dim line,] bent sharply immediately before the! bullet. A bullet can no more pass! through air than a vessel can through! water without making a wave; andi this is the air wave. It is made visible) on account of its different density,! Just as the waves in air are seen above a chimney or over hot ground. Behind the bullet come scattered! grains of the powder that have noti been burned, and traveling more slow-, ly still comes the wad. The bullet en-i ters the bladder and disappears Inside, a little water spurting out of the hole it makes. Then it reaches the; other side, but it no longer cuts through at once, as it did when the bladder was hacked up hy the water. Something like a finger seems toi push the bladder outward into a long; tube, then the tube opens and lets out the bullet, -which gradually travels away.—London correspondence New York Sun.

Walking Safe and Sane.

Taking it for granted that your heart is sound and normal, eight or ten miles’ walk a day can only do a young man good; is the safest, sanest, best of all exercises, especially If the walker uses his powers of observation and thought on the way to cheer up and freshen brain, heart, appetite and nervous system. Forced long tramps for the mere glory of the thing; are N. 0.; are sometimes positively injurious. Walking should always take the form of a gay. excursion, and not a stunt—where possible. Such walks are unusual these days, but long ago were everyday affairs, like hunting and sparking' One thing today is different; the roads are much harder; you know, in the old days there were no asphalt streets, gravel roads or other nongiving foot and leg killers. Every man ought to take one or two long walks a week and he ought to have three or four pairs of gdod shoes just for that purpose, so that while he is breaking in and softening up a new pair there are a couple of easy pairs to fall back on. Walking does not hurt the heart, and if there are no baggy veins or vein bags, walking hardly ever hurts a man.

Where Lord Byron Lived.

The late Lord Glenesk’s house In Piccadilly, London, England, which is up for sale, has had several notable occupants, but none more notable than Lord Byron. Most of his brief and tempestuous married life was passed there, his daughter, Lady Lovelace, was born there, he was living there when he parted from his wife forever and in the library at the back of the house overlooking the stables—Lord Glenesk also used it as his library—he wrote “The Siege of Corinth.” The apartment remains pretty much the same as it was in 1816. There are several memorials of the poet In the house. His bust stands In a recess In the overmantel of the entrance hall. There Is an oil painting of him framed by the overmantel of the library and the secret stairs in the lobby at the back of the morning room are said to have been used by him as a means of gaining access unobserved through the still existing trapdoor to the room above. He used, it is said, the latter room as a bedchamber, though in Lord and Lady Glenesk’s time it was a drawing room.

Traveling Man’s Tale.

"I had a strange experience with an Intoxicated man in a telegraph office down state the other day,” says a traveling man. "Was in a hurry to send a message myself, but this fellow was leaning against the receiver’s window as if he was camped there for the night. He muttered a lot of fool stuff to the man behind the screen, but I couldn’t hear what it was. Finally I got impatient and shoved my message over his shoulder. At the same time I saw the scrawl this souse was endeavoring to get On the wire. It was addressed to somebody in New Orleans. "He fumbled in his pocket, produced 62 cents in small change, and started away. 'Hold on,’ the clerk said; ‘this Isn’t enough. It will cost you $1.40 to send this to New Orleans.’ ** ’A’ right, o’ man,' waved the inebriate airily. ‘That’s all I gdt with: me right now. Just send it as far as you can f*r th’ money!’”

Let Carnegie Pin a Medal.

“Chugging is fearfully selfish since he got that new motor ear,” said the critical friend. "In what way?” “Every time he honks to warn a pedestrian he thinks he ought to have e life saving medal." ''